The Full Belmonte, 3/3/2022
“The International Criminal Court is expected to continue its investigation Thursday into whether Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, have committed war crimes in Ukraine. Urged by a coalition of 38 countries led by the U.K., the investigation was opened Wednesday into possible war crimes, genocide or crimes against humanity in Ukraine dating back to 2013 — including the current conflict sparked by Russia’s invasion. The U.N. human rights office said 227 civilians have been killed and another 525 injured since the invasion began a week ago, eclipsing the entire civilian casualty count from the war in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces in 2014. That conflict left 136 dead and 577 injured. On Thursday, the International Paralympic Committee said Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from the Winter Paralympic Games for their countries’ roles in the war. The about-face comes less than 24 hours after the IPC said it would allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete when the Games open on Friday, but only as neutral athletes with colors, flags and other national symbols removed.” Read more at USA Today
Markus Schreiber/AP
“More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries in ‘the swiftest refugee exodus this century,’ the United Nations says. Some citizens of Africa, Asia and the Mideast who are also fleeing Ukraine say they are experiencing mistreatment. At a refugee center in Romania, some Indian citizens told the Associated Press that Ukrainian border guards gave fellow Ukrainians priority in getting out of the country and attempted to physically push non-Ukrainians back. Buchizya Mseteka, a spokesperson for UNHCR based in South Africa, said the organization was aware of reports that some Africans in Ukraine were not being allowed to board trains and to cross borders. ‘Our position is that irrespective of nationality and race, people seeking protection should be allowed to seek safety and to leave the country,’ he said. The UNHCR has warned the situation may become Europe's largest refugee crisis this century, surpassing the 1.3 million people who requested asylum in 2015 as conflicts raged in the Middle East.” Read more at USA Today
Data: United Nations; Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios
“Only four countries — Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria — joined Russia in voting against a non-binding UN resolution that condemned the invasion of Ukraine.
Another 35 abstained, including India and China, Axios' Ivana Saric and Zachary Basu report.
Between the lines: India has military ties with Russia from the Soviet era, causing headaches for the U.S. as it seeks to integrate India into an alliance to counter China in the Indo-Pacific.
141 countries voted in favor of the resolution.” Read more at Axios
“Russian and Ukrainian negotiators meet in Belarus today for peace talks as the war enters its second week.
The talks take place as momentum slowly shifts toward the invaders, after Russia notched its first strategic victory late Wednesday as it captured Kherson, a city of around 300,000 people, and home to a port on both the Black Sea and Dnieper river. Kherson’s mayor said the city would now be in the hands of a Russian military administration.
In Kharkiv, a monitor from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was killed in a Russian strike as the city continues to suffer bombardment.
Russia’s forces in the south are attempting to shut off Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea. Mariupol in the east is still surrounded, while an amphibious assault on Odessa could come as soon as today, according to U.S. officials.
Residents in Zhytomyr remove debris of a residential building destroyed by shelling as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues.
Logistical snags that have plagued Russian forces in Ukraine’s north have yet to improve, with a 40-mile military convoy headed in the direction of the capital Kyiv reportedly stalled. A U.S. defense official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said that food and fuel shortages have disrupted the vehicles’ progress and confirmed that Ukrainian efforts to target the convoy with artillery had seen some success.
Meanwhile, the refugee exodus shows no signs of stopping, as U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi reported that the total number of those leaving Ukraine had reached more than 1 million.
The death toll. As the information war proceeds in parallel with the destruction on the ground, both sides released contrasting Russian troop casualty numbers, with Russia’s defense ministry admitting to at least 498 dead and 1,597 injured while Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky gave a much higher figure: 6,000 dead. The truth is likely somewhere in between these two figures, but the fact Russia is announcing the figures at all is a turnaround from just a few days ago, when officials claimed zero casualties.
Russia claims to have killed 2,870 Ukrainian soldiers and wounded roughly 3,700. There hasn’t been a corresponding claim from the Ukrainian side on their casualties sustained so far.
See you in court? As the focus turns to civilians amid Russian shelling of Ukrainian cities, the International Criminal Court announced on Wednesday that it was opening an active investigation into war crimes committed against the civilian population, making it the 17th case the court is investigating around the world. The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has so far recorded 752 civilian deaths since the war broke out.
