Afghan Conversation 28: Global Opium Den

 [This is the 28th in a series of ongoing conversations with a friend in Afghanistan about life under Taliban rule. I am withholding his identity to protect his safety.]

Dear David:

A month ago I traveled to the  rural areas of Helmand. Opium poppies were being cultivated everywhere, replacing wheat fields. This increasing poppy cultivation happened simultaneously with the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan. 

So it may have seemed surprising recently when theTaliban banned opium poppy farming altogether. Since the ban the price of opium has tripled.

Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), accounting for more than 80 percent of the world's supply. 

Although less than four percent of arable land in Afghanistan was used for opium poppy cultivation in 2006, revenue from the harvest brought in over $3 billion—more than 35 percent of the country's total gross national product (GNP). Less than 20 percent of the $3 billion in opium profits actually goes to impoverished farmers, while more than 80 percent goes into the pockets of Afghan's opium traffickers and kingpins and their political connections. 

Much of the opium is grown  in Helmand province, which accounted for 39 percent of the world's illicit opium production in 2000, according to the US State Department. In 2001, the Taliban announced a ban on poppy farming via threats, forced eradication, and public punishment of transgressors. The result was a 99 percent reduction in the area of opium poppy farming in Taliban-controlled areas, roughly three-quarters of the world's supply of heroin at the time.

Under the Afghan government supported by the Western countries from 2001-2021, opium cultivation thrived and theTaliban used opium money to fund their two-decade campaign to retake Afghanistan.

So why ban it now? Unlike in 2000, when opium was the main source of their income, now the Taliban can access funds from many sources, including international trade, harbor taxes and foreign aid. Plus the Taliban is using opium just like the education of girls as a bargaining chip in order to achieve recognition by foreign governments and therefore legitimacy.

Banning opium gets good press overseas. And it gives the country’s new rulers some leverage as they try to consolidate their power.

TODAY’s NEWS (60):

1. Russian Missile Attack Kills Dozens at Railway Station in Eastern Ukraine (WSJ)

2. At least 39 people were killed and 87 wounded when two rockets hit a railway station in eastern Ukraine packed with evacuees, Ukrainian authorities said, as the region braced for a major Russian offensive. (Reuters)

3. Strike kills 50 at Ukraine rail station crowded with people (AP)

4. Witnesses describe grisly scene that includes Russian words ‘For the children’ on missile (WP)

5. Congress voted to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and ban Russian oil, an economic lifeline for Russian President Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine. Hours later, Russia launched a rocket attack on a Ukraine train station that served as a civilian evacuation point, killing dozens and wounding more than 100. [AP]

6. Russia’s war dead belie its slogan that no one is left behind (WP)

7. The European Commission chief and the EU's top diplomat arrived in Kyiv to offer Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy support and reassurance over his bid for EU membership in a capital gradually reviving after Russia pulled back forces. (Reuters)

8. Experts set to travel to Ukraine to identify the war’s dead (AP)

9. ‘He Is a Child of War’: Giving Birth Amid Chaos in Ukraine — As artillery shells fall, pregnant women are delivering prematurely, being shuttled in and out of bomb shelters or having babies in basements without even a midwife to help. Tens of thousands more are displaced. (NYT)

10. VIDEO: U.N. Suspends Russia From Human Rights Council (AP)

11. Ukrainians Search for Relatives in Besieged Mariupol (WSJ)

12. Russia gave its most sombre take yet on the six-week long war in Ukraine, describing the "tragedy" of rising troop losses and the economic pain of sanctions, as Ukrainian authorities rushed civilians out of the way of a looming big offensive in the east. (Reuters)

13. In eastern Ukraine, Russian military razing towns to take them over (WP)

14. US speeds entry for Ukrainians as more reach Mexico border (AP)

15. UK joins US in imposing sanctions on Putin’s daughters (Guardian)

16. Ukraine said it aimed to establish up to 10 humanitarian corridors to evacuate trapped civilians, but civilians trying to flee besieged Mariupol will have to use private vehicles. (Reuters)

17. U.S. quietly paying millions to send Starlink terminals to Ukraine, contrary to SpaceX claims (WP)

18. NATO eyes in the sky, keeping Europe out of Russia’s war (AP)

19. A Ukrainian mom scribbled her contact info on her daughter's back as the war erupted (NPR)

20. Six weeks of devastation and defiance as world grapples with the crisis (BBC)

21. West Moves to Curb Russian Coal and Trade Over Ukraine War (NYT)

22. Expulsion of Russian ‘diplomats’ may strangle Moscow’s spying (WP)

23. Global food prices rise to highest ever levels after Russian invasion (Guardian)

24. VIDEO: ‘Evil Came’: The Toll of Russia’s Occupation in Kyiv’s Suburbs (NYT)

25. Lacking the strength and courage to stand up to us on the battlefield, they (Russians) are cynically destroying the civilian population." (Volodymr Zelenskiy, Ukraine President/Reuters)

