The Full Belmonte, 5/9/2022
Vladimir Putin watches the Victory Day military parade in Moscow's Red Square today. Photo: Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik via Getty Images
Delivering a major speech in Moscow's Red Square today, Vladimir Putin drew a direct parallel between his invasion of Ukraine and the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany 77 years ago.
‘You are fighting for the Motherland, for its future,’ Putin told Russia's armed forces.
‘So that no one forgets the lessons of the Second World War. So that there is no place in the world for executioners, punishers and Nazis.’
Why it matters: Putin didn't use his Victory Day speech to officially declare war on Ukraine or fully mobilize Russia's reservists, as some Western officials feared he would.
Instead, he turned his ire and propaganda on the U.S., NATO and the ‘Nazis’ they support in Kyiv — claiming that a clash was ‘inevitable’ and that Russia moved preemptively against Ukraine to defend itself.
Putin also took the rare step of recognizing the casualties his troops have suffered in Ukraine: ‘We bow our heads before our comrades-in-arms, who died the death of the brave in a righteous battle — for Russia.’
Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers parade through Red Square today. Photo: Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky used his own Victory Day speech to accuse Putin of ‘repeating the horrific crimes of Hitler's regime today’ — and to declare that ‘sooner or later, we will win.’
‘This is not a war of two armies. This is a war of two worldviews,’ Zelensky said as he walked the streets of Kyiv.” Read more at Axios
“President Joe Biden will deliver remarks on inflation tomorrow as Americans continue to struggle with rising costs everywhere from grocery stores to gas pumps. ‘He'll detail his plan to fight inflation and lower costs for working families, and contrast his approach with Congressional Republicans' ultra-MAGA plan to raise taxes on 75 million American families and threaten to sunset programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid,’ a White House official said. A recent CNN poll found 8 in 10 US adults said the federal government wasn't doing enough to curb inflation, and a majority said the President's policies have hurt the economy. Inflation rates have been increasing sharply since August 2021 and have been out of the normal 2%-to-4% range for a full year. The Consumer Price Index rose 8.5% for the year ending in March -- a level not seen since 1981.” Read more at Axios
“Democrats plan Senate vote to open debate on abortion access. Supporters of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify protections established by Roe v. Wade, concede the bill has no chance of passing in the 50-50 chamber. But Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that, with the 1973 decision under threat of reversal, Wednesday's vote will be more than an abstract exercise: ‘We’re going to see where everyone stands.’” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Shelling continued Saturday at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, southeastern Ukraine.
PHOTO: ALEXEI ALEXANDROV/ASSOCIATED PRESS“A Russian airstrike is believed to have killed some 60 villagers who had taken refuge in a school in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, authorities there said. Rescuers pulled 30 survivors from the rubble, the regional governor said.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“UZHHOROD, Ukraine — Jill Biden, the first lady, traveled to western Ukraine in an unannounced trip on Sunday, the latest show of support from the United States, which in recent weeks has significantly increased military aid for Ukraine and sent others close to President Biden into the country.
Dr. Biden met Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, at a school converted to assist refugees who had come from other parts of the country to Uzhhorod, a town of 100,000 people a few miles from the border with Slovakia. Ms. Zelenska, the wife of President Volodymyr Zelensky, had not been seen in public since Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24.
‘I thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people that this war has to stop, and this war has been brutal,’ Dr. Biden told reporters as she sat at a table across from Ms. Zelenska, ‘and that the people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine.’
Dr. Biden made her trip on a day of public displays of support for Ukraine, with visits from Bono and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, and as rescuers searched for survivors from a Russian airstrike on a school in the east that officials feared had left dozens dead. In Kyiv, a team of senior American diplomats returned to the U.S. Embassy for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, a move that coincided with Victory in Europe Day.” Read more at New York Times
“When Ukraine's forces repelled Russian troops from the Kyiv region earlier in the war, they did so with the help of civilians who battled in their own way: calling in Ukrainian artillery strikes on a vital lifeline that Russia had mapped out for its assault on the capital.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Data credit: Our World in Data, History.com, Axios research. Graphic: Kavya Beheraj/Axios
This week, the U.S. will likely reach the once unthinkable milestone of 1 million deaths from COVID-19.
The actual number of lives lost is likely much higher. But the official tally is a reminder of how much the pandemic has dwarfed even the grimmest forecasts, Axios' Tina Reed writes.
America is averaging around 300 deaths a day — down from highs that once exceeded 3,000 a day.
