Mr. Trump is incorrect in stating the USA alone provides funding to Ukraine.

September 7, 2019

Donald Tusk visiting EU funded humanitarian demining project in Eastern Ukraine

...The EU (click here) is also stepping up humanitarian funding to help those most in need in Ukraine with an additional €17.7 million. The assistance includes essential support such as healthcare, shelter repairs, water, cash transfers and Education in Emergencies projects. All EU humanitarian aid is impartial and independent, and will be provided along the line of conflict and in the non-government controlled areas. This brings the total EU humanitarian support for Ukraine to €133.8 million....

Eastern Ukraine is where the border meets Russian borders. It is where the civil war is the worst because Russia supports the rebels in the name of "The Russian People," as if something is going to happen to those in Eastern Ukraine to take away their culture.

...Background

The EU has been at the forefront of the response to the humanitarian crisis. Humanitarian needs are still high in eastern Ukraine: the conflict is affecting over 4.4 million people, of which 3.4 million are still in need of humanitarian assistance, especially along the contact line and in the non-government controlled territories.

The European Union and its Member States have provided financial support to the most vulnerable people. The EU, together with its Member States, is the biggest donor of humanitarian and early recovery/development assistance to Ukraine.

The EU's Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) have operated in Ukraine since February 2014 and plays a key role in facilitating humanitarian coordination and information sharing with various humanitarian organisations, including donors, authorities and aid partners.

In addition to financial aid, in-kind assistance was mobilised through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in the early onset of the conflict. The EU also provides assistance to displaced Ukrainians in Belarus and Russia.

Thank you, Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Her words were nothing short of eloquent. The country needs to have justice in order to function. It is simply astounding to have a President of the USA hold our national security and that of a pledged NATO nation only as a self-serving entity. 

We are the United States of America. We welcome countries seeking democracy and freedom. That has been the case since the inception of this country. This is just an astounding situation. This is the second time Donald J. Trump has leaned on a foreign power to be elected into office. 

Ukraine as well has a great deal on the line. Discovery of any breach of trust by a pledged NATO country could be a rejection of it's application. It is important NATO military support, in providing munitions to Ukraine, be delivered without delay. We cannot abandon Ukraine after a very important treaty was violated by Russia. Such abandonment of trust by President Trump is a very serious insult to the integrity of NATO.

It is a very sad day, but, again I thank Speaker Pelosi for her guidance as always and in these circumstances, her bravery.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a great American. She knows how to handle the US House exceptionally well. She has not added Impeachment to the agenda of the House because she simply didn't believe there was enough support for the issues of obstruction. 

Circumstances have changed, the blatant disregard of the Rule of Law, the US Constitution and the integrity of the USA in the international community is becoming extremely obvious of the Trump White House and President Trump himself. It is astounding that Trump uses the power of the Executive Branch for his own purposes with disregard of national security.

Every person that loves the USA should come to realize there is a lot wrong with the Trump administration and the President's conduct. But, moreover is the reality that this administration is obstructing the legal processes of Congress.

As much as I believe Speaker Pelosi has every right to protect her House members from potentially wayward politics with any process of impeachment, there comes a time when that protection of her members needs to take a back seat to the US Constitution they pledged to serve and protect.

I believe Trump is dangerous and becoming more so as time goes by. It is time Speaker Pelosi begin an Impeachment Inquiry in order to receive the documents, information and testimony the US House is entitled to by law.

I know this has been a very difficult topic for her while she handles all the House's other business with ease. I believe in her and I stand with her no matter her decision at this time.

The Miami Herald (click here) is reporting Venezuelans were arrested at Broward Airport for smuggling $5 million of gold.

September 3, 2019
By Cerina Pons and Mayela Armas

Caracus - Gold reserves held by Venezuela’s central bank (click here) fell by $1 billion in the first half of 2019, official data released this week showed, amid opposition accusations that the government is selling the precious metal abroad to raise revenue in the face of U.S. sanctions.

The value of the gold bars in central bank vaults fell to $4.62 billion, down 18.5% from $5.67 billion dollars at the end of 2018 - the lowest in 75 years, according to bank data.

Opposition leaders have for months accused the government of President Nicolas Maduro of withdrawing gold to sell abroad as U.S. financial sanctions have crippled oil exports and blocked it from borrowing abroad.

The drop corresponds to a decline of 26.36 tons of gold from reserves, leaving the bank with about 102.40 tons. About one-third of that is held by the Bank of England....

The Trump United Nations speech.

I didn't find it a highly objectionable speech. There were tints of White Supremacists with a willingness to redefine the USA's history. I also think there was a far harsher tone to his speech that the global community is not used to at all. That harshness was noted in his focus on China. No one can deny China has been an international thief of intellectual property.

