At Odds

One striking aspect of the Grand-Canyon-sized gulf that seems to separate liberal urban Americans (aka Democrats) from conservative rural Americans (aka Republicans) is that we have largely stopped talking to each other.

In too many cases we simply talk past one another and therefore remain ensconced within our self-reinforcing ideological bubbles. The split between left and right-oriented cable TV networks exacerbates this gulf.

(BTW, if you find yourself agreeing too forcefully with your favorite TV commentators, you should turn them off and read the news instead. You can start with the links I aggregate here day after day.)

The Covid-19 pandemic made the national communication gap so much worse. President Trump recognized the issue immediately and started playing on it for his own political purposes. Democrats piled on. And due to the legitimate fear of infecting one another, families split up into their city and country halves and stopped getting together, reducing the natural cross-fertilization of ideas that traditionally would have occurred on holidays like Thanksgiving.

People joked about it at the time but it was no laughing matter. Everybody needed to keep talking and sharing our differing perspectives during the crisis more than ever. Both sides had something to offer.

Instead, isolated liberals erred by dismissing the anti-mask and anti-vaccine sentiment prevalent in isolated rural America as due to ignorance when it was actually more due to reluctance.

Much of the gulf was due to poor communication strategies on a national level about the scientific uncertainties involved. Mandates became mixed up with misguided notions of liberty manipulated by cynical politicians. 

Meanwhile, public health experts like Anthony Fauci were thrust into public roles for which they were poorly suited. While Fauci played well on the coasts he didn’t fare so well in the interior.

That problem prevails to this day.

One of this week’s most intriguing stories that shines light on all this is “Why Being Anti-Science Is Now Part Of Many Rural Americans’ Identity” on the polling site 538. Please give it a look.

And note how problems dissipate when people talk.

Now the pandemic is in remission somewhat, also consider resuming your conversations with relatives and friends with whom you may too long have been out of touch.

We quite desperately need to do this for the good of our common future.

Thanks to my old friend Martin Abraham for alerting me to the 538 article.

Today’s News (50):

1. Ukraine War Impact Widens: Russia Cuts Gas Flow and Vows More Reprisals (NYT)

2. E.U. calls Russia’s gas cut-off ‘blackmail’ (WP)

3. Russia stepped up its assaults on eastern and southern Ukraine, Kyiv said, and President Vladimir Putin threatened "lightning-fast" retaliation against any Western countries that intervene on Ukraine's behalf. (Reuters)

4. Explosions rock Kyiv again as Russians rain fire on Ukraine (AP)

5. Russia warned it could cut off gas to more countries in Europe. (WP)

6. What Russia cutting off energy to Poland and Bulgaria means for the world (NPR)

7. Fears Are Mounting That Ukraine War Will Spill Across Borders (NYT)

8. A Ukrainian soldier holed up in a steel works in Mariupol said his forces would fight for as long as needed and he urged world leaders to find a way to save civilians and the hundreds of troops trapped in Russia's "medieval" siege. (Reuters)

9. Key players urge accountability for atrocities in Ukraine (AP)

10. Biden seeks $33 billion for Ukraine, powers to liquidate Russian assets (WP)

11. They Flooded Their Own Village, and Kept the Russians at Bay (NYT)

12. Ukrainians deported to Russia beaten and mistreated (BBC)

13. Occupied Ukrainian city fears sham Russian referendum plans (AP)

14. If Russia starts winning, Americans won’t blame Ukraine. They’ll blame Biden. (WP)

15. Putin’s war backfires on Russia by reviving the west (Financial Times)

16. Russia is using dolphins to protect Black Sea naval base, satellite photos suggest (WP)

17. A chilling Russian cyber aim in Ukraine: Digital dossiers (AP)

18. Why Being Anti-Science Is Now Part Of Many Rural Americans’ Identity (538)

19. The Earth lost an Oregon-size area of tree cover last year. (WP)

20. ‘Relentless’ destruction of rainforest continuing despite Cop26 pledge (Guardian)

21. India's northwestern Rajasthan state scheduled four hours of power cuts for factories, making it at least the third state to disrupt industrial activity to manage surging power demand amid an intense heat wave. (Reuters)

22. Massive wildfires helped fuel global forest losses in 2021 (WP)

23. Cherokee Nation Can Gather Sacred Plants on National Park Land (NYT)

24. Tuition at University of California colleges will be covered for all state residents from federally recognized Native American tribes. (LAT)

25. Climate Solutions: Postcards from a ‘zero-waste’ town (WP)

26. Global warming risks most cataclysmic extinction of marine life in 250m years (Guardian)

27. Are We in the Middle of an Invisible COVID Wave? (Atlantic)

28. Dr. Anthony Fauci said the pandemic is not over after earlier saying the U.S. was “out of the pandemic phase” of COVID-19. "I probably should have said the acute component of the pandemic phase," he said after celebrating the nation’s low level of reported deaths, hospitalizations and cases. "And I understand how that can lead to some misinterpretation.” [HuffPost]

29. Moderna said its coronavirus vaccine for kids under 6 is ready. (WP)

30. China’s Covid Lockdown Outrage Tests Limits of Triumphant Propaganda (NYT)

31. A new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California finds that more than four in 10 parents say their children have fallen behind academically during the pandemic. (East Bay Times)

