For now, links reports from Agence France-Presse, Reuters, the Associated Press, Tass, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Putin says will deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. From AFP. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday he would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighbor and ally Belarus, bringing the arms to a country at the gates of the European Union. He also said he would deploy depleted uranium ammunition if Kyiv received . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine slams Putin plan to station Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, by Dan Peleschuk | Reuters KYIV — A top security adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said today that Russian plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus would destabilise that country, which he said had been taken “hostage” by Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the decision on Saturday, sending  . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia ‘largely stalled’ in Bakhmut, shifting focus, UK says. From AP.  KYIV — Britain’s Defense Ministry said in its latest intelligence update that “Russia’s assault on the Donbas town of Bakhmut has largely stalled. This is likely primarily a result of extreme attrition of the Russian force.” READ MORE . . .

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About 70 Ukrainian military surrender in DPR in past two weeks, says source. From Tass. DONETSK — About 70 servicemen of the Ukrainian armed forces have laid down arms and surrendered to Russian forces in the past two weeks on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), an officer from a region’s security agency told TASS today. According to . . . READ MORE . . .

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New Russian campaign tries to entice men to fight in Ukraine, by Dasha Litvinova | AP  TALLINN, Estonia — Advertisements promise cash bonuses and enticing benefits. Recruiters are making cold calls to eligible men. Enlistment offices are working with universities and social service agencies to lure students and the unemployed. As fighting grinds on in Ukrainian battlegrounds like Bakhmut and . . . READ MORE . . .

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The ‘Ukrainian Banksy’ has remained in Kharkiv despite Russian attacks. Reported by Eleanor Beardsley | NPR  Kharkiv was attacked but did not fall to the Russians. Thousands of residents fled, but one street artist — called the “Ukrainian Banksy” — remained and continued his work. Click HERE to listen and later, read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from National Public Radio, Reuters, AFP, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, a link to commentary from the Berkshire Eagle’s foreign affairs writer. — MCM

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The IMF’s $15.6 billion loan to Ukraine will be its first to a country at war. Reported by Scott Simon | NPR  The IMF’s new loan to Ukraine will be its first to a country at war. Scott Simon of NPR speaks with Scheherazade Rehman, professor at George Washington University, about the agreement’s significance. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Russia presses along Ukraine front after reports of Bakhmut slowdown, by Mike Collett-White | Reuters  * Fighting along Donbas front as Russia presses offensive * Kyiv says civilians killed in strike on shelter * Red Cross says civilians in Bakhmut at limits of survival * Biden and Trudeau reaffirm ‘steadfast’ support for Ukraine | NEAR KREMINNA, Ukraine — Russian forces attacked northern and southern stretches of the front in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region on Friday, even as Kyiv said Moscow’s assault was flagging near the city of Bakhmut. Click HERE for a summary of developments related to the war.

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Ukraine says ‘managing to stabilize’ battle for Bakhmut. From AFP. The frontline situation is “the toughest in the Bakhmut direction,” the head of Ukraine’s armed forces Valery Zaluzhny said late Friday. “Due to the tremendous efforts of the Defense Forces, we . . . READ MORE . . .

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Biden says China ‘hasn’t yet’ delivered arms to Russia. From AFP. U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday said he believed China has not sent arms to Russia after President Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine. “I’ve been . . . READ MORE . . .

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Results of Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia matter, not Western reaction – Kremlin. From Tass. MOSCOW — It is the results of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia that matter, not the Western coverage that was predictably hostile, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday. “Undoubtedly, the most important . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia becomes China’s little brother, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  For hundreds of years, Moscow surrounded itself with satellite countries run by obsequious rulers. From the Soviet days, think of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and East Germany. Now, . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Inside Ukraine’s scramble for ‘game-changer’ drone fleet, by Max Hunder | Reuters  AeroDrone, which made crop-dusting drones prior to the war and now supplies Ukraine’s armed forces, makes unmanned aircraft that can carry up to 300 kilograms or fly up to several thousand kilometres in certain . . . READ MORE . . .

