SAME OLD STORY – AT 2:14 P.M. ET:  The Russkies have now retaliated for President Trump's expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats.  Some of our people will be coming home.  I don't know if they get frequent-flyer miles.  From Bloomberg: 

Russia is expelling 60 U.S. diplomats and ordering the closure of the American consulate in St. Petersburg, mirroring the expulsion of Russian diplomats by the U.S., Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Lavrov announced the retaliatory measures to reporters in Moscow on Thursday. In addition, he signaled a similar response to European countries that are kicking out Russian diplomats over a nerve-agent attack in England.

“As far as the other countries go, it will all be mirrored in terms of the numbers of people who will leave the Russian Federation from the diplomatic missions’ staff,” Lavrov said.

COMMENT:  This will go on for a time, but I suspect that Putin, who's a shrewd tactician, will realize that his antics are producing negative results.  What we may see is a classic, Russian, charm offensive, and increased collaboration with leftist groups in the West.  Even at the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union had its cadres in the West, many on college campuses.  Expect to see the same thing again.

Russia is playing hardball with an increasingly strong military, but a weak economy.  However, the Soviet Union fought World War II with a third-world economy, and made mincemeat of Nazi forces.  Never underestimate the Russian bear.

March 29, 2018