32. The Pandemic Warped Our Sense Of Time. Here's How To Gain It Back. (HuffPost)

33. Increased infectious disease risk likely from climate change (AP)

34. A political reckoning in Sri Lanka as economic crisis grows (NPR)

35. President Joe Biden said American teachers are being unfairly targeted in "the culture wars," and warned against book banning in an event at the White House. Across the United States, more than 1,000 titles, mostly addressing racism and LGBTQ issues, have been removed from school libraries in recent months. (Reuters)

36. President Joe Biden suggested to lawmakers that he is not only looking at further extending the pause on federal student loan payments, but could soon announce a broader cancellation of student loan debt. “I feel very confident that he is pushing on his team to do something, and to do something significant,” Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.) said. [HuffPost]

37. Amend the Constitution to bar senators from the presidency (George Will/WP)

38. Elon Musk wants to 'authenticate all real humans' on Twitter. Here's what that could mean (CNN)

39. Eighteen months after Donald Trump lost the White House, loyal supporters continue to falsely assert that compromised balloting machines across America robbed him of the 2020 election. To stand up that bogus claim, some Trump die-hards are taking the law into their own hands -- by attempting, with some success, to compromise the voting systems themselves. (Reuters)

40. Data shows law enforcement officers overwhelmingly white and male (Politico)

41. Why California Wants to Recall Its Most Progressive Prosecutors — Criminal-justice reform takes time, but voters might be running out of patience. (Atlantic)

42. U.S. economy shrinks 1.4 percent in first quarter, raising fears of recession (WP)

43. U.S. Economy Contracted on Trade, Supply Disruptions (WSJ)

44. US economy shrinks, threats loom, but growth likely to last (AP)

45. Why this economy may be sturdier than it looks (NPR)

46. Amazon Posts First Loss Since 2015 as Sales Growth Slows (WSJ)

47. Global warming risks most cataclysmic extinction of marine life in 250m years (Gizmodo)

48. From King Cobras to Geckos, 20 Percent of Reptiles Risk Extinction (NYT)

49. Your dog’s personality may have little to do with its breed (AP)

50. Yankees Attribute Offensive Slump To Terrified Hitters Closing Eyes During Swing (The Onion)

 

Until the Iceberg

 Let’s be optimistic and assume there are historians at work above-ground a century from now, and that they are examining what we did and said during the last few precious decades on earth before severe global climate change kicked into gear.

They might reasonably look at the century from 1950-2050, i.e., our time, as the pivotal years when humans had both the scientific knowledge and still enough time to change course and avert the worst.

But did we?

The answer almost certainly will be no. Check out the Atlantic: There’s No Scenario in Which 2050 Is ‘Normal’.

As much as I hate being a downer, it’s also true that our smartest environmental thinkers have been warning us since the 1950s and 60s what we would face if we didn’t mend our ways.

And although the alarms bells were loud and clear, not enough of us listened and hardly any of us did anything about it. Collectively we took baby steps when giant leaps were required.

Thus our children and grandchildren will be the ones to suffer. My oldest child will be reaching my current age (75) circa 2050; my oldest grandchild will be reaching my daughter’s current age (45) circa 2050.

Long before then, they will both certainly know that we didn’t do enough when we had our chance. And it shouldn’t take the self-immolation of a climate activist outside the Supreme Court to awaken a nation either. Alas, he died in vain.

The rise in global temperature by two degrees will transform the planet, rendering human life impossible in some places, more difficult than it is now in many others. Even more troubling, the fundamental operating systems on earth will be disrupted in ways we can’t predict — the oceans will be higher, the planet hotter and drier, super storms common, “natural” disasters continuous, and many species of plants and animals (including our food sources) extinct. No one knows what that means, but it is not good news for Homo sapiens.

So what now, beyond regret and recrimination, can be done about the inevitable?

We need our best minds to focus on whatever we can figure out about our possible options to intervene in the sequence of unfolding events to help the planet re-attain some of the balance it is losing — at least enough of a balance to sustain life in a few places at some semblance of normality for a while longer while we figure out a longer-term alternative plan.

That may sound like an inadequate, awkward, imprecise statement (the kind I hate), but that’s about the best we’ve got as to options. We will not, as a species, be able to leave earth for distant worlds by 2050, although various billionaires will try. We will not be able to extend life indefinitely through modern medicine by then, though some scientists will try. We probably will not achieve world unity, either, though as unlikely as it seems, that may be a slightly more attainable goal.

Working together toward the survival of our grandchildren rather than fighting silly wars over fossil fuels may indeed be achievable in the coming quarter-century and probably represents the best chance for the survival of our species.

Think about it.

