First, links to reports  from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. — MCM  

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The latest Russian strike on Odesa leaves 1 dead, many injured and a cathedral badly damaged, by Hanna Arhirova and Elise Morton | AP  ODESA, Ukraine — Russia struck the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odesa again early today, local officials said, keeping up a barrage of attacks that has damaged critical port infrastructure in southern Ukraine in the past week. At least one person was killed and 22 others wounded in the attack. Regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said four children . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine vows retaliation for deadly Odesa strikes. From AFP. Russia’s latest missile attack on Odesa left two dead today, wounded many and badly damaged a UNESCO-listed Orthodox cathedral, drawing a vow of retaliation from Ukraine’s leader. The strike on the port city, which Russia has pounded since quitting the Black Sea grain deal . . . READ MORE . . .

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Moscow claims attack that hit Odesa cathedral targeted sites where Ukraine was making ‘unmanned boats’ to be used against Russia. From the Kyiv Independent. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that in the latest missile attack on Odesa, one of the most damaging since the start of the full-scale war, its troops targeted “facilities where terrorist acts against Russia were being prepared,” Russian media reported today. The ministry claimed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Record amount of foreign equipment destroyed in one day of special military op — Putin. From Tass. ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — A record amount of foreign equipment was destroyed during the special military operation over the past 24 hours, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said during talks that according to his information more than 15 Leopard and more than 20 Bradley tanks were destroyed in one battle. READ MORE . . .

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A week after ending the grain deal, Russia is bombing Ukrainian ports carrying grain. Reported by Scott Simon and Michele Kelemen | NPR The United Nations says Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports pose a threat to the global food market. The U.S. is seeking to safeguard Ukrainian grain shipments. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Ravaged by Russian troops, Bucha rises from the ashes. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  One Ukrainian suburb was devastated at the start of Russia’s invasion. Now, it’  finding ways to rebuild and honor those killed. Click HERE later to read and listen. (Originally aired on “All Things Considered” last Friday.)

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The world is isolating Putin. Here’s what that could mean for the war. Scott Simon of NPR speaks wth Angela Stent of Georgetown University about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s growing isolation and what it might mean for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and read.

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What follows is a look at the first edition of a book published this month by Eagle View Books in Washington, D.C. The book focuses on a U.S. Special Counsel’s report on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, submitted to the U.S. Attorney General on May 12 of this year, and provides a good deal of relevant context. For reasons stated below, this is more of a heads-up about the book than a review. It’s a pre-review. NOTE: This is the second entry today. — MCM

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A book pre-review by Mark Channing Miller

Some people are ideally positioned by training, smarts, skills and aptitude to record what they see going on in a way that contributes to a critically needed understanding of politics and history.

One of them is Andrew Kreig, whose ambitious new book, The Complete Durham ‘Russiagate’ Report: A Corrupt, Cruel Fraud, came out this month. It contains not only the entire report of U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel John H. Durham of “Russiagate” fame, but an illuminating author’s preface, a 50+-source bibliography, several related “official reports,” 20 pages of related “news and commentary, and mini-biographies of at least 50 “key figures in ‘Russiagate’ research.” (This blogger has read only the preface so far.)

Kreig (pronounced like the name Craig) was a Hartford Courant reporter for at least nine years before getting a law degree and clerking for a federal judge in Boston. At some point after going into private practice he co-founded the Justice Integrity Project in Washington, D.C., where he lives. JIP combines two of his passions, reporting and the law.

He writes that he has been keeping track of John Dunham since the latter was appointed U.S. Attorney for Connecticut in 2008 and as a reporter he was covering the justice system from Washington. A pre-“Russiagate” happening Kreig reviews in the book is the unprecedented 2006 dismissal by the Justice Department of at least seven U.S. attorneys, “allegedly for reluctance to use their law enforcement powers for White House-directed political reasons, such as criminally prosecuting prominent Democrats in dubious cases.”

