Ukrainian President Volodymyr has once again cancelled elections within the nation, preferring to continue his rule by unilateral fiat.

A growing opposition movement to Zelenskyy is very visible, and the Ukraine President has refused to consider a need to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed as irresponsible any notion of holding an election in wartime as talks have heated up recently whether Kyiv should be voting when under Russia’s assault.

Calling for unity to avoid pointless political discussion, Zelenskiy’s comments appeared to rule out any suggestion Ukraine should hold a vote to demonstrate its democratic credentials remain in good order.

[…] In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said it was critical to concentrate on the military challenges facing Ukraine as it tries to push out Russian forces occupying nearly one-fifth of its land more than 20 months after launching their invasion.

“We all understand that now, in wartime, when there are many challenges, it is utterly irresponsible to engage in topics related to an election in such a frivolous manner,” he said. (read more)

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Much is being made of the New York Times/Siena poll of background states [Full Poll DATA HERE].  Indeed, the professional Democrats are apoplectic with the results, and the deeper you dig into the poll the worse it looks for Joe Biden.

(NYT) – Trump leads Biden in five of the six states — Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Michigan — which would likely be enough to give him the 270 electoral votes needed to win. Biden leads in the sixth state, Wisconsin.  Trump leads by at least four percentage points in each of the other five states:

[NYT Article Link] – [ Crosstabs Link ]

Extending the results, if the election were held today, President Trump would win over 300 electoral votes.  However, lesser discussed is the structure of the race that is specific to MAGAnomics and President Trump.  Within the poll, President Trump is carrying the largest coalition of support amid black Democrats (22%) and Latinos (40%) in Republican history.  This is very unique to President Trump and not transferable to any other Republican candidate.

Within that reality, you find the reason for Politico [SEE HERE] and David Axelrod [SEE HERE] to sound the alarms.  “Not ‘bed-wetting,’” but legitimate concern, Axelrod wrote, as he simultaneously suggested that Joe Biden drop out of the race.  Axelrod says, “the stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore. Only @JoeBiden can make this decision,” he continued. “If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?”

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The timing here is just splendid.  According to multiple MSM sources, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is scheduled to endorse Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for the 2024 GOP nomination.  The endorsement is scheduled to be announced tomorrow in Iowa.

This endorsement comes on the heels of a recent Morning Consult poll [SEE HERE] showing Governor Kim Reynolds is “America’s most unpopular governor.”😂🤣😂 How appropriate is that?!

[…] “Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa) is America’s most unpopular governor, with a 47% disapproval rating, up from 39% in the first quarter of 2023. Her unpopularity increased partly because of a surge in negative sentiment among independent and Republican voters during a year in which she signed a strict anti-abortion law and took a lashing from former President Donald Trump over her apparent closeness with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.).” (link)

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This should not come as a big surprise, after all, President Donald Trump has an actual record of accomplishment on the two metrics that CBS/YouGov are polling, peace and prosperity.

According to the CBS/YouGov Poll, American voters view President Donald Trump as the better presidential candidate to create peace globally and specifically make their financial future more positive.  Both of these points are exceptionally important.

CBS – With views of things in America continuing to be bad and now hitting their most negative marks of the year, one might expect an incumbent president to trail in a pre-election poll — as Joe Biden does in this one. But that’s only half the story. The other half is that Donald Trump holds distinct advantages in his own right when voters look forward: More voters think they’d be better off financially if Trump wins in 2024, and more voters think it’s Trump who can keep the U.S. out of a war, if he wins. (link)

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This is, well, too full of smiles to adequately describe.   Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz delivered a resoundingly honest speech to the Republican attendees at the Florida Freedom Summit on Saturday.   It is well worth the time to watch, as prompted.

Look, I’m still on the fence with this guy, but his brutal confrontation of the GOPe is some of the funniest and best components of the BIG UGLY so far.   The guy has been put through the wringer, hit from every angle, ridiculed by both the left and right, and yet he’s standing there snarking brutal one-liners in their faces while sipping their tears.