Today’s Headlines (51):

1. There’s No Scenario in Which 2050 Is ‘Normal’ — The two paths to avoid the worst of climate change would still dramatically change the world as we know it. (Atlantic)

2. A man who died after self-immolating in front of Supreme Court was a climate activist (CNN)

3. Russia warns Poland, Bulgaria of gas supply cuts (Reuters)

4. European gas prices soar after Gazprom halts supplies to Poland and Bulgaria (Financial Times)

5. As Diplomacy Hopes Dim, U.S. Marshals Allies to Furnish Long-Term Military Aid to Ukraine (NYT)

6. Putin warns against 'outside intervention' in Ukraine (BBC)

7. VIDEO: Ukraine Removes ‘Friendship’ Monument in Kyiv — The statue, built to represent the connection between Ukraine and Russia, was taken down as part of a broader campaign to remove any lingering symbols of Russia’s dominance during Soviet times. (Reuters, AP)

8. Putin breaks out the Kremlin's ridiculously long table to meet with the head of the UN (Business Insider)

9. Russian provinces bordering Ukraine report series of blasts (Al Jazeera)

10. Drone giant DJI Technology said it will temporarily suspend business in Russia and Ukraine to ensure its products are not used in combat, making it the first major Chinese firm to cite the conflict in halting sales in Russia. (Reuters)

11. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russian President Vladimir Putin met one-on-one for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the United Nations said they agreed on arranging evacuations from a besieged steel complex in Mariupol. Guterres is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday. [AP]

12. Rand Paul says U.S. backing Ukraine in NATO played a role in invasion (WP)

13. Russian-occupied area of Moldova blames Ukrainian militants for explosions (NPR)

14. Canada sanctions more than 200 loyal to Putin (AP)

15. As Russian forces tightened their siege of Mariupol and missiles rained down, Mykhailo Puryshev drove into the city six times last month to evacuate its citizens, somehow surviving despite his red van being all but destroyed. The 36-year-old Ukrainian, who once ran a nightclub in the city, said he evacuated more than 200 people. (Reuters)

16. Mystery fires at sensitive facilities compound Russia’s war challenge (WP)

17. Why U.S. Oil Companies Aren’t Riding to Europe’s Rescue (NYT)

18. Russian Gas Stoppages Spur Europe’s Race for New Energy Supplies (WSJ)

19. The war in Ukraine sparks biggest commodity shock in half a century, World Bank says (CNN)

20. British defense ministry: Ukraine retains control of most of its airspace (NHK)

21. Beijing testing millions for COVID amid outbreak, prompting concerns of a potential lockdown (CBS)

22. More than half of Americans have had Covid, including three of four children (Guardian)

23. U.S. no longer in ‘full-blown’ pandemic phase, Fauci says (WP)

24. ‘It's insanity’: Providers end Covid care for uninsured in the wake of congressional inaction (Politico)

25. VIDEO: China Orders Mass Covid Testing for Beijing Residents (Reuters)

26. Disney Employees Slated to Relocate to Florida Caught in Political Crossfire (WSJ)

27. Judge Orders Man Who Defaced L.G.B.T. Pride Mural to Write Essay on Pulse Shooting (NYT)

28. Harvard releases report detailing its ties to slavery, plans to issue reparations.(NPR)

29. A bipartisan bill that would subject U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges to tougher disclosure requirements for their financial holdings and stock trades is expected to win final congressional approval today.(Reuters)

30. New Details Underscore House G.O.P. Role in Jan. 6 Planning (NYT)

31. Elon Musk boosts criticism of Twitter executives, prompting online attacks (WP)

32. The religious right had a great day in the Supreme Court (Vox)

33. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was no fan of Donald Trump’s incendiary tweets and even called one post “appalling.” But now that Tesla CEO Elon Musk is buying Twitter, the moderate Republican says Trump’s Twitter account should be reinstated. "To me, it’s ironic that we allow Russian government sites to be on Twitter, but we don’t allow President Trump,” she said. [HuffPost]

34. Google parent Alphabet reported its first quarterly revenue miss of the pandemic after the war in Ukraine hurt YouTube ad sales, leaving investors rattled as the global economy sputters. (Reuters)

35. Meteorites could have brought all 5 genetic 'letters' of DNA to early Earth — These key building blocks of life were found in space rocks, scientists confirm. The scientists detailed their findings in the journal Nature Communications. (Space.com)

36. Two planets will appear to ‘nearly collide’ in the night sky this week (WP)

37. SpaceX launches Crew-4 mission for NASA, has now sent 26 astronauts to space in under two years (CNBC)

38. Asteroid twice the size of the Empire State Building will fly by the Earth at 30 times the speed of sound, NASA says (Daily Mail)

39. One-fifth of reptiles worldwide face risk of extinction (AP)

40. Critically endangered monkey born in Colombian zoo (BBC)

41. Canada’s attempt to phase out open-pen salmon farms faces setback (Guardian)

42. Investors at top US banks refuse to back climate proposals (Financial Times)

43. India is getting too hot too early, raising the risk of fires, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned, as New Delhi sweltered in extreme heat and a burning landfill on the outskirts of the capital spewed toxic smoke into the air. (Reuters)

44. Palestinian farmer finds 4,500-year-old goddess statue while working his land (CNN)

45. Major Japan railway now powered only by renewable energy (AP)

46. Reports of the fax machine’s death are greatly exaggerated (Politico)

47. In Australia, slot machines are everywhere. So is gambling addiction. (WP)

48. A 1.5-mile stretch of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park will become permanently car-free as San Francisco supervisors vote to keep vehicles away. (SFC)

49. Ideas on mute? Study: Remote meetings dampen brainstorming (AP)

50. Autocorrect Explained: Why Your iPhone Adds Annoying Typos While Fixing Others7 min read (WSJ)

51. Florida Bans Schools From Teaching Anything Besides Misadventures Of Best Friends George Washington And Jesus Christ (The Onion)

Personalizing the News

Some studies indicate that only around ten percent of the population plays close attention to the news.