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Elderly Ukrainian helicopters pummel Russians from afar. From AP. DONETSK REGION, Ukraine — Each day, three Ukrainian Soviet-era attack helicopters might deploy three or four sorties to the front lines in the fight against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, says a commander. “We are carrying out . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia aware West putting pressure on countries who opted not to join sanctions – Kremlin. From Tass. MOSCOW — “It’s not news that the countries of the collective West headed by the U.S. are putting blatant, undue pressure on a slew of nations that choose not to join the illegal restrictions imposed against Russia,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today. “Those countries themselves . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, a link to analysis posted Tuesday by Moon of Alabama, which has garnered extensive comments. — MCM

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A look at the uranium-based ammo the UK will send to Ukraine, by Tara Copp | AP  WASHINGTON — Russia threatened to escalate attacks in Ukraine after the British government announced it would provide a type of munition to Ukraine that Moscow falsely claims has nuclear components. The British defense ministry on Monday confirmed it would provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says Russia’s Bakhmut assault loses steam, counterstrike coming soon, by Pavel Polityuk | Reuters  * Russia ‘running out of steam’ in Bakhmut, Ukraine commander says * Wagner boss has sounded pessimistic lately * Battle for Bakhmut has been longest, bloodiest of war | KYIV — Ukrainian troops, on the defensive for four months, will launch a long-awaited counterassault “very soon” now that Russia’s huge winter offensive is losing steam without taking Bakhmut, Ukraine’s top ground forces commander said today. The remarks by Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi were the strongest indication yet from Kyiv that it is close to shifting tactics, having . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says ‘will take advantage’ of Russian fatigue in Bakhmut ’very soon.’ From AFP. A senior Ukrainian military commander said today that a counterattack could be launched soon against “exhausted” Russian forces near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the stage for the longest battle of Moscow’s invasion. “The aggressor has not given up hope of taking Bakhmut at all costs despite losses in manpower and equipment,” said the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Oleksandr Syrsky. “Russia’s main fighting force on this . . . READ MORE . . .

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Western sanctions aimed to make Russian people suffer, says PM Mishustin. From Tass. MOSCOW — The West tried to hit Russian citizens themselves with sanctions, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said today. “In the very beginning, the West tried to assure us that the sanctions were not aimed against our citizens. Now even a person far from global politics understands: the main target . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine SitRep – Avdiivka, by Moon of Alabama | moonofalabama.org (March 21) Bakhmut is encircled. All roads in and out of it are under Russian artillery fire. Over the last three days fighting has largely stopped there. Meanwhile other encirclement has taken place in Avdiivka: Avdiivka (Ukrainian: Авдіївка, IPA: [ɐu̯ˈd(j)ijiu̯kɐ]; is a city of regional significance in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The city is located in the center of the oblast, just north of the city of Donetsk. The large Avdiivka Coke Plant is . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

Forthwith, the beginning of an article by a Washington, D.C.-based investigative reporter following up on his Feb. 8 report on the pipeline explosions in the Baltic Sea last September that stopped the flow of natural gas from Russia to Germany. — MCM

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The coverup: The Biden Administration continues to conceal its responsibility for the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines

By Seymour Hersh

It’s been six weeks since I published a report, based on anonymous sourcing, naming President Joe Biden as the official who ordered the mysterious destruction last September of Nord Stream 2, a new $11-billion pipeline that was scheduled to double the volume of natural gas delivered from Russia to Germany. The story gained traction in Germany and Western Europe, but was subject to a near media blackout in the US. Two weeks ago, after a visit by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Washington, US and German intelligence agencies attempted to add to the blackout by feeding the New York Times and the German weekly Die Zeit false cover stories to counter the report that Biden and US operatives were responsible for the pipelines’ destruction.

Press aides for the White House and Central Intelligence Agency have consistently denied that America was responsible for exploding the pipelines, and those pro forma denials were more than enough for the White House press corps. There is no evidence that any reporter assigned there has yet to ask the White House press secretary whether Biden had done what any serious leader would do: formally “task” the American intelligence community to conduct a deep investigation, with all of its assets, and find out just who had done the deed in the Baltic Sea. According to a source within the intelligence community, the president has not done so, nor will he. Why not? Because he knows the answer.

Sarah Miller—an energy expert and an editor at Energy Intelligence, which publishes leading trade journals—explained to me in an interview why the pipeline story has been big news in Germany and Western Europe. “The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines in September led to a further surge of natural gas prices that were already six or more times pre-crisis levels,” she said. “Nord Stream was blown up in late September. German gas imports peaked a month later, in October, at 10 times pre-crisis levels. Electricity prices across Europe were pulled up, and governments spent as much as 800 billion euros, by some estimates, shielding households and businesses from the impact. Gas prices, reflecting the mild winter in Europe, have now fallen back to roughly a quarter of the October peak, but they are still between two and three times pre-crisis levels and are more than three times current US rates. Over the last year, German and other European manufacturers . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from Reuters, Politico, Tass, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, via Popular Resistance, commentary by a foreign affairs blogger.— MCM

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Russian drones swarm Kyiv in display of force as Xi leaves Moscow, by Dan Peleschuk | Reuters  * Xi departs after show of solidarity with Putin * At least four killed in dormitory south of Kyiv | KYIV — Russia launched a swarm of drones into Ukraine overnight, killing at least four people near Kyiv in a display of force as China’s President Xi Jinping left Moscow with promises of friendship but little public mention of the war. The military said it had shot down 16 of 21 Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones. Two accommodation blocks and an educational facility in the riverside town of Rzhyshchiv south of the capital were partially destroyed, the State Emergency Service said. Four people were killed there and others buried under . . .  READ MORE . . .

