Kremlin Detains Dissident

Reports out of Russia indicate that the regime of thug Vladimir Putin has detained anti-Putin dissident Alexei Navalny on unspecified charges, a sign that the regime may fear new protests by pro-democracy forces. Navalny has been repeatedly jailed and harassed by the Kremlin in order to stifle dissent. He was barred from running in Russia's rigged elections last spring (after which Putin puppet Donald "Rump" Trump called Putin to "congratulate" him). Navalny organized protests in 90 Russian cities last spring against Putin's autocratic rule.

Meanwhile, the details of Rump's private meeting with Putin in Helsinki in July have yet to be disclosed. Some Senate Dems are continuing to press for a complete accounting of what Rump discussed or promised during the 2-hour meeting with Putin. His subsequent press conference with Putin showed Rump's subservience to Putin, and was widely seen as undercutting U.S. intelligence's consensus that Russia meddled in the 2016 elections, and as a treasonous display in front of an international audience.

In a better time, a President would be blasting Putin, and supporting Navalny. Instead, we have someone compromised by the Kremlin and who owes them allegiance for a reason we will know eventually.