26. New U.S. sanctions target Russia ship builder and diamond mining company (NPR)

27. Dmitry Muratov, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist, was attacked in Russia (NPR)

28. Meta reports surge in cyberattacks after Russian invasion of Ukraine (NHK)

29. Why Ukraine Is Winning — Ukraine’s success illuminates a strategy that has allowed a smaller state to—so far—outlast a larger and much more powerful one. (Atlantic)

30. VIDEO: Senate Confirms Judge Jackson to the Supreme Court (AP)

31. A Transformative Justice Whose Impact May Be Limited — Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will help make the Supreme Court look like the nation but will have little power to halt its rightward trajectory. (NYT)

32. With Jackson, a new version of the Supreme Court takes shape (WP)

33. What to do if you test positive for COVID at this point in the pandemic (NPR)

34. Shanghai announced a record 21,000 new cases and a third consecutive day of COVID testing as a lockdown of its 26 million people showed no sign of easing and other Chinese cities tightened curbs - even in places with no recent infections. (Reuters)

35. Interest-Rate Surge Ripples Through Economy, From Homes to Car Loans (WSJ)

36. Inflation hits nonprofits’ services, ability to fundraise (Chronicle of Philanthropy)

37. The macro-economic picture is deteriorating fast and could push the U.S. economy into recession as the Federal Reserve tightens its monetary policy to tame surging inflation, BofA strategists warned in a weekly research note. (Reuters)

38. The child tax credit was a lifeline. Now some families are falling back into poverty (NPR)

39. Pakistan’s Supreme Court Blocks Imran Khan’s Move to Stay in Power (NYT)

40. The Afghan women who laid it all on the line for the U.S. — The Afghan all-woman platoon that served a vital function for American troops in Afghanistan is being resettled in the U.S. — but what comes next is anything but clear.

    Writer Amanda Ripley takes us inside the Platoon, their harrowing journey out of Afghanistan as Kabul fell and their surreal resettlement in the United States, where the 39 Afghan women rent apartments, take MMA classes and hold jobs at Chick-Fil-As and daycare centers. The story is a glimpse into the challenges of resettling the 76,000 Afghan evacuees living in America and a reminder that ordinary-seeming people often have unbelievable stories to tell.(Politico)

41. After a week of political chaos in Pakistan, more turmoil lies ahead (NPR)

42. Alabama passes bill making some transgender healthcare a felony (Reuters)

43. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would still support Donald Trump if he's the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, despite having previously called him "practically and morally responsible" for the Jan. 6 insurrection. Asked if there's anything a GOP nominee could do to lose his backing, McConnell couldn't find an answer. [HuffPost]

44. Proud Boys leader pleads guilty to role in Jan. 6 conspiracy (Politico)

45. Republicans face a test of extremists' power in Idaho's primaries (NPR)

46. New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a court to hold Trump in contempt and fine him $10,000 per day for failing to meet a March 31 court-imposed deadline to submit documents related to her ongoing civil investigation into his business practices. Meanwhile, the Manhattan district attorney said his criminal probe into Trump is still alive, despite a leadership shakeup. [AP]

47. F.B.I. Preparing to Investigate How Classified Material Went to Trump’s Home (NYT)

48. Democrats exasperated with Biden on gun control (Politico)

49. Scientists detect record-breaking 'megamaser' 5 billion light-years away. (Space.com)

50. Google Meet will kick you out if you're the only person in the meeting (Engadget)

51. Lego wants to build a kid-friendly metaverse — The next evolution of the Internet, a communal cyberspace where people could virtually play, shop and hang out. Lego’s partnering with Epic Games — the company behind cultural phenomenon “Fortnite” — to create a virtual worldwhere kids can play safely, but we don’t know many other details yet. (WP)

52. Why Homes of the Future Will Have Spaces for the Metaverse (WSJ)

53. Rejuvenation of woman's skin could tackle diseases of ageing (BBC)

54. Pink Floyd to release first new music in 28 years in support of Ukraine (CNN)

55. More than a thousand book titles, most addressing racism and LGBTQ issues, have been banned from U.S. classrooms and school libraries in the last nine months, many under pressure from conservative parents and officials, the writers' organization PEN America said. (Reuters)

56. Life expectancy in the U.S. dropped again last year. It declined to 76.60 years in 2021, according to a new analysis.That’s down from 76.99 in 2020 and 78.86 in 2019. Life expectancy hasn’t improved despite effective coronavirus vaccines. Last year’s drop came largely among White Americans, which could be tied to vaccine hesitancy and resistance to pandemic restrictions, the report said. (WP)