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U.S. speeds up deliveries of Abrams tanks, Patriot systems to Ukraine, by Lara Seligman and Paul McLeary | Politico  FORT SILL, Okla. — The U.S. is accelerating the training and delivery of Abrams tanks and Patriot missile defense systems for Ukraine, as preparations ramp up for expected heavy fighting this year. Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia calls on U.S. not to escalate situation, says senior diplomat. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia urges the United States not to continue down the path of escalation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said reporters today, commenting on calls by members of the Congress to supply Kiev with cluster munitions. He said the U.S. again proved its direct involvement in the Ukrainian crisis by supplying Kiev with more . . . READ MORE . . .

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For Russia and China, ties with the West are strained. Reported by Charles Maynes and John Ruwitch | NPR  China’s leader Xi Jinping was in Moscow this week on a highly watched state visit. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Geopolitical rumblings leave U.S. behind, by Moon of Alabama.| Educate!  Over the last month we have seen astonishing geopolitical developments. In February China publicly lambasted U.S. hegemony, launched a global security initiative and offered a peace plan for Ukraine. On March 10 China mediated an agreement which restored relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. On March 15 Moscow rolled out the red carpet for the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. On March 19 al-Assad and his wife Asma arrived in the UAE for  . . . READ MORE . . .

A chunk of a new post by “an American feminist author, journalist and conspiracy theorist” (per Wikipedia) appears below, thanks to a recommendation by Robert W. Malone, M.D.— MCM

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The death of culture: How lies killed books

By Naomi Wolf

The staffers at the Brooklyn branch of Jackson McNally Bookstore, an independent bookstore which had for years been a stalwart outpost of free-thinking publishing, were still masked, against all reason. I walked in with some trepidation.

Peacefully, faces covered, three years on, they stacked books on the shelves.

I was astonished, as I wandered the well-stocked aisles. Independent bookstores usually reflect the burning issues in a culture at that given time.

But — now — nothing.

It takes about two years to write a book, and about six months to publish one. It was surely time for the new important books from public intellectuals, about the world-historical years through which we had just lived, to appear.

But — no.

In the center of an altar to literate culture, it was as if the years 2020-2023 simply did not exist and had never existed.

This can’t be possible, I thought. This all — the “pandemic,” lockdowns, denial of education for children, forced masking, forced vaccinations, “mandates” — a crashed economy — globally — this all, as an aggregate, was of course the most important thing ever to have happened to us as a generation of intellectuals.

I kept on searching the stacks. Nothing.

I checked the Top Ten Nonfiction Books in Time.

None had to do with the pandemic policies or the “lockdowns” or the mandated mRNA injections into billions of humans. [https://time.com/6238717/best-nonfiction-books-2022/]

I surveyed the lanes lined with books, perplexed and . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from Reuters, National Public Radio, Agence France-Presse, Tass, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, via Popular Resistance, an investigative article from Grayzone. — MCM

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Putin praised by China’s Xi on visit to Moscow U.S. denounces as cover for war crimes. From Reuters. * Visit follows Putin arrest warrant for war crimes * Fighting continues in east * China seeks to broker Ukraine peace, Kyiv wants Russia out * Kyiv hopes to speak to Xi * Russian fighter jets scramble over Black Sea | Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping were due to hold further talks on Tuesday amid Western criticism that Xi’s visit was giving a boost to Moscow as it struggles to make ground in its year-long war on Ukraine. The two men spoke for more than four hours on Monday and . . . READ MORE . . .

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China’s Xi Jinping flexes his diplomatic muscle with a visit to Moscow, by John Ruwitch | NPR  China’s leader Xi Jinping landed in Moscow on Monday to show support for Russian leader Vladimir Putin and probe possible steps toward peace in Ukraine. After the three-day visit to Russia, Xi is expected to have talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The conversation would be the first since the start of the war. Click HERE to read more and listen.

