WARS WITHOUT END

 It’s not clear at this point whether Joe Biden’s remark while visiting Warsaw that Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power” was one of his frequent missteps as a speaker or some sort of a clever veiled threat.

The White House hurriedly walked back the quote, indicating it probably was the former, but Biden may also have been sending Putin a message about what will happen is he doesn’t end the Ukrainian war sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, on the ground, many reports indicate that the invasion has largely failed to date, if Putin’s goal was to take over the country and install a new regime. Ukraine has successfully resisted the Russian army, although the cost in human lives and destruction of property is substantial.

Whatever happens on the ground, it’s already clear that the global consequences will be severe. The economic repercussions are being felt worldwide; the environmental damage is not confined to Ukraine, and the tentative progress toward confronting the planetary climate change crisis has been seriously endangered.

Humans have always been an aggressive species, given to tribalism and wars, murder and mayhem. We’ve been doing things like this forever, which is precisely why our species probably will not last forever.

Forever is a big concept — too big, it seems, for humans to perceive. All we can do is fight each other until the last alpha male, battered and bruised, stands beating his chest.

For what purpose?

In our wake, hopefully another species, wiser and more empathic, will replace us. My money is on the octopus.

Today’s News (46):

1. In a Fiery Speech, Biden Warns of a Battle Between ‘Liberty and Repression’ (NYT)

2. Ukraine says Russia wants to split nation, calls for more arms (Reuters)

3. Zelenskyy: West needs more courage in helping Ukraine fight (AP)

4. Biden’s Putin ad-lib should focus west on what its endgame should be (Guardian)

5. Biden sparks global uproar with nine ad-libbed words about Putin (WP)

6. Biden’s Barbed Remark About Putin: A Slip or a Veiled Threat? (NYT)

7. Blinken walks back Biden remark, says US isn't calling for Russian regime change (USA Today)

8. US ambassador to NATO cleans up Biden’s remarks, says ‘US does not have a policy of regime change in Russia’ (Fox)

9. Kremlin says Biden's remark on the end of Putin is 'alarming' (Reuters)

10. VIDEO: ‘Russia Has Strangled Democracy,’ Biden Says During Trip to Poland (Reuters)

11. At the Edge of Kyiv, Ukrainians Show Off Their Counteroffensive — Destroyed tanks and body parts are all that are left of a Russian advance, part of the larger battle to block the invaders’ attempt to enter or encircle the capital. (NYT)

12. Russian forces are occupying city housing Chernobyl workers, mayor says (WP)

13. New Ukraine law limits troop movement reports (AP)

14. The Big Picture: After a month of war, a defiant nation is forever changed but adapting (NYT)

15. Russian generals are getting killed at an extraordinary rate (WP)

16. VIDEO: A Desperate Escape From Mariupol (NYT)

17. Thousands of patients in Ukraine are receiving lifesaving medicines to treat HIV and opioid addiction through a U.S.-funded group still operating despite the Russian invasion. (AP)

18. Turkey says world cannot 'burn bridges' with Moscow (Reuters)

19. Ukraine Seeks to Exploit Shift in Russia’s Military Strategy —A Russian-held town in the northeast is back in Ukrainian hands, says Kyiv, as it seeks to capitalize on Moscow’s pivot to controlling the south and east (WSJ)

20. Russia’s war in Ukraine galvanizes extremists globally (WP)

21. Public Health Catastrophe Looms in Ukraine, Experts Warn (NYT)

22. UN: Over 3.8 million have fled Ukraine (NHK)

23. How the sex trade preys on Ukraine's refugees (BBC)

24. The Kremlin tries to stifle Radio Free Europe — and its audience surges (WP)

25. War shakes Europe path to energy independence, climate goals (AP)

26. Japanese firms face growing cybersecurity risks amid crisis in Ukraine (NHK)

27. Taliban ban women in Afghanistan from flying without male chaperone (Reuters)

28. With eye to China investment, Taliban now preserve Buddhas (AP)

29. Before Israeli-Arab summit, Blinken seeks to reassure allies on Iran (Reuters)

30. EU envoy in Tehran amid hopes to restore nuclear agreement (AP)

31. Biden to Propose New Minimum Tax on Wealthiest Americans —The White House will propose a 20% minimum tax on the income and rising asset values of households worth more than $100 million (WSJ)

32. Biden to unveil new minimum tax targeting richest 700 Americans (WP)

33. Texts Show Ginni Thomas’s Embrace of Conspiracy Theories (NYT)

34. Elon Musk says the US has 'very, very ancient leadership,' believes there's 'a serious issue with gerontocracy' in many countries (Business Insider)

35. Ketanji Brown Jackson is the most popular Supreme Court nominee in years (CNN)

36. Flu cases tick upward as Covid restrictions ease (NBC)

37. Soaring Oil Prices Bring Fiscal Windfall to Alaska (WSJ)

38. Without Russian help, climate scientists worry how they'll keep up their important work of documenting warming in the Arctic. (AP)

39. Which birds are the biggest jerks at the feeder? A massive data analysis reveals the answer. (WP)

40. Investors Are Buying Mobile Home Parks. Residents Are Paying a Price. — Across the country, corporate landlords are expanding manufactured housing portfolios and driving up rents, pushing longtime residents out. (NYT)

41. Avian flu is infecting U.S. poultry flocks. It could affect the price of chicken, too (NPR)

42. Parts of the Milky Way are much older than thought, study reveals (Space.com)

43. SS Central America: Haunting photos recovered the 'ship of gold' wreck on ocean floor (BBC)

44. This Wordle Clone Might Just Be the Most Challenging Yet (Lifehacker)

45. Mike Krzyzewski advances to record-setting 13th Final Four as Duke defeats Arkansas (CNN)

46. Words Can’t Describe What Man With Limited Vocabulary Feeling Right Now (The Onion)