For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Zelenskyy co-hosts a summit in Albania seeking more war support from southeastern Europe, by Llazar Semini | AP  TIRANA — Ukrainian Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy co-hosted a summit with Albania’s government today that is meant to encourage further support for Kyiv by southeastern European countries, as signs of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine withdraws from 2 more villages near Avdiivka, down 2 Russian warplanes in single day. From the Kyiv Independent. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Ucraine’s Tavria Group said the Armed Forces withdrew from the Stepove and Severne villages near Avdiivka, and the Air Force said Ukrainian forces shot down  two Russian Su-34 attack planes in a single day. READ MORE . . .

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A top EU official calls for a new defense industry strategy with locally made arms at its heart, by Lorne Cook | AP  BRUSSELS — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today called for a new defense industry strategy to respond to security challenges posed by Russia’s war on Ukraine with the purchase of weapons and ammunition made in Europe at its heart. The Russian invasion . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin allies tell Macron: Any French troops you send to Ukraine will suffer fate of Napoleon’s army, by Andrew Osborn | Reuters  Allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin today warned French President Emmanuel Macron that any troops he sends to Ukraine would meet the same end as Napoleon Bonaparte‘s Grande Armee whose 1812 invasion of Russia . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine needs $3 bln in financial aid per month in 2024, Kyiv says. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine needs about $3 billion in foreign financial aid on a monthly basis to get through 2024, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said today. He said Ukraine’s macroeconomic stability . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

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NEWER  A deal between Israel and Hamas appears to be taking shape. What would it look like? by Samy Magdy and Tia Goldenberg | AP  CAIRO — Israel and Hamas are inching toward a new deal that would free some of the roughly 130 hostages held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for a weekslong pause in the war, now in its fifth month. U.S. President Joe Biden says . . . READ MORE . . .

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Warring sides still cautious after Biden says Gaza truce is close, by Samia Nakhoul, Jeff Mason and Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  DUBAI / WASHINGTON / CAIRO — Israel, Hamas and Qatari mediators all expressed caution today about progress towards a truce in Gaza, after U.S. President Joe Biden said  . . . READ MORE . . .

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Inside the Democratic rebellion against Biden over the Gaza war, byAndrea Shalal, Nandita Bose and Kat Stafford | Reuters  DEARBORN, Michigan — The depth of Democratic Party anger over President Joe Biden’s handling of the Gaza war has caught his campaign off guard and could depress support in November’s election, according to Reuters interviews with more than a dozen senior party and campaign officials and five dozen voters and activists. READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Biden says Israel is willing to halt war during Ramadan if a hostage deal is reached. From AP.  President Joe Biden says Israel would be willing to halt its war on Hamas in Gaza during the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan if a deal is reached to release some of the hostages held by the militants. Negotiators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar . . . READ MORE . . .

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VIDEO  Israeli airstrike in Rafah claims dozens of lives including women and children. From AP. Women and children were among the dead brought out from the wreckage of a building in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Tuesday after an Israeli airstrike on the city. (AP video by Mohammad Jahjouh was apparently withdrawn.)

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NEWER — VIDEO  Hundreds gather in the beach southern Gaza Strip trying to get aid airdropped in the enclave. Hundreds gathered at the beach in the southern Gaza Strip, trying to get their hands on a box of the aid that was airdropped onto the enclave. Click HERE to try to view AP video by Abdel Kareem Hana.

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Without enough aid reaching Gaza, a young Palestinian baby dies of hunger. Reported by Aya Batrawy | NPR  A baby in Gaza City died after going days without milk, a civil defense team says, as aid agencies warn of the risk of famine unless Israel permits much more aid to enter the besieged territory. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Kremlin warns of conflict with NATO if alliance troops fight in Ukraine, by Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters MOSCOW — The Kremlin warned today that conflict between Russia and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance would be inevitable if European members of NATO sent troops to fight in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron opened the door on Monday to European nations sending troops to Ukraine, although he cautioned that there was no consensus at this stage. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine welcomes West’s discussion of direct intervention, Russia warns against it. From Reuters. KYIV — A senior Ukrainian official today welcomed talk of European nations sending troops to Ukraine, but the Kremlin said a conflict between Russia and NATO would become inevitable if European members of the alliance sent in troops to fight. “This shows, firstly, an . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. will not send troops to fight in Ukraine, White House says. From Reuters. WASHINGTON — The United States will not send troops to fight in Ukraine, the White House said today. “President Biden has been clear,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said as . . . READ MORE . . .