These paragraphs are mostly about the book’s preface, which is all I have read at this point, which is why this is a “pre-review” and a media advisory about the book. I’m guessing its “news and commentary” section amounts to an annotation of parts of Dunham’s report, officially titled “Report on Matters Related to Intelligence Activities and Investgations Arising Out of the 2016 Presidential Campaigns.”

Russiagate is complex. As Kreig notes, the term, borrowed in part from the 1970s Watergate case that ended Richard Nixon’s presidency, is used by those who contend (as he does) that Russian government interference influenced the 2016 election sufficiently to determine Republican Donald Trump’s victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton,  and also by those who regard the whole affair as something concocted by the Democratic Party and Clinton supporters.

The preface marches through Russiagate’s stages including the issuance in the spring of 2019 of two versions of a report on the findings of then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election (one of them redacted for the public). And it comments on the various ways news organizations and others have covered the matter through the years, often predictably, through a few weeks ago.

It’s appropriate that the hefty tome — the oversized pages include 306 of Durham’s report plus more than 100 of context and critique by others — has the look and feel of a textbook because it is likely to be required reading in college courses in politics, journalism, communications, history, and law. Some of it makes enjoyable reading; in addition to being supremely knowledgeable about the matter, Kreig is a natural raconteur.

One reason I “pre-review” the book here is that any number of articles linked to in this blog have taken the opposite view from Kreig’s, championing Dunham in articles and chiding Democrats and others who blame Clinton’s defeat on Moscow. Privately Kreig has referred to some in that camp as “the Consortium News crowd,” a reference to an online service of news and opinion whose contributors’ articles I have often linked to.

So whatever their views regarding the complex, sometimes misreported saga known as “Russiagate,” interested readers should welcome Kreig’s labor of love to set the record straight. Perhaps one day I’ll do a full review.

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Tass, the Kyiv Post, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. Then, via Popular Resistance, commentary from the Orinoco Tribune. — MCM

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Drone hits Crimean ammunition depot as Russian strikes kill at least 8 in Ukraine, by Felipe Dana | AP  KYIV — A Ukrainian drone hit an ammunition depot in central Crimea today, sparking an explosion, less than a week after a predawn strike on a key bridge linking the peninsula to Russia prompted Moscow to exit a landmark grain export deal and pound Ukraine’s seaports with drones and missiles. Also on Saturday, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian attacks on 11 regions . . . READ. MORE . . .

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Four reporters injured in Ukrainian cluster munitions strike – Defense Ministry. From Tass. MOSCOW — Four Izvestiya and RIA Novosti reporters were injured in a Ukrainian cluster munitions strike at the Zaporozhye Region, the Russian Defense Ministry said today, adding that RIA Novosti reporter Rostislav Zhuravlyov died during evacuation. “At about 12:00 on July 22 . . . READ MORE . . .

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Every 100m cost 4-5 Men’: Ukraine’s frontline fighters report bloody battles, battered morale. From the Kyiv Post.  Front-line Ukrainian soldiers have told Kyiv Post their units are suffering from poor morale because of constant and accumulating losses, sometimes poor support and limited summer offensive ground gains against a  . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky says discussed ‘unblocking corridor’ with NATO chief. From AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the “unblocking” of the Black Sea grain corridor with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg today after Moscow exited a crucial deal to ensure the safe passage of ships. “We shared assessments . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin tells Poland any aggression against Belarus is attack on Russia. From Reuters. MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused NATO member Poland of having territorial ambitions in the former Soviet Union, and said any aggression against Russia’s neighbour and close ally Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia. Moscow would . . . READ MORE . . .

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Why the Ukraine conflict will unravel NATO and Biden, by Radhika Desai  | Orinoco Tribune / Popular Resistance  The proxy war on Russia is the centerpiece of Biden’s foreign policy of uniting the world’s “democracies” against “autocracies,” particularly China and Russia. Though the real unity is spotty at best, until recently, the rhetoric seemed to work. No longer. At its Vilnius Summit, NATO’s disunity bubbled over. The reasons are rooted in developments that . . . READ MORE . . .