The Biden administration is warning the U.S. could see 100 million COVID infections — and a big wave of deaths — this fall and winter, driven by new omicron subvariants, The Washington Post reports.” Read more at Axios
“High-speed plan | U.S. President Joe Biden will announce today that 20 companies have agreed to offer high-speed internet plans that are essentially free to millions of low-income households, administration officials said. Almost a quarter of 48 million eligible families are already enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program.
Congressional Democrats should rein in tech giants as the companies seek to stall antitrust laws by arguing Americans care more about privacy than competition, advocacy groups say.” Read more at Bloomberg
“The Biden administration is issuing a new warning that the US could potentially see 100 million Covid-19 infections this fall and winter. The White House is sharing these estimates as officials are publicly stressing the need for more funding from Congress to combat the virus. With an anticipated rise in coronavirus cases driven by an offshoot of the Omicron subvariant BA.2, health experts say now is not the time to loosen precaution measures, especially as many people are attending graduations and other large gatherings this month. ‘These new variants are so contagious that a cloth mask just isn't sufficient. You really should be wearing a high-quality respirator mask, like an N95, KN95 or KF94,’ CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen said.” Read more at CNN
“Hundreds of day cares are closed today as educators go on strike. More than 200 child care and early learning providers across the U.S. have decided to close their doors Monday to demand greater public investment in their services . Early childhood professionals say they're frustrated by a lack of progress on policy promises such as better wages and expanded subsidies. Few providers make much of a profit and many are in the red: Teaching and caring for young children is as expensive as it is essential.” Read more at USA Today
“For months now, stores nationwide have been struggling to stock enough baby formula. Manufacturers say they're producing at full capacity and making as much formula as they can, but it's still not enough to meet current demand. The out-of-stock rate for formula stands at 40%, statistics show. In six states -- Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri, Texas and Tennessee -- more than half of baby formula was completely sold out during the week starting April 24. Pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens confirmed that their stores are limiting customers nationwide to three toddler and infant formulas per transaction. Other major retailers like Target and Walmart are also imposing similar constraints on baby formula purchases.” Read more at CNN
“The State Department said Sunday it is ‘closely monitoring’ a Royal Bahamian Police investigation into the deaths of three Americans at a Bahamas resort.” Read more at USA Today
“It has been a week since a former Alabama corrections officer and an inmate charged with murder went missing from a jail, and authorities remain in the dark on where the pair may have gone. On Friday, the vehicle officials believe Vicky White, 56, and inmate Casey White, 38, were traveling in during their escape from the Lauderdale County Detention Center in Alabama was located in a Tennessee tow lot and completely cleaned out, Sheriff Rick Singleton said. The two are not related, but may have had a romantic relationship, officials said. Investigators also believe Vicky White's experience in law enforcement has helped the pair escape capture. She now has an active arrest warrant for allegedly permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree.” Read more at CNN
“There is a well-established but uneven pattern in American law that applies to government secrets and the journalists who uncover them. The First Amendment generally protects the publication of a leak, but not the leaker.
An authority no less than the Supreme Court has made it this way. In 1971, as the justices prepared to rule that the government could not prevent The New York Times from publishing the Pentagon Papers — one of the biggest leak cases in history — the source of that leak, Daniel Ellsberg, was indicted by a federal grand jury for theft.
The court is now grappling with one of the most significant disclosures of a government secret since then: the release of a draft opinion that sets the framework for overturning Roe v. Wade.
Only this time the leak came from inside the building. And there is no law or written code of conduct that suggests how an investigation into such a breach should proceed, or whether the journalists at Politico who brought the draft to light will be swept up in the kind of criminal investigation that top Republican lawmakers have demanded.” Read more at New York Times
“Disturbing scenes | Videos of people being dragged from their homes by health workers in hazmat suits coursed through Chinese social media yesterday before being pulled down on some platforms, as Shanghai’s lockdown enters its seventh week and pandemic curbs are tightened in Beijing. China’s pursuit of a Covid Zero strategy is leaving it increasingly isolated, with other parts of the world opting to live alongside the virus.
