;)
Ides of March 2022
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here.
David Sanger, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden will travel to an extraordinary NATO summit meeting in Brussels on March 24 and will also attend the European Union's summit meeting the same day, White House and European officials said on Tuesday. The high-stakes gathering is to discuss ongoing deterrence and defense efforts in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine." CNN's report is here.
Oliver Darcy of CNN: "Pierre Zakrzewski, a longtime Fox News photojournalist, was killed while reporting in Ukraine when a vehicle he was traveling in with correspondent Benjamin Hall came under fire, the network said on Tuesday.... Hall remains hospitalized in Ukraine, [Fox News Media CEO Suzanne] Scott said. Zakrzewski was a veteran war photojournalist who had 'covered nearly every international story for Fox News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria,' Scott said. Scott said that Zakrzewski had been reporting from Ukraine since February."
U.K. Mark Landler of the New York Times: "The British government said on Tuesday that it had imposed sanctions on more than 370 individuals it described as oligarchs, political allies or propagandists for ... Vladimir V. Putin..., a major new crackdown that brings it closer in line with the European Union on an issue that has long dogged Britain. The sanctions, announced by the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, include a travel ban and will freeze the assets of prominent Russians in business and government, including some of the wealthiest oligarchs and most senior officials in the Kremlin."
Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post: "As many as 16 million low-income Americans, including millions of children, are destined to fall off Medicaid when the nation's public health emergency ends, as states face a herculean mission to sort out who no longer belongs on rolls that have swollen to record levels during the pandemic." Marie: What a sad irony that the coronavirus, for all of the millions of Americans it sickened and the hundreds of thousands it killed, it made us -- for a brief time -- a better nation in terms of caring for the poor and the sick. Soon we'll be entirely back to being the cheap-assed nation we were, leaving the most vulnerable -- children and the sickly -- without enough support from the rest of us.
Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "... one of the key goals of the Constitution was to curb the power of the states and leash them to the broader authority of a new national government led by a powerful legislature and an unusually strong elected executive. A month before he arrived in Philadelphia as one of 55 delegates to a convention called to amend the Articles of Confederation, James Madison ... wrote a detailed critique of the existing American government, homing in on what he thought was its most glaring weakness: the states themselves.... [Madison's writings provide] a useful corrective in light of emerging theories like the 'independent state legislature' doctrine..., which rests on a states-centric view of the Constitution that falls apart on cursory contact with the history in question.... Remembering that the Constitution was written in significant part to weaken and undermine state governments is, I think, the first step toward asserting the power of Congress, not just over the states but over institutions, like the courts, whose power has run far ahead of our system's checks and balances." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Bouie is stating the obvious here, but it's a necessary statement because confederates don't know what we all learned in school: that the vaunted Founders wrote the Constitution to correct the weaknesses inherent in the Articles of Confederation, which established a form of government (or rather governments) that threatened the very concept of "one nation." Donald Trump if fond of saying, "We won't have a country any more if...," wherein the "if" clause gives him something he wants (like making him winner of the election he lost). But we would not have a country at all if the Constitution had not replaced the Confederation. Instead, there would be a bunch of more-or-less independent states, with only a few -- like maybe California, New York and Texas -- having anything like international power.
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Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.
The Washington Post's live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "The heads of three governments in the European Union -- the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia -- are set to travel to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.... The visit comes as fierce fighting rages across Ukraine, including in the besieged capital, where a suspected Russian missile attack on another apartment building Tuesday killed at least two people. Officials were once again struggling to get humanitarian aid to the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, which is surrounded by Russian troops. Videos captured blasts striking at least three locations in the heart of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Monday night. A United Nations agency said more than 3 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion nearly three weeks ago." ~~~
~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Tuesday are here.