‘No plans for NATO combat troops in Ukraine’: official. From AFP. NATO has no plans to send ground troops to Ukraine, an alliance official said today, after French President Emmanuel Macron said the idea could not be ruled out. “NATO and allies are providing unprecedented military support to Ukraine,” the official said. “But . . . READ MORE . . .

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Madrid says against deploying EU troops to Ukraine. From AFP. “As to whether we are in favour of deploying European troops to Ukraine, we’ve already made our position clear and we do not agree,” said government spokeswoman Pilar Alegria. French President Emmanuel Macron triggered a shockwave late on Monday by refusing to rule out . . .READ MORE . . .

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Italy says Ukraine support does not include ground troops. From AFP.  Italy said today international support for Ukraine does not include the presence of ground troops, warning against giving the impression of being “at war with Russia.” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government was responding to comments by French President Emmanuel Macron after a conference . . . READ MORE . . .

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UK says no plans for ‘large scale’ troop deployment to Ukraine. From AFP. Britain has no plans to deploy soldiers to Ukraine in large numbers, a government spokesman said today after French President Emmanuel Macron, after a conference of European leaders Monday, refused to rule out sending Western troops there. READ MORE . . .

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Lavrov downplays significance of EU conferences on Ukraine in Paris. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called not to attach too much significance to EU conferences on Ukraine in Paris. “The number of Western conferences is obviously growing. They are trying to offset . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces destroy U.S.-made Abrams tank in Avdeyevka area, top brass reports. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed a U.S.-made Abrams tank of the Ukrainian army in the Avdeyevka area, eliminating roughly 485 enemy troops over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a general briefing. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. official works with American businesses and allies to help Ukraine rebuild. A Martínez of NPR speaks with Penny Pritzker, the special representative for Ukraine Reconstruction and Economic Recovery, about U.S. assistance for rebuilding war-ravaged Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

Links to commentary from ScheerPost and to an interview from the Real News Network, followed by links to segments of a January 2023 report from the Columbia Journalism Review; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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How dare Tucker Carlson let Putin talk! by Max Jones | ScheerPost  In the aftermath of Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with Russian president Vladimir Putin, some corporate journalists offered relatively detailed analysis of the interview, while many did anything but. Most often, they dissuaded audiences from watching the interview by assuring them that “nothing new” occurred, painting Carlson . . . READ MORE . . .

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The collapse of U.S. media is accelerating our political crisis. Chris Hedges of The Real News Network interviews journalist Gretchen Morgenson about her book These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs — and Wrecks — America. Among other topics, they discuss a new wave of media layoffs at major news outlets including CNN, the LA Times, Vox, Business Insider, CNBC, and Gannett — and mention the January 2023 Columbia Journalism Review report linked just below. Click HERE to watch and listen, and read transcript.

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The press versus the president, part one: ‘I realized early on I had two jobs,’ by Jeff Gerth | Columbia Journalism Review  The end of the long inquiry into whether Donald Trump was colluding with Russia came in July 2019, when Robert Mueller III, the special counsel, took . . . READ MORE . . .

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The press versus the president, part two: The origins of fake news, by Jeff Gerth | CJR  In a windowless conference room at Trump Tower, on Jan. 6, 2017, Comey briefed the president-elect about the dossier about him and Russia. Trump had heard, from aides, media “rumblings” about Russia, but . . . READ MORE . . .

