Not Your Ordinary Day
Strap in, hang on. It's gonna be a bumpy day.
Strap in, hang on. This could be one of those days.
For our house it began late last night, as we watched the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule undock from the International Space Station and head back to Earth with astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. It was almost an afterthought in my NYT The Morning news bulletin:
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the NASA astronauts who have been stuck at the International Space Station for months, are headed back to Earth.
God forbid the paper of record give SpaceX due credit. The readers can find the mention if they keep scrolling. No need for The Times to get carried away because, you know, Elon Musk.
Splash down will take place at 2:47 PM Pacific. It will be streamed by billions.
If that wasn’t enough, at 11:42 AM Pacific the White House announced that Russia and the US will immediately begin negotiations in the Middle East to resolve the Ukraine conflict. Now that caught my attention. Now we will just have to see how the 90-minute Trump/Putin conversation to achieve a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict. Both leaders have reportedly agreed on the need for a “lasting peace” and confirmed a 30-day mutual suspension of strikes on energy infrastructure.
The Kremlin released a promising summary of the discussion’s high-points:
Reaffirming his commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, President Putin expressed readiness to work closely with American partners on a thorough and comprehensive settlement. He emphasized that any agreement must be sustainable and long-term, addressing the root causes of the crisis while considering Russia’s legitimate security interests.
Regarding President Trump’s initiative for a 30-day ceasefire, the Russian side highlighted key concerns, including effective monitoring of the ceasefire across the entire front line, halting forced mobilization in Ukraine, and stopping the rearmament of its military. Russia also noted serious risks due to Kiev’s history of undermining previous agreements and drew attention to terrorist attacks carried out by Ukrainian militants against civilians in the Kursk region.
It was emphasized that a crucial condition for preventing further escalation and working toward a political-diplomatic resolution is the complete cessation of foreign military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
In response to Trump’s recent request to ensure the safety of Ukrainian troops encircled in Kursk Region, Putin confirmed that Russia is guided by humanitarian considerations. He assured his counterpart that Ukrainian soldiers who surrender will be granted safety and treated in accordance with Russian laws and international humanitarian norms.
During the conversation, Trump proposed a mutual agreement between both sides to refrain from striking energy infrastructure for 30 days. Putin welcomed the initiative and immediately instructed the Russian military to comply.
Putin also responded constructively to Trump’s proposal regarding maritime security in the Black Sea, and both leaders agreed to initiate negotiations to further refine the details of such an arrangement.
Putin informed Trump that on March 19, Russia and Ukraine would conduct a prisoner exchange involving 175 detainees from each side. Additionally, as a goodwill gesture, Russia will transfer 23 severely wounded Ukrainian soldiers who are currently receiving medical treatment in Russian hospitals.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to continuing efforts toward resolving the Ukraine conflict bilaterally, incorporating the proposals discussed. To facilitate this, Russian and American expert groups will be established.
Putin and Trump also discussed broader international issues, including the situation in the Middle East and the Red Sea region. They agreed to coordinate efforts to stabilize crisis areas and enhance cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation and global security, which, in turn, would improve the overall state of US-Russia relations. A positive example of such cooperation was their joint vote at the United Nations on a resolution regarding the Ukraine conflict.
Stay tuned for push back from corporate news and the Democratic wing of the War Party (House and Senate), because, you know, Trump.
If these breaking news items weren’t enough, 80,000 pages of “unredacted” JFK assassination files are going to be publicly released today. The U.S. Intelligence Community and several POTUS didn’t want to rush shedding light on what really happened 62 years ago or anything. The release will be overseen by a team led by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, whom Trump named as playing a key role in the process.
"People have been waiting for decades for this," Trump said at the John F. Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts. “We have a tremendous amount of paper. You've got a lot of reading. I don't believe we're going to redact anything.”
Of course, if the many American “conspiracy” nuts out there actually think these files have not been thoroughly scrubbed by now, I’ve got a single magic bullet to sell you.
David Talbot told all in his incredible The Devil’s Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA (the 21st century favorite of the “Resistance” liberals), and the Rise of America's Secret Government, and like John Lennon told us when I was a kid, “A Conspiracy of Silence speaks louder than words.” It’s about time government transparency wins out.
Stay tuned.
Addendum to “Not Your Ordinary Day“
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Splashes Down Off Coast of Florida
The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft is seen after it splashed down in the Gulf of America, off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, at 5:57 p.m. EDT, returning Crew-9 to Earth.
NASA
Cause you know.....Trump