John Ismay of the New York Times: "American intelligence officials have discovered that the barrage of ballistic missiles Russia has fired into Ukraine contain a surprise: decoys that trick air-defense radars and fool heat-seeking missiles. The devices are each about a foot long, shaped like a dart and white with an orange tail, according to an American intelligence official. They are released by the Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles that Russia is firing from mobile launchers across the border, the official said, when the missile senses that it has been targeted by air defense systems. Each is packed with electronics and produces radio signals to jam or spoof enemy radars attempting to locate the Iskander-M, and contains a heat source to attract incoming missiles.... Photographs of the dart-shaped munitions began circulating on social media two weeks ago. They had stumped experts and open-source intelligence analysts...."
Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "National security adviser Jake Sullivan issued a direct warning to his Chinese counterpart Monday about the potential consequences of any assistance that Beijing might provide Russia in its war with Ukraine, officials said, following Moscow's recent request for military equipment and aid. The seven-hour meeting in Rome between Sullivan and Yang Jiechi, planned several weeks ago, took on added urgency as Russia's war against Ukraine dragged into its third full week without any signs of winding down." ~~~
~~~ Kevin Liptak, et al., of CNN: "The US has information suggesting China has expressed some openness to providing Russia with requested military and financial assistance as part of its war on Ukraine, a Western official and a US diplomat told CNN, and is conveying what it knows to its NATO allies. It is not yet clear whether China intends to provide Russia with that assistance, US officials familiar with the intelligence tell CNN.... That leaves open a troubling possibility for American officials -- that China may help prolong a bloody conflict that is increasingly killing civilians, while also cementing an authoritarian alliance in direct competition with the United States."
~~~ Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Prosecutors say a 'documentary film crew' was present when Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes met for 30 minutes in an underground parking garage on Jan. 5, 2021. The details, revealed in a Justice Department court filing on Monday, provide new evidence of the encounter between the two groups, whose leaders played a key role in the breach of the Capitol the following day.... The new details suggest Tarrio played a more direct role than previously understood in orchestrating the events that occurred on Jan. 6, when top Proud Boys leaders were at the vanguard of a mob that overran police lines and threatened the presidential transfer of power." According to DOJ, Tarrio wiped all his phone messages, installed a new encrypted message app, and used the phones of associates to make some phone calls. ~~~
~~~ Marie: So these guys were so sure they would be regarded as heroes that they allowed (or engaged) a film crew to record their meeting at the same time Tarrio was trying to make sure authorities couldn't trace his phone calls. How much sense does that make?
Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "A bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday will release legislation calling for the Treasury Department to offer cash rewards for information that leads to the seizure of assets held by sanctioned Russian oligarchs, the latest attempt to escalate financial pressure against the Kremlin over the invasion of Ukraine. The proposal would give President Biden the authority to make an emergency declaration enabling federal authorities to confiscate -- and then liquidate -- holdings of Russian oligarchs or other financial elites linked to the Russian government. The bill would also allow the money raised by selling those assets to then be given to the Ukrainian government to assist in that country's reconstruction or finance its military. Typically, sanctions law allows the federal government to only freeze the assets of sanctioned individuals, not seize them."
The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine met again on Monday for another round of talks aimed at finding a way out of the war, even as Russian forces broadened their devastating offensive and the Kremlin insisted that it would not pull back until 'all plans' for the invasion are fulfilled. Mykhailo Podolyak, a member of Ukraine's delegation, said Monday afternoon that the talks had taken a 'technical pause,' and would resume on Tuesday.... China dismissed U.S. allegations that Russia had asked it for military equipment and economic support.... Kyiv was hit by heavy artillery strikes on Monday morning, after days of severe fighting in the suburbs." (Also linked yesterday.)
Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: "A state television employee burst onto the live broadcast of Russia's most-watched news show on Monday evening, yelling, 'Stop the war!' and holding up a sign that said, 'They're lying to you here,' in an extraordinary act of protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The woman, Marina Ovsyannikova, worked for Channel 1, the state-run television channel whose news broadcast she stormed, according to a Russian rights group that is giving her legal support. The group also released a video in which Ms. Ovsyannikova says she is 'deeply ashamed' to have worked to produce 'Kremlin propaganda.'... Ms. Ovsyannikova was detained after the protest and was being held at a small police station at Moscow's Ostankino broadcasting center.... The moment went viral online in Russia, despite the Kremlin's recent efforts to block dissent on the internet. Within hours, Ms. Ovsyannikova's Facebook page had more than 26,000 comments, with many people thanking her or praising her for her bravery in Russian, English and Ukrainian." ~~~
~~~ Update. Mary Ilyushina & Adela Suliman of the Washington Post: "A day after she burst onto a live news broadcast on Russian state television holding a sign denouncing the war in Ukraine, lawyers with human rights groups told The Washington Post they are unable to locate producer Marina Ovsyannikova, more than 12 hours after she was detained. The Russian Investigative Committee, the country's main government investigative body, has begun 'a pre-investigation check' against Ovsyannikova over allegations of breaking into the studio, Russia's state-run Tass news agency reported Tuesday -- which could be a first step toward eventual charges. Citing an unidentified source, Tass reported that she could also face charges of 'discrediting' the actions of Russia's armed forces." A Guardian story is here.
How to Rationalize a Greedy, Immoral Decision. The best thing I can do as an individual is show compassion for the people, my employees, franchisees and customers without judging them because of the politicians in power.... The vast majority of Russian people are very clearheaded and understand the dark gravity of the situation they're in. And, at the end of the day, they appreciate a good pizza. -- Christopher Wynne ~~~
~~~ Julie Creswell of the New York Times: "Papa John's International said last week that it was suspending all of its corporate operations in Russia, following in the footsteps of other high-profile American brands like McDonald's and Starbucks. However, the 190 Papa John's restaurants in the country are still open and selling pizzas. And they have no plans to stop. These Papa John's shops are primarily owned by Russians through a franchise agreement with a company controlled by Christopher Wynne, a Colorado native who has lived part time and worked in the country since the early 2000s. And even as the war with Ukraine continues and numerous global food brands and retailers suspend operations and stop selling goods in Russia, little has changed with his operation, said Mr. Wynne, 45."
Koch Is Bullish on Russia. Judd Legum of Popular Information: "Koch Industries, the conglomerate run by right-wing billionaire Charles Koch, has numerous ongoing business operations in Russia.... The limited public comments made by Koch subsidiaries operating in Russia indicate that their business activities have continued." (Also linked yesterday.) To put the Koch position re: Putin into proper perspective, see also Akhilleus' commentary is yesterday's thread.
U.K. Sky News: "Police with riot shields have entered a luxury property in central London reportedly owned by billionaire Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, after it was occupied by squatters. Police responded to the scene in Belgrave Square after squatters took over the property on Monday morning. A Ukrainian flag was hung from a window and a banner read 'this property has been liberated'. Mr Deripaska, a 54-year-old industrialist who founded the aluminium giant Rusal, was added to the UK government's sanctions list on 10 March, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The fate of his property portfolio in Britain remains unclear after the government said his assets would be frozen." (Also linked yesterday.)
BBC Panorama: "A BBC investigation has uncovered new evidence about the corrupt deals that made Roman Abramovich's fortune. The Chelsea owner made billions after buying an oil company from the Russian government in a rigged auction in 1995. Mr Abramovich paid around $250m (£190m) for Sibneft, before selling it back to the Russian government for $13bn in 2005.... The Russian billionaire was sanctioned by the UK government last week because of his links to ... Vladimir Putin. Mr Abramovich's assets have been frozen and he has been disqualified as a director of Chelsea Football Club."
Robert Costa, now of CBS News: "Senator Mitt Romney, of Utah, offered more than 200 Republican donors a stark message on the fragility of American democracy during private remarks on Monday night at a fundraiser in Northern Virginia.... Attendees described Romney, the GOP's 2012 presidential nominee, as delivering the remarks as a warning for the group, which included many longtime members of the Republican establishment, as the U.S. confronts Russia's invasion of Ukraine and as ... Donald Trump continues to exert power inside the Republican Party. Romney was the introductory speaker at a closed fundraiser for Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming."
