Today, rather than focus initially on the heavier news, I am thinking back to 1964, the year before I entered college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Sports was my main passion and U-M had a basketball player named Cazzie Russell.
When I saw him play on TV I was mesmerized. He was a great ball-handler and seemingly could shoot and score from anywhere. When I joined the staff of The Michigan Daily as a sports writer, I covered him, and interviewed him after he scored his 2,000th point.
This was the era before the three-point shot, or Russell would have racked up many more points than the 27.1 he averaged per game during his three-year college career. His final point total 2,164, is the fifth-highest in school history, but the other four players had four year careers, not three. To this day he is tied for the single-game scoring record at 48, in a game that I covered.
He also was a star in the NBA for many years.
As a person Cazzie was exceedingly modest, so soft-spoken you had to listen carefully to pick up what he was saying in the post-game locker room. Overall, he was one of my first true heroes, combining strength with grace, beauty and modesty.
Michigan is best-known nationally for its storied football program, but over recent decades basketball has surpassed football as the school's marquee sport. This year's team, coached by the former Fab Five and NBA star Juwan Howard, is on track to win the Big Ten conference championship and perhaps make a run in NCAA tournament.
And it started way back then with Cazzie.
***
From lighter to heavier: One of the most shameful chapters of the Trump era was his refusal to acknowledge and condemn Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's role in the murder of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi. We now know what Trump knew, because the Biden administration has released the intelligence files.
But Biden isn't doing anything about the murder either, out of concern that it would damage U.S.-Saudi relations and this country's strategic interests in the Middle East. Those strategic interest apparently also involve waging war against Syria without Congressional approval, as Biden has already started doing.
These illegal air strikes are supposedly part of the administration's diplomatic push-and-pull with Iran, which is the great imagined bogeyman in the region. The truth is the U.S. has no true strategic interest in hostilities with Iran. The continuation of anti-Iranian military actions serve other interests, and only make everything in the region worse, not better.
A courageous foreign policy would end 70 years of imperialism in this region. Biden should know better than what he has done to date.
***
The news:
* Saudi Crown Prince Is Held Responsible for Khashoggi Killing in U.S. Report -- But the Biden administration stopped short of directly penalizing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, calculating that the risk of damaging American interests was too great. (NYT)
* Biden Won’t Penalize Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi’s Killing, Fearing Relations Breach -- The decision will disappoint the human rights community and members of his own party who complained during the Trump administration that the U.S. was failing to hold Mohammed bin Salman accountable. (David E. Sanger/NYT)
* President Biden Lets a Saudi Murderer Walk -- The crown prince killed my friend Jamal Khashoggi, and we do next to nothing. (Nicholas Kristof/NYT)
* After dissident vanishes in Canada, Saudi exiles fear they are now in jeopardy (WashPo)
* F.B.I. Said to Have Singled Out Potential Assailant in Capitol Officer’s Death -- The death of the officer, Brian Sicknick, after the Capitol riot has been a major focus for investigators scrutinizing the attack by a pro-Trump mob. (NYT)
* Syria Airstrikes Resurface Lawmakers' Questions Over Presidential Authority -- Some Democrats raised a longstanding debate over presidential vs congressional reach. The administration called the attacks proportionate and said it had briefed congressional leaders ahead of time. (NPR)
* FBI probe of Capitol riot focuses on video of chemicals being sprayed on officer who later died (WashPo)
* Growing tension in Minneapolis as trial looms in Floyd death (AP)
* Tech Startups’ New Question: Do We Really Need an Office -- Some entrepreneurs says they’re better off building their businesses entirely in the cloud—for now, at least. (WSJ)
* Where Nextdoor’s CEO Looks for Neighborly Advice -- Sarah Friar relies on family and friends as the foundation for her own social network. (WSJ)
* FDA advisers endorse J&J coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for likely authorization this weekend (WashPo)
* Experts notice pandemic’s mental health toll on German youth (AP)
* What’s Missing in the Electric-Vehicle Revolution: Enough Places to Plug In (WSJ)
* Militant attacks are on the rise in Pakistan amid a growing religiosity that has brought greater intolerance, prompting one expert to voice concern the country could be overwhelmed by religious extremism. (AP)
* Australia shows that Facebook cares about censorship only when it’s profitable (WashPo)
* Congress Revives Push for Equal Rights Amendment (WSJ)
* We’re having trouble recognizing each other in masks, and it’s getting awkward (WashPo)
* Hunting for a Giant Black Hole, Astronomers Found a Nest of Darkness -- No Gargantua dwells at the heart of stellar cluster NGC 6397. Instead, a few dozen smaller black holes seem to be swarming around in there, throwing their considerable masses around. (NYT)
* Scientists Talked To People In Their Dreams. They Answered -- They have found that two-way communication is possible with someone who is asleep and dreaming. Specifically, lucid dreaming — dreaming while being aware you're dreaming. (NPR)
* How Goats (And Perhaps People) Make Up Their Minds -- How does a herd decide which direction to head in? Researchers put GPS collars on a gathering of goats to find out. Here's what they learned — and how it might apply to humans. (NPR)
* In college basketball, #3 Michigan (18-1) continued its drive for a Big Ten championship and maybe more by defeating Indiana (12-12), 73-57. (Fox)
* New Bomb Capable Of Creating 1,500 New Terrorists In Single Blast (The Onion)
***
Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conquering heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan
The leaders and best!
Hail! To the victors valiant
Hail! to the conquering heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan
The champions of the west!
Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conquering heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan
The champions of the west
Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conquering heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan
The champions of the west!!!!!!
-- Louis Elbel
-30-
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