Lest anyone think I obsess over the news excessively, allow me to explain. Gathering the news for me is like eating oatmeal. A pretty nurse once suggested, “Just do it because it will stick to your ribs.”
Eating something that would stick to my ribs at that time was a good idea, because I was severely underweight. Nowadays however, slightly too much is sticking to my ribs — I’ve dipped toward the other side of the pendulum.
So perhaps a little less oatmeal and a little more exercise is in order.
But that doesn’t necessarily translate into less news-gathering.
Then again, to actually comment on the news is quite another matter. That is either like dessert on a good day or castor oil on a bad one — it depends on how easily the opinion button in my frontal lobe switches on.
Though by now I’ve mixed more metaphors than a cobb salad, a big part of me would prefer to comment on what it is like to watch eight 11-year-old girls jump on the trampoline. How did they all get so tall so fast?
That is more interesting to me than the news.
Or I’d prefer to focus on how happy I am that there will be a baseball season after all. My fantasy team, the legendary (in my mind) Mud Lake Mafia, has a title to defend, and I’m anxious to get at it.
Alas, the news keeps churning through each day like an old-fashioned watermill, which makes it hard to ignore. Some of it is good; most of it is bad. But thinking about kids and their birthdays, and my fantasy baseball team somehow makes it all that stuff much more palatable.
Kinda like a salad.
Today’s News (50):
Judge says it’s ‘likely’ Trump committed felonies around Capitol attack and demands lawyer’s emails (Guardian)
January 6 Committee will seek interview with Ginni Thomas, sources say (CNN)
Jan. 6 Panel Makes Case for Contempt Charges for 2 Former Trump Aides (NYT)
Democrats call for Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from Jan. 6 cases (WP)
As the war in Ukraine moves into its second month, fears grow of Mariupol’s fall to Russia. (NYT)
The mayor of Mariupol said all civilians must be evacuated from the encircled Ukrainian city to allow them to escape a humanitarian catastrophe. (Reuters)
Ukraine suspends evacuations amid safety fears; Russia, Ukraine prepare for face-to-face talks (CNBC)
Zelensky offers a diplomatic opening ahead of talks with Russia (WP)
Zelenskyy said he is open to the country adopting a neutral stance as part of any peace deal with Russia to end the ongoing invasion. The comments were part of a 90-minute interview he gave to several Russian journalists, which the Kremlin ordered censored. Details from the call were published by Russian journalists living outside the country. [HuffPost]
Russia's communications watchdog told Russian media to refrain from reporting an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and said it had started a probe into the Russian outlets which had interviewed him. (Reuters)
Ukraine and Russia were preparing for the first face-to-face peace talks in more than two weeks, with Kyiv insisting it would make no concessions on Ukraine's territorial integrity as battlefield momentum has shifted in its favor. (Reuters)
Ukraine and Russia Prepare for Talks in Turkey as Russian Missiles Hit Cities (WSJ)
Ukrainian officials played down the chances of a major breakthrough at the talks, due to be held in Istanbul after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Russia's Vladimir Putin. (Reuters)
Pentagon official says Russian ground forces no longer advancing (USA Today)
Russia shifts focus to try to grind Ukraine’s army in east (AP)
Biden's off-the-cuff remark on Putin sends shock waves on dramatic final day of trip (CNN)
Biden walks back Putin regime change comment that he made during speech in Poland (CBS)
Biden’s support for Ukraine and opposition to Putin were no ‘gaffe’ (Max Boot/WP)
Ukraine Latest News Live: Curfew Shortened in Kyiv, Food Fairs Open (Newsweek)
Zelensky steps up criticism of West, demanding weapons and sanctions (WP)
Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian Peace Negotiators Suffer Suspected Poisoning — The Russian oligarch and others developed symptoms they blamed on hard-liners in Moscow who they say want to sabotage talks to end the war (WSJ)
Novaya Gazeta, the last independent newspaper in Russia, falls silent (WP)
Ukraine's Prosecutor General: 12 journalists killed since Russian invasion began (NHK)
Ukraine war threatens food supplies in fragile Arab world (AP)
With Eyes on Russia, the U.S. Military Prepares for an Arctic Future (NYT)
Ukraine urges West to supply weapons in war with Russia (Al Jazeera)
Nuclear fears in US amid Russia-Ukraine war: AP-NORC poll (AP)
Heineken and Carlsberg are leaving Russia (CNN)
More than 1,100 civilians killed in Russia's invasion of Ukraine (NHK)
Ukraine refugees near 4 million. Will exodus slowdown last? (AP)
Former Fox News host Chris Wallace opened up about his surprising decision last year to jump ship for rival network CNN. He said the network's post-2020 coverage became "increasingly unsustainable" for him and he disagreed with its airing of political conspiracy theories. [HuffPost]
Former President Donald Trump boasted that a “massive” crowd turned out to see him in Georgia over the weekend, even as two experienced journalists on the scene said the rally was the “smallest” they had seen in years. Reporters said the size of the crowd in Commerce, Georgia, was notably underwhelming as the former president showed his support for Republican primary candidates he's backing as revenge on elected GOP officials, including Gov. Brian Kemp. [HuffPost]
Inside Ted Cruz’s last-ditch battle to keep Trump in power (WP)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a show of unity with Middle East allies at a rare Israeli-hosted summit, hoping to allay their misgivings about an emerging Iranian nuclear deal and Washington's commitment to the region. (Reuters)
Earth Has a 27.5-Million-Year 'Heartbeat', But We Have No Idea What Causes It (ScienceAlert)
The Long Goodbye to Saturn’s Rings — The planet’s defining feature is slowly disappearing. (Atlantic)
Misinformation is derailing renewable energy projects across the United States (NPR)
Rising petrol prices drive Americans on to public transport (Financial Times)
A Google billionaire's fingerprints are all over Biden's science office (Politico)
The World Is Splitting in Two — Separate events are accelerating a shift that is transforming global politics. (Atlantic)
Players for the Orlando Pride were filmed stepping off their bus in black T-shirts with the word "Gay," in protest over Florida's so-called Don't Say Gay measure, which bans the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third-grade public school classrooms. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is expected to sign it into law. [HuffPost]
Why U.S. Population Growth Is Collapsing (Atlantic)
China's financial hub of Shanghai launched a two-stage lockdown of its 26 million residents, closing bridges and tunnels, and restricting highway traffic in a scramble to contain surging COVID-19 cases. (Reuters)
The FDA is expected to authorize 2nd boosters for people 50 and up (NPR)
VIDEO: Mass Bleaching Event Hits Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (NYT)
Man Pretty Sure Other Person In Laundry Room Has Been Next-Door Neighbor For 12 Years (The Onion)
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