If true, that makes those of us who do pay attention a distinct minority. But those studies may not accurately capture the alternative ways many people access the news these days since trusting major media institutions is a choice fewer and fewer people are making.

Social media channels like Instagram and TikTok are the news sources of choice for many, particularly among the young. Far more obscure subgroups and niches of the Internet attract their share of the audience as well.

Many people learn about and sort the news mainly by talking with friends or relatives. Kids, for example, hear about news stories very efficiently at school, on the playground, or in transit. Few major events escape their notice.

Adults accomplish the same interchange about news events in coffee houses, places of worship or at community centers. They chat while shopping or playing cards.

In fact, the flow of information about mega-events like the war in Ukraine is ubiquitous.

One tiny example: During my biannual checkup yesterday, my doctor, who is a native of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, described the war as deja vu,to to her, and denounced Putin as someone who “has to go.”

In the course of a 15-minute visit, we shared information and perspectives about the conflict while we were both far off the media grid, while also discussing the more prosaic blood pressure, heart rate and medication issues at hand.

Had I been lacking an opinion on the war, my perspective might well have been affected by our interchange. As it was, my own ideas simply got amplified. But for my doctor, given her background, the war is personal in a way it is not to me, and that is a good example about what I’m talking about. Information — and how we feel about it — spreads unevenly throughout the human community person to person.

Like a virus. 

As for the war, Putin has his apologists out there; Russian propaganda and disinformation is effective in some places (including parts of the U.S.) but world opinion is solidly against him. The Western mass media outlets covering the war are only partially responsible for that.

People talking with each other are taking care of the rest.

Today’s Posts (42):

1. Emboldened by Ukraine’s Grit, U.S. Wants to See Russia Weakened (NYT)

2. Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, warned Ukraine against provoking World War III and said the threat of a nuclear conflict “should not be underestimated” as his country unleashed attacks against rail and fuel installations far from the front lines of Moscow’s new eastern offensive. [AP]

3. Russia accused NATO of engaging in a proxy battle that created a serious risk of nuclear war as Washington convened its allies at a German air base to pledge the heavy weapons Ukraine needs to achieve victory. (Reuters)

4. Putin gets what he didn’t want: Ukraine army closer to West (AP)

5. Defense chief meets with NATO allies in Germany (WP)

6. Russia will shut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria (CNN)

7. How Zelensky Tamed Ukraine’s Fractious Politics and Stood Up to Putin (NYT)

8. Biden open to neutrality for Ukraine (WP)

9. In Liberated Ukrainian Villages, Fears Grow for Men Taken to Russia (WSJ)

10. ‘Putin never imagined’ global rally of Ukraine support, defense secretary says (WP)

11. Moldova's president convened an urgent security meeting after two blasts damaged Soviet-era radio masts in the breakaway region of Transdniestria, where authorities said a military unit was also targeted. The Moldovan authorities are sensitive to any sign of growing tensions in the unrecognized Moscow-backed sliver of land bordering southwestern Ukraine. (Reuters)

12. Looming ground battle is crucial phase in Ukraine, U.S. officials say (WP)

13. Behind Austin’s Call for a ‘Weakened’ Russia, Hints of a Shift (NYT)

14. Three Russian pilots suspected of bombing civilian buildings in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions are among at least seven Russian military personnel that Kyiv is preparing war crimes charges against. (Reuters)

15. ‘Russia is failing,’ Blinken says as U.S. restarts diplomatic activity inside Ukraine (WP)

16. A professor in the U.S. teaches economics — and survival — to her students in Ukraine via Zoom (WP)

17. The U.N. now projects more than 8 million people will flee Ukraine as refugees (NPR)

18. Russia pounds eastern Ukraine (AP)

19. How Elon Musk Won Twitter (WSJ)

20. With Deal for Twitter, Musk Lands a Prize and Pledges Fewer Limits (NYT)

21. Twitter workers face a reality they’ve long feared: Elon Musk as owner (WP)

22. Twitter’s board of directors agreed to sell the company to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, climaxing the world’s richest person’s quest to acquire his favorite social media platform and take it private. The deal was met with alarm by some Democratic lawmakers. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called it “dangerous for democracy.” [HuffPost]

23. "I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means." — Elon Musk

24. Facebook will open its first physical store next month in California. (WP)

25. Weary of many disasters? UN says worse to come (AP)

26. How American cities are wrestling with crime on public transit. (Cal Today)

27. Antiviral pills that treat covid-19 may be easier to find soon. — The U.S. announced today that it will double the number of pharmacies carrying Paxlovid. (WP)

28. VIDEO: Coronavirus Outbreak Sparks Panic Buying in Beijing (AP)

29. Three-quarters of Beijing's 22 million people lined up for COVID-19 tests as authorities in the Chinese capital raced to stamp out a nascent outbreak and avert the debilitating city-wide lockdown that has shrouded Shanghai for a month. (Reuters)

30. What do we know about the new omicron mutant? (AP)

31. Most Americans have been infected with the COVID-19 virus, the CDC reports (NPR)

32. Covid Outbreak in Beijing Prompts Order for Nearly Citywide Testing (NYT)

33. Lockdowns drag on China’s economy as ripple effects of ‘zero covid’ cascade (WP)

34. A major recession is coming, Deutsche Bank warns (CNN)

35. Computers using light rather than electric currents for processing, only years ago seen as research projects, are gaining traction and startups that have solved the engineering challenge of using photons in chips are getting big funding. (Reuters)

