The Full Belmonte, 3/31/2022
A resident of Yasnohorodka, Ukraine, in the rubble of her house on the outskirts of Kyiv on Wednesday.
PHOTO: VADIM GHIRDA/ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Russia dismissed a diplomatic overture from Ukraine. ‘No one said that the sides have made headway,’ a Kremlin spokesman said after delegations from the two countries engaged in cease-fire talks in Turkey. ‘We can’t point to anything particularly promising.’ The Russian foreign minister said Moscow remains committed to peace talks and de-escalation. Russian forces hit targets around Kyiv—despite saying they would limit attacks there—and stepped up ground and air assaults in eastern Ukraine. More than four million people have fled the country, the U.N. said, exceeding the organization’s prediction for the entire war in just under five weeks.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
'“KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A convoy of buses headed to Mariupol on Thursday in another attempt to evacuate people from the besieged port city, while Russia pressed its attacks in several parts of Ukraine ahead of a planned new round of talks aimed at ending the fighting.
After the Russian military agreed to a limited cease-fire in the area, the Red Cross said its teams were traveling to Mariupol with relief and medical supplies and hoped to help pull civilians out of the beleaguered city on Friday. Previous attempts at establishing a similar humanitarian corridor have fallen apart.
Russian forces, meanwhile, shelled suburbs of the capital that Ukraine recently retook control of, a regional official said. New attacks in the area where Moscow had promised to de-escalate further undermined hopes of a resolution to end the war on the eve of a new round of talks. A day earlier, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian shelling on the outskirts of Kyiv and around another city where it had vowed to ease up.” Read more at AP News
Satellite photo shows apparent shelling damage to an International Committee of the Red Cross warehouse in Mariupol, Ukraine. Photo: Planet Labs PBC via AP
“U.S. and U.K. officials say intelligence shows Vladimir Putin has been ‘misinformed’ by his own advisers about how badly he's doing in Ukraine — in part due to ‘yes-men ... too afraid to tell him the truth.’
Why it matters: Western allies have repeatedly declassified and publicized sensitive intelligence about Russia as a tool to undermine Putin's strategy, Axios national security reporter Zachary Basu writes.
The latest example comes as Russia claims to be pulling back from its offensive near Kyiv, which ended in failure due to stiff Ukrainian resistance.
‘[I]t increasingly looks like Putin has massively misjudged the situation,’ Jeremy Fleming, the head of the U.K.'s GCHQ spy service, said in a major speech in Australia today.
‘[H]is Plan B has been more barbarity against civilians and cities.’
‘We've seen Russian soldiers — short of weapons and morale — refusing to carry out orders, sabotaging their own equipment and even accidentally shooting down their own aircraft,’ Fleming claimed.
‘And even though we believe Putin's advisers are afraid to tell him the truth, what's going on and the extent of these misjudgments must be crystal clear to the regime,’ he added.
White House communications director Kate Bedingfield confirmed to reporters: ‘We have information that Putin felt misled by the Russian military, which has resulted in persistent tension between Putin and his military leadership.’
Releasing this information ‘contributes to an understanding that this has been a strategic failure for Russia,’ Bedingfield said when asked why the U.S. was declassifying this intelligence now.
Between the lines: There is probably ‘no bigger insult’ than calling Putin, a former KGB officer, ‘misinformed’ about the state of his own military, notes Russia expert Dmitri Alperovitch.” Read more at Axios
Senate Democratic Whip Richard Durbin meets with members of the Ukrainian parliament at the Capitol yesterday. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“Five Ukrainian women, all members of parliament, left Kyiv this week for Washington to ask for more help in person — before heading back into danger, Axios' Zachary Basu writes.
Why it matters: With most men ages 18-60 restricted from leaving the country due to military service requirements, Ukrainian women are playing an outsized role in shuttle diplomacy during the war.
‘We are mothers. We are MPs. We are volunteers. We are coordinators. And we are fighters,’ Ukrainian member of parliament Maria Ionova (center in photo above) said at a briefing for journalists yesterday at the German Marshall Fund, after meetings with lawmakers and Pentagon and State Department officials.