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The press versus the president, part three: A contested Pulitzer, by Jeff Gerth | CJR  Trump’s firing of Comey on May 9 was nothing like his hit TV show, The Apprentice. The boss couldn’t move on to the next episode, nor would . . . READ MORE . . .

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The press versus the president, part four: Helsinki and the $3,000 Russian disinformation campaign, by Jeff Gerth | CJR  Trump, in July 2018, finally had a summit meeting with Vladimir Putin, the man . . . READ MORE . . .

A link to commentary from Substack, via ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. NOTE: The writer is the author of The End of the Megamachine: A Brief History of a Failing Civilization. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for today are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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The show trial against Julian Assange, by Fabian Scheidler | Substack / ScheerPost  “Those who tell the truth need a fast horse,” says an Armenian proverb. Or they need a society that protects the truth and its messengers. But this protection, which our democracies claim to offer, is in danger. As a journalist, Julian Assange has . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE and ASSANGE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

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Israel strikes Lebanon’s Baalbek for first time since start of Gaza war, security sources say. From Reuters. BEIRUT — At least two simultaneous Israeli strikes hit around Lebanon’s city of Baalbek today, two security sources told Reuters, the first bombardment of eastern Lebanon since regional hostilities erupted following the start of the war in Gaza. The Israeli military said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s air force strikes deep inside Lebanon, killing 2 people, after Hezbollah downs a drone, by Bassem Mroue | AP  BEIRUT — The Israeli military said its air force today struck targets of the militant Hezbollah group “deep inside Lebanon,” where residents reported explosions near the northeastern city of Baalbek. At least two people . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 25  Netanyahu says a cease-fire deal would only delay ‘somewhat’ an Israeli military offensive in Rafah, by Tia Goldenberg, Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  TEL AVIV — An Israeli military offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah could be “delayed somewhat” if a deal is reached for a weekslong cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, and claimed that . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Kyiv Independent, and the Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and ASSANGE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Ukrainian troops pull back again as Russia’s onslaught pushes ahead in eastern Ukraine, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian troops have pulled out of a village in the east of the country, an army spokesman said today, as Russian forces make their advantages in manpower and ammunition tell on the battlefield. The latest setback for Kyiv’s soldiers was in the village of Lastochkyne, where . . . READ MORE . . .

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Paris conference to belie ‘doom and gloom’ on Ukraine, Elysee says, by Michael Rose | Reuters  PARIS — Some 20 European leaders will gather in Paris today to send Russian President Vladimir Putin a message of European resolve on Ukraine and counter the Kremlin’s narrative that Russia is bound to win a war now entering its third year. . . . READ MORE . . .

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At Paris gathering, Western leaders to show unity for Ukraine and signal ‘that Russia cannot win,’ by Sylvie Corbet | AP   PARIS — More than 20 European heads of state and government and other Western officials are gathering in a show of unity for Ukraine, signaling to Russia that their support for Kyiv isn’t wavering. “We are at a critical moment,” French President Emmanuel Macron . . .    READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine downs nine Russian drones, three missiles, air force says. From Reuters. Russia launched 14 attack drones and a barrage of missiles at Ukraine overnight, with air defence systems destroying nine drones as well as three guided missiles over the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, Ukraine’s air force said on today. Russia also launched . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s victory ‘depends on you,’ Zelensky tells West. From AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday his country’s victory “depends” on Western support and that he was “sure” the United States would approve a critical package of military aid. He also said 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in two years of war with . . .READ MORE. . .

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Russian forces liberate Lastochkino community near Avdeyevka, top brass reports. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces liberated the community of Lastochkino in the Avdeyevka area over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a briefing. READ MORE . . .

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Scholz again rules out Germany’s delivery of long-range Taurus missiles, by Nate Ostiller and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz today reiterated his refusal to send Ukraine long-range Taurus missiles, days after the German parliament rejected a measure explicitly calling for Taurus to be provided. The missiles, which . . . READ MORE . . .