It’s not clear what kind of justice the ICC could seek, since Russia (like China, India, Israel, and the United States), does not recognize the court. Ukraine, a country that has signed but not ratified the Rome Statute—the treaty establishing the court—has accepted the court’s jurisdiction in a previous case.
Oligarchs under the spotlight. The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday announced the formation of a task force to track down and seize assets belonging to Russian oligarchs targeted by U.S. sanctions. (The group may want to begin with the state of South Dakota, which has fast become a money laundering mecca, according to Pandora papers leaks).
The move comes as officials in Switzerland, another dark money haven, adopted EU sanctions on Russian individuals and entities, potentially freezing billions in assets.
In the United Kingdom, whose capital has earned the nickname Londongrad for its soft approach on Russian oligarch investment in recent years, the government has been criticized for not moving quickly enough to target assets held there. Roman Abramovich, one of the world’s most famous oligarchs for his ownership of the Chelsea football club, is already attempting to get out of the limelight and away from sanctions. On Wednesday he announced he was selling the club after almost two decades as owner; he also appears to be hastily selling some of his exclusive London properties.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“About 20 countries, most of which are NATO or E.U. members, are sending arms into Ukraine, risking retaliation from Russia.” Read more at New York Times
“Germany will provide Ukraine with 2,700 surface-to-air rockets manufactured in the former Soviet Union, stepping up aid after abandoning a policy of not sending weapons to conflict zones.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Receiving refugees | Ukrainians fleeing to the EU will be granted residence permits as well as access to education and jobs as part of a plan expected to be implemented as soon as today. The so-called temporary protection directive will allow Ukrainians to stay beyond 90 days, a move expected to be overwhelmingly adopted.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Oligarchs targeted | Sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine are punishingRussia’s wealthiest businesspeople by bringing a cold, hard stop to 30 years of integration with the global economy, Stephanie Baker reports. Many Kremlin watchers never thought Putin would go this far with a gamble that has isolated Russia.
Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov’s 512-foot superyacht Dilbar, the world’s largest by volume, was seized by German authorities in Hamburg, according to Forbes.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Echo of Moscow, a liberal Russian radio station, is shutting down as part of the Kremlin’s renewed crackdown on dissent.” Read more at New York Times
“China asked Russia not to invade Ukraine until after the Beijing Olympics, Western officials said.” Read more at New York Times
“In the classic wartime movie ‘Casablanca,’ French police captain Louis Renault dumps a bottle of clearly labeled Vichy water into a trash can in disgust, signifying the shift of his allegiance away from the Nazi-backed regime to the resistance.
The move marks the beginning of his ‘beautiful friendship’ with gin-joint owner Rick, and it demonstrates how we often reflect our values by shunning — or embracing — certain types of food and drink.
This week, people around the country are doing their own versions of Renault’s Vichy-water purge. They’re pouring bottles of Russian-made vodka into street drains. Governors are calling for Russian liquors to be pulled from store shelves. And bar proprietors are changing the names of their cocktails to make it clear what side they’re on: In many places, the Moscow Mule is now the Kyiv Mule. In at least one bar, it’s the Snake Island Mule, a reference to the Ukrainian territory where border guards made a defiant last stand against invading troops.” Read more at Washington Post
“Giant global businesses in every sector are abandoning Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
Why it matters: In addition to condemning the invasion, the companies see an impossible environment — from worker safety ... to the logistics of getting supplies ... financial and sales disruption ... and the complexity of complying with sanctions, Axios' Hope King writes.
State of play: Financial sanctions have isolated Russia from the rest of the world. Businesses operating in Russia have an increasingly limited ability to collect revenue or pay workers and suppliers.
Economic sanctions, including export controls, have curtailed imports.
Some workers are being moved out of Russia.
Restricted airspace and travel are preventing companies from getting the equipment they need to continue to operate.
Between the lines: Some companies that have very little physical presence in Russia — including many in tech, retail and media — are limiting how products are used in the country or have pulled them.
Flashback: Since the Soviet Union's collapse three decades ago, Russia had been seen as an emerging market with long-term growth potential.
In the seven days since the invasion began:
Boeing suspended major operations in Moscow, as well as maintenance and technical support for Russian airlines.
Shell will sever ties with Russian gas giant Gazprom and end its roughly $1 billion financing of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
Exxon Mobil says it will exit Russia oil and gas operations valued at more than $4 billion and cease new investment.
