Disinformation and conspiracy theories abound during wars, which are always difficult and confusing to cover, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine is no exception to this rule.
In the midst of chaos, some choose to repackage propaganda from all sides as news. One trick is to pose the content, including right-wing extremist and pro-Russian —as “questions.” The perpetrators in this case are Tucker Carlson and Glenn Greenwald.
After failing to discredit U.S. reports of an impending invasion by Putin, the Fox host and Greenwald circulated QAnon propaganda that the U.S. might be involved in secret bio-weapon research inside Ukraine, despite the lack of any credible evidence.
This mimicked Russian propaganda apparently meant to rationalize Putin’s own use of illegal bioweapons should he choose to do so, as he has in Syria in the past. If the world bought his lie, any residues detected after Russian assaults could be falsely attributed to the U.S. and Ukraine.
There indeed are bio-research facilities in Ukraine and other Eastern European countries, but the best evidence is they are not weapons research facilities and there is nothing “secret” about their operations. They are on the public record, as an excellent recent article in Slate documents.
As I have warned many times, conspiracy theories like these can only gain credence among thoughtful people when the legitimate sources of accurate information — i. e. the press outlets I cite every day — are themselves mistrusted.
And public confidence in mainstream media is very low.
Some will contend that several generations of media execs have brought this on themselves, with biased coverage, sensationalism, and failure to adapt to the realities of the digital age.
I may agree.
But the sources listed below are the best we have, and once their credibility has been undermined, otherwise reasonable people can go down an intellectual rabbit hole to the point they’ll believe the garbage extremists feed them on social media.
The mainstream media, especially TV, may well go overboard in their breathless coverage of the war but they are getting the overall story right. Putin is a ruthless war criminal who invaded Ukraine under false pretenses, claiming that the Zelensky government was pro-nazi. That was and is a lie. The invasion is about an empire trying to expand.
If there is any bio-warfare research being done over there, we’ll find out about that after determined investigations, probably by reporters like those currently trying to cover the war — not by the likes of propagandists like Carlson or lazy pundits like Greenwald.
Both men have zero credibility with me based on their records.
Thank goodness we have an honest press corps to remind us about that.
Today’s News (56):
Survivors emerge from rubble of Mariupol theater bombed by Russia (CNN)
Russia’s Attack Rallies a Divided Nation: The United States — Americans across the political spectrum express broad support for Ukraine, though opinions diverge on what that means and how far the U.S. response should go. (NYT)
'Ukraine could fight Russia to a standstill' (BBC)
Russian forces in Ukraine are blasting cities and killing civilians but no longer making progress on the ground, Western countries said, as a war Moscow was thought to have hoped to win within days entered its fourth week. (Reuters)
21 people killed in rocket barrage south of Kharkiv as Russia's bloody invasion enters its 4th week (USA Today)
Ukraine Tensions Spike as West Accuses Russia of Lying About Troop Withdrawal (NYT)
Fourth Russian general killed - Zelensky (BBC)
Let’s Talk About Those Ukrainian Biolabs — Tucker Carlson and Glenn Greenwald are just asking questions about their new favorite topic. Turns out there are some simple answers. (Slate)
Invoking the fall of the Berlin Wall, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to tear down what he called a wall between "free and unfree" Europe and stop the war in Ukraine. (Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “I believe that Russians have already crossed all the red lines when they started shelling civilians.” At a separate appearance, President Joe Biden called Vladimir Putin "a war criminal." [HuffPost]
As diplomats hint of progress in talks, Pentagon warns of a potential buildup in Russian troops (WP)
Putin Acknowledges Impact of Sanctions on Russian Economy (WSJ)
China finds itself in a tricky position — stuck between the White House and the Kremlin (Politico)
In Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains, tens of thousands find refuge (WP)
Kremlin: many people in Russia are behaving like traitors (Reuters)
Citigroup Sits Between Russia and a Possible Bond Default (WSJ)
Russia warned the United States that Moscow had the might to put the world's pre-eminent superpower in its place and accused the West of stoking a wild Russophobic plot to tear Russia apart. (Reuters)
Ukraine War Shifts the Agenda in Congress, Empowering the Center (NYT)
Koch Industries stays in Russia, backs groups opposing U.S. sanctions (CBS)
How Russia’s Revamped Military Fumbled the Invasion of Ukraine (WSJ)
Biden’s China ‘pivot’ complicated by Russia’s war in Ukraine (AP)
Russian invasion spurs European demand for U.S. drones, missiles (Reuters)
Outmatched in military might, Ukraine excels in the information war (WP)
Mass graves, hunger, nowhere safe: Besieged Mariupol descends into despair and agony (Times of Israel)
Cheap but lethal Turkish drones bolster Ukraine’s defenses (AP)
The Ukraine crisis could knock more than a percentage point off global growth this year and add two and a half percentage points to inflation, the OECD estimated, calling for targeted government spending hikes in response. (Reuters)
Russian businesses in US face backlash from war in Ukraine (AP)
The WHO says Ukrainian health care is under attack, and it needs more funds to help (NPR)
Is an outright Russian military victory in Ukraine possible? (Guardian)
Zelensky accuses Germany of letting down Ukraine (Financial Times)
4 ways China is quietly making life harder for Russia (CNN)
A leading Russian ballet dancer quit the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and is leaving the country for the Netherlands after denouncing Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “I have to be honest and say that I am against war with all the fibers of my soul,” Olga Smirnova, who had been the Bolshoi's prima ballerina since 2016, posted on the Telegram app. [HuffPost]
Russian government websites face ‘unprecedented’ wave of hacking attacks, ministry says (WP)
Drones flying into NATO territory have forced the alliance to decide how to respond -- if at all -- to incidents inside its borders (CNN)
Covid Cases Surge In China And Europe (NBC)
Europe’s Covid spike has Biden officials concerned, could lead to return of masks (Politico)
Figures showing a global rise in COVID-19 cases could herald a much bigger problem as some countries also report a drop in testing rates, the WHO said, warning nations to remain vigilant against the virus. (Reuters)
The Taliban have launched a massive house-to-house search in Kabul and other Afghan cities for what they call a "cleaning operation" to look for weapons and criminals. But thousands of Afghans are living in fear that they are about to persecuted because of their links to the country's former Western-backed government, or to the U.S., writes Hamed Ahmadi. [HuffPost]
Some Afghan Evacuees Head Home After Months of Waiting for U.S. Entry (WSJ)
Iran’s Attack Was Response to Secret Israeli Attack on Drone Site (NYT)
As Ukraine war rages, diplomats near Iran nuclear agreement (AP)
Getting around by taxi, Lyft and Uber to cost more as fuel surcharge is added (WP)
Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin declared an interview “over” when she was repeatedly pressed to explain her appearance at a recent white nationalist conference. She said she didn't know Nick Fuentes, the prominent white nationalist and antisemitic podcaster who organized the event she spoke at. [HuffPost]
James Webb Telescope Captures Stunning Image Of Billion Year Old Galaxies (NDTV)
‘Quantum hair’ could resolve Hawking’s black hole paradox, say scientists (Guardian)
Asia's earliest known armored dinosaur fossil found in Southwest China (Global Times)
We traveled deep into the Amazon to investigate deforestation. A grisly discovery awaited us. (WP)
Despite the persistence of a statewide drought, urban California residents used 2.6 percent more water in January 2022 than they did in January 2020 (CalMatters)
Amazon Closes Deal to Acquire MGM (WSJ)
Deep-Sea Octopuses Are Making Shelters Out Of Human Trash (HuffPost)
Fork Section Of Cutlery Drawer Overrun By Invasive Soup Spoons (The Onion)
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