Extra, Extra
Enemies, a Love Story: “The larger worry is that Mr. Trump is struggling to see Mr. Putin for the aggressor he is—one that previous Presidents have failed to tame via talks. The White House even heralded the possibility of working with Russia in the Middle East, where Mr. Putin has spent a decade as a force for instability.” WSJ (Gift Article): Putin Rejects the Trump Cease-Fire. (Is there any signal that Trump won’t give Putin whatever he demands?) BBC: Trump-Putin call seen as victory in Russia. “Instead of pressuring Moscow with the threat of even tougher sanctions and penalties, to get Russia to sign up to its plan, the US administration reacted by praising the Kremlin leader. ‘We had a great call,’ Donald Trump told Fox News. ‘I would commend President Putin for all he did today on that call to move his country close to a final peace deal,’ said Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff.”
+ Netanyahu Goes There: “Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched into Jerusalem on Wednesday morning in a renewed outburst of rage against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, over efforts to remove key security and judicial officials and renew highly controversial legislation to increase political power over the judiciary, and following the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire.” Major protests in Jerusalem as Netanyahu seeks to fire Shin Bet chief, renews Gaza war.
+ One Flu Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, has an unorthodox idea for tackling the bird flu bedeviling U.S. poultry farms. Let the virus rip. Instead of culling birds when the infection is discovered, farmers ‘should consider maybe the possibility of letting it run through the flock so that we can identify the birds, and preserve the birds, that are immune to it.'” (You know who loves this idea? The virus.) NYT (Gift Article): Kennedy’s Alarming Prescription for Bird Flu on Poultry Farms.
+ 47 Deletes 42: “The military story of Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball after serving as a 2nd lieutenant in the Army, no longer exists on the Department of Defense’s website as part of the Trump administration’s wiping out of diversity, equity and inclusion within the federal government.” Jackie Robinson’s Army career wiped from military website in DEI purge.
+ Byd Pro Quo: “Over the past decade, Tesla has gone from a disruptive newcomer in the auto industry to America’s best-selling electric-vehicle brand. But recently, its dealerships have been attacked and many owners have sold their vehicles.” What to Know About the Backlash Against Tesla. The bigger challenge to Tesla is probably coming from its primary Chinese competitor. Tesla faces trouble from BYD’s new EV charger breakthrough.
+ We Could All Use a Pop: “It is a strange new reality for everyone. The bond between Popovich and the Spurs has been so solid, so ingrained in everything, that it fueled the rise of this proud franchise. They grew together, evolved, aged and then started anew. Until Popovich stopped in his tracks that afternoon in November, leaving everyone at a crossroads. The long-discussed and delayed succession plan was suddenly urgent, and decisions that were once his to make, perhaps were no longer. For the first time in three decades, the man who has been at the center of this city and this franchise has been on a different sideline — fighting to get back to what he once was.” ‘It’s Pop’s decision. He’s earned that’: Inside Gregg Popovich’s fight to return to the sideline.