Burgess Everett of Politico: "Sen. Joe Manchin will oppose Sarah Bloom Raskin's nomination to the Federal Reserve Board, imperiling her already stalled bid to win confirmation. Raskin's nomination is stuck in the Senate Banking Committee amid a GOP boycott of a committee vote on her nomination, effectively blocking her confirmation from advancing to the Senate floor." MB: Raskin is married to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Emily Cochrane & Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "Mr. Manchin, a West Virginian who has close ties to the fossil fuel industry and has rejected much of President Biden's climate agenda, cited [Raskin's] statements on climate and energy policy, and pointedly noted that the board 'is not an institution that should politicize its critical decisions.'... The White House vowed on Monday to press ahead with her nomination, with a spokesman emphasizing Ms. Raskin's qualifications and outside support.... [But] Without [Manchin's] support, Ms. Raskin, a former Fed governor and Obama administration official, is unlikely to secure the votes needed to clear the Senate unless a Republican breaks ranks and votes to back her."
Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A document found by federal prosecutors in the possession of a far-right leader contained a detailed plan to surveil and storm government buildings around the Capitol on Jan. 6 last year, people familiar with the document said on Monday. The document, titled '1776 Returns,' was cited by prosecutors last week in charging the far-right leader, Enrique Tarrio, the former head of the Proud Boys extremist group, with conspiracy. The indictment of Mr. Tarrio described the document in general terms, but the people familiar with it added substantial new details about the scope and complexity of the plan it set out for directing an effort to occupy six House and Senate office buildings and the Supreme Court last Jan. 6.... The plan closely resembles what actually unfolded when the Capitol was stormed by a pro-Trump mob...." ~~~
~~~ Katelyn Polantz & Hannah Rabinowitz of CNN: "The Justice Department said Monday that Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys, should remain in jail as he awaits trial, pointing to his leadership of the far-right group from afar during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and pride in their destructiveness.... Monday's filing also revealed a new detail about an alleged meeting Tarrio had with Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, and others at a parking garage in Washington, DC, on January 5. Rhodes and other Oath Keepers are facing seditious conspiracy charges in a separate January 6 case.... A federal judge in Florida on Tuesday is set to decide whether Tarrio stays detained." ~~~
~~~ Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Prosecutors say a 'documentary film crew' was present when Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes met for 30 minutes in an underground parking garage on Jan. 5, 2021. The details, revealed in a Justice Department court filing on Monday, provide new evidence of the encounter between the two groups, whose leaders played a key role in the breach of the Capitol the following day.... The new details suggest Tarrio played a more direct role than previously understood in orchestrating the events that occurred on Jan. 6, when top Proud Boys leaders were at the vanguard of a mob that overran police lines and threatened the presidential transfer of power." According to DOJ, Tarrio wiped all his phone messages, installed a new encrypted message app, and used the phones of associates to make some phone calls. ~~~
~~~ Marie: So these guys were so sure they would be regarded as heroes that they allowed (or engaged) a film crew to record their meeting at the same time Tarrio was trying to make sure authorities couldn't trace his phone calls. How much sense does that make?
MEANWHILE, Back at the Ellipse.... Danny Hakim & Jo Becker of the New York Times: "Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, said in an interview published [in the Washington Free Beacon] on Monday that she attended the Jan. 6, 2021, rally at the Ellipse in Washington." ~~~
~~~ CNN's report, by Ariane de Vogue is here. Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See also his commentary in today's thread; he seems, well, skeptical of Ginni's protestations, like this one: "Clarence doesn't discuss his work with me, and I don't involve him in my work."
Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors in Manhattan on Monday accused a Russian tycoon of scheming to make $1 million in illegal campaign donations to federal and state political candidates in the United States to gain favorable licensing decisions for a cannabis business venture. The prosecutors said the donations by the businessman, Andrey Muraviev, 47, were at the heart of an illegal campaign finance scheme conducted in the months before the 2018 midterm elections that also involved two Soviet-born businessmen, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, and two other co-defendants. Mr. Parnas and Mr. Fruman were allies of Rudolph W. Giuliani..., and assisted Mr. Giuliani in his efforts to undermine Joseph R. Biden Jr. when he was a leading Democratic presidential candidate.... Mr. Muraviev is believed to be in Russia and remains at large...."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "Now that the omicron wave is over, a couple of new analyses of state-by-state data both point to an inescapable conclusion: Living in states run by a Republican governor is dangerous to your health. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, consultant Doug Haddix reported Sunday that since July 1 (when the lifesaving vaccine was widely available), the 14 states with the highest death rates were all run by Republican governors.... The states with the lowest death rates, by contrast, were all run by Democrats -- or, in the case of Vermont, Maryland and Massachusetts, by moderate Republican governors who had heavily Democratic legislatures and embraced vaccines and masks.... Florida residents were, since vaccines have been widely available, nearly seven times as likely to die from covid-19 as residents of D.C.... This raises a question: How does Ron DeSantis sleep at night?" ~~~
~~~ Marie: Milbank is making the false assumptions that DeSantis has a conscience and is able to think of someone besides himself.
Beyond the Beltway
Idaho. Kate Zernike of the New York Times: "Idaho on Monday became the first state to adopt a copycat of an unusual new Texas law that relies on ordinary citizens to enforce a ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy as a way of getting around court challenges to its constitutionality. The Idaho House, led by Republicans, approved the bill, 51-14, and sent it to Gov. Brad Little. Mr. Little, a Republican, has already signed a separate law restricting abortion that passed last year. The bill was the latest display of confidence from anti-abortion activists and lawmakers across the country. Both sides of the abortion debate anticipate that by summer, the Supreme Court could pare back or overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion."
Ohio. Jack Zuckerman of the Ohio Capital Journal: "Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law Monday removing training, background check and permitting requirements to carry a concealed weapon in Ohio. When the law takes effect in 90 days, all Ohioans aged 21 and older who are lawfully allowed to possess a weapon will be able to carry it concealed on their persons. Prior law required them to undergo eight hours of training, a background check, and an application through their local sheriff."
News Lede
Washington Post: "A D.C. man whose family said he struggles with mental illness and sometimes lived on the streets was arrested Tuesday and charged in a series of attacks on homeless men that rattled vulnerable communities in the District and New York."
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Reader Comments (9)
Tough sledding when so many of the movers and shakers are so naive...
We're getting reports of Putins's surprise at the difficulty of subduing a Ukraine that some have said he believed would welcome his troops with open arms; and we remember how well that shock and awe war that would pay for itself thing went, both so blind and so dumb, and now we have a Manchin who thinks monetary policy shouldn't be politicized.
As if money (our socially agreed upon symbol of power and control, the ammunition by which one could say we wage war by other means) and the rules associated with its distribution and use are not in fact the very essence of politics.
So blind, so dumb, so wrong and ultimately so destructive.
Her “I smoked that shit, but didn’t inhale” moment.
Ginni Thomas, wife of Clarence “Too much politics” Thomas, and indefatigable and ubiquitous supporter of far-right extremism, including buttressing of the Big Lie, was at Trump’s Bund rally that sent armed thugs to the Capitol on January 6 to murder elected officials and take over the government. BUT, says Gin, she was not with her fascist pals when they attacked democracy. She just cheered them on. This is the “I din’ steal no chickens, Father, you don’t see no feathas on me, do ya?” defense, aka the “I smoked that crack but didn’t inhale” excuse.
Ginni admits that, yes, she’s big pals with the fascists but she had no idea what was going on. Okay. Sure. All those armed thugs in “battle rattle” hoisting Confederate flags and waving “Kill Them All” banners were just there for the cherry blossoms. But, oops. It was January. So, um, they were a little early. Where’s the harm?
And oooh! She and Clarence never talk about this shit and he has no idea about her advocacy for unconstitutional hippity-hop at the barber shop. But when it came time for the Supreme Court to decide whether or not congress could get ahold of Fatty’s records connected to his attempted coup, guess who issued a virulent dissent? Justice Long Dong!
