THERE'S AN ELECTION IN RUSSSIA? – AT 2:20 P.M. ET:  Yeah, they have this strange kind of election.  And guess who the winner is likely to be?  From AFP:  

Moscow (AFP) - Vladimir Putin will return to the Kremlin with 69 percent of the vote, according to the last survey by state pollsters before the Russian presidential election on Sunday.

The figure has dipped from highs of 77 percent shortly after Putin announced his candidacy in December, but there is little doubt he will win in a landslide even after a lacklustre campaign.

"There are several reasons why Putin has such a high rating. There are of course his personal qualities. He is the most trusted (candidate)," head of state pollster VTsIOM Valeriy Fyodorov told a press conference on Monday.

Around 90 percent of people who were aware of Putin's programme said they supported it, Fyodorov said.

Putin has not produced an official programme but he discussed poverty and environmental issues during a state of the nation address this month.

He has refused to take part in televised debates with his seven challengers and his campaign videos have relied solely on archive materials.

Pavel Grudinin, the millionaire Communist Party candidate, is expected to come in second with around seven or eight percent of the vote, according to VTsIOM figures.

COMMENT:  So Vlad gets 69 percent and the guy coming in second gets 7 or 8 percent.  I'm sure it will be an open and honest election, based on the democratically proven Chicago model.

And then of course there's the issue of whether Trump colluded with Putin to give Putin a great victory.  No, I'm just kidding.

March 12, 2018