‘We do not have time to be diplomatic and must be very direct with you.’
The visitors were joined on Capitol Hill by Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova.
The delegation also plans a stop in Canada before returning to Ukraine.
The delegation's in-person visit to Capitol Hill served as an in-person twist on the powerful video appeals by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He's been credited with unlocking new sanctions and aid commitments with his emotional addresses to Western leaders.
Some of the women in the delegation represent Zelensky's party; others do not. All are strongly pro-Western.
Ukrainian MP Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze (right in photo above) said she's cried once since the war began — on the plane from Warsaw to D.C. — because she was distressed about leaving the fight: ‘We want to be there with our people.’
On their first morning in Washington, Klympush-Tsintsadze said that she and other members of the delegation began ‘trembling’ when they heard a fire engine pass. It reminded them of the air raid sirens back home.” Read more at Axios
“U.S. officials sanctioned Russian oligarchs. They also carved out exceptions. When Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced the penalties, she said they would ‘impose massive costs on Putin’s closest confidants and their family members and freeze their assets.’ But the U.S., fearing a disruption of global trade, watered down or avoided imposing financial penalties against key Russian entities and individuals, according to current and former Treasury officials and internal Treasury and National Security Council emails reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Freezing the businesses of the targeted people can cause turmoil in markets, harm investors who aren’t connected to sanctioned individuals and cost thousands of jobs.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Gas price Tuesday in Garden Grove, Calif., in Orange County. Photo: Mike Blake/Reuters
“President Joe Biden is considering releasing about 1 million barrels of oil per day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to alleviate persistent high gas prices. Tapping the stockpile of 600 million barrels of crude oil, which are stored in underground salt caverns in Louisiana and Texas, probably won't have a huge effect on gas prices because of limits on how much oil can be released at a time. But it’s a political sign from Biden that he is trying to address the problem. The US price of a gallon of regular gasoline spiked after Russia invaded Ukraine, hitting a record high of $4.33 earlier this month. The invasion has also snarled global supply chains that were supposed to be recovering from pandemic-related woes.” Read more at CNN
Migrants and asylum-seekers march to protest against Title 42 policy in Tijuana, Mexico, on March 21. Photo: Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images
“The Biden administration is expected to end the pandemic-era Title 42 border expulsion policy by late May, setting up a potential rush of migrants across the southern border.
The big picture: Border resources are stretched with significantly more people attempting to cross the border than normal, including from far away countries that make deportation difficult, Axios' Stef Kight reports.
The government has readied a contingency plan for a worst-case scenario of up to 18,000 migrants taken into custody each day, Homeland Security officials told reporters.
The CDC cited the decreased risk that migrants would contract or spread COVID in detention facilities, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The backstory: Title 42 was first issued under former President Trump in March 2020, using the pandemic as a reason for turning back migrants attempting to enter the U.S. without the chance to seek asylum.
The policy has been criticized for infringing on people's rights to seek asylum as well as for sending migrants to parts of Mexico or other countries where they have faced danger and violence.
On the other end, Republicans and some Texas House Democrats called to keep the policy in place out of concern that Homeland Security is unprepared to handle a potential rush of people to the border.
What's happening: Homeland Security has enlisted help from FEMA and has already begun building additional temporary facilities at the border.
It's seeking additional bus contracts to help transport migrants, and hundreds of border officials are being deployed from elsewhere to the southwest border, according to DHS officials.” Read more at Axios
“A new study from the New England Journal of Medicine confirms what many doctors have been saying throughout the pandemic: Ivermectin does not reduce the risk of hospitalization from COVID-19. Despite warnings from the FDA against using the cow and horse dewormer to treat COVID, it's remained popular among some people seeking treatment.” Read more at NPR
“The CDC has lifted its risk advisory for cruise ship travel, saying while there will always be some risk of catching COVID, travelers can ‘make their own risk assessment.’” Read more at NPR
Photo: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“Double-boosted: President Biden took his fourth shot of Pfizer's COVID vaccine. He also announced the launch of COVID.gov, a ‘one-stop shop’ for resources like tests, vaccines and masks.” Read more at Axios
“Highest since 2001: Positive drug tests among U.S. workers was up to 4.6% in 2020, up from the all-time low of 3.5% between 2010 and 2012.” Read more at Axios
“Several state legislatures have advanced bills restricting abortion access, adding to a growing number of GOP-led states looking to chip away at abortion rights in the US. Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill that acts as a near-total ban on abortions in the state after 15 weeks. In Kentucky, the state’s House and Senate have approved a similar 15-week ban that also restricts access to medication abortion and makes it more difficult for a minor to obtain an abortion in the state. In Idaho, abortion providers are asking the state’s supreme court to strike down the state's new six-week abortion ban which mimics a controversial Texas law. That law also allows individual citizens to bring lawsuits against medical professionals who performed prohibited procedures.” Read more in CNN
The House passed a bill aimed at boosting 401(k) savings plans.
“The measure bumps up contribution limits for older workers, lets companies offer employees a small cash bonus for signing up and, over the next decade, raises the age at which savers must start withdrawing their money to 75 from 72. The bill also allows employers to make matching contributions to the 401(k)-style accounts of workers paying off student loans who otherwise don’t contribute enough to receive a full match. The legislation would help people save longer, but it could expose them to higher tax bills in future years. The House passed the bill Tuesday by a 414-5 vote; the measure still needs to clear the Senate before it can be signed into law.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) admits he exaggerated his claims that House Republican colleagues had done cocaine and invited him to orgies, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy told Axios’ Alayna Treene. Cawthorn made the concession during a tense meeting with McCarthy.” Read more at Axios
“Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic Party will pay to settle an investigation into their funding of opposition research about Trump and Russia.” Read more at New York Times
“A Texas school has agreed to pay $90,000 to a former student for violating her First Amendment rights by making her write the Pledge of Allegiance.” [Vox] Read more at Washington Post / Jonathan Edwards
“‘Infowars’ founder Alex Jones offered this week to pay $120,000 per plaintiff to resolve a lawsuit filed by the families of six people killed in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The response came within a matter of hours: no.
‘The so-called offer,’ lawyers for the families wrote in Connecticut court filings, ‘is a transparent and desperate attempt by Alex Jones to escape a public reckoning under oath with his deceitful, profit-driven campaign against the plaintiffs and the memory of their loved ones lost at Sandy Hook.’
Wednesday’s rejection sets the stage for the two sides to meet at trial. A jury is to decide how much Jones will pay over his false assertions that the Newtown, Conn., shooting — which left 20 elementary schoolchildren and six adults dead — was ‘a giant hoax.’” Read more at Washington Post
Mick Mulvaney, seen here at the White House in 2020, was hired this week as a paid on-air contributor by CBS News. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
“CBS News’s decision to hire former Trump administration official Mick Mulvaney as a paid on-air contributor is drawing backlash within the company because of his history of bashing the press and promoting the former president’s fact-free claims.
But a top network executive seemed to lay the groundwork for the decision in a staff meeting earlier this month, when he said the network needed to hire more Republicans to prepare for a ‘likely’ Democratic midterm wipeout.
‘If you look at some of the people that we’ve been hiring on a contributor basis, being able to make sure that we are getting access to both sides of the aisle is a priority because we know the Republicans are going to take over, most likely, in the midterms,’ CBS News’s co-president Neeraj Khemlani told the staff of the network’s morning show, according to a recording of his comments obtained by The Washington Post. ‘A lot of the people that we’re bringing in are helping us in terms of access to that side of the equation.’
The reaction from CBS News employees to Mulvaney’s hiring was as chilly as the reaction on social media, where many journalists and political commentators suggested that the network was jeopardizing its long history of journalistic excellence.
In February 2020, while serving as President Donald Trump’s interim chief of staff, Mulvaney said that media coverage of the growing coronavirus pandemic was meant ‘to bring down the president.’ He also infamously defended a Trump administration decision to withhold military aid from Ukraine for political purposes, and predicted in a Nov. 7, 2020, Wall Street Journal opinion column that Trump would gracefully accept electoral defeat.
‘I know everyone I talked to today was embarrassed about the hiring,’ said a CBS News employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment. The frustration, this person said, was less about Mulvaney’s high-ranking role in the Trump administration and more about the inaccuracy of some of his past comments.” Read more at Washington Post
“On Wednesday, Poland became the first country in the European Union to commit to weaning itself off of Russian oil and gas by December 31, 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.” [Vox] Read more at Al Jazeera
“The US Treasury Department has announced new sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile program in response to a missile attack in Iraq earlier this month. It’s yet another setback for US efforts to reenter the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. A deal between the US and Iran seemed close earlier this month. Hope has since waned because of outstanding differences – including Iran’s demands regarding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a group targeted by these new sanctions that is responsible for research and development of ballistic missiles. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the US will work to deter Iran’s nuclear capability regardless of whether a deal is reached.” Read more at CNN
“On Wednesday, Jamie Wallis became the first British member of Parliament to come out as transgender.” [Vox] Read more at Al Jazeera
“Here's a big reason to study the people of Ukraine: The war is showing in real-time the power of democracy, amid growing global clout for dictators.
Why it matters: Free people live better lives, a mountain of data shows. And sometimes it takes an aspiring democracy to remind us why governments of the people are worth fighting for.
Let the graphic above sink in — then share it with people who trivialize democratic erosion. Democracies are literally disappearing.
Of 195 nations on earth, just 34 are liberal democracies — where citizens have rights to free speech, free press, free and fair elections, and other liberties — according to a study by Varieties of Democracy.
Living in a stable democracy leads to a longer and more fulfilling life, the data shows:
Health: If you live in a democracy and are at least age 25, you're likely to live 14 years longer than people in autocracies, a University of British Columbia study found. Babies in mature democracies are 78% less likely to die in childbirth.
Wealth: Democratization boosts a nation's wealth 20% over 25 years.
Education: Democratization bumps citizens' enrollment in secondary education by 70%.
Reality check: After nuclear war, and possibly climate changes, the rise of authoritarians, like Vladimir Putin, and the decline of democracies has the most potential to shape America’s future — more profoundly than the small-ball fights we often get sucked into.
The dictators are winning. A Russian dictator, backed by an authoritarian Chinese leader and enabled by the silence of the Saudis, is killing thousands, seizing land, destroying a nation.
A Freedom House report released in February found that 60 countries had suffered declines in democracy in the previous year.
The bottom line: American critics sometimes dog — and in some cases damage — their democracy. But watching Ukrainians amplifies the preciousness and precariousness of freedom.” Read more at Axios
“Rosignano Solvay, a town in Tuscany, Italy, that’s named for the company that built it, has been a dumping ground for more than a century for millions of tons of milky white industrial discharge that have transformed its beaches — and the seabed beyond. Solvay SA executives say the waste isn’t a danger to humans, and the government renewed its permit in January. Yet as Elisa Martinuzzi and Vernon Silver report, prosecutors found the plant’s soda-ash unit exceeded legal limits for mercury, a neurotoxic heavy metal.” Read more at Bloomberg
The drainage canal from the Solvay plant onto the white beach in Rosignano Solvay on Feb. 1. Photographer: Francesco Mazzei/Bloomberg
“PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The worldwide seafood industry is steeling itself for price hikes, supply disruptions and potential job losses as new rounds of economic sanctions on Russia make key species such as cod and crab harder to come by.
The latest round of U.S. attempts to punish Russia for the invasion of Ukraine includes bans on imports of seafood, alcohol and diamonds. The U.S. is also stripping ‘most favored nation status’ from Russia. Nations around the world are taking similar steps.
Russia is one of the largest producers of seafood in the world, and was the fifth-largest producer of wild-caught fish, according to a 2020 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Russia is not one of the biggest exporters of seafood to the U.S., but it’s a world leader in exports of cod (the preference for fish and chips in the U.S.). It’s also a major supplier of crabs and Alaska pollock, widely used in fast-food sandwiches and processed products like fish sticks.” Read more at AP News
“Some recent retirees are changing their minds and going back to work. In February, the share of retired workers re-entering the workforce climbed to around 3% of total retirees, its highest level since early March 2020, according to an Indeed analysis of federal labor data. What’s luring back this Tom Brady-esque group? Reasons include shoring up finances, interest in a new challenge and fielding attractive job offers during the labor shortage.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
By The Numbers
“$484 million — The amount CVS Health will pay to settle Florida’s opioid-related claims. It’s the first time the pharmacy chain has agreed to payments to resolve a government lawsuit tied to opioid prescription abuse. CVS said the settlement, which will be paid over 18 years, includes no admission of wrongdoing. It said it would continue to defend against other opioid-related suits.
0 — The number of rock artists among the nominees for three of the most-coveted Grammys this year. The lack of noms for album of the year, record of the year and song of the year has fans saying the award organizers don’t get one of music’s biggest genres. Plus, the rock categories are mostly filled with older acts.
12.9 billion — The distance from Earth, in light years, of a particular star, making it the farthest from the planet ever seen. The Hubble Space Telescope took a picture of what’s been dubbed Earendel, which NASA said means ‘morning star’ in Old English. Formed less than a billion years after the Big Bang that created the universe some 13.8 billion years ago, it’s thought to be about 50 times as big as the sun and millions of times brighter.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Lives Lived: Ashton Hawkins was the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s executive vice president, but he could be more aptly described as its chief curator of powerful donors. He died at 84.” Read more at New York Times
Photo: Saul Martinez/Bloomberg via Getty Images
"A 30-year study of more than 110,000 health professionals found that participants who ate at least two servings of avocado a week had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who rarely ate avocados," the American Heart Association announced yesterday.
Why it matters: Avocados contain dietary fiber and unsaturated fats, especially monounsaturated fat (healthy fats).
One serving equaled half of an avocado, or a half cup of avocado.” Read more at Axios
Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images
“NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei just concluded a NASA record-breaking 355 consecutive days in space, Axios' Jacob Knutson reports.
He and two cosmonauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft that touched down this morning in Kazakhstan.” Read more at Axios
“The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences said that Will Smith was asked to leave to Sunday’s Oscars after hitting Chris Rock but refused.
The Academy’s board of governors, which met on Wednesday, said it had also initiated disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group’s standards of conduct.
The actor slapped Rock after a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, that mocked her short hairstyle. Pinkett Smith has been open about her alopecia-related hair loss.
Many have questioned why Smith – who just an hour later received a standing ovation after winning the award for best actor – was allowed to remain seated front row at the Academy Awards after the incident. On Wednesday, the Academy suggested that it attempted to remove the actor from the audience.
‘Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,’ the Academy said. ‘While we would like to clarify that Mr Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.’
The Academy said Smith would have the opportunity to defend himself in a written response before the board meets again on 18 April. The Academy said disciplinary action for Smith could include suspension, expulsion or other sanctions.
The film academy earlier condemned Smith’s onstage assault of Rock. But it used stronger language on Wednesday.
‘Mr Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television,’ the academy said. ‘Mr Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event.’
The fallout in Hollywood continues, with many stars condemning the onstage violence. Wanda Sykes, who co-hosted the Oscars with Amy Schumer and Regina Hall, said she had felt physically ill after the slap. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres scheduled to air on Thursday, Sykes also said Smith should not have been allowed to stay and accept his award. Jim Carrey said he was ‘sickened’ by the response and called Hollywood ‘spineless’ for giving Smith a standing ovation that night.
During a five-minute, emotional acceptance speech for best actor, Smith talked about defending his family and apologized to the Academy, but he did not mention Rock. On Monday, he issued an apology to Rock, the Academy and viewers, saying: ‘I was out of line and I was wrong.’” Read more at The Guardian
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
“Bruce Willis announced yesterday he's stepping away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, which was "impacting his cognitive abilities." Here's what you need to know about this condition.” Read more at NPR