He believes sovereign control will solve all problems. Protecting the intellectual property of American inventors is an act of sovereignty. Focusing on sovereignty is not a bad place for him to be, except, his policies victimize those seeking asylum.

He stated the bad actor in regard to Venezuela is Cuba. That is not the case. Russia is occupying Venezuela as a permanent military base in the Western Hemisphere.

He did not mention the Border Wall directly and didn't mention Russia or the Climate Crisis at all. He also didn't address the plight of journalists in highlighting their cruel imprisonment and deaths.

I think Americans need to be hesitant in their approach to accepting the speech as real and doctrine of the USA.

With democracy under siege around the world, when uprisings occur the standard question is "Who instigated this?"

After serving (click here) as the youngest-ever Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense, Felix has dedicated himself to strengthening peace, democracy, and the rule of law in Nicaragua.  A recognized international expert in civil society and leadership development, he seeks to heighten international awareness of what he sees as Nicaragua’s worsening political climate and human rights violations, and to help resource key human rights and pro-democracy organizations....

I think we know who the instigator is in Nicaragua.

The question now is are there sincere issues in the country to be solved? If there is then the global community should be seeking peace and encourage the people of Nicaragua to continue their political movement toward freedom. In that is the responsibility for election observers to provide an honest assessment of an election to the people.

The people should have confidence in their movement and it's ultimate outcome to provide better quality of life and a secure future. Agitators such as Felix Maradiaga should be protected internationally if indeed he is carrying out an important movement of the people. He should not be facing being a political prisoner because of his loyalty to the people.

September 22, 2019

Political activist, Felix Maradiaga, who just returned from exile, tries to cross a riot barrier.

Havana  – The government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo (click here) deployed dozens of patrol vehicles and hundreds of police and paramilitaries in Managua on Saturday, but could not prevent hundreds of Nicaraguan citizens from demonstrating at four points in the capital.

At the four designated points in the center of the capital citizens waved their blue and white flags. 

Police hurled stun grenades, tear gas, and shot with marble guns, causing two injuries. They also deployed trained dogs to contain the protesters, keeping them from going out in the streets. The demonstrators paid tribute to student Matt Romero – killed by the regime on September 23, 2018 in Managua – and denounced that “Nothing is normal” under a dictatorship in Nicaragua.
The government claims that the country is back to normal after its forces squashed an alleged coup attempt.... 

There have already been elections intrusions. These are important people and have done all the right things to participate in elections, yet they cannot find a foothold to carry out their political agenda. When that occurs regularly, there is a good chance violence will follow. Global involvement is necessary to bring about open, free and fair elections.

Silvia Gutiérrez (click here) has been an active member of the Sandinista Renovation Movement (Movimiento de Renovación Sandinista, MRS) since she joined the party as a pollwatcher for Nicaragua’s 2006 presidential elections. After her bid for city council in her hometown of Managua in 2008 was cut short when her party was denied participation, she decided to improve her leadership and communication skills by attending a training program aimed at getting more young people involved in politics and civic life. Shortly after completing the program in 2011, the party chose her to run for the National Assembly, and in November of that year she was elected.

Gutiérrez is one of nearly 1,000 young leaders ages 16-35 who have taken part in the Certificate on Leadership and Political Management (CLPM), an annual five-part training program launched by NDI and its partners in 2010 aimed at equipping Nicaraguan youth with skills and knowledge to govern effectively....

Ah, to be a fly on the wall with any Trump - Johnson meeting.

Johnson: "I thought you said suspending the Parliament was a brilliant move and it would work. Now, the people see me as a liar and a theft to their democracy."

Trump: "Well, Boris, I have judges. That is your problem, you weren't Prime Minister long enough to own judges in gratitude to their appointment."

September 24, 2019
By Max Burman and Alexander Smith

London - Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (click here) suffered a historic blow Tuesday after the country's top court ruled it was unlawful for him to suspend Parliament at a time of constitutional crisis over Brexit.

In a day of high drama, 11 justices of the U.K.'s Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Johnson's advice to Queen Elizabeth II ahead of the suspension "was unlawful, void and of no effect."

Under the U.K.'s political system, the prime minister goes through the formality of advising the queen ahead of suspending Parliament after every legislative cycle.

However, the court ruled that Johnson's suspension — officially called "prorogation" — was unlawful because it stopped lawmakers from scrutinizing the government's Brexit plans.

"The effect upon the fundamentals of our democracy was extreme," the court's president, Brenda Hale, addressed formally as Lady Hale, told the court Tuesday. "It had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of Parliament to carry out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification."...