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First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, Agence France-Presse, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Finally for today, from Consortium News, a link to an interview. — MCM

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Russia targets Ukraine’s farm storage sites after days of hitting Black Sea port facilities, by Felipe Dana | AP  KYIV — Russian cruise missiles destroyed farm storage buildings in the Odesa region early today, Ukrainian officials said, as Moscow’s forces expanded their targets following three days of bombardment of the southern region’s Black Sea port infrastructure. Other Russian missiles damaged what officials described only as an “important infrastructure facility” . . . READ. MORE . . .

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Russia hits Ukraine’s grain for fourth day, practises seizing ships, by Olena Harmash | Reuters  KYIV — Russia pounded Ukrainian food export facilities for a fourth day in a row today and practised seizing ships in the Black Sea in an escalation of what Western leaders say is an attempt to wriggle out of sanctions by threatening a global food crisis. The direct attacks on Ukraine’s grain, a key part of the global food chain, followed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces wipe out signal center, command post of two Ukrainian army brigades. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces struck a signal center and a command post of two Ukrainian army brigades over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov said on Thursday in a briefing. “In areas near . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin says western weapons and support not helping Ukraine. From AFP. Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that Kyiv’s counteroffensive, launched to push Russian troops back in the south and east of Ukraine, was failing despite military and financial support from Western countries. “In any case, . . . READ MORE . . .

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CIA Director William Burns discusses recent developments in the war in Ukraine. Mary Louise Kelly of NPR speaks with CIA Director William Burns at the Aspen Security Forum about Russian attacks on Ukrainian port cities and about Ukraine using U.S.-supplied cluster bombs. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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From Stalinism to the ‘most avoidable war in history.’ Natalie Baldwin, author of The View from Moscow: Understanding Russia and U.S.-Russia Relations (2020), talks with Soviet and Russian specialist Geoffrey Roberts on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine, Europe’s role, Stalin and World War II. Click HERE for the interview from Consortium News.

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, via Popular Resistance, a link to commentary in the form of the first part of a two-part documentary film. NOTE: This in the second entry of this blog today. — MCM

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At least 2 dead as Russia strikes Odesa and other southern Ukraine cities for a third night, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Russia pounded Ukraine’s southern cities, including the port city of Odesa, with drones and missiles for a third consecutive night in a wave of strikes that has destroyed some of the country’s critical grain export infrastructure. At least two . . . READ MORE . . .

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Teenager killed in Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea. From AFP. A Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea damaged administrative buildings and killed a teenage girl, the region’s Moscow-installed governor said today, days after Kyiv struck a strategic bridge that links the peninsula to mainland Russia. “As a . . . READ MORE . . .

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Upyr FPV-drone hit Ukrainian landing party boat near Antonovka Bridge in Dnieper. From Tass. YEKATERINBURG — Operators of an Upyr FPV-drone (first-person view) hit a boat with a Ukrainian landing party moving along the Dnieper River toward the Antonovka Bridge, a spokesman for the manufacturing company said today. “In . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. says Ukraine has significant combat power not yet committed to the war, by Lolita C. Baldor | AP  WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian forces have a “significant amount of combat power” that hasn’t yet been committed to the war, the top U.S. military officer said Tuesday, saying Kyiv is conserving some of its tactical effort while troops slowly work their way through deadly Russian minefields. Army Gen. Mark Milley was . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Agent Zelensky.’ Scott Ritter of Popular Resistance and ScheerPost presents the first part of.a two-part film. From his introduction: “With the help of colleagues and experts with first-hand insights into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, I have poured over documents and video to produce a film that captures this investigation. This story has so many twists and turns that I had to . . . Click HERE to read more of the introduction and view Part 1 of the film. 

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The item below concerns a hearing to be held this morning EDT, July 20, 2023,  in the U.S. House of Representatives. — MCM

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‘The weaponization of the federal government’

WASHINGTON, D.C. — At least three witnesses will speak at a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee’s Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, beginning today at 9 a.m.

