COTTonLINE: August 2025

Friday, August 1, 2025

Jubilation Is Premature

Bloomberg reports the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is taking steps to shut down when its federal funding runs out in September. Expect this announcement to prematurely trigger much public grief among progressives and excitement among conservatives.

I say "prematurely" because there is every chance George Soros, Steve Job's widow or some less well-known guilt-stricken billionaire will bail them out. As a low cost funder of lefty programming, it wouldn't be a bad buy for someone who cares deeply about the social and ecological agenda which the public doesn't love.

Their announcement of pending layoffs on Sept. 30 is lawyerly butt-covering. Let's wait and see if it happens before breaking out the champagne.

Trump Orders "Deterrence"

Under the cold, dark waters of the North Atlantic, quiet as a tomb, two boomers wait for the message to destroy Russia. It's safe to assume both are Ohio class submarines. A public source reports:

The American Ohio class and British Vanguard class boats both carry Trident II missiles, with 24 SLBMs on each Ohio and 16 SLBMs on each Vanguard. Each Trident II carries eight to 12 Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs) with ranges up to 7,500 miles.

By my calculation, that represents at least 24 x 8 x 2 = 384 warheads. Assuming half get through to target and detonate, that is 192 Russian bases, cities, ports, etc. gone within an hour.

I would suppose the prospect could conceivably deter Putin from starting a war, assuming he isn't suicidal. With Russians, that is not always a safe assumption.

Be clear, a similar Russian contingent is almost certainly sitting off one or both of our coasts with similar targeting orders. When both get the "go code," the result is the infamous "mutually assured destruction." The gloomy prospect of which has prevented nuclear war for nearly 80 years.