Ray McGovern

“Fool me once”: JFK was fooled by Allen Dulles claiming Castro wld fall once rebels were at Bay of Pigs. JFK learned that CIA analysts had not been consulted. He decided not to be fooled twice – one reason he was killed (as Truman strongly suggested). Trump: Beware, same trick.

Trump’s morality: The Ivys wouldn’t admit him, until a friend at UPenn got him in after 2 years at Fordham, where “Moral Theology” (Ethics) was required for sophomores. Trump’s lawyer threatened Fordham & UPenn not to release Trump’s marks. But Fordham: Do you not dare dissociate from Trump’s morality?
https://www.phillymag.com/news/2019/09/14/donald-trump-at-wharton-university-of-pennsylvania/

Can zealous Zionist David Ignatius, pundit-ancien for Wash Post, CIA, & Israel, be unaware that Israel will be obliterated next time it attacks Iran? Quick, someone explain to old David what “hypersonic” means and how targets in Israel were destroyed last June.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/01/09/iran-regime-ayatollah-tehran-unrest/

Monday morning; the Judge and I:

All Bets Off for Russia-US rapprochement in wake of US attack on Venezuela. Putin will find this one very hard to stomach. He already had a number of indications the Washington Swamp hawks were gaining clout. Benchmark: My take on status quo ante Venezuela

I had thought I knew a lot about Russian/Soviet history. Now hazy memories as well as new discoveries are brought to light by historian Geoffrey Roberts. To his credit, he connects it all to more recent history – particularly on Russia-Ukraine today.
https://eng.globalaffairs.ru/articles/great-powers-roberts/

“Bob & Ray II” takes stock of US-Russia stakes in Ukraine. How does one deal with a mercurial narcissist? With kid gloves, probing whether Trump 1) is serious, and 2) is his own man. Putin is likely to learn more in next weeks as key issues come to a head.

https://scheerpost.com/2025/12/31/nuclear-standoff-ray-mcgovern-and-robert-scheer-on-the-most-dangerous-new-year-in-decades/

Ukraine: Can Trump and Putin Untie the Gordian Knot? What is the priority of each? Can Trump be his own man in dealing w/Russia? LITMUS TEST: Is he able to say “Yes” to Putin’s Sept 22 proposal that both sides adhere to New START limits for another year?