By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on November 1, 2025   Olayinka Arowolo is Co-Founder and CEO of Nabirm Energy Services (PTY) Ltd., a Windhoek, Namibian-based oil and gas exploration company. On October 29, 2025, Olayinka Arowolo texted me a copy of the front-page of the Business Section of Namibia’s New Era newspaper.  Arowolo is the CEO of Nabirm Energy Service (PTY) Ltd. , a Namibian based oil and gas company that he and I co-founded in August 2011.  Arowolo is a successful African entrepreneur and highly-respected corporate executive who lives and works in Namibia. African-based GRAFFI DBA Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd . became a Nabirm shareholder in 2014.  U.S.-based Horizons, LLC (Huntsville, Alabama) , became a shareholder in 2020.   Nabirm acquired its oil and gas license for Oil Block 2113A in the Walvis Basin in 2012. Since that time, Nabirm has carefully and prudently developed Block 2113A in accordance with its government-approved geotechnical work plan.  International oil giants Chevron, Exxon, and TotalEnergies are also developing their respective oil blocks in the same Basin.   The October 29 th news article featured Arowolo standing on the deck of the Maersk Deliverer, a column stabilized dynamically positioned semi-submersible oil drilling rig that is capable of operating in waters of more than 3,000 meters.made. New Era made this major announcement about Nabirm:   “In a defining moment for Namibia’s burgeoning energy sector, London-based GRIT Investment Trust Plc (GRIT) has announced a proposed strategic reverse takeover to acquire Nabirm Global LLC.  This landmark partnership arrives as Namibia solidifies its position as the world’s next great energy frontier, coinciding with President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s decisive actions to ensure the highest standards of governance and oversight across the petroleum sector.”   Perseverance, Hard Work, and Networking are the Keys to Bringing an Oil and Gas Enterprenuer's Dream to Life On January 16, 2015, UK-based Upstream  magazine called Nabirm a “minnow” in the international oil and gas world.  This "minnow" undertook and completed the same 2D seismic work program for offshore oil and gas exploration that was undertaken and completed by major international oil companies in the Walvis Basin.   After Nabirm's 2D seismic work program was completed, Houston, Texas-based ION Geophysical Corporation confirmed the presence of at least 522 million barrels of “unrisked” recoverable Brent crude oil  and 583 billion cubic feet of “unrisked” methane natural gas   in Oil Block 2113A.   There are exciting times ahead for Nabirm, its executive management team, shareholders, and their work in the international oil and gas business.  What many naysayers thought was an impossible dream for this "minnow" to achieve is now a reality, as Nabirm prepares for Norwegian-based Electromagnetic Geoservices   (EMGS) ASA   to conduct its proprietary Controlled Source Electromagnetic (CSEM) Survey operations on Oil Block 2113A . Nabirm is a testament to the power of positive thinking, perseverance, and networking in business on a global scale. Rugged individualism is fine for many small businesses, but global networking is required to explore, develop, and build a sustainable international oil and gas company.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on November 17, 2024 Earlier this month, Norwegian-based Electromagnetic Geoservices (EMGS) ASA issued a Public Notice of its Application for an Environmental Clearance Certificate for Proposed Multiclient/Proprietary Controlled Source Electromagnetic (CSEM) Surveys, Walvis, Lüderitz, and Orange Basins, Offshore Namibia. One of the oil blocks listed in EMGS's Public Notice is Block 2113A in the Walvis Basin . The Namibian government licensed this oil block to Nabirm Energy Services (Pty) Ltd. In 2015, Houston, Texas-based ION Geophysical Corporation confirmed the presence of at least 522 million barrels of “unrisked” recoverable Brent crude oil  and 583 billion cubic feet of “unrisked” methane natural gas   in Oil Block 2113A. Turning Dreams into Reality In August 2011, Olayinka Arowolo and I co-founded Nabirm Energy Services (Pty) Ltd. to explore oil and gas opportunities in the Republic of Namibia (West Africa).  Arowolo is a successful African entrepreneur and experienced corporate executive who lives and works in Namibia. At the time, I was heading Masada Resource Group , a waste-to-energy company that is known in the clean energy industry today as OxyNol Solutions . Nabirm is headquartered in Windhoek, the beautiful capital city of Namibia. African-based GRAFFI DBA Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd . became a Nabirm shareholder in 2014.  U.S.-based Horizons, LLC (Huntsville, Alabama) , became a shareholder in 2020. On January 16, 2015, UK-based Upstream  magazine called Nabirm a “ minnow ” in the international oil and gas world.  This " minnow " undertook and completed the same 2D seismic work program for offshore oil and gas exploration that was undertaken and completed by major international oil companies in the Walvis Basin. On November 11, 2015, OffShore Engineer magazine shocked the oil and gas industry when it made this announcement about Nabirm : Exciting Times Ahead for Nabirm There are exciting times ahead for Nabirm, its executive team, shareholders, and their work in the international oil and gas business.  What many people thought was impossible for this " minnow " to achieve is now our reality, as Nabirm prepares for EMGS's Proprietary Controlled Source Electromagnetic (CSEM) Survey operations on Oil Block 2113A . Nabirm is a testament to the power of networking in business on a global scale. Rugged individualism is fine for many small businesses, but global networking is required to explore, develop, and build a sustainable international oil and gas company. To those who believed in Nabirm and supported us along our journey, we say, " Thank You! "

