Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine, visited the U.S. yesterday. At home, her husband is busy dismissing key security officials amid concerns about leaks -- a major problem -- while the battle bogs down in the eastern provinces.
The Wall Street Journal op-ed pages are scolding the West for failing to arm Ukraine, and for allowing Putin to use his "deterrent." Well, that's what nuclear weapons allow you to do. It's also what being unpredictable lets you achieve.
As I've been saying for months, the only way out of this is a negotiated deal. There is no circumstance in which Russia will accept a Western victory -- only a stalemate that can be spun as a Russian win. All other options are bluster.
The Biden administration has already squandered the negotiating leverage the West had when Ukraine had military and diplomatic momentum after repulsing Russian attacks on Kiev. Now that leverage is slipping fast. Time is running out.
If the war is allowed to continue, Russia could achieve gains that allow it to threaten Ukrainian sovereignty again, and the West will have to step in more forcefully, with a much higher risk of escalation, and a cold winter ahead.
The time for negotiations was yesterday. What's happened to Biden? What happened to President "Diplomacy Is Back"? Where's all the diplomacy we were promised? And if the U.S. is trying to pursue "victory," what does that look like?
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