36. Fidelity to Allow Bitcoin in 401(k) Accounts (WSJ)

37. CNN has obtained thousands more texts exchanged between Mark Meadows and Donald Trump’s high-profile supporters. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) asked Meadows for help organizing the congressional objection to Joe Biden’s victory. Meadows also frequently texted with Fox News host Sean Hannity, who appeared to ask Meadows how he could help improve Trump’s election results. [HuffPost]

38. In the hours after the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, House Republican Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly said he was “exhilarated” that the then-president had finally trashed his reputation, according to a new book. “He put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger,” McConnell said. “Couldn’t have happened at a better time.” [HuffPost]

39. Egyptian archaeologists unearthed the ruins of a temple for the ancient Greek god Zeus in the Sinai Peninsula. The Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said the temple ruins were found in the Tell el-Farma archaeological site, which dates back to the late Pharaonic period and was also used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times. [AP]

40. Afghan evacuees in DMV struggle with rent after running out of aid (WP)

41. The Netflix Bubble Is Finally Bursting (Atlantic)

42. Sycophantic Backup Singers Just Mindlessly Parroting Whatever Lead Singer Says (The Onion)

 

Good News Break

With all the bad news day after day, all of us need strategies to cope with the state of the world. For me, connecting with the people around me is best; beyond that, it’s always been helpful to watch sports in person or on TV for relief. The great thing all sports fans know is that even when we make fools of ourselves jumping and cheering, none of it really matters.

It’s not like World War III.

So on Monday evening I watched as the San Francisco Giants came from behind with two home runs late in the game to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-2. It was the final game of an 11-game road trip, and in baseball it is hard to win on the road.

But the Giants did just that, going 8-3 on the trip to keep pace with their arch-rival Los Angeles Dodgers at the top of the National League West Division. The Giants and the Dodgers were the two best teams last year in all of baseball during the 162-game regular season. SF won 107; LA won 106.

There are always small dramas within the main drama of a big league game. In this case, the Giants slugger Job Pederson was being tormented by a Brewers fan who was yelling loud obscenities from the stands when Pederson came up to take his turn to hit.

The Giants outfielder took the unusual step of stepping out of the batter’s box to stare down the fan and indicate his displeasure.

Then he stepped back in swung at the next pitch and blasted it 435 feet for the go-ahead home run. As he rounded the bases, he stared pointedly at the fan again, pounding his chest.

“It’s nice to help the team when you can to win a ballgame,” Pederson said afterward. “The interaction with fans and the excitement of that added more pressure, but I enjoyed it and it was fun.”

There was to be more back-and-forth drama before the game was over but suffice it too say that Pederson and the Giants got the final laugh this time around.

As for me, I smiled as well. 

But when it comes to the news, there is precious little to smile about when the headlines warn of the possibility of the unthinkable. So let’s go there.

Today’s News (43):

1. Russia’s Lavrov Says NATO Is Using Ukraine as a Proxy, Warns Against World War III — Ukraine said comments suggest Moscow senses defeat (WSJ)

2. Russia warns Ukraine conflict could lead to World War Three (BBC)

3. The threat of nuclear war is real, top Russian official says; UN chief travels to Moscow to meet with Putin (CNBC)

4. U.S. Wants to See Russia Weakened, Says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin After Ukraine Visit (WSJ)

5. Russia failing in its war aims, Antony Blinken says after Ukraine visit (BBC)

6. After a secrecy-shrouded visit to Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia is failing in its war aims and “Ukraine is succeeding.” The trip by Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was the highest-level American visit to the capital since Russia invaded in late February. They told Ukraine’s president, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, that the U.S. would provide more than $300 million in foreign military financing and had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition. [AP]

7. The United States promised to reopen its embassy in Kyiv soon, as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine's capital and hailed its success so far against Russia's invasion. (Reuters)

8. Russia warns United States against sending more arms to Ukraine (Reuters)

9. In a Ukrainian School, 12 People Await the War’s End, or Their Own (NYT)

10. In Ukraine, despair and bloodshed in the backdrop of a somber holiday (WP)

11. Russia hits rail, fuel facilities in attacks deep in Ukraine (AP)

12. Heavy weaponry pours into Ukraine as commanders become more desperate (Politico)

13. Five dead as stations hit in rocket attacks - Ukraine (BBC)

14. President Biden Announces Nominee for Ambassador to Ukraine (White House)

15. America’s Road to the Ukraine War (NYT)

16. In Mariupol, echoes of history, utter devastation and a last stand (WP)

17. Ukraine removes Hirohito from video after Japan protests (AP)

18. Scale of Refugees From Ukraine War on Display in Poland’s Public Schools (WSJ)

19. Russia focuses on eastern Ukraine, but its advance stalls (NHK)

20. Foreign investors are ditching China. Russia's war is the latest trigger (CNN)

21. Ukraine and the Words That Lead to Mass Murder — First comes the dehumanization. Then comes the killing. (Atlantic)

22. Emmanuel Macron pledged to address deep divisions within France as results showed a clear presidential election win over Marine Le Pen, acknowledging that many had voted for him mainly to thwart his far-right challenger. Macron’s easy election victory masks a big challenge. (Reuters)