GM, which sells only about 3,000 cars a year in Russia, says it will suspend exporting vehicles.
Ford suspended operations.
BMW stopped shipments and will stop production in Russia.
VW paused delivery of Audis already in Russia so it can adjust car prices to reflect the decline in value of the ruble.
Harley-Davidson suspended shipments to Russia.
Adidas suspended its partnership with the Russian Football Union.
Nike ceased online sales because it can’t guarantee delivery.
FedEx and UPS suspended shipments.
Yoox Net-A-Porter Group and Farfetch, luxury e-commerce platforms, are suspending deliveries in Russia.
Apple paused product sales and limited services (including Apple Pay), on top of ceasing exports to Russia and restricting features in Apple Maps in Ukraine to safeguard civilian safety.
Dell stopped selling products.
Walt Disney is pausing film debuts in Russia. Warner Bros., Sony, Paramount and Universal say they won't release films in the country.” Read more at Axios
“WASHINGTON (AP) — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol said Wednesday for the first time that its evidence suggests crimes may have been committed by former President Donald Trump and his associates in the failed effort to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Trump and his associates engaged in a ‘criminal conspiracy’ to prevent Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College, the House committee said in a court filing. Trump and those working with him spread false information about the outcome of the presidential election and pressured state officials to overturn the results, potentially violating multiple federal laws, the panel said.
‘The Select Committee also has a good-faith basis for concluding that the President and members of his Campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States,’ the committee wrote in a filing submitted in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California.
The 221-page filing marks the committee’s most formal effort to link the former president to a federal crime, though the actual import of the filing is not clear. Lawmakers do not have the power to bring criminal charges on their own and can only make a referral to the Justice Department. The department has been investigating last year’s riot, but it has not given any indication that it is considering seeking charges against Trump.
The committee made the claims in response to a lawsuit by Trump adviser John Eastman, a lawyer and law professor who was consulting with Trump as he attempted to overturn the election. Eastman is trying to withhold documents from the committee.” Read more at AP News
“The White House has unveiled a new plan to move America to a new stage of the pandemic where Covid-19 ‘does not disrupt our daily lives.’ The National Covid-19 Preparedness Plan, which will require additional funding from Congress, focuses on increased spending for Covid-19 treatments, preparing for new variants, and keeping schools and businesses open. The plan notably includes a new ‘Test to Treat’ initiative that would enable Americans to get tested for Covid-19 at a pharmacy and receive free antiviral pills ‘on the spot’ if they test positive. The CDC announced recently that nearly 70% of the US population resides in areas where masks are no longer required. Some people in these areas, however, are staying masked out of personal preference, experts say.” Read more at CNN
“The Biden administration included paid sick leave provisions as part of its new COVID-19 preparedness plan, reports Axios' Emily Peck.
Why it matters: The emergency sick leave provisions weren't renewed after they expired in 2020.
The big picture: The administration wants to push America into a post-pandemic phase, reports Axios' Tina Reed.
The plan includes:
Test-to-treat program to speed access to antiviral drugs.
Boosting vaccine manufacturing capacity by 1 billion doses per year.
Accelerating R&D on a single vaccine for all known COVID variants.
Maintaining a network for delivering the shots.
Ensuring an adequate supply of free tests and masks.” Read more at Axios
“COVID case rates continued a steep decline over the past two weeks, Axios' Tina Reed and Kavya Beheraj report.
The lowest rates were in Nebraska (6 cases per 100,000 people), followed by Delaware and Maryland (9 per 100,000).
Montana and Alaska had the highest rates (49 per 100,000 and 47 per 100,000, respectively).
Nevada was the only state where cases rose over the last two weeks.
Kentucky saw the greatest drop.” Read more at Axios
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Capitol Hill on March 2. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
“Confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson will begin on March 21, the Senate Judiciary Committee announced Wednesday, a timetable that could put President Biden’s first pick for the nation’s most influential court on track to be confirmed by mid-April.
The announcement came as Jackson, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, began her gantlet of one-on-one meetings with key senators as she plunged into the labyrinthine confirmation process, which will include dozens of personal sit-downs and four days of public hearings.
