It’s worth remembering, if you are an American, that Vladimir Putin is Donald Trump’s main role model as a leader and that Trump has spoken out in support of Putin’s outrageous invasion of Ukraine.
Had Trump succeeded in stealing the 2020 election, we might now be facing an equally absurd war in the form of a U.S. invasion of Mexico. (Canada may have been another convenient target for Trump, who also, you may recall, wanted to annex Greenland.)
If you think this is crazy talk, it’s in no way crazier than what Putin is doing in Ukraine. He is lying to the Russian people, demonizing the Ukraines as Neo-Nazis as he attempts to seize their territory and their resources.
Trump, you remember, demonized Mexicans as rapists, drug dealers and terrorists. It is not all that far-fetched to imagine Trump copying his hero’s actions and trying to expand the American empire, so every American should think long and carefully about that.
And also every patriotic citizen needs to recognize that Trump still remains the leading Republican candidate for 2024, so we still could relive the nightmare of his ascendancy once more. I’m deeply uncertain American democracy could survive a second Trump administration.
And that is because democracy is merely an idea, a fragile idea that is only as strong as our unwavering commitment to make it work. And in the mind of way too many Americans, that commitment is currently far from unwavering.
Meanwhile, Trump’s role model Putin has backed himself into a corner in Ukraine. Rather than achieving a quick victory he faces a world united against him and the resolve of a people who know what authoritarianism feels like and want no further part of it. The Ukrainians are much better role models for democracy than the current crop of Americans, who have become IMHO far too entitled and lazy about their obligations to defend freedom here and abroad.
So Putin is cornered in Ukraine. Cornered animals are dangerous. The entire world hangs on the outcome. How can he back down and save face?
This much is clear. He can’t win this war. Ukraine will prevail in the end. The whole world will breath a giant sigh of relief when that happens, but for now, we wait, we watch and we are grateful that it isn’t our own authoritarian monster — Trump — threatening to end the world.
But that is small comfort. Because it only takes one.
THE NEWS (77):
‘Constant shelling’ as Russian forces lay siege to key Ukrainian cities (Guardian)
The civilian death toll has reached 2,000, Ukrainian officials say (WSJ)
Ukrainians said they were fighting on in the southern city of Kherson, the first sizeable city Russia claimed to have seized, while Moscow stepped up its lethal bombardment of major population centers that its invasion force has so far failed to tame. (Reuters)
Casualties mount in Ukraine as Russia advances and adopts siege tactics (WP)
Spurning Rebukes, Russia Escalates Attack on Ukraine as Refugee Ranks Swell (NYT)
Crowd blocks Russians from nuclear power plant (CNN)
U.S. Launches Task Force Targeting Assets of Russian Oligarchs (WSJ)
Russian police jail kids who took flowers and 'No to War' signs to Ukraine's embassy (NPR)
Missiles rain on Ukrainian cities as Russia steps up bombardment campaign (Financial Times)
UN watchdog warns Russia bombardment endangers Ukraine’s nuclear security, calls for restraint (CNBC)
Assassination plot against Zelensky foiled and unit sent to kill him ‘destroyed,’ Ukraine says (WP)
Most of the world lines up against Moscow, attacks intensify (AP)
How Might the War in Ukraine End? Five Factors Will Shape the Outcome (WSJ)
With Moscow having failed in its aim to swiftly overthrow Ukraine's government after nearly a week, Western countries are worried that it is switching to new, far more violent tactics to blast its way into cities it had expected to easily take. Here's what you need to know right now about the conflict. (Reuters)
Ukrainian city of Mariupol 'near to humanitarian catastrophe' after bombardment (BBC)
Russia unleashes greater firepower as convoy approaching Ukrainian capital appears stalled (WP)
How everyday Russians are feeling the impact from sanctions (NPR)
Ukraine’s Kharkiv Front Line Holds Despite Russian Bombardment (WSJ)
Biden says Putin ‘badly miscalculated’ in invading Ukraine. (NYT)
US, allies weaponizing sanctions to curb Russian aggression (AP)
What are vacuum bombs? Concerns grow about Russia's thermobaric weapons (NBC)
The United Nations General Assembly is set to reprimand Russia and demand that Moscow stop fighting and withdraw its military forces, a move that aims to diplomatically isolate the country. (Reuters)
Russian Troop Deaths Expose a Potential Weakness of Putin’s Strategy (NYT)
The U.N. approves a resolution demanding Russia end the invasion of Ukraine (NPR)
Russians protest in St. Petersburg against invasion in Ukraine (Reuters)
Ukraine War Sets Off Europe’s Fastest Migration in Decades (NYT)