China’s exports and imports struggled in April as the Covid outbreak cut demand, undermined production and disrupted logistics in the world’s second-largest economy.” Read more at Bloomberg
“‘New era’ | Northern Ireland witnessed a historic election result as Sinn Fein, which favors unification with the Republic of Ireland, won the largest number of seats in the assembly for the first time, earning the chance to nominate its leader Michelle O’Neill as the region’s first minister. The vote showed the parties backing a unionist future with Britain are in retreat while the centrist and pro-EU Alliance Party made gains.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Sri Lanka imposed a nationwide curfew as supporters of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa clashed with protesters demanding he (and his brother, the president) resign amid the nation’s worst economic crisis since independence.” Read more at Bloomberg
“The era of tough-talking Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is ending. On Monday, Filipinos will vote for his successor, raising questions about how much of his legacy will endure. The front-runner is Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the country’s late dictator, and his running mate is the outgoing president’s daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
John Lee at a rally in Hong Kong on Friday. Photo: Kin Cheung/AP
“In an ‘election’ where he was the only candidate, hardliner John Lee was named Hong Kong's new leader — a move by Beijing to tighten its grip on the city, BBC reports.
Lee oversaw the sometimes violent crackdowns on pro-democracy protests in 2019.
The 64-year-old replaces outgoing chief executive Carrie Lam.” Read more at Axios
“Macron meets Scholz. French President Emmanuel Macron makes his first foreign trip since his reelection when he visits German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin today. The two are expected to discuss defense and energy issues, according to Macron’s office, and will hold a joint press conference following their meeting.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Authorities in Rome have banned picnics in northern parts of the city after a wild boar infestation there has led to concerns over the spread of African swine fever. The disease, which is harmless in humans, was detected in a dead boar last week in a nearby nature reserve.
The picnic ban is part of a number of measures to address Rome’s boar population, which have included fencing off trash bins as well as self-imposed curfews to avoid attacks.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“BOSTON (AP) — Celebrity chef Mario Batali’s pandemic-delayed trial on sexual misconduct allegations opens Monday in Boston.
Batali pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecent assault and battery in 2019, stemming from accusations that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman after taking a selfie with her at a Boston restaurant in 2017. The woman says Batali noticed her photographing him and invited her to take one together, then touched and kissed her repeatedly without her consent.
If convicted, Batali could face up to 2 1/2 years in jail and be required to register as a sex offender. He’s expected to be in court throughout the proceedings, which should last about two days once jury selection is complete, said Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office.” Read more at AP News
“53% — The percentage of new college graduates who said their starting salary was greater than they expected, according to a survey of more than 1,000 college seniors from TimelyMD, a telehealth company. The most in-demand graduates to enter the job market in years, members of the class of 2022 are seeking more money, flexibility and the chance to come into an office.
168,000 acres — The size of a wildfire in New Mexico that has destroyed 172 homes and prompted evacuation orders for nearly 16,000 households. With wind gusts approaching 75 miles an hour turning fires that might otherwise be manageable into fast-spreading infernos, firefighters fear a difficult season ahead.
$4,000 — The amount Amazon would reimburse annually for travel expenses for medical treatments, including abortions, that employees can’t access within 100 miles of their homes. A small but growing number of companies, also including Tesla, Citigroup and Apple, are offering these benefits as the landscape of state and federal abortion policy in America is shifting.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
In 1977, Mayor Ed Koch addresses supporters as Bess Myerson, his faux ‘first lady,’ looks on. Photo: Charles Ruppmann/New York Daily News via Getty Images
“Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, who died in 2013 at age 88, was assumed to be gay — but, to the end, refused to say so.
‘The New York Times has assembled a portrait of the life Mr. Koch lived, the secrets he carried and the city he helped shape as he carried them,’ Matt Flegenheimer and Rosa Goldensohn write at the start of their 4,900-word ‘The Secrets Ed Koch Carried.’
‘The story of Mr. Koch that emerges from those interviews is one defined by early political calculation, the exhaustion of perpetual camouflage and, eventually, flashes of regret about all he had missed out on.’
Why it matters: ‘[I]t is a reminder that not so long ago in a bastion of liberalism, which has since seen openly gay people serve in Congress and lead the City Council, homophobia was a force potent enough to keep an ambitious man from leaving the closet.’
Behind the scenes: In ‘Why We Wrote the Story,’ deputy managing editor Carolyn Ryan says Koch's dual lives are ‘especially resonant at this moment, as we watch openly gay politicians rise on the city and national stage, and gay rights once again become the center of major national debates.’” Read more at Axios
For Mya Pol, a fourth-year student at UMass Amherst, the return to in-person classes has been discouraging. PHOTO: JULIE BIDWELL FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
“Universities have returned in person, but some disabled students don’t want to go back.