23. Beijing kicks off mass testing after spike in Covid cases (BBC)

24. COVID-19 Third Dose Vaccine Protection Against Hospitalization Wanes After 3 Months (SciTechDaily)

25. U.S. Nears One Million Covid-19 Deaths (WSJ)

26. A mass COVID-19 testing order in Beijing's biggest district prompted residents in the Chinese capital to stock up on groceries, fearing they could be destined for a lockdown similar to that of Shanghai, which entered a fourth week of bitter isolation. (Reuters)

27. Kemp and Perdue clash over 2020 election results at Georgia GOP governor's debate (CNN)

28. Greene, in text to Meadows, raised topic of martial law to keep Trump in power (WP)

29. British journalist and one-time Donald Trump chum Piers Morgan revisited his recent tense interview with the former president, calling him “pathological.” Morgan stood by his claim that Trump walked off the set angry and "fired up" after Morgan confronted him over his lies that the presidential election was rigged against him. [HuffPost]

30. Trump held in contempt for failing to hand over business records to N.Y. attorney general (WP)

31. A California man was arrested on charges that he threatened to shoot and bomb Merriam-Webster’s offices because he didn’t like the company’s dictionary definitions relating to gender identity. (Cal Today)

32. Wildfires Burn More Than 150,000 Acres in Three States (NYT)

33. War in Ukraine Cuts Fertilizer Supply, Hurting Food Prices and Farmers (WSJ)

34. A Finnish project called Onkalo will turn the page to a new chapter of nuclear energy’s turbulent 80-year story, as the world’s first nuclear power plant that solves the problem of the toxic waste that has for years rendered humanity’s most reliable and efficient energy source politically radioactive across much of the globe. [HuffPost]

35. Indonesia to ban palm oil exports (NHK)

36. Twitter 'on track' to reach deal with Elon Musk soon: Report (CNBC)

37. In a startling new development, Twitter was negotiating to sell the company to Tesla billionaire Elon Musk and could settle on a deal by this week. The two sides reportedly met Sunday — just 10 days after Musk offered $43 billion for the social media platform. Twitter had been chilly about the offer, but then Musk revealed that he had amassed $46.5 billion in financing. [HuffPost]

38. Shadow of Jupiter's largest moon looms in magnificent new Juno photo (Space.com)

39. China Plans System to Take Out Asteroids Hurtling Toward Earth (BloombergQuint)

40. Cities Want to Return to Prepandemic Life. One Obstacle: Transit Crime. (NYT)

41. A report published on Friday by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said that 1,988 homeless people died in the county from April 2020 through March 2021, a 56 percent increase from the 12 months before the pandemic began. A separate report published by officials in New York counted 640 deaths among homeless people from July 2020 through June 2021, an increase of just 4 percent from the previous year. (Cal Today)

42. World's oldest person, Kane Tanaka, dies in Japan aged 119 (CNN)

43. Package That Arrived In 24 Hours Sits Unopened On Table For Week (The Onion)

 

Until It Ends

 Over 50 years ago, when my plane landed in Kabul after the short flight from Tehran, which was the final leg of a long trip from America, I entered a country that still looked largely as if it were stuck in pre-industrial times.

To be an Afghan in 1969 meant you were probably poor, illiterate and engaged in some sort of subsistence agriculture.

Of all the ethnic groups I became familiar with during my years there as an English teacher — the Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Aimaq, Baluchi, Pashai, Nuristani, Gujjari and others — none were as oppressed or discriminated against as severely as the Hazara.

Some Afghans justified this mistreatment by repeating rumors that the Hazara were descended from the Mongolian hordes of Ghengiz Khan, which had devastated much of Afghanistan many centuries ago. They repeated the same rumors about other groups, like the Uzbek.

But what was obvious was that the Hazara alone were treated like less than human, subjected to physical and verbal abuse as bad or worse than that afforded black people in the most racist sections of the Deep South in the U.S. at that time.

As one who had visited that region and seen what was happening with first hand as a civil rights activist and a budding student journalist, I had developed an ear for the stories of people living under racist and oppressive conditions.

Fast forward to last year and the ascendancy of the ruthless Taliban forces in Afghanistan as they took over the country in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal of all of its military forces and diplomatic personnel.

Many feared that one repercussion of the Taliban takeover would be the resumption of wholesale ethnic violence against the Hazara, who had been relatively protected during the U.S. occupation, sent their children to school for 20 years, and gotten jobs in the cities. 

That ethnic violence has indeed occurred. 

So I’ve been covering it here in a modest way courtesy of my young, anonymous Hazara friend in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, and distributing his stories through my pages on Substack and Facebook.

My correspondent is a remarkable person with a journalist’s eye as he records the details of life as he sees it around him. As we work together, his English is improving. That means he is emerging as a new voice for his people, not only the Hazara but all Afghans — a voice that deserves to be heard here in the West.

To date, I’ve published 30 pf his reports.

And today, thanks to my friends Mary Sturges and Elizabeth English, I am linking to two additional resources that provide context to the struggle facing the Hazara — an article from the New Statesman and a well-sourced entry on Wikipedia.