57. Is there a clear trend of crime getting worse in San Francisco?According to the data, not exactly. The Chronicle analyzed statistics from the first quarter of the year, comparing the numbers with the same period years earlier, to see what’s changed in recent years.Some violent crime has declined during COVID, and the numbers show that rapes, robberies and assaults are all lower than they were four years ago in 2018. But homicides are still higher than they were before. Property crimes are seeing a drastic change, too. Burglaries and larceny theft have declined to pre-pandemic rates, but motor vehicle thefts and shoplifting are on the upswing.See the data analysis. (SFC)

58. The Friendship Researchers Who Are Also Friends — “In our writing, it got to the point where we could no longer remember who wrote which sentences, or who came up with this or that idea.” (Atlantic)

59. Our Golden State soundtrack (California Today)

60. Neighborhood Rallies To Designate Pothole As Historic Landmark (The Onion)

Happy 26th!

 Dylan's birthday celebration at a restaurant in the Marina.a

The Meaning of Life (Or at least of work)

 

(credit: KaterBegemot/wiki commons)

When you consider the evolution of the human species over the full sweep of time, our bodies have been changing only very gradually. Slowly it seems we get a bit bigger, a lot heavier and less hairy.

But only relatively speaking, of course, and subject to enough food, water, and access to good health care.

So what else?

Well, we’ve gotten more sophisticated in using tools, building nests, crafting comfortable clothing, inventing vehicles that let us zoom around the planet at will, establishing routines that optimize pleasure and a bunch of other lifestyle stuff. We can make a lot of noise. 

But without question, the biggest and most revolutionary changes we’ve been able to accomplish have all come in the past tiny blip of geological time and they all involve technology.

If we had a giant mirror and could reflect down on ourselves as we are living now, we are exhibiting the behavior of a bunch of monkeys who have gotten a hold of a hijacked truckload of portable digital toys.

We’ve got them firmly grasped in our hairy little hands and we are staring at them when we are not turning them over and over, marveling at their magic. We look up now and then, looking side to side as of to make sure nobody’s going to discover us at this guilty pleasure, lest they swoop in and take them away from us.

We smile that guilty smile of secret pleasure and we just keep looking at those screens as we hop around place to place on our hindquarters, apes that we are.

***

Technology is inherently neither good nor bad. It is officially neutral like Switzerland. It is also, I firmly believe, inevitable. If there are imperatives to the evolution of our species they include a technological component — we are going to continue to experiment and develop technologies that extend our ability to live our lives the way we want to, to satisfy our desires and that extend our reach — physically, mentally and even emotionally.

No government or religion can stop that.

But this process is also inherently disorienting and disruptive. It was becoming commonplace for a while there to describe each new upheaval of one of our traditional industries in terms that it had just been disrupted by the internet, or by a digital device, or a software application.

In the process, suddenly all the middlemen, all of the intermediaries who dominated our society were being thrown out of work. The technical term is disintermediated.

Travel agents? Disintermediated.

Secretaries? Disintermediated.

Used car salesmen? Disintermediated.

Taxi drivers? Disintermediated.

Publishers? Disintermediated.

Journalists? Disintermediated.

I could go on ( and on and on and on) but you get the idea. Why did we need these guys (or gals) anyway, when we could just manipulate the new technologies to do everything for ourselves?

Well, that’s a good question. You know that old thing about being careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater?

Beyond being an exceptionally odd phrase and concept, it’s nevertheless got more than a smidgeon of wisdom to it.

Maybe we got something pretty valuable from some of those intermediaries who used to be in our lives. Something we need every bit in our lives as much as we need food, water, clothing, blankets when it’s cold and fans blowing fresh air when it’s hot.

We need to be cared for; we need to be taken care of now and then; we need to be loved.

Conversely, most of us need to be able to take care of other people too. We need to be able to feel that we can do that and that we are doing that.

It gives our lives meaning. It gives our jobs meaning. We need to feel we are helping makes things better, not worse.

So that’s it, for now. We’re at the end of today’s story. Bt there is a lot more where this one came from.

Today in the News (66):

1. Germany intercepts Russian talk of indiscriminate killings in Ukraine (WP)

2. Civilians Flee Eastern Ukraine as Signs Point to Stepped-Up Russian Attack (NYT)

3. Russia suspended from U.N. Human Rights Council amid global outrage over Ukraine (WP)

4. Ukraine wants sanctions crippling enough to force Russia to end its warafter accusing some countries of putting economic wellbeing above punishment for civilian killings that the West condemns as war crimes. (Reuters)

5. VIDEO: Yellen: U.S. Working ‘Very Closely’ With Allies on Sanctions for Russia (AP)

6. U.S. Takes First Enforcement Actions Against Alleged Violators of Russia Export Controls (WSJ)

7. More Russians Consider Costs of War in Ukraine as Casualties Mount (NYT)

8. The democratic world must stop buying Russian oil and completely block Russian banks from the international finance system, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his daily video address. (Reuters)

9. Ukraine pleads for weapons as fight looms on eastern front (AP)

10. Amnesty report finds evidence of Russian ‘war crimes’ in Ukraine (WP)

11. Seeing Bucha atrocities is turning point for media, viewers (AP)

12. Document the War Crimes in Ukraine (Edit Bd/NYT)

13. VIDEO: Ukrainians Arrive at U.S.-Mexico Border Seeking Asylum (Reuters)

14. A New Surge of Ukrainians at U.S. Border (NYT)

15. Why Russia Doesn’t Want to Default—Even in a Time of War (WSJ)

16. Thousands of families trying to make way back to Bucha (WP)

17. Senate votes 100-0 to end Russia trade status, enact oil ban (AP)

18. Belarusians, Russians Join Ukraine’s Military, Hoping for Freedom at Home (WSJ)

19. U.S. Says It Secretly Removed Malware Worldwide, Pre-empting Russian Cyberattacks (NYT)

20. Battles in Donbas will look like World War Two, says Ukraine (BBC)

21. Ukrainian authorities have urged people living in the Donbas to evacuate immediately as the country braces for a renewed Russian offensive in the east. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they would not give up. “We will seek all possible options to defend ourselves until Russia begins to seriously seek peace. This is our land. This is our future," he said. [AP] 

22. Ukraine says Mariupol defense is ‘holding on,’ despite Russian claims (WP)

23. Russian forces are trying to wipe Mariupol "off the face of the Earth," Ukrainian military commander says (CNN)

24. Ukraine War: Veterans prepare for battle in occupied Luhansk (BBC)

25. Russia Is Recruiting Mercenaries and Syrians to Ukraine, Western Officials Say (NYT)

26. Nato states agree to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine (Financial Times)

27. Gen. Milley: Land mines have given Ukrainian forces an edge (WP)

28. China's abstentions on U.N. votes to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine are a "win", said the U.S. envoy to the United Nations, underscoring how Beijing's balancing act between its ally Russia and the West may be the best outcome for Washington. (Reuters)

29. Pentagon chief: U.S. giving Ukraine intelligence in Donbas fight (WP)

30. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has wrested control of thousands of routers and firewall appliances away from Russian military hackers by hijacking the same infrastructure Moscow’s spies were using to communicate with the devices, U.S. officials said. (Reuters)

31. WHO bracing for possible ‘chemical assaults’ in Ukraine (WP)

32. UK looks to nuclear power to cut Russian energy dependence (AP)

33. European Union envoys are set to approve a ban on Russian coal that would take full effect from mid-August, a month later than initially planned, two EU sources told Reuters, following pressure from Germany to delay the measure. Here's how EU countries are hunting for global coal stocks. (Reuters)

34. NATO members agree to ‘strengthen’ support for Ukraine, Stoltenberg says (WP)

35. In western Ukraine, some 1,100 train wagons carrying grain are stuck near the main rail border crossing with Poland, unable to transport their cargo abroad. As Kyiv looks for alternative export routes by land, that effort has been hampered by logistical challenges and red tape (Reuters)

36. Ukrainian soldiers' Facebook accounts targeted by hackers, Meta says (CNN)

37. Facebook cracks down on covert influence networks targeting Ukraine (WP)

38. Putin Is the Only Leader They’ve Known. And They’re Done With Him. — Thousands of young, anti-war Russians are voting with their feet, fleeing to cities like Istanbul. Putin has labeled them a “fifth column.” (Politico)

39. I Tried to Put Russia on Another Path — My policy was to work for the best, while expanding NATO to prepare for the worst. (Bill Clinton/Atlantic)

40. The Growing Religious Fervor in the American Right: ‘This Is a Jesus Movement’ (NYT)

41. GOP senators on the Judiciary Committee don't agree how to define a woman, and some wouldn't even try when HuffPost asked them. The same senators had grilled President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson for not answering a question on defining the word during her Senate confirmation hearing. “I have more of a traditional view of what a woman is,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). What is that? "My wife." [HuffPost]

42. Donald Trump said he wanted to march to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — In an interview yesterday with The Post, Trump claimed the Secret Service stopped him from joining his supporters, adding: “I would have gone there in a minute.” (WP)

43. How AI and Humans Can Best Collaborate at Work (WSJ)

44. Yellen calls for crypto regulation to reduce risks, fraud (AP)

45. Californians reduced water usage by less than 1 percent in February, a far cry from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for a 15 percent reduction. (LAT)

46. California’s typically reserved nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office released a series of reports on Wednesday laying out in stark terms the alarming, sweeping effects of climate change. (CalMatters)

47. Solar panels that can generate electricity at night have been developed at Stanford (NPR)

48. Napa Valley Has a Problem: It’s Running Out of Prime Room for Grapes (WSJ)

49. U.S. life expectancy continued to drop in 2021, new analysis shows (WP)

50. Baseball’s Next Battle: Making the Game Exciting Again (WSJ)

51. Up to 65% of Africans have had COVID, far more than thought (AP)

52. People are developing trauma-like symptoms as the pandemic wears on (NPR)

53. Regulators contend with booster planning among Covid unknowns (Politico)

54. Covid: Blood clot risk higher for six months after having virus (BBC)

55. Dolphins’ playful social habits form bonds, but spread virus (AP)

56. Senate punts $10 billion in Covid aid until after Easter amid stalemate over border policy (Politico)

57. Shanghai lockdown: some parents allowed to stay with Covid-positive children after backlash (Guardian)

58. Scans reveal the brain's early growth, late decline and surprising variability (NPR)

59. Brazil military ‘posed as NGOs on social media’ to play down deforestation (Guardian)

60. Astronomers: Discovery of most distant galaxy 13.5 billion light-years away (NHK)

61. Sub-atomic particle discovery adds impetus to push into ‘new physics’

    Findings on mass of W boson challenge Standard Model that underpins how we understand structure of universe (Financial Times)

62. Record-breaking wet season sees frog numbers in Queensland leaping ‘through the roof’ (Guardian)

63. Tanis: Fossil of dinosaur killed in asteroid strike found, scientists claim (BBC)

64. Thieving sea lions break into salmon farm and gorge on feast of fish (Guardian)

65. Senate confirms Jackson to Supreme Court — Ketanji Brown Jackson secured the support of three Republicans and all members of the Democratic caucus after divisive confirmation hearings. She will be sworn in this summer as the first Black woman in the court’s 233-year history after Justice Stephen G. Breyer ends his tenure. (WP)

66. TurboTax Threatens To Tell IRS Customer Cheated On Taxes Unless They Upgrade To Deluxe Version (The Onion)

The Free Agent

Late on the hottest day of the year so far, I visited the redesigned headquarters building of my old employer, two-and-a-half years after I retired. It was great -- great to be back, great to see old friends, great for things to feel semi-normal again.

It almost made me want to go back to work — almost.

But not quite. It turns out that this retirement thing is starting to grow on me. I might just be starting to sort of fall in love with it.

For years, when people around me talked about retiring, they got this glazed look in their eyes, as if they were dreaming of an idyllic life on a remote tropical island, sipping margaritas at sunset, reminiscing over a day at the golf course, or out on the fishing charter, and planning their next visit to some exotic historical sites.

Maybe that’s exactly what they were imagining, IDK. But not me. I always basically figured that I would end up working until I died. Not only because I knew there would always be plenty of need in my family for any money I could earn, but also because I loved many parts of my job — especially the people, the stories, the challenges of finding and breaking scoops now and then that might make a difference in peoples’ lives.

Furthermore, my concept of retirement —endless rounds of golf, fishing trips and travel — didn’t really hold all that great an appeal for me. Sure they might be fun for a while but they are also one way or another a lot of work of their own kind — plus they are expensive. 

But thinking back on it, what I really feared the most, I think, was that I would be bored to tears.

And the truth is I was bored, at first. I didn’t know what to do with myself with so many empty hours to fill, house stretching into days, weeks, months and ultimately years, who knows how many. I actually felt anxious about all of that free time.

But then slowly, without realizing it, I stated adjusting to the new routine. Yes, I could work if I felt like it but now entirely on my own terms. I like to read the news, so if I felt like sorting it, aggregating it, and publishing a list of headlines for fun, I could do that.

It might strike other people as weird but then again my last name is Weir and my first initial is d.

As the writing every single day — I’ve always liked to write, it relaxes me, and when it comes to story-telling, I’m probably at my very best.

It’s all one big chance, I realized, to tell my own story and the stories of others around me, without any real pressure or needing to impress anyone, hit a deadline, or follow someone else’s orders.

Finally, I might become the ultimate free agent who loves to do what people used to pay him to do. Only now he just does it, first thing every morning rain or shine for himself. (See how he did that — going from first to third?)

So who knows? I might even get good at this stuff, but it’s only the opening day of the baseball season, and I’m still getting used to being that retired ballplayer who still can pick up a bat and hit one out of the park now and then.

Or swing and miss. What is the difference? Nobody’s keeping score.

Today’s News (50):

1. Russia’s failure to take down Kyiv was a defeat for the ages (AP)

2. US sanctions target Putin's daughters; Russians retreat from Kyiv; Dutch seize 14 Russian yachts (USA Today)

3. Right-wing battalion emerges as a controversial defender of Ukraine (WP)

4. China calls for probe into Bucha killings, assigns no blame (AP)

5. India condemned the killings of civilians in Bucha and called for an independent investigation, having earlier declined to explicitly criticize the invasion of Ukraine by its long-time partner Russia. (Reuters)

6. Russian media campaign falsely claims Bucha deaths are fakes (AP)

7. Perma-sanctions: Biden under pressure to punish Russia until Putin's gone (Politico)

8. Ukraine’s Surprise Strike on Russian Navy Hobbles Putin’s Donbas Strategy (WSJ)

9. Satellite companies join the hunt for Russian war crimes (Politico)

10. Some Ukrainian Refugees Are Returning Home, Despite the Risks (NYT)

11. Russians preparing for new push as Ukraine gathers its dead (AP)

12. NATO ministers to meet as U.S. and E.U. move to toughen sanctions (WP)

13. ‘We Will Kill You’: How Russia Silenced Its Antiwar Movement (WSJ)

14. Residents Of Bucha Describe Atrocities Of Russian Troops (NBC)

15. Garland: DOJ assisting international war crimes investigations in Ukraine (Politico)

16. Ukraine Braces for Intense Battles in Eastern Regions (WSJ)

17. At Least 200 Feared Dead in Apartments Hit by Russia, Officials Say (NYT)

18. Ukraine Urges Civilians to Flee Looming Russian Offensive in Eastern Regions (WSJ)

19. Artillery pounded key cities in Ukraine, as its president urged the West to act decisively in imposing new and tougher sanctions being readied against Russia in response to civilian killings widely condemned as war crimes. (Reuters)

20. Zelensky Accuses Russia of Atrocities and Criticizes U.N.’s Inaction (NYT)

21. The atrocities uncovered in Kyiv suburb Bucha appear to have taken the war to a new low and are already spurring Western countries to tighten Russian sanctions. But could the universal horror galvanize further action? HuffPost U.K. explains. [HuffPost]

22. As Ukraine war drags on, Pentagon makes long-term plans for Europe (WP)

23. Janet Yellen warns of 'enormous' economic repercussions from war in Ukraine (CNN)

24. U.S. chipmaker Intel said it has suspended business operations in Russia, joining a slew of companies to exit the country. The company, which last month suspended shipments to customers in Russia and Belarus, said it has implemented business continuity measures to minimize disruption to its global operations. (Reuters)

25. White House: US, allies to ban new investments in Russia (AP)

26. Global trade falls 2.8% as Russia’s war in Ukraine hits container traffic (Financial Times)

27. The Price of Privacy (Atlantic)

28. Israeli government on brink of collapse after key lawmaker quits coalition (Axios)

29. The Oklahoma House gave final approval to a bill that would make performing an abortion a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The bill heads to the desk of GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has said he’d sign any anti-abortion bill. The push is part of a larger effort by Republicans nationwide to pass aggressive laws as the Supreme Court considers undercutting abortion rights that have been in place for almost 50 years. [AP]

30. Abortion Pills, Once a Workaround, Are Now a Target (NYT)

31. Big Oil execs defend high fuel prices at U.S. Congress hearing (Reuters)

32. WHO: COVID cases and deaths continue to fall globally (AP)

33. Long Covid-19 may remain a chronic condition for millions (CNN)

34. Voices from Shanghai: The trials of living through a massive COVID lockdown (NPR)

35. Scientists divided on need for 4th Covid shot after FDA quietly approved another round of boosters (CNBC)

36. Protection against infection offered by fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose wanes quickly, Israeli study finds (CNN)

37. May governor primaries pose big test for Trump’s control over the GOP (Politico)

38. In jumpy flies and fiery mice, scientists see the roots of human emotions (NPR)

39. The Biden administration is proposing a major policy change to Obamacare that it believes could help 200,000 uninsured Americans get comprehensive health plans, while making coverage cheaper for 1 million more. It’s something the White House can do on its own, without Congress. [HuffPost]

40. The student loan pause has been extended until the end of the summer (NPR)

41. Biden to erase defaults for millions of federal student loan borrowers (Politico)

42. Sun spits filaments out from 'canyon of fire' as aurora forecast remains strong (Space.com)

43. NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei On How Ukraine Crisis Impacted Partnership With Russians (NBC)

44. Vertical Farms Expand as Demand for Year-Round Produce Grows (NYT)

45. Actually, humanity can still avoid climate catastrophe (Edit Bd/WP)

46. Climate change is causing the fungal infection Valley Fever, coined for its presence in the San Joaquin Valley, to worsen in California and spread to other states. (LAT)

47. Ancient cemetery of flying reptiles unearthed in Chile’s Atacama desert (Guardian)

48. Fundraising Emails For and Against Chesa Boudin Push Alternative Views of San Francisco (SFC)

49. Titanic survivors' items to go under the hammer (BBC)

50. Hillary Clinton Receives $225,000 Speaking Fee For Telling Grandson Bedtime Story (The Onion)

Today’s Lyrics:

“No More One More Time”

Sung by Jo-El Sonnier

Songwriters: Troy Seals / Dave Kirby

I should have done what I'm gonna do a long time ago

Givin' you up, you got me down to an all time low

I've been a fool, been a fool lovin' your kind

I'm gonna try something new to get over you this time

There'll be no more one more time

Baby I might be crazy but Ill never call you baby anymore

You had your last second chance at this old heart of mine

And there'll be no more one more time

I'd like to say, but I can't say that it's been fun

You had my heart locked away in the dark and it could use some sun

I'm gonna miss you a lot, Honey I've got to let you go

So go on and try, maybe you'll cry, you'll never, never, never know 

War Coverage Guide: There Are No Heroes

Coverage of the Ukraine War has reached a saturation point, just as Covid-19 once dominated the news and other major crises did in the past.

There is also a consensus narrative in the Western media that Russia is at fault for the conflict, Putin is a madman, the Ukrainians are gradually winning the battle on the ground, and Zelensky is a hero leading the resistance.

Although I remain open to other interpretations of the facts I see no actual alternative explanations for what is happening except, of course, for the Russian disinformation campaign repeated by the likes of Tucker Carlson.

There is plenty of that.

Nevertheless, it is wise to remember that while the propaganda proliferates on all sides, nobody really acts well in a war, so reports of Russian atrocities, while most probably true, could be exaggerated and almost certainly are not strictly confined to Putin’s side.

There are not many heroes in war.

It is likely, therefore, that the Ukrainians will commit individual acts that could be considered war crimes just like the Russians. The difference is whether such acts are systematic and part of a deliberate policy or the irrational excesses of wartime violence that almost always occur.

An alternative explanation for Russian aggression being offered up by its allies is that the U.S. and Nato backed Putin into a corner and, feeling threatened, he struck back defensively — that Russia is the true victim.

I don’t see enough evidence to make this explanation persuasive. I think the persuasive case is he is engaged in what will ultimately prove to be a failed attempt at expanding the Russian empire.

Meanwhile, as positive as Zelensky looks so far, there are reports he is suppressing any opposition reporting inside Ukraine, much as Putin is inside Ukraine. So that bears keeping an eye on.

Power has a way of corrupting everybody who wields it.

***

Today’s story list is evenly split fifty percent to war coverage and fifty percent to other matters. Up until now, war coverage has predominated, but from here on out it is possible it will decline.

As coverage fades so will accountability on all sides. War correspondents will be recalled to focus on other stories.

All of my comments are, as usual, simply those of a journalist trying objectively to evaluate what is coming in on the wire on a daily basis. I have no agenda other than that.

Today’s News (54):

1. 'A clear stand against Putin’s war of choice': US, EU to impose new sanctions against Russia (USA Today)

2. Zelensky to address U.N. Security Council (WP)

3. Latest Updates: Russia Increases Cyberattacks on Ukraine Critical Infrastructure (WSJ)

4. Satellite images show bodies lay in Bucha for weeks, despite Russian claims. (NYT)

5. In Bucha, Ukraine, burned, piled bodies among latest horrors (AP)

6. The flow of "bloody money" to Russia must stop, Kyiv's mayor said as the West prepared new sanctions on Moscow after dead civilians were found lining the streets of a Ukrainian town seized from Russian invaders. (Reuters)

7. Zelensky: Russia 'will try to hide the traces of their crimes' (Yahoo)

8. U.S. analysts believe Putin shifting war focus to border areas (WP)

9. Some get out of Mariupol, bus convoy blocked (AP)

10. Ukraine said it was bracing for about 60,000 Russian reservists to be called in to reinforce Moscow's offensive in the east, where Russia's main targets have included the port of Mariupol and Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city. (Reuters)

11. Images of Russian Atrocities Push West Toward Tougher Sanctions (NYT)

12. Zelenskyy To Address U.N. After Accusing Russia Of War Crimes In Ukraine (NBC)

13. Ukrainians who cut their teeth in the 2014 street uprising that ousted then-President Viktor Yanukovich are now in a vanguard of volunteers fighting "Russian propaganda", which for years had spread inside Ukraine and beyond. Eight years of practice in countering disinformation, they say, prepared them for Russia's invasion. (Reuters)

14. ‘Sitting at Home and Trembling.’ A Town Emerges After a Russian Retreat. (NYT)

15. Ukraine Quietly Receives Tanks From Czech Republic (WSJ)

16. Town by town, Ukrainian prosecutors build Russian war crimes cases (WP)

17. Russian auto boomtown grinds to halt over Ukraine sanctions (Reuters)

18. Bristling Against the West, China Rallies Domestic Sympathy for Russia (NYT)

19. Russian ‘Darknet’ Market Tied to Ransomware Is Shut Down (WSJ)

20. The United States stopped the Russian government from paying holders of its sovereign debt more than $600 million from reserves held at U.S. banks, in a move meant to eat into Moscow's holdings of dollars. (Reuters)

21. Top US general: Potential for 'significant international conflict' is increasing (CNN)

22. Australia, UK, US alliance to develop hypersonic missiles (ABC)

23. The War Moves East, as Putin Looks for a Victory (NYT)

24. Hey, Tucker Carlson, are you still rooting for Russia over Ukraine? (Max Boot/WP)

25. State media bombard Russians with alternative version of the truth (Financial Times)

26. More than 60% of Putin's war chest frozen, UK says (BBC)

27. Russia demands Wikipedia remove information about Russia's military operation (NHK)

28. 'Like the good old days': Obama returns to the White House for the first time as Democrats look ahead to midterm elections (CNN)

29. With Obama looking on, White House to open ACA plans to more families (WP)

30. Afghan evacuees mark first US Ramadan with gratitude, agony (AP)

31. Families were split up during Afghanistan evacuations — and are still not reunited (WSJ)

32. ‘I didn’t win the election’: Trump admits defeat in session with historians (Guardian)

33. Omicron BA.2 Variant Pressures Parts of U.S. (WSJ)

34. 10,000 health workers sent to help control Shanghai outbreak (AP)

35. Whole of Shanghai enters COVID lockdown despite lower symptomatic cases (Reuters)

36. Is it possible to overdo it with COVID-19 vaccine boosters? What is and isn’t known (Seattle Times)

37. Bipartisan Senate bargainers have agreed to a slimmed-down $10 billion package for countering COVID-19, but without any funds to help nations abroad combat the pandemic. The accord represents a deep cut from the $22.5 billion Biden initially requested, and from a $15 billion version that both parties’ leaders had negotiated last month. [AP]

38. Biden administration will extend pause on federal student loan repayments through August (CNN)

39. Supreme Court makes it easier to sue police over wrongful arrests (WP)

40. Faced with union organizing efforts in Alabama and New York City last year, Amazon hired a bunch of anti-union consultants to throttle the campaigns. But many of them had the misfortune of crossing paths with Connor Spence at Amazon's JK8 fulfillment center on Staten Island. Dave Jamieson has the story on the creative tactics the workers used to discredit and fluster the busters and win a historic election. [HuffPost]

41. Elon Musk’s Twitter board seat raises questions about his plans for the company (CNBC)

42. The NFT bubble isn't popping, but it may have sprung a leak. A year on from when a single non-fungible token sold for $69.3 million in crypto at Christie's auction house, this weird and wild market is showing some signs of slowing down. (Reuters)

43. The Emotion Missing From the Workplace — Sadness is a central part of our lives, yet it’s typically ignored at work, hurting employees and managers alike. (Atlantic)

44. VIDEO: U.N. Chief Assails World Leaders Over ‘Broken Climate Promises’ (AP)

45. Bird populations in Panama rainforest in severe decline, study finds (Guardian)

46. EPA moves to ban the most common type of cancer-causing asbestos (WP)

47. 'Stolen' Charles Darwin notebooks left on library floor in pink gift bag (BBC)

48. I’m a Scientist in California. Here’s What Worries Me Most About Drought. (NYT)

49. ‘We see the storm coming’: U.S. struggles to contain a deepening global food crisis (Politico)

50. 'Dead' telescope discovers Jupiter's twin from beyond the grave (Space.com)

51. Can Computers Learn Common Sense? (New Yorker)

52. Kansas and Bill Self are the kings of college basketball, but fallout from the FBI is coming next (SB Nation)

53. Sign of times: MLB gives OK to electronic pitch calling (AP)

54. Study Finds Majority Of Times Either Too Early Or Too Late (The Onion)