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 31, 2025 Redstone Arsenal’s U.S. Army Missile Command (MICOM) in Huntsville, Alabama, the site of an epic civil rights battle in the early 1980s. An Editorial Opinion In the 1982, I represented McKinley Bailey in a federal civil rights lawsuit against Redstone Arsenal’s U.S. Army Missile Command (MICOM) in Huntsville, Alabama.  Bailey, who had a genius IQ, was a GS-11 aerospace engineer who specialized in designing missile guidance systems.     Bailey was also president of the local chapter of the NAACP in Huntsville. Bailey was a sharp, confident, and very personable man. When Bailey walked into a room, his presence commanded attention without him speaking a word. I loved being Bailey's civil rights lawyer. His swagger was awesome. MICOM Repeatedly Denied McKinley Bailey Promotions Soley Because He was Black   Bailey repeatedly applied for promotions to available GS-12 supervisory positions within MICOM for which he was more than qualified.  Even though Bailey had the highest test scores and best job performance evaluations in the pool of applicants for these promotional opportunities, lesser qualified white GS 11 engineers were promoted over him each time.   In some instances, the white applicants were given clandestine access to the MICOM’s promotional tests. Yet, they still could not outscore Bailey on the tests.   Furthermore, evidence of a statistically significant underrepresentation of black employees in MICOM's overall workforce and in supervisory positions buttressed Bailey’s claims of racially discriminatory in the agency's hiring and promotional practices. Bailey's Case Played Out While President Ronald Reagan was Peddling False Claims of "Reverse Discrimination" Against White People   Bailey fought his case during President Ronald Reagan’s political heyday.  Reagan railed against affirmative action. He also led a racially charged movement that peddled false claims that whites were the victims of rampant “reverse discrimination” in the workplace. Reagan's "reverse discrmination"movement was the precursor to today's anti-DEI movement. Both movements spewed this baseless and racially inflamatory theme: For blacks to be hired and/or promoted in the workplace, employers had to discriminate against more qualified white applicants. At the time, there were less than a handful of adjudicated court cases nationwide that found "reverse discrimination" against whites in the workplace. In contrast, there were thousands of adjudicated racial discrimination cases in favor of black job applicants/employees like McKinley Bailey who had been intentionally discriminated against in the workplace because of their race. A Hard Case from a Technical Standpoint, But a Successful Outcome   Considering the technical aspects of both his existing aerospace engineering job and the promotional opportunities Bailey sought, his racial discrimination cases was the hardest one I have ever tried.  I had to become a de facto expert in missile guidance systems to know the precise technical questions to ask Bailey and to cross-examine the MICOM witnesses who denied him the promotions he had earned.   Following a bench trial in 1984, a federal judge determined that Bailey had suffered discrimination in MICOM’s promotional practices based solely upon his race.  The court awarded Bailey a well-deserved promotion to a GS-12 supervisory position in MICOM’s missile guidance systems division, injunctive relief that barred future employment discrimination against him at MICOM, full back pay, and attorney’s fees.   Punitive damages were not available against this U.S. government entity, even though the racial discrimination against Bailey was intentional and egregious. Because of His Incredible Bravery and Mesmerizing Brainpower, I Still Remember Bailey's Case 43 Years Later Despite the passage of 43 years, I still remember McKinley Bailey's case like it happened yesterday. Bailey was incredibly brave and his brainpower was mesmerizing.   When I see the anger on the faces of today’s anti-DEI crowd, it reminds me the the anger I saw on the faces of the MICOM officials who repeatedly denied McKinley Bailey the promotions he deserved. It was pure racial hatred then, and now. Despite my requests for assistance, not one member of Alabama’s all-white Congressional delegation came to Bailey’s aid before, during, or after his trial.  They simply did not give a damn about the protection of Bailey's civil rights.   McKinley Bailey served in his new job with distinction and fought the day-to-day resentment of superiors and subordinates at MICOM like a real man for as long as he could.  I was extremely proud of Bailey's intellectual acumen, courage, work at MICOM, patriotism, and contribution to humanity. With the passage of time, McKinley Bailey and I lost contact with each other. I moved on to the cases of other deserving civil rights warriors and other battlefields, but I never forgot about McKinley Bailey's remarkable contribution to uplifting humanity. McKinley Bailey's rightful place in American history is now preserved. None of today's political clowns can erase it.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 29, 2025 A "penny auction" in Michigan in 1936, complete with hangman's nooses in the background. An Editorial Opinion   President Donald Trump’s draconian immigration policies, chaotic tariffs, and disastrous trade wars have plunged American cattle ranchers and soybean farmers into dire financial straits. Thousands of these ranchers and farmers are on the verge of bankruptcy. Many of them have already received foreclosure notices that threaten to take away ranches and farms that have been in their families for generations.   It’s time to bring back a modern version of the 1930s-era “penny auctions.” When Political Action Fails, Community Action Becomes Necessary   At penny auctions, ranchers and farmers engaged in collective action to offer low bids, resulting in a low return to the creditor.  The final buyer would then return the property to the destitute rancher or farmer.  Onsite hangman nooses served as a warning to squirrelly bidders.   The photograph featured with this article depicts a penny auction at a foreclosed farm in Michigan in 1936, according to Dallas-based History of the World .   The penny auction was one of the most defiant, ingenious, and effective acts of resistance during the Great Depression. When banks repossessed ranches and farms after families could no longer meet their mortgage payments, local communities often took matters into their own hands.  Ranchers and farmers would gather in large groups and agree beforehand to bid only pennies on each item -- from livestock to land -- driving the auction prices down to virtually nothing. The final “buyer,” usually a trusted neighbor, would then return the property to the original owner, ensuring the family could remain on their land.   The nooses seen hanging in the background were not there for decorative purposes. They served as chilling warnings to outsiders who might attempt to outbid the crowd. These were not empty threats — solidarity and survival left little room for betrayal.   