Megalion

“Surround the pain and isolate it. Then accept it. Stop fighting it. Don’t fear it. Pain is only information, it is up to you how you wish to interpret it. You control it.”
― Mercedes Lackey, The Silver Gryphon

“I’ve been thinking awfully hard about how I lost him. Maybe it would be better to remember how I had him.”
― Mercedes Lackey, Magic's Promise

“Trump had made Ratcliffe his final director of national intelligence in 2020, but as he prepared to return to the White House, Trump had one lingering question before entrusting Ratcliffe with the Central Intelligence Agency. “Is he going to shred it?” Trump asked his team. By “it” he meant the CIA. Once Trump was satisfied that the answer was yes, he gave the job to Ratcliffe.”
― Maggie Haberman, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump

“He pressed on, trying to outline the pressure points that would force Russia to negotiate. Kellogg’s slide read: “Eliminate Russian oil and gas revenues; cut off China’s economic support, incl. sanctions; and work with Europe to demonstrate intent to deploy $330 billion of frozen Russian sovereign assets to rearm and rebuild Ukraine.” Trump abruptly stopped him, telling Kellogg he was not to talk to the Russians. The President’s handpicked envoy to the Russia-Ukraine conflict was forbidden by the President from any contact with the aggressor. “Nobody on your team can talk to these people,” Trump added, “because we’re working a deal.” Who was the “we”? What was the deal? Trump’s special envoy for the conflict had no idea.”
― Maggie Haberman, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump