The Full Belmonte, 3/29/2022
Firefighters battled flames Monday in a warehouse in Kharkiv, Ukraine, that was hit by Russian shelling.
PHOTO: ROMAN PILIPEY/SHUTTERSTOCK
“Russia and Ukraine prepare for peace talks in Turkey as heavy fighting persists. After more than a month of war, delegations for both countries were scheduled to meet Tuesday in Istanbul for cease-fire talks. Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country could formally renounce its aim of joining NATO—a move that would require a referendum—but only after Russian occupation forces withdraw. Meanwhile, Russian missiles struck the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, as well as the cities of Lutsk, Rivne and Zhytomyr, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian troops took back Irpin, a strategically important town north of Kyiv, according to its mayor, though the U.S. couldn’t independently verify the city’s status.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“On the nuclear question, a Kremlin spokesperson has ruled out Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, saying Moscow would only use them if there was a threat to the country's existence.” Read more at CNN
“Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators suffered suspected poisoning. The Russian oligarch and two senior members of the Ukrainian team experienced symptoms including red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands after a meeting in Kyiv earlier this month, according to people familiar with the matter. Abramovich, who owns the Chelsea soccer club, has been involved in efforts to end the war. The Kremlin didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
“President Biden defended some off-script remarks he made last weekend that implied he wanted a regime change in Russia. The president clarified that he was ‘expressing moral outrage’ and not a policy change when he said, ‘For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power.’” Read more at NPR
“Zelensky says Ukraine will analyze the effectiveness of Western sanctions against Russia.” Read more at New York Times
“The war has cost Ukraine almost $565 billion, including more than 4,900 miles of damaged or destroyed roadways, its economy minister said.” Read more at New York Times
“The besieging of cities and the deliberate targeting of civilians are tactics Russia has used before: The Times’s Carlotta Gall saw it firsthand.” Read more at New York Times
“An online video appears to show Ukrainian soldiers beating and shooting Russian prisoners of war.” Read more at New York Times
“Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian newspaper, has suspended publication.” Read more at New York Times
Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images
“President Joe Biden released his $5.8 trillion budget proposal on Monday, calling for increased funding to fight challenges domestically and abroad, slashing the federal deficit, and raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations.” [Vox] Read more at Associated Press / Josh Boak
“Biden’s 2023 budget revives parts of his stalled Build Back Better agenda, including initiatives to fight climate change, expand the child tax credit, and reduce the costs of prescription drugs. Echoing points from his State of the Union, the budget also includes roughly $32 billion in additional funding for police, millions to help embattled supply chains, and additional support for Ukraine.” [Vox] Read more atNational Public Radio / Tamara Keith
“While the budget is a mostly symbolic request that will change with input from Congress, the plan shows the Biden administration’s policy priorities. It offers Democrats a possible roadmap for retaining control of the House and Senate in the 2022 midterm elections.” [Vox] Read more at Axios / Hans Nichols
“As the US and its allies continue to help Ukraine fend off the Russian invasion, the budget also requests more than $800 billion to bolster national security, including billions for missile warning and defense systems.” [Vox] Read more at New York Times / Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Alan Rappeport
“The plan would reduce the annual deficit by $1 trillion over the next decade, reflecting a new focus on fiscal responsibility likely prompted by discussions with centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), whose vote will be crucial. Reducing deficit spending is an attempt to address inflation — over the long term, at least — a primary concern among voters ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.” [Vox] Read more at Washington Post / Jeff Stein
The administration proposes a new minimum 20 percent tax on Americans worth more than $100 million to pay for the plan, including on assets yet to be sold. The tax — which would apply to 0.01 percent of Americans — is projected to reduce the federal deficit by $360 billion over the next decade. The corporate tax rate would rise to 28 percent from 21 percent.” [Vox] Read more at Reuters / Andrea Shalal and Trevor Hunnicutt
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the controversial piece of state legislation, dubbed the ‘Don't Say Gay’ bill by critics, that bans certain instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom. The new law will go into effect in July, and states that ‘classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.’ Proponents say it will help parents regulate what students learn and discuss in school, but critics say it is another in a long line of measures to further silence and marginalize LGBTQ individuals. DeSantis has a history of supporting anti-LGBTQ legislation, including an anti-trans sports ban last year.” Read more at CNN
“Will Smith is facing a formal review for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. The actor hit the comedian over a joke on stage about his wife’s shaved head. Jada Pinkett Smith has alopecia. Neither Rock nor the Los Angeles Police Department are pursuing a case against Smith, who won the Best Actor award for his performance in ‘King Richard,’ but the Academy said it has opened an investigation into the incident. It also shared that its rules allow it to revoke an award.” Read more at Associated Press / Josh Boak
Cover: N.Y. Post
“After a day of online mayhem, Will Smith apologized to Chris Rock for the ‘slap heard 'round the world’:
Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. ...
I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. ... I am a work in progress.” Read more at Axios
“The committee investigating the Capitol insurrection voted unanimously to recommend criminal contempt charges against former Trump White House advisers Dan Scavino Jr. and Peter Navarro. The two say executive privilegeprevents them from complying with subpoenas compelling them to produce documents and testify.” Read more at NPR
“Trump adviser John Eastman must hand over his emails to the Jan. 6 House panel, a judge ruled, finding the two men ‘more likely than not’ committed a felony.
The law professor, who advised then-President Donald Trump on blocking the 2020 election result, had sued to stop the release to the committee. The decision could put additional pressure on the Justice Department to consider a more formal investigation of Trump and his associates. The panel also is interested in talking to conservative activist Virginia Thomas about her texts to Trump’s then-chief of staff, Mark Meadows, encouraging him to stand firm in pressing to overturn President Biden’s victory. Thomas is married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“The Supreme Court agreed to hear cases on the treatment of pigs and on Andy Warhol’s images of Prince.” Read more at New York Times
“Colorado is preparing to become a refuge for abortion access if the Supreme Court severely weakens or overturns Roe v. Wade. Lawmakers are strengthening state laws for abortion access as they expect an increase in out-of-state residents seeking abortions.” Read more at NPR
“Another major wildfire is raging in Texas a week after state authorities warned of persistently dangerous fire weather. The Crittenburg Complex fire has scorched about 33,175 acres near Fort Hood, which is in between Austin and Dallas. Authorities say the blaze likely started with munitions fired in a Fort Hood training area. Extremely dry conditions in the area have created a veritable wildfire powder keg. This month, 726 wildfires -- 121 in the past seven days -- have burned through 164,257 acres across the state. In Colorado, residents are returning to the Boulder area after about 19,000 people were told to flee a wildfire that threatened the region over the weekend.” Read more at CNN
“Walmart is stubbing out cigarette sales in some of its U.S. stores.
The move follows years of internal debate about peddling tobacco products and will affect select locations in California, Florida, Arkansas and New Mexico. The retailer, which has more than 4,700 U.S. stores, is working to become a bigger player in the healthcare industry. The sale of cigarettes is complex, thanks to regulations, and generally less profitable than other items such as candy. CVS and Target have also stopped selling smokes.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) proposed a list of new names for more than 660 geographic features across the country last month, the agency announced in a statement.
Led by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as cabinet secretary, the February 2022 release of the list marks the next step in a sweeping plan to remove the racist and misogynist slur ‘squaw’ from the national geographic landscape. Hundreds of U.S. geographic sites, including mountains, rivers, lakes, remote islands and more, currently are named using the word, report Neil Vigdor and Christine Hauser for the New York Times.” Read more at Smithsonian
“The U.S. Justice Department has thrown its support behind legislation that would bar major technology platforms like Google and Amazon from giving preferential treatment to their own products at the expense of competitors.” Read more at Bloomberg
Oleg, 61, after being shot in the leg by Russian forces.Ivor Prickett for The New York Times
‘Coming and coming and coming’
“President Biden, in a passionate speech from Warsaw on Saturday, proclaimed the West’s complete support for Ukraine. ‘We stand with you, period,’ Biden said.
The next day, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, offered a different message: He criticized the West for not doing enough. In a videotaped speech to Ukrainians, Zelensky contrasted their ‘determination, heroism and firmness’ with the lack of courage from Western countries that had refused to send jets and tanks to Ukraine.
In a detailed interview with The Economist this past weekend, he also called out the U.S. and, even more so, France and Germany, for not doing more. ‘We have a long list of items we need,’ Zelensky told The Economist’s editor in chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, and a colleague during a sit-down interview in a Kyiv bunker.
Who’s right — Zelensky or Biden? Today, I will try to answer that question, with help from Times colleagues. I’ll do so by breaking Zelensky’s argument into three categories. The first critiques the West’s behavior in the run-up to the war. The second covers current requests from Zelensky that may be more performative than real. The third deals with steps that could help Ukraine and that the West is choosing not to take.
1. Alternative history
Some of Zelensky’s complaints are about the past. He says that the West could have altered Vladimir Putin’s war plans by imposing harsh sanctions as Russia mobilized for war. He made the same argument at the time.
It is obviously impossible to know if Zelensky is right, but he has a legitimate case. The West’s initial response to Russia’s buildup was timid, offering little military support and threatening only modest sanctions. As The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum wrote at the time, ‘Tragically, the Western leaders and diplomats who are right now trying to stave off a Russian invasion of Ukraine still think they live in a world where rules matter, where diplomatic protocol is useful, where polite speech is valued.’
Putin seemed to assume that the Western reaction would remain fairly modest, much as the response to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea had been. He decided that a full takeover of Ukraine would be worth the price.
But the brutality and scope of the invasion changed the West’s approach. Biden and the leaders of other countries rallied to impose sweeping sanctions. The ruble and Russian stocks have plunged, and Putin himself has acknowledged that the economic damage will be large.
Mothers and children at a center for displaced families in Lviv.Mauricio Lima for The New York Times
‘If tougher sanctions had been levied earlier, a full-scale Russian attack would not have occurred,’ Zelensky claimed this weekend. ‘It would have been on a different scale,’ he added, ‘giving us more time.’
This argument is a way for him to urge the world not to make the same mistake again. Ukraine’s allies should ‘act pre-emptively, not after the situation becomes complicated,’ he said.
2. Politics as performance
It’s often naïve to take the words of political leaders literally. The public speech of politicians tends to combine an honest expression of their views with an attempt to influence others. Zelensky, an actor by training, is well aware of the performative part of politics.
Over the past few weeks, he has repeatedly asked for forms of help that he surely knows he will not get, my colleague Max Fisher says. The clearest example is a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Establishing one could require the West to shoot down Russian planes and even bomb air-defense systems inside Russia, potentially starting a world war.
Still, making unreasonable requests has value to Zelensky. It signals to Ukrainians that he is doing everything possible to defeat Russia and also makes it harder for the West to say no to other requests. ‘He’s asking for the moon, knowing he’ll get less,’ Eric Schmitt, a senior writer at The Times who has long covered military affairs, told me. ‘But it keeps the pressure on the West to deliver the stuff he needs.’
3. What Ukraine wants
Another set of requests coming from Zelensky and his aides is more literal and realistic. The biggest is their plea for the kind of equipment that allows a smaller army defending territory to hold off a larger, attacking army. The U.S. and other allies have already sent a large amount of such equipment, like shoulder-fired rocket launchers, but Ukraine says that it needs more.
So far, Ukraine’s military has performed better than most observers expected, preventing Russia from taking over most major cities while reclaiming a few towns in the northeast. Because Russia has an enormous military, however, a war of attrition tends to work to its advantage, Eric notes. Russia can continue to bomb Ukrainian troops and civilians and hope for eventual capitulation.
‘The Russians have thousands of military vehicles, and they are coming and coming and coming,’ Zelensky said.
Western military officials argue that they are providing Ukraine with weapons and equipment as fast as is logistically possible. Zelensky says that his country’s fate may depend on the West doing better.
A Ukrainian soldier reviewing drone footage.Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times
Other requests by Zelensky fall into a middle ground: It’s unclear whether Ukraine expects the West to say no. This list includes additional tanks and fighter jets as well as further sanctions on Russia and an end to European purchase of Russian energy.
The bottom line
The uncomfortable truth is that Ukraine and the West do not have identical interests, despite Biden’s suggestion to the contrary.
Ukraine is fighting for survival, and its people are dying. Its leaders need to try any strategy that might plausibly help. The leaders of the U.S., E.U. and other allies genuinely want to come to Ukraine’s defense, but they are also concerned about their own economies, domestic support for their policies and the risk of nuclear war with Russia.” Read more at New York Times
“Party pooper | London police said today that they’ll recommend fines for U.K. government staff and officials close to the prime minister who broke pandemic lockdown rules. Boris Johnson is unlikely to be touched by the first round of penalties over the so-called Partygate scandal, a source says.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Shanghai’s sweeping lockdown. As omicron cases surge in China, the country has imposed a lockdown in half of Shanghai—its biggest since the pandemic first began two years ago. Shanghai has been grappling with a staggering spike in largely asymptomatic COVID-19 cases: On Sunday, the city reported 3,500 new cases, 50 of which were symptomatic.
To curb the spread of the virus, the city—home to 25 million people—will implement a two-phase lockdown based around the Huangpu River, which divides the city. From Monday to Friday, the eastern side of the river will be under lockdown; those west of the river will face the same restrictions in the four days after.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“El Salvador cracks down on gang violence. After El Salvador was rocked by a severe wave of gang violence—at least 62 people were killed on Saturday, the country’s deadliest day in three decades—the government has declared a 30-day state of emergency. Under this order, the government can suspend several constitutional guarantees and lift certain arrest restrictions, while prisons are locked down.
