FIRM evidence that Russia hacked the U.S. election does not exist. Most Americans probably don’t even care. But say it often enough — “Russia hacked the U.S. election,” “Russia is undermining our democracy” — and it becomes true.

A Congress of dumbbells is now leading us to war. Millions of ordinary Russian people will be hurt by the new sanctions voted for by Congress and awaiting Trump’s signature.

The White House says President Donald Trump will sign legislation implementing tough new financial sanctions against Russia.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says in a statement that Trump read early drafts of the bill and “negotiated regarding critical elements of it.”

She says the president has “reviewed the final version and, based on its responsiveness to his negotiations, approves the bill and intends to sign it.”

The legislation includes language that bars Trump from easing or waiving the additional penalties on Russia unless Congress agrees. It also imposes financial sanctions against Iran and North Korea.

Moscow has responded by ordering a reduction in the number of U.S. diplomats in Russia and closing the U.S. Embassy’s recreation retreat. [Source]

Daniel McAdams of the Ron Paul Institute comments, “They’ve established as a fact on the ground that Russia hacked the election and therefore no one needs to question it…. People in Congress are not very well informed.”

Trump has been backed into a corner. “We have passed the line of rationality,” says Former US diplomat Jim Jatras. “They [Congress] want to take away from the president one of his most solemn duties as the Commander in Chief, which is the conduct of affairs with foreign states and they want basically to put the Mark of Cain on Russia .. not a declaration of war, militarily, but a political war.”

Ron Paul writes of hostility toward Iran and North Korea:

So whom will Trump attack first? Let’s hope nobody, but with continuing pressure from both Democrats and Republicans over the unproven “Russiagate” allegations, it increasingly looks like he will seek relief by starting a “nice little war.” If he does so, however, his presidency will likely be over and he may end up blundering into a much bigger war in the process.

Although Trump’s bombastic rhetoric on Iran and North Korea has been pretty consistent, the American people voted Trump because he was seen as the less likely of the two candidates to get the US into a major war.

A recent study by the Boston University and the University of Minnesota concluded that Trump won the most votes in parts of the country with the highest military casualties. Those most directly suffering the costs of war were attracted to the candidate they saw as less likely to take the US into another major war. These are the Americans living in the swing states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan that surprised the pundits by voting for Trump over Hillary.

Do ordinary Americans want this? Do ordinary Americans harbor venomous animosity toward Russia? Do ordinary Americans hate Iran and want war? No, on all three counts. Israel, not America, hates Russia. Russia stands in the way of its ambitions in the Middle East. “Russia allied with Iran are wrecking Israel’s plot to replace Assad’s government with ISIS so Israel can bulldoze over the Axis of Resistance: Syria, Lebanon, and Iran,” says Brother Nathanael.

Update: More from Paul and McAdams on Trump signing the sanctions bill.

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