A Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article on how Trump would back Ukraine, co-authored by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, looks great. But why does it contradict what Trump has said, and why do all those involved seem to have ties to Russian oligarchs?

“A Trump Peace Plan for Ukraine,” printed Friday in the WSJ, argues that Trump would not abandon Ukraine; rather, Trump would strongly support it. How? By driving down energy prices, including by tightening relations with Saudi Arabia, revitalizing NATO, giving Ukraine a $500 Billion lend-lease-type loan, and lifting all restrictions on how Ukraine can use weapons that it gets from the US against Russia.

Though the outlined plan is certainly robust, it is also contradictory to the policy positions that Trump has taken in relation to Ukraine.

Trump has discussed Ukraine, but has never said anything similar to the plan that was outlined by Pompeo. For instance, Trump has promised that he will end the war “in one day” and even “before he takes office,” however none of the points in Pompeo’s plan are achievable before Trump would take the Oval Office, nor would they end the war within a day.

Instead, just last month, it was reported that Trump was considering a plan to quickly end the war along current lines of battle, written by two men who “served as chiefs of staff in Trump’s National Security Council,” which clearly does not line up with what Pompeo has written.

The WSJ article’s authors, perhaps, merit careful attention.

Pompeo’s co-author heads one of Washington DC’s best-known lobbyist firms, the BGR Group.

According to Politico, in 2022, the BGR Group lobbied Washington on behalf of Russian oligarchs Peter Aven and Mikhail Fridman. Despite initial success, both Russians ended up sanctioned by Washington in 2023.

Last year, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) “announced the seizure of all corporate rights of Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman, Peter Aven and Andrei Kosogov over their involvement in financing Russia in the current invasion.”

Aside from actions taken in Ukraine, both Aven and Fridman are sanctioned by the US, along with two other Russian oligarchs who “have served on the supervisory board of the Alfa Group Consortium (‘Alfa Group’), one of the largest financial and investment conglomerates in Russia,” according to the US Department of Treasury.

US intelligence has said that the Kremlin favors Trump, but why might Fridman and Aven want Trump back in the White House?

Earlier this month, Trump argued: “I don’t love sanctions” because sanctions are “forcing everyone away from us.” Perhaps the sanctioned Russians are hoping that Trump will bring them in from the cold?

We cannot be certain, but we do know that it has happened before: when Trump was president, he acted – against some of his own party leadership – to reduce the sanctions faced by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

Mike Pompeo, BGR’s Chairman, and the Trump Campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

A severe algae bloom clogged equipment at one of the treatment facilities providing drinking water in the Washington region, forcing officials to declare a boil-water advisory on the night of July 3—as thousands of visitors arrived to celebrate Independence Day.

The advisory was lifted the morning of July 4. But the incident was an ominous sign of how warming water temperatures caused by climate change can disrupt essential civic services.

The algal blooms caused a drop in water supply at the Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant on the Maryland-D.C. border. All water treatment operations were switched to the McMillan Treatment Plant in Northwest D.C. to ensure adequate supply of water, the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) said in its July 3 advisory.

The disruption in water supplies affected the entire District of Columbia and parts of Arlington, Virginia, including the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery and Reagan National Airport. Among the blooms’ impact: increased turbidity, a measure of cloudiness in water.  

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) operates the treatment plants located in D.C. and supplied by the Washington Aqueduct, which collects, treats and pumps drinking water for nearly 1 million customers in Washington, Arlington County and other areas in northern Virginia.

The algae intruded at a time when demand for water was particularly high due to the influx of visitors and possible firefighting activities related to the annual fireworks display on the National Mall.

“DC Water issued a precautionary boil water advisory to protect public health and safety due to a sharp reduction in the volume of water being supplied by the Army Corps of Engineers’ Washington Aqueduct and due to the Aqueduct expressing concerns that they might be unable to comply with strict U.S. EPA water quality standards while simultaneously attempting to increase water supply volumes to levels adequate to meet DC Water’s customer demands,” said Sherri Lewis, senior manager of communications at DC Water, in emailed remarks. “The combined output of treated water from both of the Aqueduct’s plants was insufficient to meet DC Water’s water consumption demands.”  

Lewis said the week of the July 4th holiday has historically been one of DC Water’s highest water demand days of the year. 

Affected customers scrambled to stock up on bottled water supplies after the advisory was announced, quickly emptying out aisles in supermarkets and local stores.    

“We had floating algae mats along the top of our sedimentation basin at our Dalecarlia Treatment Plant, which then washed into the filter building, clogging filters in the process,” said Cynthia Mitchell, a public affairs specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

The sedimentation portion of the water filtration process removes suspended particulates in water. In emailed comments to Inside Climate News, Mitchell said the situation at Dalecarlia led to a decrease in supply, while the McMillan Treatment Plant continued to operate under normal conditions.

“Our recent algae bloom was not a cyanobacterial harmful algae bloom—we had green algae which does not pose a risk to human health,” Mitchell added.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA, warns that “blooms of red tides, blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria can result in severe impacts on water quality, human health, aquatic ecosystems, and the economy.” 

In the case of the July 3 event, it was the sheer amount of algae that caused problems. The region’s record-high temperatures are driving growth, and climate change is expected to worsen the situation, Mitchell said.

“Washington Aqueduct staff that have served for decades, including General Manager Rudy Chow with 40 years of experience in the water utility industry, agree the severity of algae blooms this summer is unprecedented,” Mitchell said.