The penny auctions became powerful symbols of rural unity and defiance.  They weren’t just about saving one farm, but about preserving a way of life, one desperate bid at a time.   By 1933, more than 200,000 farms were foreclosed across the Midwest, sparking organized movements like the Farmer’s Holiday Association, which fought to halt foreclosures entirely. The Trump-Vance Team has Abandoned American Ranchers and Farmers   Today, Vice President J.D. Vance is a major investor in AcreTrader, which buys distressed and bankrupt farms for pennies on a dollar and flips them to third party corporate purchasers for huge profits.  Vance is personally profiting from the surge in ranch and farm foreclosurers.   Last week, Vance’s boss, President Trump found and rushed $20 billion in cash and another $20 billion in credit swaps to Argentinian beef ranchers within 48 hours to ease their financial suffering.   Trump’s own family is making billions of dollars each month from business deals with governments, sovereign wealth funds, and private partnerships in countries where Trump visits at taxpayers’ expense. Trump is also rushing a $230 million taxpayer-sponsored payment to himself for "damages" he allegedly incurred during the 2023 FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago. His Department of Justice is expediting the approval of this cash payment.   Yet, no economic relief whatsoever has been afforded to financially destitute American cattle ranchers and soybean farmers, even though they voted for Trump in 2024 in record numbers. They have been hoodwinked. Nobody in the White House or Congress cares about the plight of these ranchers and farmers. These hard working Americans are not members of the multibillionaire class. They are in no financial position to make a deal with Trump family members, who prefer fast cash deals in foreign countries with little monitoring and no transparency. As such, these destitute ranchers and farmers must save themselves. The cascade of American ranch and farm bankruptcies is expected to surge in December. Ironically, the presidential candidate for whom theses ranchers and farmers voted in 2024 -- Donald Trump -- bankrupted six major businesses and led another 21 companies into complete commercial failure. Maybe all of this is karma.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 26, 2025 Following his gruesome assassination on September 10, 2025, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was memorialized by MAGA World and politically canonized by President Donald Trump. An Editorial Opinion   Immediately after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, I thought MAGA World wanted the full truth, and nothing but the truth, about who murdered Kirk, and why. The passage of time has proven me wrong on this point.   The Trump administration’s coverup of Charlie Kirk’s murder started immediately after his death.  Then came Trump’s political canonization of Kirk, which exhilarated MAGA World and shifted the focus away from identifying and apprehending the real assassins.     The primary suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination -- Israel -- was identified by Kirk, himself, a month before his death.  Kirk confided in his closest friends that he believed Israel was going to kill him.    Yet, the Trump administration immediately shielded Israel from any exposure for Kirk's murder, even though Mossad agents carry out assassinations in America and other countries on a routine basis.  For example, on August 10, 2019, Jeffrey Epstein, a Mossad “honey trap” operator , was murdered by another Mossad agent on U.S. soil.  The first Trump administration immediately classified Epstein’s death as a “suicide.” To this day, no agency of the U.S. government has ever challenged or disputed famed forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden’s October 30, 2019, autopsy report , which stated that Epstein's neck injuries were much more consistent with "homicidal strangulation" than suicide.     Epstein’s collaboration with U.S. and Israeli national intelligence is reflected in FBI documents from his 2008 Miami child sex trafficking case.  Furthermore, other Mossad agents have publicly confirmed that Epstein was a fellow agent. As a “honey trap” operator, Epstein reported directly to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who visited him more than 30 times while Barak was in office.   The Trump Administration has Walled Off Israel and Its Mossad Agents from Criminal Exposure in Kirk’s Case   On September 10, 2025, up to 12 Mossad agents were at or near the Kirk murder scene in Utah.  This information shocked the National Security Agency, which pinpointed the location of these agents by tracking their cell phone numbers.  This information was immediately classified and withheld from public knowledge.   Within minutes of his assassination, Israeli Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Charlie Kirk's death to the world.   The Trump administration channeled Charlie Kirk’s assassination to Utah state law enforcement officials, who charged Tyler Robinson with murder in state court.  This strategic move placed the NSA's classified exculpatory information about the involvement of Mossad agents beyond the reach of state prosecutors and Robinson’s defense team.    Robinson’s lawyers are court-appointed, and their resources are extremely limited.  They are in no position to bust open the ongoing federal law enforcement coverup in Kirk's case.   By pushing a carefully crafted “lone wolf” assassination narrative through a state court criminal case, the Trump administration has made it virtually impossible for Tyler Robinson to win at trial.  Regardless of whether state prosecutors can prove their murder case, or not, jurors would feel pressured to convict the only defendant identified in the case because (a) Kirk has been politically canonized by Donald Trump and MAGA World and (b) no one else has been identified as the killer.    What's the Best Pathway Forward   My dilemma as an experienced crime scene investigator who has busted open scores of law enforcement coverups is this:  Should I devote the time, energy, and resources necessary to solve Kirk’s murder and bust open the ongoing law enforcement coverup in his case when the Kirk family and MAGA World have bought into the coverup? Kirk’s political canonization may be far more important to them than holding the real assassins accountable for his murder.       The alternative approach is to wait until Trump leaves office and present the documented truth at that time. For a host of practical reasons, I favor this alternative approach.