Democrats want to afford Jackson, who would be the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court, a comprehensive process — but they also want to do it expeditiously as they navigate the narrowest of Senate majorities. The roughly six-week time frame sketched out by Democratic leaders is fair, they said, because it was still longer than the length of time it took Republicans to confirm now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett in October 2020 — a process that Democrats said was a sham.” Read more at Washington Post
“A Texas judge on Wednesday partially blocked enforcement of Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to treat gender-affirming care as child abuse, court documents show.
The decision by Judge Amy Clark Meachum stems from a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas and Lambda Legal, the LGBTQ legal advocacy group. The lawsuit seeks to block a statewide directive ordering the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFSP) to investigate parents who allow their children to medically transition genders for possible crimes.
Meachum’s ruling grants a temporary restraining order to the plaintiffs represented in the case, but it does not prevent Texas from investigating other parents. The judge will consider that question in an additional hearing on March 11.
Within hours of the ruling, the state appealed the decision in what Lambda Legal counsel Omar Gonzalez-Pagan called a ‘very unusual, cruel and frankly, extraordinary move.’
‘They’re seeking an appeal for a temporary restraining order that applies only to four plaintiffs,’ Gonzalez-Pagan said. ‘It is a cruel and punitive zealousness with which the Texas governor and attorney general are proceeding to persecute transgender youth and their families. It is reprehensible and should really cause alarm for everybody.’
The offices of the state’s attorney general and the governor did not immediately respond to requests for comment.” Read more at Washington Post
“In a legal win for the National Rifle Association, a judge has blocked the New York attorney general's attempt to dissolve the organization -- but has allowed her suit against it to move forward. The judge denied the attorney general's claim to dissolve the NRA, stating in part that the attorney general’s office had failed to prove that the alleged mismanagement of the organization's funds has created public harm. He also said dissolving the NRA could impact the free speech rights of its members. In a statement yesterday, NRA President Charles Cotton called the decision a ‘resounding win’ for the organization and its 5 million members. New York Attorney General Letitia James' suit against the NRA will move forward, though -- and James said the decision affirmed her office's right to pursue its claims that ‘fraud, abuse, and greed permeate through the NRA and its senior leadership.’” Read more at CNN
“Joshua James, a co-defendant in a criminal case involving Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and obstruction. He's the first person involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol to be convicted of the rarely used charge.” Read more at USA Today
“Conservatives have opened a new front in their campaign to excise from the classroom what they see as offensive lessons. Transparency bills are proliferating across the country, and proponents hope they will empower parents to scrutinize books and readings, setting up a fresh wave of battles with teachers.
Lawmakers in at least 17 state capitols and Congress are pushing legislation that would require schools to post all instructional materials online. Their goal, at least in part, is to enable parents who distrust their children’s schools to carefully examine teaching materials — enabling protests or, in some cases, giving people fodder to opt their children out. That includes materials on race and racial equity but also any other topic that might spark disagreement.
Proponents argue that more disclosures would help parents to better support their children’s learning, because they would know more about what is happening in school.
‘The problem is lack of transparency in schools, increasing infusion of politics into the classroom and the mentality of trying to shut parents out,’ said Matt Beienburg, director of education policy at the Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank that is promoting these bills throughout the country.
Typically these bills require that schools post online every piece of instructional material that will be used over the course of a year, including books, articles, handouts and videos. Teachers would not simply disclose, for instance, that their class will learn about the civil rights movement; they would be required to list the specific texts, articles, videos and other materials used with students.
Teachers and school advocates say multiple ways of accessing this information already exist, including talking with teachers, attending back-to-school nights or accessing online portals such as Canvas or Google Classroom. Formal curriculums are online for the public or available by request, they say.
They argue these new requirements would be a burden for already overworked teachers. Schools nationwide have struggled to fill positions, meaning teachers are stretched thin covering for one another. In some states, too, tip lines allow parents to report instructors who have discussed politically sensitive topics or aired views parents dislike, putting more stress on educators.” Read more at Washington Post
“Former President Trump is blowing the launch of his new social media company, Axios Pro Rata author Dan Primack reports.
As of this morning, Truth Social had fallen to No. 57 in the App Store, just behind Tinder and Planet Fitness Workouts.
Trump has posted only once — about two weeks ago.
Instead, he's given his comments to radio and TV hosts.
