“Donbas could put the Russians back on a successful footing or bring them to what is essentially a defeat,” says General Sir Richard Barrons, the former commander of the UK’s Joint Forces Command.
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Watch President Joe Biden’s speech in Warsaw responding to Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine
Watch President Biden deliver remarks on the united efforts of the free world to support the people of Ukraine, hold Russia accountable for its brutal war, and defend a future that is rooted in democratic principles.
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Fitch downgrades Russia’s credit rating amid Ukraine crisis, says default is ‘imminent’
“They can’t get their hands on money or securities or goods or services. They are outcast and they will over the shorter term freeze to death,” financial services veteran George Ball said in comments to The Washington Post.
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“Financial nuclear bomb” falling on Russia as a consequence of Putin’s aggression, ex-Russian central bank governor says
“The war came and the money ran out — the money ran out sooner than the war ended,” said Sergei Aleksashenko.
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Dan Shaughnessy reflects on how the Olympics have become “a big bowl of bad”
“The Beijing Olympics… are a big bowl of bad, unfolding in a country ruled by fear and oppression,” the Boston Globe columnist writes.
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Putin is making NATO stronger, whether he starts a war in Ukraine or not
“The Russian leader may have thought NATO was in disarray and the U.S. in retreat, but we’ve already seen it’s quite the opposite,” David Rothkopf writes in a piece for The Daily Beast.
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In Russia, the pandemic is beating Putin
“A deadly virus can’t be ignored, jailed, exiled or co-opted — nor can it be locked down without great economic cost. That puts President Vladimir Putin of Russia in a bind. The pandemic, perhaps his hardiest foe to date, has starkly revealed the limits of his power,” writes Alexey Kovalev, the investigations editor at Meduza, an independent Russian news outlet.
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How the September 11th attacks changed us
“The betrayal of America’s professed principles was the friendly fire of the war on terror,” Carlos Lozada writes.
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Biden, allies frustrated with media’s hawkish coverage of Afghanistan withdrawal
“After years of ignoring Afghanistan, many close to the Biden White House — and the president himself — feel some major outlets are adopting a pro-war stance,” Huffington Post’s Daniel Marans writes.
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Siberia’s wildfires are bigger than all the world’s other blazes combined
“Siberia is so vast that huge fires can burn without threatening any major settlements, transportation systems or infrastructure — but are still part of a swath of infernos that together are larger than all the other blazes around the world,” Robyn Dixon reports.
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The newest Trump social networking play is tied to a Bannon-allied Chinese billionaire
“GETTR has existed as a Chinese language social media network linked to Guo Wengui,” Politico reports. “It was unveiled as a new platform by Jason Miller on Thursday.”
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Global approval of the United States has rebounded under Biden, survey finds
“The United States’ favorability rating grew at least 23 percentage points from last year in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, and a majority of respondents in all four view the country positively,” The Washington Post reported, summarizing findings from a new survey by Pew Research.
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Gaza conflict stokes “identity crisis” for young American Jews
“A new generation is confronting the region’s longstanding conflict in a very different context, with very different pressures, from their parents’ and grandparents’ generations,” The New York Times reports.
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Why is Big Tech under assault? Power.
“I’m surprised that tech bosses can still appear clueless about the reasons behind the questioning of their industry,” Shira Ovide writes.
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How Brexit ruined Easter for Britain’s chocolate makers
“Exports of chocolate to Europe have turned into a nightmare of paperwork and delays, making fine British chocolate scarce in Europe,” The New York Times reports.
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Jordan Klepper sees it all at the Capitol insurrection
In this almost seven minute segment, The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper gets up close and personal with the American fascist cult that worships Donald Trump.
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Talk radio owner orders pro-Trump hosts to temper election fraud rhetoric
“Cumulus Media, which employs some of the most popular right-leaning talk-radio hosts in the United States, has told its on-air personalities to stop suggesting that the election was stolen from President Trump — or else face termination,” The Washington Post reports.
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Far-right groups are behind most U.S. terrorist attacks, report finds
“White supremacist groups have carried out a majority of ‘terrorist plots and attacks’ this year, according to a report by a think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies,” the New York Times reports.
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“I feel sorry for Americans”: A baffled world watches the U.S.
The New York Times reports on the concern and consternation many people feel around the world as the 2020 presidential election enters its final weeks.
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Russia working to damage Joe Biden’s White House bid, U.S. intelligence agencies say
“The disclosure is the most detailed yet from U.S. intelligence agencies about foreign efforts to interfere in the 2020 election between presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden and President Trump,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
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The consequences of denying reality
Brazil, 1904: “Senator Rui Barbosa, pigeon-chested and smooth-tongued orator, attacks vaccination using judicial weapons flowery with adjectives. In the name of liberty Rui Barbosa defends the right of every individual to be contaminated if he so desires. Torrential applause, thunderous ovations interrupt him from phrase to phrase.”
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