Mya Pol said it takes her about 30 minutes to get from her dorm at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to her communications class. The trip across campus would take most of her peers less than half that time, she said. Pol, a 21-year-old senior communications major, uses a wheelchair. She said that every day she wonders how different her college experience would have been if she could have attended classes remotely, as she has during most of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now amid a broader return to normalcy, many universities have come back in person. Some students who have difficulty getting to class aren’t ready for the change. Remote learning during the pandemic had its drawbacks. Social interactions waned, and in the fall of 2020, more than two-thirds of college students in the U.S. struggled with loneliness. But for those who have trouble attending class in person, remote learning offered more flexibility than ever before.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Mickey Gilley, the singer and piano player whose Texas nightclub was the inspiration for the movie ‘Urban Cowboy’ and the glittering country music revival that accompanied it, died on Saturday at a hospital in Branson, Mo. He was 86.
His publicist, Zach Farnum, announced the death but did not cite a cause.
A honey-toned singer with a warm, unhurried delivery, Mr. Gilley had 17 No. 1 country singles from 1974 to 1983, including ‘I Overlooked an Orchid’ and ‘Don’t the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time.’
He placed 34 singles in the country Top Ten during his two decades on the charts. But he was ultimately best known as the proprietor, with Sherwood Cryer, of Gilley’s, the honky-tonk in Pasadena, Texas, that became one of the most storied nightspots in country music.
Established in 1971 as a local bar catering to 9-to-5ers in and around Pasadena, an oil refinery town near Houston, Gilley’s was large, encompassing 48,000 square feet, with a parquet dance floor that could accommodate up to 5,000 people. Among the hall’s main attractions was its mechanical bull, a repurposed piece of rodeo-training equipment on which the club’s more intrepid patrons vied to see who could ride the longest before being thrown off.
Just as striking was the synchronized line dancing of its boot-scooting regulars, attired, as was the fashion, in crisply pressed Wranglers, big, gleaming belt buckles and immaculately cared-for Stetson hats.
Extending rodeo iconography beyond the provinces of the American West, Gilley’s shaped dance scenes in cities and suburbs across the nation, especially after an article by Aaron Latham about the club, ‘The Ballad of the Urban Cowboy: America’s Search for True Grit,’ appeared in Esquire magazine in 1978.
Two years later, Paramount Pictures released the feature film ‘Urban Cowboy,’ starring John Travolta and Debra Winger and directed by James Bridges. Much of the film was shot at Gilley’s.
‘Country Night Fever’ was how Mr. Gilley characterized the movie in interviews, alluding to ‘Saturday Night Fever,’ the disco-themed 1977 movie that also starred Mr. Travolta. Nevertheless — even as ‘Urban Cowboy’ helped country music become more popular than disco — Mr. Gilley was quick to add that ‘Urban Cowboy’ cast his establishment in a glossier light than its warehouselike ambience, mud-wrestling contests and reputation as a hotbed for brawling might have warranted.” Read more at New York Times
“Lives Lived: George Pérez, a self-taught artist from the South Bronx, created comics for Marvel and DC. In the 1980s he gave new life to Wonder Woman, leaning into the Greek mythology of her origin story. Pérez died at 67.” Read more at New York Times
Photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Reuters
This item contains a Wordle spoiler for players who are served an old version of today's puzzle, which was replaced for most users.
“The New York Times swapped out today's Wordle word after discovering last week that the five-letter answer relates to Roe v. Wade. But the original word was serving for some users.
If you want to see the original word, click here.
In ‘A Note About Today’s Wordle Game,’ The Times — which bought Wordle from creator Josh Wardle in January — explains: ‘[W]e take our role seriously as a place to entertain and escape, and we want Wordle to remain distinct from the news.’
‘But because of the current Wordle technology, it can be difficult to change words that have already been loaded into the game. When we discovered last week that this particular word would be featured today, we switched it for as many solvers as possible.’
‘You won't receive the outdated version if you have refreshed your browser window. But we know that some people won’t do that and, as a result, will be asked to solve the outdated puzzle.’
The Times bought Wordle for a ‘price in the low-seven figures.’
The company reported last week that Wordle has brought ‘tens of millions of new users to The Times.’” Read more at Axios
Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images
“Sex Education actor Ncuti Gatwa will be the next to play The Doctor in Doctor Who. He'll be the first Black actor — and one of the youngest — to get the role.” Read more at NPR
“Nepali mountaineer Kami Rita Sherp has made history again, breaking his own world record for number of ascents of Mount Everest.” Read more at NPR