Had he prioritized his reactions to Truth Social, it would have caused every media outlet to mention the app.
The bottom line: The SPAC that agreed to take Truth Social public is valued at over $3.5 billion — and seems to be betting that a large percentage of Trump's 88 million Twitter followers will migrate over to Truth Social.
Nearly two weeks after launch, his dormant account has fewer than 80,000 followers.” Read more at Axios
“Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia outlined a spending plan, including climate policies, that he could support.” Read more at New York Times
“LOS ANGELES (AP) — An estimated 38.2 million TV viewers watched President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, according to Nielsen ratings.
That surpassed the audience of 37.2 million for Donald Trump’s last such address in 2020, but fell short of the 45.6 million who tuned in for Trump’s first State of the Union speech in 2018.
Nielsen said it was ‘important to note’ that this year’s tally reflects the additional measurement of out-of-home viewing and viewership on streaming-enabled TV sets that rely on devices such as Roku or Xbox.
When the latter measurement is taken into account, viewership can increase as much as 13% for televised political events, Nielsen said.
Biden’s first address to Congress after taking office, in 2021, drew about 27 million people, while Trump’s comparable 2017 inaugural joint session of Congress address was seen by 47.7 million.” Read more at AP News
“WASHINGTON—A coalition of state attorneys general is launching an investigation into TikTok, seeking information about whether and how the video-sharing platform contributes to online harms to children.
The move is an extension of an investigation unveiled by the same group of eight state attorneys general into Meta Platforms Inc.’s Instagram that focuses on similar concerns. The expansion adds fast-growing TikTok—owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd.—to the list of targets under scrutiny. The concern that social media harms young people was one subject of a series of stories in The Wall Street Journal last year.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“CHICAGO—Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on charges of racketeering conspiracy, bribery, wire fraud and extortion. The 22-count indictment comes a little more than a year after he was voted out by the Democratic Party caucus as the longest-serving state house speaker in U.S. history.
Mr. Madigan, 79 years old, faced a yearslong probe into alleged schemes, including allegations that Commonwealth Edison, the state’s largest utility, had handed out jobs and internships to his associates to pass friendly legislation.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Rep. Van Taylor (R-Tex.) on Wednesday abruptly dropped his reelection bid, acknowledging in an email to supporters that he had engaged in an extramarital affair.
The announcement came one day after Taylor was forced into a runoff against former Collin County judge Keith Self (R), who took 26.5 percent of Tuesday’s primary day vote to Taylor’s 48.7 percent.
News of Taylor’s affair with Tania Joya, a former Islamist militant who now works to ‘reprogram’ other extremists, had circulated on conservative websites in the days leading up to the primary. Joya told the Dallas Morning News that she and Taylor had an affair from October 2020 to June 2021.” Read more at Washington Post
“HELSINKI (AP) — Through the Cold War and the decades since, nothing could persuade Finns and Swedes that they would be better off joining NATO — until now.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has profoundly changed Europe’s security outlook, including for Nordic neutrals Finland and Sweden, where support for joining NATO has surged to record levels.
A poll commissioned by Finnish broadcaster YLE this week showed that, for the first time, more than 50% of Finns support joining the Western military alliance. In neighboring Sweden, a similar poll showed those in favor of NATO membership outnumber those against.
“The unthinkable might start to become thinkable,” tweeted former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, a proponent of NATO membership.” Read more at AP News
“In a year in which Xi Jinping sought a smooth ride to securing a precedent-breaking third term as China’s top leader, he’s facing a slew of crises.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine just weeks after President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing is only one of Xi’s problems. The economy is experiencing its weakest growth in more than three decades (apart from 2020). The housing market is seeing mounting defaults. And a crackdown on the country’s biggest technology companies has scared off investors.
Key reading:
Xi Jinping Engulfed in Crises Just When He Wanted Stability Most
Overwhelming UN Vote Makes China’s Ukraine Balancing Act Harder
China Widens Abuse Crackdown as New ‘Caged Woman’ Case Emerges
China Holds Talks With Ukraine, Further Edging Away From Russia
So far, Xi has managed to avoid any major fallout. The Beijing Winter Olympics ended without any serious protests, and China has avoided a massive omicron outbreak like the one slamming Hong Kong. His government is now recalibrating its position on Ukraine.