I will continue to speak out on this issue as long as it takes to bring attention to what is essentially the genocide of the Hazara people. Anyone who knows the slightest bit about my history as a journalist understands why.

TODAY’s NEWS (39):

1. Personal story: I am Hazara – and I fear for my persecuted people (New Statesman)

2. Persecution of Hazara people (Wikipedia)

3. The "Nobody Knows" Genocide: Afghan Conversation.30: The slaughter of the Hazara (me)

4. Ukraine says it hit Russian command post (AP)

5. Before visit by U.S. officials, Ukraine pushes for more arms (WP)

6. As Western Arms Pour Into Ukraine, Zelensky Promises Victory (NYT)

7. Putin abandons hopes of Ukraine deal and shifts to land-grab strategy (Financial Times)

8. Ukrainian reservists shift from civilian life to battlefields (WP)

9. Russia is "trying to depopulate the east of Ukraine," says Zelensky administration adviser (CNN)

10. Ukrainian steel plant bombed (NPR)

11. Germany has a special responsibility to stop Putin’s evil (Financial Times)

12. Warsaw’s Welcome Mat Risks Fraying Under Strain of a New Refugee Surge (NYT)

13. UN: Over 5.16 million people have fled Ukraine (NHK)

14. The Belarusian railway workers who helped thwart Russia’s attack on Kyiv (WP)

15. War Could Have Environmental Impact Lasting Decades (WSJ)

16. Ukraine reports over 240 cases of damage to cultural heritage by Russian forces (NHK)

17. Emmanuel Macron wins France's presidential election (CNN)

18. Beijing races to contain 'urgent and grim' Covid outbreak as Shanghai lockdown continues (CNN)

19. Shanghai fences up COVID-hit areas, fuelling fresh outcry (Reuters)

20. Their mom died of COVID. They say conspiracy theories are what really killed her (NPR)

21. Only 29% of hospitalised COVID-19 patients fully well one year on: Study (CNA)

22. COVID shots still work but researchers hunt new improvements (AP)

23. Israel Closes Gaza Border in Effort to Pressure Hamas to Halt Rocket Attacks (WSJ)

24. ‘It’s Life or Death’: The Mental Health Crisis Among U.S. Teens (NYT)

25. Overdoses, not COVID-19, drive spike in LA homeless deaths (AP)

26. VIDEO: Worried Sick: A Journey Into the Anxious Teenage Mind (NYT)

27. Some Republicans fear overreach on LGBT issues (WP)

28. What Sarah Palin Really Wants Out of Her Return to Politics (Politico)

29. Kevin McCarthy and the intoxication of power (Dan Balz/WP)

30. The Plan to Make Michigan the Next Space State — Residents are up in arms about a proposed spaceport project, the first of its kind in the Midwest, which would involve launching rockets near the shoreline of Lake Superior. (New Yorker)

31. Parade of planets: 4 planets to line up in sky this weekend, joined by moon next week (NJ.com)

32. After the relentless rain, South Africa sounds the alarm on the climate crisis (Guardian)

33. For the first time in 4 years, a litter of red wolf pups was born in the wild — The red wolf is one of the most endangered animals on the planet. That's why environmentalists were ecstatic to find the first litter born in the wild in four years — six pups. (NPR)

34. VIDEO: Biden Signs Executive Order Protecting Forests (AP)

35. Yen’s Drop Raises Prospect of Broader Market Trouble (WSJ)

36. Inside the Implosion of CNN+ (NYT)

37. Workers Are Changing Jobs, Raking In Big Raises—and Keeping Inflation High (WSJ)

38. Love Actually Star Bill Nighy Recalls Hilarious Incident Involving A US Customs Official And His Most Famous Line From Rom-Com (Yahoo)

39. Encouraging Reports Confirm Explosions Near Afghan School Kill Zero Ukrainians (The Onion)

Boost For SF's Boudin

 The expensive battle by progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin to avoid being recalled in a special election funded by right-wing elements got a major boost this weekend when he was endorsed by the San Francisco Chronicle.

While the endorsement by the city’s only major newspaper may not carry the weight it would have in the pre-social-media era, it nevertheless may help swing the balance in Boudin’s favor in what promises to be an extremely close election.

The recall effort, which has drawn national attention, is essentially an attempt to put the young D.A.’s commitment to criminal justice reform on trial with an electorate seemingly more worried about chronic problems like car break-ins, drug use and homelessness — social issues the D.A. has little if any influence over.

Also, Boudin’s commitment to hold San Francisco police accountable in misconduct cases, among other controversial decisions, has incurred the wrath of the entrenched police union and other right-wing “law and order” interests from across the country.

For example, Fox News personality Tucker Carlson has been among those trying to drum Boudin out of office.

The special election in an off-year tests whether San Francisco can retain its hard-won reputation as one of the most progressive cities in the country despite massive demographic changes including an influx of wealthy tech workers, some of whom loudly oppose Boudin’s reform agenda.

But the tech community is not a monolith and many younger tech workers are attracted to the liberal social reforms Boudin advocates. The D.A., who is approaching the midpoint of his first term in office, is also a charismatic figure who is waging an aggressive counter-campaign against the wealthy GOP donors arrayed against him.

Early polls seemed to be running against Boudin but more recent data indicates the race may be getting closer. The ability of both sides to get out the vote in June will probably make the difference, and toward that end, the Chronicle endorsement is a major development.