DC Water’s Lewis said several other utilities that use the Potomac River as one of their water supply sources, such as Fairfax Water in Virginia and the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission in Maryland, encountered and successfully treated these same algal blooms. 

Nitrogen, key fuel for algae, flows into water bodies from sewage overflows and runoff. Bill Dennison, a professor and vice president at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, said the Potomac River has historically had high levels of pollution from sewage but now agriculture and stormwater runoff is the biggest source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

“Generally, both cyanobacteria and green algae form in the Potomac River,” Dennison said. “Fortunately, green algae don’t tend to be as toxic as cyanobacteria. But they’re not a pleasant addition to the environment and can clog the waterways … and produce bad taste in drinking water.” 

Climate change contributes a one-two punch. More rain instead of snow in the winter leads to extra pollution runoff earlier in the season, Dennison said. And warming temperatures allow algae to bloom earlier in the summer than before.

DC Water officials said they are reviewing their actions and communications to the public about the July 3 event to determine what can be improved. 

Lewis said that unlike the majority of other public water utilities, DC Water does not have a second source of water and is fully dependent on the Aqueduct to supply its needs. “It is also extremely unusual for a water utility serving a large metropolitan city not to also have direct responsibility for water supply and water treatment. DC Water will be reviewing the Aqueduct’s actions to determine if any changes are necessary to ensure proper notification steps are taken in a timely manner,” she said.  

While greater D.C. avoided major calamity with this algae bloom, other cities haven’t been as lucky. In 2014, the water supply of Toledo, Ohio, had to be shut down because of a harmful algal bloom in Lake Erie, and the toxin associated with that algae could not be destroyed by boiling. Half a million people could not use water supplies for days. Agricultural runoff was later declared the cause of the ordeal.

It is embarrassing to admit, but of all those to whom one’s heart goes out these days, there is a small corner in my heart for Israelis with fancy titles who live in a pleasant city abroad.

I refer to the staff of the Embassy of Israel in Washington DC, where I served as congressional liaison officer. I proudly represented a small democracy defending itself bravely against threats by surrounding dictatorships while doing everything in its power to achieve peace. We heard some criticism, but overall, due to mutual trust and a meeting of interests and values, the country and I were queens of the hill: Capitol Hill.

As befits queens, everyone wanted to please us. Can we help you pass a law? Would you care for a Free Trade Agreement? I was recently reminded that I was there at the beginning of the funding of the Arrow aerial defense system – I had been involved in so much good, that I forgot.

The importance of the relations was expressed during VIP visits, which entailed a lot of work – we coordinated, accompanied, summarized, and reported. Visits yielded practical results, like agreements and important declarations. The prime minister, foreign minister, defense minister, and finance minister each visited at least once a year, along with other dignitaries. Requests for meetings were almost always honored.

When Israel’s government changed, we represented its policies loyally and professionally. None of my interlocutors, including those who became friends, knew my personal opinions or how I vote.

Neutrality was our guide regarding internal American matters. When we arranged for a visitor to meet a committee chairman, we made sure that we met with the minority leader of the same committee. Not only because what goes up always comes down and vice versa, but because bi-lateral support for Israel is a strategic asset which cannot be endangered. Until a few years ago, it was inconceivable that senior Israelis hinted at a preferred candidate or party, never mind expressing themselves openly.

Invitations to Washington have nearly stopped with the new coalition

GIVEN THE policies of the current coalition, meaning the erasure of the Green Line, invitations to Washington all but stopped. I would sometimes imagine myself walking the corridors of Congress and being asked, “how does annexing millions of Palestinians tally with Israel being a democracy?” or about the judicial “reform,” which would eliminate the separation of powers. Being sister-democracies is at the core of the values on which the special relationship is based. In my imagination, I had no answer.

There is no need to elaborate what the ongoing war has done to Israel’s image, while the aforementioned trends continue unabated. Thus, shortly before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that he had changed the status quo regarding the Temple Mount. Americans know that he is a follower of Meir Kahane, founder of the Jewish Defense League, designated a terrorist organization by the FBI.

That Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to address a joint session of Congress four times is remarkable. I have no idea who works in the embassy now, but have no doubt that staff noticed many empty seats, that they were upset to see families of hostages arrested for wearing a shirt that might upset the speaker – as though he has no connection to their plight – and that they cringed when they heard their prime minister directing an unveiled dig at Vice President Kamala Harris, who could well be the next president. Even those not deemed US experts understand that her goodwill is more important than a transient headline designed to please her opponents.

Undoubtedly, Israel’s representatives found a suitable diplomatic response when, after the compliments about the presentation and the ovations, they were asked follow-up questions. Why should we trust a foreign leader, when polls indicate that the majority of his people do not trust him and that they want him to resign? Deradicalization of Gaza sounds good, but what does it mean? Do you have a plan for “the day after,” or is it all slogans and PR?

No, one shouldn’t pity Israel’s diplomats in Washington, certainly not in relation to those who lost everything on October 7 and since. Yet, to understand the deterioration of Israel’s position in the world, particularly in the US capital, stand for a minute in the shoes that used to be mine and see how respect and credibility were replaced with mistrust and partisanship.

The writer was Israel’s first ambassador to the Baltic States after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, ambassador to South Africa, and congressional liaison officer at the embassy in Washington. She is a graduate of Israel’s National Defense College.