The biggest challenge will be for Xi to prevent social unrest stemming from an economic slowdown. To that end, investors will be closely watching for any moves to boost growth as around 3,000 delegates meet on Saturday for the annual session of the National People’s Congress, China’s legislature.
Already the central bank has cut interest rates and the government has pledged tax cuts. The Politburo has signaled more support is coming.
While the Communist Party can control what happens within China, more external shocks could complicate Xi’s carefully choreographed plan to stay in power.” — Dan Ten Kate Read more at Bloomberg
A trash collector in front of a billboard in Shanghai featuring Xi on Aug. 30, 2021.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
“Plastic’s ozone moment. Almost 200 countries have agreed to begin talks on an international agreement to reduce plastic waste and pollution after a meeting of the U.N. Environmental Assembly in Nairobi. Alejandra Parra and Claire Arkin argued earlier this week, any future treaty should follow in the footsteps of the Montreal Protocol, a largely successful international deal which phased out the production of chemicals harmful to the earth’s ozone layer.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Korea’s election. The race to become South Korea’s next president is in its final week with Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung and conservative Yoon Suk-yeol in a tight race according to the latest polls. A survey released on Wednesday, the last day polling is allowed to be published before the March 9 vote, found 46.3 percent of respondents favoured Yoon while 43.1 percent preferred Lee.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“The U.S. ranks 38th in the world on the 2022 SDG Gender Index, which tracks the empowerment of women and girls across a variety of metrics — from health to education to workplace rights, Axios' Emily Peck writes.
The report relies on pre-COVID data. Its authors warn the picture is even worse today.
The report found that wealthier nations tend to rank higher for gender equality. But the U.S. ranks closer to less-wealthy nations like South Korea and Costa Rica.
What's next: March is Women's History Month. Expect a raft of data and information on women's economic standing.” Read more at Axios
“Major League baseball and the players union could meet again Thursday, two days after the sides could not reach a collective bargaining agreement. If both parties return to the negotiating table, it comes after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced the league was canceling Opening Day and the first two series of the 2022 season due to the ongoing lockout. The lockout continues with no immediate end in sight, with both sides blaming each other for not getting a deal done. Moreover, the players and management disagree on core economic issues, ranging from minimum salaries to arbitration eligibility to how many teams will make the playoffs.” Read more at USA Today
“Lives Lived: Autherine Lucy Foster’s quest to become the first Black graduate of the University of Alabama lasted a few days before the school suspended and later expelled her. Her fight led to sustained integration there. She died at 92.” Read more at New York Times
Ken Duberstein talks to Tim Russert on NBC's ‘Meet the Press’ on June 6, 2004. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
“Kenneth M. Duberstein — final White House chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan and one of Washington's most connected people — died Wednesday at 77, his wife, Jackie Fain Duberstein, tells me.
Ken had been ill and retired recently from his firm, The Duberstein Group, which will continue with his younger partners. He died at Sibley Memorial Hospital in D.C.
Duberstein, a consultant to ‘The West Wing,’ was a gregarious presence at Washington parties, in network greenrooms and in New York boardrooms — forever beloved by the press for all the leaking he did during the Reagan years.
When he and Jackie were married in 2003, the officiant was Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Duberstein had been the sherpa for Souter's confirmation. The music? Marvin Hamlisch.
I was always struck by the fact that he loved being Ken Duberstein. When I told Jackie that last night, she said: "He did!"
Ken Duberstein, then the new White House chief of staff, in his West Wing office in 1988. Photo: Dirck Halstead/Getty Images
Under Reagan, Duberstein also was deputy chief of staff and was head of legislative affairs. He had been Boeing's longest-serving lead director, had been on other corporate boards, including Travelers, and was a leader at Harvard's Institute of Politics.
He was still on the Brookings board, was an honorary trustee of the Kennedy Center and was an emeritus trustee of his alma mater, Franklin & Marshall College, in Pennsylvania.” Read more at Axios
“NASCAR Hall of Fame owner Richard Childress is offering to donate one million rounds of ammunition to the Ukrainian Armed Forces to help in the ongoing war with Russia.” Read more at USA Today
“Farrah Forke, best known for her role as helicopter pilot Alex Lambert on the ‘90s sitcom ‘Wings,’ has died, according to Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, People and Deadline. She was 54.” Read more at USA Today