By: Donald V. Watkins © Copyrighted and Published on January 7, 2020 A lynching in the South According to a study conducted by Tuskegee University, between 1882 and 1968, 4,743 people were lynched in the United States, including 3,446 blacks and 1,297 whites. The Montgomery, Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative catalogued 4,084 "racial terror lynchings" in twelve Southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia) between the end of Reconstruction in 1877 and 1950. Another 300 "racial terror lynching" occurred in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia during this period, according to the EJI. The white victims of lynchings during this period were mostly Finnish-Americans, German-Americans, and Italian-Americans. In California and the Old West, the lynching victims were usually Hispanic-Americans, Native-Americans, and Asian-Americans. The United States government has never compensated the families of black lynching victims. The opposite is true for at least eleven white Italian-Americans who were lynched in 1891 in New Orleans. The stereotypical lynching in the American psyche is a hanging. Victims of lynchings were killed in a variety of other ways. Many were shot repeatedly; others were burned alive; some were forced to jump off of bridges; some were dragged behind horse drawn buggies and cars, some were castrated and/or ripped apart by horses or cars pulling in opposite directions. Many times the lynching victims were tortured before they were killed. Their body parts were often removed and sold as souvenirs. Occasionally, lynchings were not fatal. For example, a "mock" lynching (i.e., putting the rope around the neck of someone suspected of concealing information) was used by police officers and others to compel "confessions." The perpetrators of lynchings in America were nearly always local white vigilantes. The New Orleans Lynchings On March 14, 1891, eleven Italian-Americans were lynched in New Orleans. The lynching took place the day after the trial of nine of nineteen Italian-American men who were suspects in the murder of New Orleans police chief David Hennessy. Six of these defendants were acquitted. A mistrial was declared for the remaining three defendants because the trial jury could not agree on their verdicts. The other ten defendants were in jail and awaiting trial. After the trial, William S. Parkerson, head of the local "Committee on Safety, " a vigilante group, issued a call to action. Parkerson proclaimed, " When the law is powerless, rights delegated by the people are relegated back to the people and they are justified in doing that which the court's have failed to do." Following Parkerson's proclamation, the lynch mob stormed the jail. One mentally ill suspect was taken outside the prison, hanged from a lamppost and shot repeatedly. Another one was hanged from a tree and shot repeatedly. Nine others were shot or clubbed to death inside the prison. The bodies of the two who were hanged were left hanging for hours. The Italian government demanded that the lynch mob be brought to justice and that reparations be paid to the dead men's families. The U.S. declined to prosecute the mob leaders who included: William Parkerson, mob organizer; John C. Wickliffe, editor of the New Delta newspaper; John M. Parker, Louisiana's 37th governor; and Walter C. Flowers, the 44th mayor of New Orleans. Diplomatic relations between the United States and Italy remained tense and at an impasse for over a year. Eventually, President Benjamin Harrison declared the first nationwide celebration of Columbus Day in 1892 as an act of appeasement to the nation's Italian-Americans. He also agreed to pay a $25,000 indemnity to the families of the victims. Each family received $2,221.90. In April, 2019, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a black woman, issued the city's first ever apology to Italian-Americans for the 1891 lynchings. Epilogue The physical lynching of blacks by white vigilante groups, for the most part, has ceased. Mob lynchings have been replaced by the mass incarceration of blacks by men and women in black judicial robes who achieve the same result by pretending to act under the "color of law." For example, Blacks make up 13% of the U.S. population. Yet, they account for 37.5% of the federal prison population. Black men are imprisoned by federal judges at six times the rate of white men and for much longer terms of imprisonment. Black women are imprisoned at nearly double the rate of white women. These are the modern-day vigilantes who are terrorizing America's black communities. The Thirteenth Amendment's prohibition on slavery and involuntary servitude has a loophole -- "except as a punishment for crime." Highly educated, well-mannered, polite, white supremacists on the federal bench have used this loophole to drive the mass incarceration of blacks, particularly black men. In 1857, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Tanney wrote the majority opinion in the Dred Scott case, which held on a 7 to 2 vote that blacks in America -- freed or enslaved -- had no rights that white men were bound to respect. Sadly, the federal bench today is filled with men and women who think and act like Roger B. Tanney. The U.S. Bureau of Prison's own statistics evidence disparate treatment between blacks and whites in federal incarceration rates. Black men are no longer physically tortured and castrated. Instead, they are psychologically castrated and neutered to maintain and enforce the same measure of white supremacy that lynchings once accomplished in the black community. As the New Orleans lynchings have shown us, the disparate treatment of African-Americans occurs -- even in vigilante death cases.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 19, 2025 An Editorial Opinion   The commercial success of Trump Tower and The Apprentice TV show created a public perception that Donald Trump was a marketing genius and superstar businessman.  A closer look at Trump's record in business paints a totally different portrait. Much of Trump's success in business was illusory. This is also true with respect to how Trump is running the federal government as the nation's 47th president.   Today, President Trump has: (a) immersed the government in high-risk ventures, (b) increased the national debt to an unsustainable $40 trillion, (c) imposed $1 trillion in new taxes upon American businesses and consumers in the form of Trump tariffs on imported goods, equipment, and merchandise, (d) cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires, (e) engaged in nonstop legal entanglements, (f) shutdown the government (with no end in sight), (g) stiffed and/or fired tens of thousands of federal employees, and (h) grifted on a scaled never before seen in America politics.   These actions mirror what Trump did with his most notable business failures. Judge for yourself.   Bankruptcies (Chapter 11 Filings).   Trump’s companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection six times -- a record for a single business owner. These restructurings allowed the businesses to continue operating while shedding debt, often leaving creditors and contractors unpaid or underpaid. Trump Taj Mahal (1991) Opened in 1990 as the "eighth wonder of the world," this Atlantic City casino cost over $1 billion to build. It filed for bankruptcy less than a year later in 1991 due to overwhelming debt and inability to cover interest payments. Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino (1992) Purchased in 1988 for $400 million, this Atlantic City property filed for bankruptcy in 1992. High debt and competition in the casino market led to its failure. The property was eventually repossessed by lenders. Trump Castle/Trump Marina (1992) Acquired in 1985 as the Hilton Atlantic City Hotel and rebranded, it also filed for bankruptcy in 1992 alongside Trump Plaza. Excessive borrowing and operational losses doomed the venture. It was later sold off in 2011 for $38 million, a fraction of its original cost. Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts (2004) This parent company, encompassing Trump Taj Mahal, Trump Plaza, and Trump Marina, filed for bankruptcy again in 2004 with $1.8 billion in debt. Trump reduced his ownership stake but stayed on as chairman until 2009. Trump Entertainment Resorts (2009) The successor to Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts filed for bankruptcy in 2009 with $1.2 billion in debt. Trump resigned from the board but retained a 28% stake. The company emerged from bankruptcy in 2010 under new ownership. Trump Entertainment Resorts (2014) The company filed for bankruptcy yet again in 2014, closing Trump Plaza that year. The Trump Taj Mahal shut down in 2016, marking the end of Trump’s direct casino operations in Atlantic City.   Failed Ventures Outside of Bankruptcy   These are businesses that closed, were abandoned, or otherwise failed without necessarily filing for bankruptcy, often due to poor performance, legal issues, or lack of market interest. Trump Shuttle/Trump Airlines (1989–1992) Trump purchased Eastern Air Shuttle in 1989 for $365 million, rebranding it as a luxury service with gold fixtures and maple interiors. It never turned a profit due to high debt, rising fuel costs, and lack of customer demand for the upscale experience. The business defaulted on loans and was sold to USAir in 1992. Trump Vodka (2006–2011) Launched with the slogan “Success Distilled,” Trump aimed to compete with premium brands like Grey Goose. Poor sales led to its discontinuation by 2011, with Trump himself not drinking alcohol possibly undermining its appeal. Trump Mortgage (2006–2007) Started in 2006 with Trump claiming, “Who knows more about financing than me?” The company shut down within 18 months amid the housing market crash. Its CEO, E.J. Ridings, had exaggerated his credentials, having only six days of Wall Street experience. Trump Steaks (2007–2014) Launched in partnership with Sharper Image and QVC, this venture promised premium meat tied to Trump’s luxury brand. It flopped due to lackluster sales and was discontinued by 2014, with negative reviews highlighting poor quality. Trump University (2005–2010) Marketed as a real estate training program, it faced lawsuits alleging fraud and misrepresentation. New York forced it to drop “University” from its name in 2010 for lacking accreditation. In 2016, Trump settled three lawsuits for $25 million without admitting wrongdoing. Trump: The Game (1989–1990, relaunched 2004) A Monopoly-style board game launched with Milton Bradley, it sold only 800,000 units against a projected 2 million. A 2004 relaunch tied to The Apprentice also failed to gain traction and was discontinued. GoTrump.com (2006–2007) A luxury travel search engine, it lasted just one year before shutting down, unable to compete with established players like Expedia despite its 120% price guarantee promise. Trump Ice (2004–unknown, effectively defunct) A bottled water brand tied to The Apprentice , it was sold briefly in Trump properties and select stores. It faded from the market with no clear end date, overshadowed by Trump’s other failures. Trump Magazine (2007–2009) Aimed at wealthy readers with features on yachts and luxury watches, it launched during the 2007 recession. It folded by 2009 due to poor timing and lack of sustained readership. Trump Power and Trump Fire (Trademarked 2004, abandoned 2006) These carbonated fruit juice drinks never made it to market. Trademark applications were abandoned in 2006, leaving no evidence of production or sales. Trump American Pale Ale (Trademarked, canceled 2007) Another beverage venture that never launched, its trademark was canceled in 2007, suggesting it failed to materialize beyond planning. Trump Tower Tampa (2005–2007) A planned 52-story condo project in Florida, Trump licensed his name for $2 million but wasn’t the developer. It collapsed in 2007 amid the housing crash, leaving investors suing to recover losses. Trump Ocean Resort Baja Mexico (Announced 2006, abandoned 2009) A proposed luxury condo-hotel in Mexico, Trump licensed his name but didn’t invest capital. It fell apart in 2009 after developers failed to deliver, prompting lawsuits from buyers. Trump International Hotel & Tower New Orleans (Proposed 2000s, never built) A planned high-rise in New Orleans stalled and was abandoned, with no construction ever started despite initial announcements. Trump International Hotel & Residence Phoenix (Proposed 2000s, withdrawn 2005) Trump pulled his name from this project in 2005 before construction began, leaving it to fizzle out under other developers. Elite Tower (Proposed 2000s, abandoned) A planned skyscraper in Germany, it never progressed beyond the planning stage and was dropped. Trump Tower Europe (Proposed 2000s, abandoned) Another unbuilt project in Stuttgart, Germany, it remained a concept without execution. New Jersey Generals (1983–1985) Trump bought this USFL football team in 1983, pushing for a merger with the NFL. The league folded in 1985 after an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL failed, ending the team’s run. Trump Fragrances (Various launches, discontinued) Brands like “Success by Trump” and “Empire by Trump” were sold at Macy’s but discontinued due to low sales, with no clear end date but no longer available by the mid-2010s. Trump Mattress (Launched 2000s, discontinued) A Serta-partnered line of mattresses tied to Trump’s hotel brand, it was dropped due to poor sales, with no specific end date but absent from markets by the 2010s. Trumpnet (Trademarked 1990, abandoned 1992) A proposed corporate telephone service, its trademark was abandoned in 1992, indicating it never launched. Additional Context Licensing Deals : Many of Trump’s “failures” (e.g., Trump Tower Tampa, Trump Ocean Resort) were licensing arrangements where he lent his name but didn’t manage operations. These still reflect poorly on his brand when they collapsed. Unpaid Contractors : Across ventures like his casinos and Trump University, reports indicate thousands of workers and contractors were stiffed, though exact numbers vary and are disputed. Scale of Failures : The New York Times analyzed 61 Trump projects from the 2000s to 2012, rating 40% as failures, suggesting a broader pattern beyond this list. Today, Trump has the federal government swimming in $40 trillion in debt. There are no checks and balances on his spending. Trump has reduced the two other co-equal branches of government -- Congress and the Supreme Court -- to cheerleader status. Trump has also fired or weakened the federal watchdog agencies that monitor government spending, job market data, and public corruption. Finally, the U.S. dollar is weak against other benchmark currencies because of rising deficits, political polarization, and a leveraged financial system. The U.S. stock markets are operating inside of a bubble where stock valuations are often based upon hyperthetical future value rather than actual revenues. Thanks to Donald Trump, the U.S. now operates in a "fake it until you make it" paradigm. That's what Trump did during his entire career in business.