Bard UnBarred: “Today, Google is opening up limited access to Bard, its ChatGPT rival, a major step in the company’s attempt to reclaim what many see as lost ground in a new race to deploy AI. Bard will be initially available to select users in the US and UK.” (I wonder if it makes sense to let Bard and ChatGPT argue amongst themselves so the rest of us can just get on with our lives…)

+ Enemies, a Love Story: According to Putin, China’s peace plan could be basis to end war. A better peace plan would be for Putin to get the eff out of Ukraine. Here’s an interesting report from Reuters on the former prisoners fighting Putin’s war. Wagner’s convicts tell of horrors of Ukraine war and loyalty to their leader.

+ Things That Go Trump on the Right: Well, it’s Tuesday, and… nothing. Trump even lied about his own arrest. Meanwhile, the authoritarian-curious efforts to get him off the hook continue. House GOP uses its new power in extraordinary effort to shield Trump from indictment.

+ Stage Coach: “Abby Grossberg, a senior producer and head of booking for Tucker Carlson who has also worked on Maria Bartiromo’s show, alleged that the network attempted to pin the blame for Fox News’s airing of voting conspiracies on her and Bartiromo – an effort that Grossberg says was part of a broader culture of sexism and misogyny at Fox News.” Fox News producer accuses network lawyers of ‘coercive’ coaching in Dominion case.

+ Fail Whale: “The second pizza had just come out of the oven, and I was dipping a slice into some ranch dressing … The back half of the boat lifted violently upward and to starboard.” Sailing crew rescued after giant whale sunk 44ft boat in Pacific Ocean. (If you’ve got pizza and ranch dressing, there’s no good reason to leave your house.)

+ Lentil Stock: “Fast to cook, easy to store and exalted enough to be buried with the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, these seeds have sustained empires. Roman soldiers lived on the essential portable protein over their long campaigns. Today, the lentil is again on the front lines.” WaPo: Why Americans should eat lentils every day.

+ Cover Girl: According to a Facebook post from her husband of 54 years, Bobbi Kelly Ercoline has passed away. You may not recognize the name, but music fans will recognize her photo. Bobbi Ercoline Dies: Blanket-Draped Woodstock Concertgoer Was Pictured On Iconic Album Cover.