It’s so much fun to watch him go full wolverine, and yet so brutal in its abject honesty; quite frankly, it makes him very easy to like. WATCH:

I mean, seriously.  Think about it.  He took down the Speaker of the House…. 😂

He’s a rebel with a cause. Give em’ hell kid!  

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After several interesting hearings and court filings last week, U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon has indicated she is likely to postpone the trial schedule requested by Special Counsel Jack Smith due to the scope of material evidence and the need for defense attorneys to review slow production by the prosecution.

As noted by journalist Julie Kelly, who has attended the hearings, “On Friday morning, [Cannon] announced a stay, or suspension, of all pre-trial deadlines as she prepares a formal order to explain her thinking and very likely issue a new trial date.”

Bad News / Good News – Before getting to the great summary outline provided by Kelly, it is worth remembering one of the challenges in the case, which fortunately Judge Cannon has great familiarity with.

You might remember when the issue of defining “classified documents” surfaced, Judge Cannon appointed a “special master” to review the documents and make determinations.  The prosecution filed an appeal to that approach and won within the 11th Circuit based on an outlook the Jack Smith team is relying on.

Essentially the appellate court ruled on the DOJ calling the material “classified” and “vital to national security”, by saying in the court’s determination they have no authority to question the decision of the executive branch when it comes to matters of national security. {Go Deep}

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Washington DC saw a massive assembly of pro-Hamas, pro-Palestinian groups today.  Tens of thousands of people protesting against Israel in support of Hamas and the Palestinian cause shouted, “from the river to the sea,” an increasingly popular slogan calling for the elimination of the nation state of Israel.

After the march and protest, the angry pro-Hamas groups converged on the White House, scaling the fence and waving the Palestinian flag.  The chant changed to “long live the Intifada,” a nod of approval to the protests against Israel from within the West Bank and Gaza.

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WASHINGTON DC – Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters massed in Washington, DC, Saturday afternoon before descending upon the White House to chant, “Allahu akbar” and “F–k Joe Biden” as they accused the president of genocide and demanded a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” the crowd dotted with Palestinian flags and signs cried at the start of the event, which drew attendees from across the country.

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President Trump attended the Florida Freedom Summit in Kissimmee today.  After dismissing Chris Christie and those running for first loser status, the republican audience went wild when President Trump came onto the stage.  WATCH:

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This is rather revealing of the mindset and disconnect.  Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was booed and heckled as he took to the stage at the Florida Freedom Summit in Kissimmee.   In response to the audience Chris Christie said they were “reprehensible”.  WATCH:

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He’s done!   He will likely be on the ‘first loser’ debate stage in Miami and that’s it.  Apparently, he knows this is his final chance to take shots at President Trump, regardless of the backlash he gets for doing it.

Attacking Donald Trump is the only skillset of Chris Christie.  That’s what he was recruited to do, and that is his single mission on the campaign.  This is his last opportunity, he’s done!

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The Florida DeSantis operation is based on political leverage to punish any GOP member who does not support the Florida governor.  As noted throughout his campaign, the people in control of the DeSantis operation have a vicious and vindictive GOPe streak in alignment with the character of their candidate.

It was reported earlier today [link], in advance of the GOP “Freedom Festival” convention, that seven Florida lawmakers were going to endorse President Donald Trump. Five of those endorsements are retractions from prior support of Ron DeSantis.  We can all be certain the attacks against Trump supporters by the DeSantis campaign are going to get much more vicious as the Iowa primary date gets closer.

FLORIDA – Seven more Republican Florida legislators are endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign – including five defections from Ron DeSantis – underscoring the former president’s momentum and the subtle erosion of the governor’s influence in their home state.

The seven endorsements, unveiled Saturday at the Florida’s GOP’s “Freedom Summit” and shared first with The Messenger, follow Florida Sen. Rick Scott’s decision Thursday to back Trump and they come 10 days after one of DeSantis’s former top allies in the Florida Legislature, Rep. Randy Fine, defected to Trump.

[…] State Rep. Jessica Baker, who switched her endorsement from the governor to Trump, indicated she was following her constituents’ interests.

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