Such absolute bullshit.
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/03/14/politics/ginni-thomas-interview-january-6/index.html
Talk about petty tyrants! Hoo-eee!
So here we have the littlest petty tyrant, Li’l Randy, whose understanding of science is on a par with the drunk guy at the end of the bar who still believes Marcus Welby was a real doctor, still fuming about all the times that his stoopidity and his interactions with a real doctor, Anthony Fauci made him look like, well, that drunk guy at the end the bar who still believes Marcus Welby was a real doctor.
And no one can make the self-certified eye poker look stoopid! Except of course, himself. So…what to do? I know! I’ll introduce a thingy that will take that mean Dr. Fauci’s job away. Yeah, that’ll show him. So let’s take the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and dissolve it. Just to stick it to Fauci. This is the rich asshole buying a restaurant just so’s he can close it because the head chef told him that Beef Wellington was not the same as beef jerky. Accent on the jerk.
But not to worry, “Dr.” Paul (hang on…hahahaha) sez with all his sciencey-like superior brain power, he’s gonna reconstitute the NIAID into three (count ‘em) brand spanking’ new agencies that will give them uppity researchers and real doctors what for.
Let’s see, we’ll have the “It’s only a cold” agency, the “Take an aspirin and shut up” agency, and the “Guv’mint is not here to help you” agency. Sounds about right, don’t it?
Could there be a more petty, intellectually stunted, narcissistic, tyrannical little prick in congress?
Hmmm…crap. There might be a long list there. But Li’l Randy is waaay up too.
https://news.yahoo.com/rand-paul-introduces-amendment-eliminate-154507144.html
AK: how about professional misconduct from the ABA against the Thomases? They can't say an honest word between the two of them. It seems nothing is actionable for the Thomas family or Koch families.
Haters’ Heyday
I read an interesting observation yesterday about the tsunami of anti-LGBTQ Bills introduced this year alone, just since January, about 10 weeks.
Checking the part of the ACLU site that tracks such incarnations of fear, ignorance, paranoia, and hatred, I counted 100 bills designed to attack transgender kids. One.Hundred. That’s about 10 a week. In some states, there are four or five being considered, cuz one is not enough, natch. Gotta really stomp the crap outta those kids. Who the hell do they think they are? I mean, where do they think they’re living? In a free country? No sirree Bob! You don’t get to do any LGBTQ stuff less’n you get permission from the haters.
But that’s just the legislative part of the right-wing plan. Sure, sure, pummeling these kids and their parents and physicians and teachers (often with draconian criminal penalties) is just part of the fun. The other takes place in a place largely controlled these days, in many states, by the Party of Haters and Traitors: the voting booth.
No Trump to encourage voters to run to the polls? Well, no problem. Tell ‘em if they don’t come out and vote for MTG type “patriots”, their kids will be lured into a life of salacious perversion by teachers and kids who are allowed to determine their own identities. Call the cops!
And that’s how to make sure they get every last red voter to race to the polls to vote at least twice. Fear. And hatred. A sure fire plan.
As he is prone to do, Hedges wanders off topic a bit in this long essay, and while it is factually incorrect that there were formal agreements proscribing NATO expansion to the Russian border, there was plenty of assurance from the Bush I administration that it would not happen so, while this hardly excuses Putin's atrocities, it does put into perspective the reality that the NATO could have prevented all of this to happen with a little smart diplomacy a few decades back:
https://scheerpost.com/2022/03/14/hedges-waltzing-toward-armageddon-with-the-merchants-of-death/
Nice to see some immigrants' perspective of the USA. A positive view of what we have here, even if it is under threat.
Putin and Russia have imposed sanctions on US officials including Biden, Blinken, and of course Hillary Clinton. Putin is still as obsessed with Hillary as Trump and Fox News. Trump, Fox, and all the Republicans avoided sanctions and retain their favoured status in Russia.
"https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/stephen-kotkin-putin-russia-ukraine-stalin?utm_source=pocket-newtab": a pretty good read about the current Russia and its context.