Russia Killing: Russia claims that the daughter of a prominent ultra-nationalist with the ear of Vladimir Putin was killed with a car bomb by the Ukrainian intelligence services.

  Daria Dugina, 29, died when a bomb attached to the car she was driving went off about 20 miles outside of Moscow. The car belonged to her father, Aleksandr Dugin, and the general presumption is that he was the target.

  In a letter of sympathy to Dugina’s parents, Russian President  Vladimir Putin said, “A vile, cruel crime ended the life of Daria Dugina — a bright, talented person with a real Russian heart.” He wrote, “She proved in her actions what it means to be a patriot of Russia.”

  It seemed certain that no matter what the facts may be, Russia would blame Ukraine for the bombing. Despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine in which thousands of soldiers and innocent civilians have died, Russian officials are claiming to be victims of Ukraine after this incident.

  Russia’s FSB security service claims Dugina was killed by a Ukrainian woman who escaped the country into Estonia after the bombing. They say that on July 23^rd the  woman rented an apartment in the Moscow building where Dugina lived “in order to organize the murder of Dugina and obtain information about her lifestyle.” 

  They say the woman was at the same nationalist festival attended by Dugina and her father on Saturday before the bombing.  The Russians distributed video of the woman in question.

  Ukraine presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted that the FSB statement was “propaganda” from a “fictional world.”

Trump World: Donald Trump yesterday filed a motion urging a federal judge to block the Justice Department from reviewing records seized during the search of Mar-a-Lago and appoint a so-called special master to “protect the integrity of privileged documents” found at his home.

  Trump’s lawyers described the FBI raid as “unprecedented and unnecessary.” Claiming political motives on the part of the government, the filing says, “Law enforcement is a shield that protects Americans. It cannot be used as a weapon for political purposes.” 

  Trump’s lawyers demanded that the Justice Department provide a more detailed inventory of items the FBI removed from Mar-a-Lago. They also said some of the materials taken are “privileged,” which is exactly why they were seized.

  The NY Times reports that the government has retrieved 300 classified documents from Trump.

  On another front, sensitive Georgia election system files obtained by lawyers working to overturn Trump’s 2020 defeat were put on a server and then downloaded by election deniers, conspiracy theorists, and right-wing commentators, according to The Washington Post.

  The Post says that among those who downloaded were a podcaster who suggested political enemies should be executed; a former pro-surfer who claimed the 2020 election was manipulated; and a self-described former “seduction and pickup coach.”

Blackboard Jungle: With school set to open tomorrow, the 4,500 teachers in Columbus, Ohio, have gone out on strike. School is likely to be online if there’s anyone available to teach. The teachers union says it wants guaranteed air conditioning, “appropriate class sizes” and full-time art, music, and physical education teachers in the city’s elementary schools.

Next Chapter: Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has advised seven presidents and spent more than 50 years at the National Institutes of Health becoming the voice of public health in this country, announced that he will leave government service by the end of the year.

  The 81-year-old Fauci said he intends to “pursue the next chapter” of his career. He told The NY Times that he is “not retiring in the classic sense” but will devote himself to traveling, writing, and encouraging young people to enter government service. He said, “So long as I’m healthy, which I am, and I’m energetic, which I am, and I’m passionate, which I am, I want to do some things outside of the realm of the federal government.” 

All Wet: Dallas is drying out after a Biblical 10 inches of rain fell overnight Sunday into Monday. Cars homes and businesses were flooded and a number of people had to be rescued.

  Most of the Dallas-Ft. Worth area received 6-10 inches of rain. The east side of Dallas got 13 to 15.

The Spin Rack: Stocks had a terrible day yesterday with the S&P 500 dropping 2.1 percent, its steepest dive in the past two months since the start of concerns about a recession. — Ford Motor announced it will cut 3,000 jobs to reduce costs and become more competitive in the auto industry’s transition to electric vehicles. — Strict abortion bans go into effect this Thursday in Tennessee, Idaho, and Texas. For the moment, 14 states have near-total bans on abortion or bans after six weeks of pregnancy. — Britain’s Prince William and family are moving out of London to a four-bedroom house in the country to give the three children a more “normal” life.

Politics Without a Helmet: Running for the post of dumbest politician, former football player and Republican candidate for senator from Georgia, Herschel Walker, railed against plans in the Biden administration’s new climate bill to plant and protect trees for cleaning the air.

  “They try to fool you and make you think they are helping you out — they’re not,” Walker said at a public appearance. “You know that some of this money is going into trees? We got enough trees — don’t we have enough trees around here?”

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