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Partisans in Crimea report tampering with Russian tanks bound for front, by Julia Struck | Kyiv Post  Atesh partisans claim to have successfully tampered with Russian tanks stationed at a railway station in Yevpatoria, Crimea, which will directly hinder Kremlin armored advances in the Zaporizhzhia region. “There is a high probability,” they said, “that. . . READ MORE . . .

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Denmark closes probe into Nord Stream blasts saying there’s not enough grounds for a criminal case, by Jan M. Olsen | AP  COPENHAGEN — Denmark on today joined Sweden in closing its investigation into the 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines. The underwater detonations . . . READ MORE . . .

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Denmark shutting Nord Stream satellite probe ‘close to absurd’: Russia. From AFP. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov today criticised the closure of Denmark’s investigation into the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia and Germany. “On the one hand,” Peskov said, “they . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, with apologies, a link to a just one report, from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its name below, or by going to websites of the Associated Press, Reuters, or daily newspapers in the United States and elsewhere. (UKRAINE entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM   

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In the West Bank, U.S. sanctions on Israeli settlers are having an impact. Reported by Eleanor Beardsley | NPR  With sanctions now imposed on some West Bank Israeli settlers, a visit to a West Bank community where one Israeli led a campaign of destruction after the Oct. 7 attacks. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from the Kyiv Post, the Moscow Times, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, and National Public Radio, and to two pieces of commentary via or from  Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.)— MCM

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Railway station destroyed after Russian attack in Kostyantynivka. From Kyiv Post. The Kostyantynivka railway station along with more than a dozen houses and shops were damaged this morning in Russian shelling. Radio Svoboda reported that police said one person was injured in the Donetsk region industrial city, allegedly targeted by  Russian military with S-300 missiles . . . READ MORE . . .

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In a Russian city near the Ukrainian border, life teeters between war and normalcy. From the Moscow Times. VORONEZH, Russia — In this city of about 1 million near the border with Ukraine, Moscow’s war on Kyiv has quietly seeped into everyday life over the past two years. A month before the Feb. 17 drone crash, Voronezh experienced its largest drone attack. Wreckage from . . . READ MORE . . .

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Man killed in Nikopol after Russian drone drops explosives on truck, by Dominic Culverwell | The Kyiv Independent  A 57-year-old man was killed when a Russian drone dropped explosives directly on a truck in the city of Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, killing a 57-year-old man, the regional governor said today. It was part of a wave of drones overnight over eight  oblasts. READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces repel seven counterattacks in Avdeyevka area, moving to better positions. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces repelled seven enemy counterattacks in the Avdeyevka area in the past day, moving to more advantageous positions, according to a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine is relying on the U.S. to address its weapons shortage. Ayesha Rascoe of NPR talks with retired General Ben Hodges, a former commander of the US Army in Europe, about how shortages of weapons are affecting Ukraine’s war effort. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 19  Mea culpa on Ukraine, by Craig Murray | CraigMurray.org.uk / Consortium News  The genocide in Gaza — or more precisely the major NATO powers’ active and practical support for the genocide in Gaza — has forced me to re-evaluate my views on Ukraine in a manner more sympathetic to the Russian narrative. In particular, I . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 24, 2022  Why Putin went to war, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a TV address Thursday morning [Feb. 24, 2022] that the goal of Russia’s military operation was not to take control of Ukraine, but to “demilitarize” and “de-Nazify” the country.  Moments after he spoke . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM   

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Brazil’s president accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, doubling down after earlier uproar, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Brazil’s president alleged today that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, doubling down on harsh rhetoric after stirring controversy a week ago by comparing Israel’s military offensive in Gaza to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 23  Biden administration restores Trump-rescinded policy on illegitimacy of Israeli settlements, by Matthew Lee | AP  WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Friday restored a U.S. legal finding dating back nearly 50 years that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are “illegitimate” under international law. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 23  U.S. says Israel’s new settlements in West Bank are ‘inconsistent’ with international law, by Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters  Israel’s expansion of settlements in the Occupied West Bank were inconsistent with international law, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday, signalling a return to long-standing U.S. policy on the issue, which . . . READ MORE . . .