‘All the cells locked 24/7, nobody goes out even to the yard,’ El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele tweeted on Sunday. ‘Message to the gangs: Because of your actions, now your ‘homeboys’ won’t be able to see a ray of sunshine.’” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Historic security summit. Top diplomats from the United States, Israel, Bahrain, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco convened in a historic security summit in Israel on Monday. At the summit—the first such meeting to be held in Israel—the participants worked to coordinate efforts against Iran, while also urging Israel to revive talks with Palestinian leaders. ‘We have to be clear that these regional peace agreements are not a substitute for progress between Palestinians and Israelis,’ U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Indian workers strike. Since Monday, millions of workers across India have been taking part in a two-day nationwide strike to demand greater rights and protest the government’s economic policies, which they say hurt workers and farmers. With both public and private sector workers marching, their demonstrations have blocked roads, highways, and railway tracks across states.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Massacre in Mexico. Armed gunmen attacked an illegal cockfighting arena in western Mexico on Sunday night, killing 20 people. Although it’s still unclear who was behind the attack—or what their motive was—witnesses report seeing a massacre in which gunmen equipped with assault rifles opened fire late on Sunday night. Outside, two parked trucks blocked the highway to the cockfighting pit.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Four Chinese badminton players have been charged with a peculiar crime: failing to play their best during a doubles match at the 2018 Fuzhou Open.
During the match, observing Danish players told the referee they didn’t believe the players—a world-ranked No. 2 pair, and No. 17 ranked pair—were playing seriously. After the referee stepped in and asked all of the players to try their best during the second game, the match’s intensity improved—but they were ultimately charged after the No. 17 pair won.
In March, a Badminton World Federation disciplinary panel announced that the players were found guilty of failing to try their best. As a punishment, all will face temporary bans and have to hand over their prize money from the competition.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Lives Lived: Sara Suleri Goodyear vividly evoked her upbringing in Pakistan in her 1989 memoir, ‘Meatless Days.’ She died at 68.” Read more at New York Times
“19-year-old Pradeep Mehra works from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., then runs home to keep in shape for his goal: joining India's highly selective army. A video of his nightly jog has become a Twitter sensation.” Read more at NPR
“A group of kangaroos rescued from a zoo in the hard-hit city of Kharkiv days earlier has finally made it to safety. They've captured the hearts of people all over the world.” Read more at NPR
“When kitchen manager Tina Clarke was left to feed hundreds of students alone at a U.K. school, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey came to the rescue.” Read more at NPR
“The NFL is requiring its 32 teams to employ a ‘female or a member of an ethnic or racial minority’ as an offensive assistant as part of new diversity and inclusion efforts for the 2022 season.” Read more at NPR
“Get ready to call her Dr. Taylor Swift. The singer will receive an honorary doctoral degree in fine arts from New York University and speak at this year’s graduation ceremony in May at Yankee Stadium. Swift’s publicist didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. NYU recently held a class about the 11-time Grammy Award winner.” Read more at New York Times
“There will be plenty of familiar faces at the women’s Final Four with Stanford, South Carolina, Louisville and UConn heading to Minneapolis.
With all the upsets that occurred during the women’s NCAA Tournament this year — a record number of double-digit seeds won — three No. 1 seeds and No. 2 seed UConn remain.
UConn has been the stalwart of the group, reaching the Final Four an eye-popping 14 straight times now. The team has been to a total of 21 national semifinals and won a record 11 championships. They’ll face defending champion Stanford, which has been to 15 Final Fours. Louisville plays South Carolina in the first semifinal Friday night. The two schools are each playing in their fourth Final Four.
Stanford and UConn have a storied history in the Final Four, having played five times in the national semifinals or championship game — most recently in 2014. UConn is 4-1, including a win in the Final Four in Minneapolis in 1995.” Read more at AP News
“WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists have figured out why vampire bats are the only mammals that can survive on a diet of just blood.
They compared the genome of common vampire bats to 26 other bat species and identified 13 genes that are missing or no longer work in vampire bats. Over the years, those gene tweaks helped them adapt to a blood diet rich in iron and protein but with minimal fats or carbohydrates, the researchers reported Friday in the journal Science Advances.
The bats live in South and Central America and are basically ‘living Draculas,’ said co-author Michael Hiller of Germany’s Max Planck Institute. About 3 inches (8 centimeters) long with a wingspan of 7 inches (18 centimeters), the bats bite and than lap up blood from livestock or other animals at night.
Most mammals couldn’t survive on a low-calorie liquid diet of blood. Only three vampire species of the 1,400 kinds of bats can do that — the others eat mostly insects, fruit, nectar, pollen or meat, such as small frogs and fish.” Read more at AP News