Here are some excerpts from the Chronicle editorial:

• San Franciscans put their trust in Boudin, who promised to pursue a more compassionate form of criminal justice that “diverted” nonviolent offenders away from jails and prisons and toward court-monitored rehabilitation programs that could potentially help them escape the cycle of recidivism.

• Voters weren’t naive in making this selection. Concerns over the excesses and racial injustices of California’s traditional crime and punishment justice system were well-founded — and available data suggested Boudin’s approach could have merit.

• Scaling up diversion is an experiment — one that we are now in the middle of. True to his campaign promise, Boudin is diverting a far greater percentage of cases than his predecessors. Critics have branded this approach “catch and release.” But this is a cynical depiction of the plan voters knew they were signing up for.

• Recall is a last-ditch tool for emergencies, not buyer’s remorse. And San

  Franciscans should respond accordingly by voting no on Proposition H.

• In his recall endorsement interview with The Chronicle, Boudin was thoughtful,

  strategic and more than capable of justifying his decision-making. Boudin may be many things, but incompetent is not among them.

• Crime stats that mirror those of when Boudin took offiffice do not justify a recall. Violent crime is low and has stayed low even as it has surged across the country at rates not seen since the 1960s. Property crime rates were unacceptable before Boudin arrived and they are unacceptable now. San Franciscans have a right to be outraged. But prematurely sacking the district attorney won’t be a magic fix.

• Boudin vowed to fight crime by building a justice infrastructure that attempts to rehabilitate instead of incarcerate. That effort is a work in process. It may never come to fruition. But San Francisco voters signed up for a four-year experiment. We should have the courage of our conviction to wait for the results.

Today’s News Headlines (38):

1. Endorsement: Chesa Boudin Is Many Things. Incompetent isn’t one of them. Vote no on Recall. (Edit Bd/San Francisco Chronicle)

2. VIDEO: Blasts Kills at Least 33 as Violence Continues in Afghanistan (AP, Reuters)

3. Boys in Afghanistan are becoming breadwinners for their families (WP)

4. The New Nuclear Reality — Russia’s war in Ukraine has reawakened fears about the bomb—and endangered the principle of deterrence. (New Yorker)

5. Russia renews assault on Mariupol and missiles hit Odesa, Ukraine says (Reuters)

6. Russia’s goals go beyond Ukraine, Zelensky warns (WP)

7. Ukraine says Russian forces are attacking Mariupol steel plant with civilians inside (NPR)

8. Odesa apartment block hit by missiles (BBC)

9. Russians Seize 42 Towns in Eastern Ukraine as Fighting Intensifies (NYT)

10. n Mariupol, a website for the missing reveals Ukraine war’s toll (WP)

11. Zelenskyy says Ukraine invasion only the beginning; another apparent mass grave found near Mariupol (CNBC)

12. Russian military official hints at push to Moldova (WP)

13. Rattled by Ukraine War, Moldova Strives to Dodge Russia’s Long Shadow (NYT)

14. Zelenskiy: allies finally delivering weapons Kyiv asked for (Reuters)

15. Can Sanctions Really Stop Putin? (Edit Bd/NYT)

16. Ukraine says Russia has shifted elite units from Mariupol to new battle grounds (CBS)

17. Russia Turned a Bucha Building Into an Execution Site and Underground Prison (WSJ)

18. Bucha residents work to find and bury their dead amid horrors left by Russian forces (NBC)

19. Russian commander: Second phase of war has just started (NHK)

20. Russian mercenaries are Putin’s ‘coercive tool’ in Africa (AP)

21. Why the Russian People Go Along With Putin’s War (Atlantic)

22. McCarthy Said Trump Acknowledged ‘Some Responsibility’ for Jan. 6 (NYT)

23. GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy scrambles to contain fallout from leaked tape on Trump and Jan. 6 (USA Today)

24. McCarthy’s Lie Puts G.O.P. Hypocrisy on Trump on Display (NYT)

25. McCarthy’s push to ascend to House speaker relies on Trump (AP)

26. Lawmakers met with Meadows on election schemes, ex-aide testifies (Axios)

27. Meadows was warned of violence ahead of Jan. 6, new court filings show (WP)

28. Marjorie Taylor Greene confronted over old social media posts advocating violence against Democrats in court testimony (CNN)

29. Anger mounts among locked-down Shanghai residents as city reports more COVID deaths (Reuters)

30. EU law targets Big Tech over hate speech, disinformation (AP)

31. Covid Whiplash: Now-Dominant BA.2 Variant Being Quickly Overtaken Across The U.S. By Yet Another Faster-Growing Omicron Offshoot, Says CDC (Deadline)

32. ‘Test to treat’ chaos is latest setback for US Covid pandemic response (Financial Times)

33. California Dems are eyeing Feinstein's seat — but they're not talking about it (Politico)

34. Dow slides nearly 1,000 points for worst day since October 2020 (WP)

35. Scientists say there could be life on Jupiter's moon, and we may discover it soon (WKRC)

36. EU law targets Big Tech over hate speech, disinformation (AP)

37. Why Twitter is an easy target for outsiders like Elon Musk intent on change (NPR)

38. Nutritionists Admit You Can Just Eat Hot Dogs And Live Like That For Basically Decades (The Onion)