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 15, 2025 Former Chief U.S. District Judge Mark E. Fuller (left) and highly respected LGBTQ rights attorney Carl S. Charles (right). An Editorial Opinion Carl S. Charles is a prominent and highly respected civil rights attorney in the Atlanta Southeastern Regional Office of Lambda Legal, a LGBTQ advocacy group. Charles enjoys a pristine reputation for ethics, professionalism, and competency as a litigator. On August 19, 2025, Charles was charged in a one-count indictment with lying during a federal judicial panel's inquiry into whether he and his co-counsel engaged in "judge shopping" with respect to the filing of a lawsuit that challenged Alabama's ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. The one count indictment, which was obtained by federal prosecutors in Montgomery, Alabama, alleges that Charles made a false statement before a grand jury or court, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1623. The single perjury charge arises from the panel's question about whether Charles made a call to a federal judge's office in Montgomery before his legal team filed their lawsuit. As I have written before, Carl Charles and his co-counsel were railroaded in a bogus “judge shopping” judicial inquiry proceeding that targeted them solely because they were representing LGBTQ clients in a state that has a long, ugly, and documented history of hostility toward attorneys who represented disfavored groups (e.g., Blacks, women, Muslims, Jews, LGBTQ Americans, etc.) and their clients. The act of "judge shopping," itself, is widely practiced by federal prosecutors and corporate defense counsel as a matter of custom and without any judicial scrutiny or blowback. It is rarely done by lawyers representing plaintiffs. U.S. District Judge Liles Burke, who is based in Huntsville, Alabama, was tasked by the judicial panel with (a) running Carl Charles and his out-of-state co-counsel out of Alabama and (b) punishing Charles's in-state co-counsel. Liles is the judge who made the criminal referral of Charles to federal prosecutors. He is a Donald Trump-appointee. Federal Prosecutors Protected Chief Federal Judge Mark E. Fuller, Who Made Multiple False Statements and Committed Serial Acts of Perjury When “false statements” were made under oath by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark E. Fuller (based in Montgomery, Alabama) about his serial wife-beating conduct (for which Fuller was arrested in Atlanta in 2014 and prosecuted in state court), federal prosecutors did absolutely nothing. Fuller's repeated, blatant, and intentional serial acts of perjury were apparently okay with these prosecutors because of his status as a judge. On September 9, 2015, the Judicial Conference of the United States issued a Report to Congress that certified the following misconduct by Fuller: “(a) Judge Fuller physically abused Kelli Fuller at least eight times, both before and after they married, which included and culminated in the assault that took place on August 9, 2014, in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. (b) Judge Fuller made repeated statements under oath before the Special Committee that he never, at any time, hit, kicked, or punched Kelli Fuller, which were false and material under 18 U.S.C. § 1621. (c) Judge Fuller made false statements to the Chief Judge of the Eleventh Circuit in late September 2010 in a way that caused a massive disruption in the District Court's operation and loss of public confidence in the Court as an instrument of justice. These false statements, in combination with the actions outlined in (a) and (b), contributed to the overall determination that Judge Fuller's conduct may constitute grounds for impeachment. (d) The conduct described in (a)-(c) has individually and collectively brought disrepute to the federal Judiciary.” The reference to 18 U.S.C. § 1621 is particularly damning. This is the general federal criminal statute for perjury. It covers the most wide-ranging and serious acts of perjury. Again, even though the Judicial Conference in Washington certified that Judge Mark Fuller: (a) committed multiple acts of perjury, (b) gave repeated false statements to federal law enforcement officials during the course of an official investigation, and (c) obstructed the investigation, no federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., or in Atlanta, or in Montgomery, Alabama initiated criminal charges against Fuller. Fuller v. Charles: Disparate Treatment and Selective Prosecution The multitude of false statements in Mark Fuller’s judicial inquiry evidenced serial acts of perjury on multiple topics that caused "massive disruption" to the operation of the entire court system of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. In contrast, the alleged false statement in Charles’s case was limited to a single question about a single subject (i.e., a phone call to a judge's office). Charles's answer to the question, whether truthful or not, did not "caused a massive disruption in the District Court's operation and loss of public confidence in the Court as an instrument of justice," nor did it "[bring] disrepute to the federal Judiciary.” Yet, Carl Charles is the one who is being prosecuted by federal prosecutors in Montgomery for conduct that, if true, is far less egregious and damaging than Fuller’s. At most, Charles's conduct, if true, would only rise to the level of a state Bar association complaint and a federal court reprimand. There is no rational basis for federal prosecutors "forgiving" Judge Mark Fuller for his devastating serial acts of perjury, while prosecuting Carl Charles to the maximum extent of the law. The only explanation for this "in-your-face" disparate treatment and selective prosecution is this truism: There is an open, ugly, and entrenched judicial bias against out-of-state lawyers who represent LGBTQ clients in Alabama's federal court system (when viewed as a whole). The disparate treatment in Carl Charles's case is one more reason why the public's respect for the federal criminal justice system in America today is in the toilet. Judge Liles's referral of Charles for criminal prosecution, standing alone, "brought disrepute to the federal Judiciary.”

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 9, 2022 Chief U.S. District Court Judge Mark E. Fuller's 2014 mugshot after he was arrested in Atlanta for severely beating his wife, Kelli Fuller. An Editorial Opinion Many federal judges are lawbreakers themselves. A lot of them have a dark side that nobody wants to talk about . Their colleagues in the federal criminal justice system often bail them out of their embarrassing predicaments, and move on. Mark E. Fuller, the former Chief U.S. District Judge in Montgomery, Alabama, is a case in point. Fuller is the federal judge who "railroaded" former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman and former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy in USA v. Siegelman and Scrushy . He was a wife-beater, liar, and perpetrator who obstructed an official investigation into his conduct on the bench. On September 9, 2015, the Judicial Conference of the United States issued a Report to Congress that certified the following conduct by Fuller: “(a) Judge Fuller physically abused Kelli Fuller at least eight times, both before and after they married, which included and culminated in the assault that took place on August 9, 2014, in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. (b) Judge Fuller made repeated statements under oath before the Special Committee that he never, at any time, hit, kicked, or punched Kelli Fuller, which were false and material under 18 U.S.C. § 1621. (c) Judge Fuller made false statements to the Chief Judge of the Eleventh Circuit in late September 2010 in a way that caused a massive disruption in the District Court's operation and loss of public confidence in the Court as an instrument of justice. These false statements, in combination with the actions outlined in (a) and (b), contributed to the overall determination that Judge Fuller's conduct may constitute grounds for impeachment. (d) The conduct described in (a)-(c) has individually and collectively brought disrepute to the federal Judiciary.” The reference to 18 U.S.C. § 1621 is particularly significant. This is the federal criminal statute for perjury. Even though the Judicial Conference certified that Mark Fuller: (a) committed multiple acts of perjury, (b) gave repeated false statements to federal law enforcement officials during the course of an official investigation, and (c) obstructed the investigation, no federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., or in Atlanta, or in Montgomery, Alabama initiated criminal charges against him. Why Was Fuller Not Prosecuted? Fuller presided over the criminal case of USA v. Siegelman and Richard Scrushy (2005-06). As the trial judge, Fuller aggressively “railroaded” the defendants in this case. Prosecutors shopped the case to Fuller for this purpose. Fuller did everything within his power to “fix” the case for the Montgomery-based federal prosecutors, who won convictions against both men. After the Judicial Conference’s 2015 report confirmed that Mark Fuller was a serial wife-beater, liar, and obstructionist, then-U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, an Obama appointee, refused to use the authority of his office to: (a) remedy the manifest injustice in the Siegelman/Scrushy criminal case, or (b) pursue the prosecution of Mark E. Fuller for any of crimes he committed on the bench. The nature and extent of Holder’s subsequent and inexcusable complicity in the Siegelman/Scrushy case is skillfully presented in a 2017 Amazon Prime Video documentary titled, “ Atticus v. The Architect: The Political Assassination of Don Siegelman . ” The passage of time has done nothing to sanitize Holder’s obvious complicity in this miscarriage of justice. Epilogue The Department of Justice's failure to prosecute Mark Fuller in the aftermath of the 2015 Judicial Conference Report is a glaring example of the federal criminal justice system protecting an "insider" and a "certified" crook. This blatant act of protectionism did more to bring disrepute to the federal law enforcement community than anything Fuller did. Fuller's situation is just one more example of this pervasive form of incestuous protectionism. I will roll out other examples in upcoming articles. This is why so many well-meaning Americans from all walks of life distrust the FBI, federal prosecutors, the U.S. Attorney General, and federal judges (from top to bottom). Who can blame them? In 2014, I placed an unrelenting media spotlight on Mark Fuller's despicable criminal conduct and filed a formal complaint with U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts about Fuller's gross misconduct as a federal judge. These acts of journalism under fire forced Fuller to resign from the federal bench in 2015. This is one of the reasons why the federal law enforcement community in Alabama constantly seeks to discredit my online media voice, or silence it altogether. All articles are shared on Facebook and Twitter. If you enjoyed this article, please click on these links to follow Donald Watkins: https://www.facebook.com/donald.v.watkins https://twitter.com/donaldvwatkins

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 13, 2025 Sam E. Antar, the architect of Donald Trump's alleged mortgage fraud case against New York Attorney General Letitia James. An Editorial Opinion Sam E. Antar is the former chief financial officer (CFO) of Crazy Eddie, a consumer electronics chain in the Northeastern United States during the 1980s.  From the beginning, Crazy Eddie engaged in fraudulent business practices, including under-reporting income, skimming sales taxes, paying employees off the books, over-reporting profits, inflating inventory, money laundering, and duping auditors .  At its peak, Crazy Eddie had 43 stores in four states and reported more than $300 million in sales.   Two years after Crazy Eddie went public on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange in 1984, Sam Antar was named the company's CFO. Antar earned a degree in accounting in 1980 and served his apprenticeship with Penn and Horowitz, Crazy Eddie's auditor. Antar assisted the family members who founded and managed Crazy Eddie in perpetuating an ongoing fraud scheme at the company.  Eventually, all participants in the fraud scheme were caught, convicted, and imprisoned, including Sam Antar. Antar Now Works as a Fraud Investigator for the U.S. Government   Today, Sam Antar works as a fraud investigator for the U.S. government and other clients. According to his website, Antar's federal clients include the U.S. Departments of Justice, Housing and Urban Development, Defense, and Treasury, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.    On his website, Antar claims that his investigative work  formed the basis  for the DOJ's probe into “mortgage fraud” allegations involving New York Attorney General Letitia James. DOJ indicted James last week on federal criminal charges of bank fraud and making false statements in connection with a mortgage application on a property in Virginia . It appears that DOJ’s entire case against James is built around Antar’s analysis of the mortgage transaction in question.   Antar proudly showcased his "mortgage fraud" theory against Letitia James in an October 12, 2025, article that was published on his website.  Antar’s article is linked here.   Antar’s Analysis of “Mortgage Fraud” is Fatally Flawed in Profound Ways   In his published article, Sam Antar suggests that DOJ has a rock solid case against Letitia James.  President Donald Trump has relied on Antar’s analysis, as well.  Antar's work is the basis for Trump's September 20, 2025, public demand to Pam Bondi that she indict Letitia James because "Leticia [sic]..... [is] guilty as hell." Trump's post was meant to be a private message to Bondi, but it was mistakenly posted on his Truth Social media account. Interestingly, Sam Antar is not a criminal defense attorney.  In fact, he's not an attorney at all. Likewise, Antar has no known expertise in bank rules and regulations that govern underwriting obligations and activities for mortgage lenders.  Furthermore, Antar has no known expertise in the creation, sale, underwriting, and/or servicing of mortgage-related insurance products.  Finally, Antar has no known expertise in the federal tax code, or the state tax codes for New York and Virginia.    At best, Antar is a former entry-level accountant who immediately joined an ongoing white collar fraud scheme after he became CFO at Crazy Eddie in 1986.  The fraud committed by Antar would be considered small-scale when compared to the multibillion dollar financial fraud schemes involving WorldCom, Enron, and HealthSouth in the early 2000s.   Despite Sam Antar’s apparent lack of formal qualifications as a certified fraud examiner in mortgage lending, he has promoted himself as some sort of financial expert in Trump's case against Letitia James. As expected, Antar's mortgage fraud analysis in the Letitia James case is fatally flawed in profound ways.  A highly skilled criminal trial defense lawyer with only moderate expertise in mortgage lending can zero out Antar’s entire mortgage fraud analysis in less than two hours of cross-examination.   If Trump and newly appointed U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who has never prosecuted a criminal case, are relying on Sam Antar’s mortgage fraud analysis to convict Letitia James on mortgage fraud and false statement charges, they will lose this case in a spectacular fashion.   