Extra, Extra
Diplo Tour: “The strategy that we’ve put in place, massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts, is having real results. When it comes to Russia’s war aims, Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding. Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. That has failed.” So said US Sec of State Antony Blinken as he and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Zelenskyy in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Joe Biden has named the veteran diplomat Bridget Brink as the new US ambassador to Ukraine. And Putin is hitting railways to make it harder for allies to get weapons to Ukrainian soldiers. Here’s the latest from BBC.
+ Left Out in the Cold War: NYT: With Us or With Them? In a New Cold War, How About Neither. “Governments representing more than half of humanity have refused to take a side, avoiding the binary accounting of us-versus-them that characterized most of the post-World War II era.” (They’re waiting to see which side looks like it will win.)
+ Office Politics: “It all comes down to a fundamental strategy conflict between the two sides. WBD sees CNN as a value-add to the mega service it plans to create, eventually bringing CNN under the same streaming umbrella as the Discovery networks and the erstwhile WarnerMedia properties (HBO, etc.). They decided it was better to rip off the Band-Aid now, especially with more than $3 billion in cuts that the new company is expected to find.” Behind the Scenes of CNN Plus’s Stunning Fall. It didn’t fall. It had the rug pulled out from under it.
+ Board at Work: US gas prices are over $4 a gallon. These oil CEOs took home over $20m. Think that’s something? Wait until your see the quarterly profits oil companies take in after these past several weeks of price hikes.
+ Brooklyn Bridge: The Brooklyn Public Library is giving eCards to teens nationwide to challenge book bans.
+ Crossing the Chasm: Construction has begun on what is billed as the world’s largest wildlife crossing for mountain lions and other animals caught in Southern California’s urban sprawl. (At least some traffic will be moving in LA.)