Before Russia's invasion, U.S. intelligence had predicted a blistering assault by Moscow that would quickly mobilize the vast Russian air power that its military assembled in order to dominate Ukraine's skies. But the first six days confounded those expectations. (Reuters)
Oil prices surge as fears about Russian crude supplies intensify (NPR)
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the Russian attack on the central square in Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, "frank, undisguised terror" and a war crime. [AP]
Ukrainians Are Shaking America Out of Its Cynicism (Atlantic)
China will not join sanctions on Russia, banking regulator says (Reuters)
Biden announces the US is closing American airspace to Russian aircraft, saying Putin 'has no idea what's coming' (Business Insider)
With men fighting in Ukraine, women and children flee alone (AP)
Ukrainians working at Western tech companies are banding together to help their besieged homeland, aiming to knock down disinformation websites, encourage Russians to turn against their government and speed delivery of medical supplies. (Reuters)
Russia’s oligarchs powerless to oppose Putin over Ukraine invasion (Financial Times)
The West's $1 trillion bid to collapse Russia's economy (CNN)
Why the Cultural Boycott of Russia Matters (Atlantic)
Ukraine: Watching the war on Russian TV - a whole different story (BBC)
More than 100 U.S. and European diplomats stood and marched out of the room when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov began speaking at a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting in the middle of his country’s attacks on Ukraine. Lavrov spoke via prerecorded video and blamed Ukraine for the war. [HuffPost]
Russia’s Looming Economic Collapse (Atlantic)
The sunflower, Ukraine’s national flower, is becoming a global symbol of solidarity (WP)
Boeing suspended maintenance and technical support for Russian airlines and U.S. energy firm Exxon Mobil said it would exit Russia, joining a growing list of Western companies spurning Moscow. (Reuters)
U.S. tech giant Apple said it had stopped sales of iPhones and other products in Russia, while Ford joined other automakers by suspending operations in the country. (Reuters)
Cultural backlash intensifies against Russia over invasion (AP)
Alexei Navalny calls on Russians worldwide to ‘fight against the war,’ slams Putin (WP)
Germany unites behind chancellor’s historic U-turn on arming Ukraine (Guardian)
Russian economy taking 'serious blows,' Kremlin says (The Hill)
The rouble plunged to a record low in Moscow of 110 to the dollar and the stock market remained closed as Russia's financial system staggered under the weight of Western sanctions. (Reuters)
Airbus, ExxonMobil and Boeing take action over Russia ties (BBC)
Ukraine war upends Biden’s agenda on energy, climate change (AP)
Foreign investors are effectively stuck with their holdings of Russian stocks and rouble-denominated bonds after the central bank put a temporary halt on payments and major overseas settlement systems stopped accepting Russian assets. (Reuters)
Japanese readers of Ukrainian folk tale 'The Magic Glove' pray for peace (NHK)
Economic dangers from Russia’s invasion ripple across globe (AP)
China, Eying Taiwan, Gets Lesson From Ukraine’s Stiff Resistance (WSJ)
Ukrainian authorities release videos of Russian captives on social media (NHK)
MLB cancels regular season games as labor talks implode (WP)
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) wouldn’t say whether party members who participated in a white nationalist event over the weekend would face any repercussions. McCarthy called the America First Political Action Conference "appalling" but wouldn't say any more. [HuffPost]
U.S. Moving to Confront China on Trade, Industrial Policy (WSJ)
New Zealand protesters set fires as police break up camp (AP)
Jan. 6 probe points lawmakers more and more toward GOP colleagues (Politico)
After a dry winter, forecasters don’t think the state’s melting snowpack is enough to fill up our reservoirs this year. (CNN)
UN: Climate change to uproot millions, especially in Asia (AP)
San Francisco beat a 170-year-old record for the driest first two months of the year with the lack of rain. That dry spell could come to an end this week if an atmospheric river hitting the West Coast swoops south. (SFC)
UN: Africa, already suffering from warming, will see worse (AP)
Tens of thousands of Australians fled from their homes and authorities evacuated a hospital as more torrential rains battered the east coast. Thirteen people have been killed, the latest four deaths recorded in the worst-hit town of Lismore in New South Wales state, since the extreme weather arrived late last week, submerging town centers, washing away homes and cutting power lines. (Reuters)
Amazon will close 68 brick-and-mortar retail stores across the U.S. and U.K. (TechCrunch)
Russia crisis could sink the International Space Station (Politico)
Squirrel Can’t Wait To Ruin Man’s Day By Running In Front Of Car And Getting Killed (The Onion)
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