There are holes in Antar’s purported “mortgage fraud” analysis that are big enough to drive a caravan of Mack trucks through them without touching the sides.  If properly defended in a fair and unbiased judicial venue, the government's criminal case against Letitia James can be won by a qualified and capable criminal defense team 10 times out of 10.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 7, 2025 Fawn Weaver is founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest, the leading independent producer of bourbon in America. An Editorial Opinion   Drive-by character assassins on social media have maliciously declared that Uncle Nearest, Inc., the leading independent producer of bourbon in America, is dead.  They attribute the company's death to the fact that a federal court in Tennessee appointed a Receiver on August 22, 2025, to take over the financial affairs of Uncle Nearest.   Uncle Nearest is led by dynamic CEO Fawn Weaver, a hardworking, supersmart, visionary entrepreneur.  Weaver, who knows how to weather the storms of adversity in business, has created dynamic economic value in her growing bourbon company.    Unlike Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was merely a brand ambassador and marketeer for Cîroc vodka, Weaver and her husband Keith own and operate Uncle Nearest. Under their leadership, Uncle Nearest became the World’s Most Awarded Bourbon of 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and soon to be 2025. This is a remarkable acievement for a bourbon company that just started in 2017.   As the co-founder and majority owner of nationally-ranked Alamerica Bank in Birmingham, Alabama for 20 years, I can tell you that Uncle Nearest is a rock-solid industry leader.  Uncle Nearest is NOT bankrupt.  It is NOT drowning in debt.  The company’s debt-to-equity ratios, annual revenues, and system of internal financial controls are more than adequate for bank lending purposes.  Uncle Nearest is NOT a financial scam.  The company’s retail bourbon sales are extremely strong in a down-market for hard liquor companies.  Finally, there has been no change of ownership in its corporate structure.   As a retired litigator who holds the national record for trying and winning the largest and most complex financial fraud case in America history ( U.S. v. Richard Scrushy ), I can tell you that the true story of Uncle Nearest’s financial.si tuation is found in the Docket Sheet entries in the federal case of Farm Credit Mid-America, PCA v. Uncle Nearest, Inc., et al , Case No. 4:25-cv-38 (E.D. Tenn.).    This court case started on July 28, 2025, with a complaint filed by Farm Credit Mid-America.  Yet, there have been only 48 docket entries filed in the case (as of October 6, 2025).  This dearth of docket entries suggests that there has been a lot of behind-the-scenes cooperation between Farm Credit Mid-America, the Uncle Nearest-affiliated parties, and other interested parties in the case.   Simply put, Uncle Nearest is undergoing an internal restructuring of its debt at the request of its lead creditor – Farm Credit Mid-America.  The litigation provides a convenient business tool that many solvent companies use to achieve greater flexibility in the performance of their debt obligations.  This tool does NOT impair Uncle Nearest's business operations, nor does it damage the company's excellent and hard-earned business reputation.   The Receiver’s First Report is Very Good News for Uncle Nearest   On October 1, 2025, the court-appointed Receiver issued his First Quarterly Report .  After three months on the job, this is what the Receiver said:    “The Receiver believes that this receivership is progressing smoothly and that the opportunity for the Company’s successful emergence from receivership is very good.  While challenges lie ahead, the outlook is positive. The Receiver hopes to present the Court with motions to sell non-essential, non-income producing assets over the next quarter, with plans to conclude this receivership in the following quarter via a total refinancing of the Company’s debt or a sale of the Company as a going concern.”   This optimistic quote is lawyer-speak for informing the court (and other interested parties) that Uncle Nearest’s financial situation will be a relatively easy debt restructuring job.  The Receiver will sell some non-essential assets to reduce the Farm Credit Mid-America debt and refinance it on terms and conditions more favorable to Uncle Nearest.  Fawn and Keith Weaver will retain the option to sell Uncle Nearest for fair market value , should they choose to do.  I believe a sale of the company is highly unlikely considering the fact that Uncle Nearest has been a proven, high-performing, revenue producing asset for the Weavers since its founding in 2017.   The bottom line is this: Uncle Nearest’s business foundation, top management executives, and day-to-day operations are rock-solid today.  The company is an "ongoing business concern," which is a very positive factor from a business valuation standpoint. The internal restructuring of Uncle Nearest's core debt will be completed in record time. When Uncle Nearest emerges from receivership, it will be one of the strongest bourbon-producing companies in America.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 3, 2025 An Editorial Opinion Today’s “Anti-Woke” crowd has always been among us. This crowd has had many names throughout America's history. They started out as enslavers, particularly in southern states.   They subjugated, exploited, and degraded blacks from the "cradle to the grave." They called Native Americans " merciless Indian savages " and proudly labeled them as such in the Declaration of Independence. Then, they became Civil War rebels who seceded from the Union and declared themselves a confederation of slaveholding states.  They waged a four-year war against the United States of America over their right to enslave human beings. They even had their own President (Jefferson Davis), their own currency, and a First White House of the Confederacy in Montgomery, Alabama. First White House of the Confederacy in Montgomery, Alabama. After they lost the Civil War and the post-war Reconstruction era ended, the "Anti-Woke"crowd became the “Redeemers" of southern society and culture.  They also became the enforcers of strict Jim Crow racial segregation laws and customs. For many decades, they used organizations like the Ku Klux Klan, John Bircher Society, American Nazi Party, Dixiecrats, White Citizens Councils, Sovereignty Commissions, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (via COINTELPRO ) to impose a hardcore white supremacy agenda on black Americans.   In 1968, the "Anti-Woke" crowd was known as President Richard Nixon’s “silent majority.”  By the early 1980, they had joined President Ronald Reagan in his “reserve discrimination” crusade against black Americans. President Richard Nixon discusses his "silence majority." By 2016, they found a political savior in Donald Trump and enlisted in his “Anti-DEI” and “Anti-Woke” MAGA Movement in record numbers. Trump successfully exploited a condition suffered by many modern-day Republicans and other MAGA supporters called Negrophobia . While selling his MAGA base Trump Bibles for $59.99 each, President Trump also peddled a glorified white supremacy version of America that many of his MAGA followers have longed for since the "Redeemer" period ended with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  President Donald Trump peddling his Trump Bible to MAGA followers. Throughout American history, the threads that bind this hardcore group of regressive whites (and their modern-day Negro jackanapes) are their obdurate obstinance and their massive resistance to equal rights for Americans of color.