The hearing “will examine the federal government’s role in censoring Americans, the Missouri v. Biden case, and Big Tech’s collusion with out-of-control government agencies to silence speech,” according to an official announcement.

Witnesses will include Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., attorney and candidate for the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nomination; Emma-Jo Morris, a journalist at Breitbart News; and D. John Sauer, Special Assistant Attorney General, Louisiana Department of Justice.

The hearing will be live-streamed, and may be watched HERE.

Kennedy “will describe the effects of unconstitutional censorship not only on his campaign but on the rights of the American people,” according to a release put out by his campaign.

In it, he made the following statement:

“Recent revelations in the Twitter Files and Missouri v. Biden show how deeply institutionalized government censorship has become. It is dressed up in euphemisms like, ‘working with our partners in tech,’ but make no mistake, this is a systematic program to control what Americans can say and think. As such, it is antithetical to democracy. In a democracy, the people tell the government what to think, not the other way around.”

The official announcement of the hearing, to take place in Rayburn House Office Building 2141, is HERE.

The essay linked below is at least a “three-fer”: it seeks to clarify some medical and historical issues commonly misunderstood; it offers advice to an outspoken presidential candidate who ventures into subjects candidates customarily avoid; and it faults some “mainstream” news coverage and opinion. (Readers may contest, however, the author’s attribution of a saying solely to Churchill.) Access to the essay may require a subscription to her Substack account. NOTE: This is the fourth entry today. — MCM

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This Jewess says RFK Jr. is right, by Naomi Wolf | Substack The two entities that initiated the attacks on RFK Jr, and that provided the media with the early grist in the form of howls of [Democratic National Committee] outrage and sober “assessments” by fully compromised medical voices, are the two entities who stand to lose the most from a President Kennedy . . . READ MORE . . .

A link to commentary. An investigative reporter tries out a new format in an interview, which may require a subscription to his Substack account to access. NOTE: This item is the second entry today. — MCM

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Ordinary people by the millions. Seymour Hersh of Substack talks with author Thomas Frank on changes in U.S. politics. Frank: “So what if the Democrats are no longer the clearly dominant party, as they were from roughly 1930 to 1994. So what if their great victories are won by the tiniest of margins. All that constant flattery, all those contributions, all that money, these things feel good. The Republicans, meanwhile . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. Then, via Consortium News, commentary from People’s Dispatch.— MCM

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Kyiv says Russia targets grain infrastructure with strikes on Ukraine’s Odesa port, by Max Hunder | Reuters KYIV — Russia launched an extensive air attack on the Ukrainian city of Odesa for a second night in row, but authorities vowed today not to be intimidated by the “hellish” onslaught from working to keep grain exports moving from its ports. The attack was “very powerful, truly massive,” Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for the . . .  READ MORE . . . 

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Ukraine says conducted ‘successful operation’ as Crimea fights fire. From AFP.  Ukraine said today its forces had carried out a successful operation in the Russian-annexed Crimea peninsula after authorities there said a fire at a military facility prompted mass civilian evacuations. Kremlin-installed authorities in the Black Sea territory . . . READ MORE . . .

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The latest on the Ukraine grain deal that collapsed after Russia backed out. Reported by Ailsa Chang and Joanna Kakissis | NPR Ukraine says it wants to keep exporting grain from its ports in the Black Sea, saying it needs partners to keep those exports flowing. in the port city of Odesa, the U.S. offered additional help. Click HERE to listen and read.

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In Ukraine, U.S. adds to barbaric cluster-bomb legacy, by Abdul Rahman | Peoples Dispatch / Consortium News The U.S. supply of cluster munitions is a part of a fresh $800 million military aid package to Ukraine, which came on the eve of the NATO summit at Vilnius in Lithuania. The dangerous nature of cluster munitions, especially for civilians . . . READ MORE . . .

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