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Xi says invited Putin to visit China this year: Russian news agencies. From AFP. Chinese President Xi Jinping said today that he had invited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to visit China this year “at a time that is convenient for him,” according to Russian news agencies. READ MORE . . .

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West watches Xi-Putin meetings to see what they might mean for the war in Ukraine. Reported by Leila Fadel and Charles Maynes | NPR  China’s president Xi Jinping and Russia’s president Vladimir Putin begin their second day of a state visit in Moscow. Center stage is what this may — or may not mean — for the war in Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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EU disburses another 1.5 bln euros in assistance to Ukraine. From Tass. BRUSSELS — The European Union has disbursed another 1.5 bln euros in macro-financial assistance to Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said today. She said the EU’s support, totaling 18 bln euros in 2023, “helps keep Ukraine running, while defending itself.” It also “puts Ukraine firmly . . . READ MORE . . .

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At Ukraine’s front, police try to evacuate holdout families, by Elena Becatoros | AP  AVDIIVKA, Ukraine — Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, about 25,000 people lived in battered front-line town of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine. Despite the shelling, about 2,000 civilians remain, police chief Roman Protsyk said. It has fallen to police to try to persuade people to leave. A special unit . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Rigorous’ Maidan massacre exposé suppressed by top academic journal, by Kit Klarenberg | TheGrayzone. The massacre by snipers of anti-government activists and police officers in Kiev’s Maidan Square in late February 2014 was a defining moment in the US-orchestrated overthrow of Ukraine’s elected government. The death of 70 protesters triggered an avalanche of international outrage that made President Viktor Yanukovych’s downfall a fait accompli. Yet today these killings remain unsolved. Enter Ivan Katchanovski, a Ukrainian-Canadian political scientist at the University of Ottawa. For years, he marshaled overwhelming evidence . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, Agence France-Presse, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, links to commentary from Bloomberg and the Washington Post. — MCM

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Why Xi’s 1st Moscow visit to meet Putin matters. From AP. Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow today for a three-day visit that shows off Beijing’s new swagger in world diplomatic affairs and offers a welcome political lift for Russian President Vladimir Putin just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for himon war crimes charges related to the war in Ukraine. China and Russia have described Xi’s trip . . . READ MORE . . .

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Xi: China’s proposal on Ukraine reflects unity of global views. From Reuters. Chinese President Xi Jinping said today that Beijing’s proposal on how to solve the Ukraine crisis reflects global views and seeks to neutralise consequences, but acknowledged that the solutions are not easy. In an article published at the start of his visit to Moscow, Xi also called for “pragmatism” on Ukraine. The China proposal, a 12-point . . . READ MORE . . .

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A symbolic Moscow meeting between Xi and Putin. Pien Huang of NPR speaks with Joshua Yaffa, author of the book Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia, about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow this week. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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China sees itself as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war, but many nations disagree. Steve Inskeep of NPR talks with Yun Sun, who directs the China Program at the nonprofit, nonpartisan Stimson Center, about China’s president traveling to Moscow for talks with Russia’s leader. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Putin has made a surprise visit to the occupied city of Mariupol. Reported by Ayesha Rascoe and Charles Maynes | NPR  Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a surprise visit to Russian-occupied Mariupol in Ukraine. He also visited Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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EU agrees 2-billion-euro ammunition plan for Ukraine. From AFP. European Union ministers were set to sign today on a two-billion-euro plan to raid their stockpiles and jointly purchase desperately needed artillery shells for Ukraine. Kyiv has complained that its forces are having to ration firepower as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian military amassing weapons in Zaporozhye for offensive, says regional official. From Tass. MELITOPOL — The Ukrainian military has practically stopped using precision munitions and kamikaze drones in the Zaporozhye area, which can evidence its attempt to amass armaments ahead of a potential offensive in the region, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We Are Together with Russia public movement, said today. “The adversary side is actually using no precision weapons now. The deliveries . . . READ MORE . . .

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What motivates Putin and his followers is resentment, by Andreas Kluth | Bloomberg One of the most powerful human motivations is resentment. As the Russian sociologist Grigory Yudin. As the Russian sociologist Gregory Yudin sees it, “resentment — monstrous, endless resentment” is the mental universe of bitterness and grievance that makes Putin and his Russian supporters uninterested in nurturing productive and positive relationships with other countries. In that way, . . . READ MORE . . .

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Blunder: DeSantis’ stance on Ukraine, by Henry Olden | The Washington Post Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has clearly decided he does not want to seem to internationally minded for MAGA Republicans. A recent Economist-You-Gov poll shows that Republicans are about evenly split on . . . READ MORE . . .