Extra, Extra
Vlad Handing: “Such an outcome would represent a major win for Putin, who has long sought direct negotiations with the US on terms for ending the war that he started, sidelining Ukraine and its European allies. Zelenskiy risks being presented with a take-it-or-leave-it deal to accept the loss of Ukrainian territory, while Europe fears it would be left to monitor a ceasefire as Putin rebuilds his forces.” Bloomberg (Gift Article): US and Russia Plan Truce to Cement Putin’s Gains in Ukraine.
+ Dealer’s Choice: “Directing the military to crack down on the illicit trade also raises legal issues, including whether it would count as ‘murder’ if U.S. forces acting outside of a congressionally authorized armed conflict were to kill civilians — even criminal suspects — who pose no imminent threat.” (Legal issues. Ha, ha, ha.) NYT (Gift Article): Trump Directs Military to Target Foreign Drug Cartels.
+ Austin City Limitless: “As Texas Republicans try to muscle a rare mid-decade redistricting bill through the Legislature to help Republicans gain seats in Congress — at President Donald Trump’s request — residents in Austin, the state capital, could find themselves sharing a district with rural Texans more than 300 miles away.” (A person could get carpal tunnel just trying to trace this map…)
+ Justice Just Isn’t: “The acting U.S. attorney in Albany sent Ms. James’s office two subpoenas, one of which was related to the civil fraud case, which led to Mr. Trump being penalized more than half a billion dollars.” Justice Dept. Subpoenas Office of Letitia James, Who Sued Trump for Fraud. The Justice Dept is being turned into a personal retribution tool.
+ Bibi Guns For More: “The chorus of condemnation from longstanding European allies, Arab governments and the families of hostages held by militant groups in Gaza reflected Mr. Netanyahu’s intensifying clash with foreign nationsand the supporters of hostages.” Netanyahu Broadly Criticized at Home and Abroad After New Gaza Plan. (How are those protests at Kamala rallies looking in retrospect?)
+ Pop Goes the Measle: Human ingenuity solved measles. Then human stupidity stepped in. WSJ (Gift Article): The Race to Find a Measles Treatment as Infections Surge.
+ Pepe Le PU: The inclusion of butter in a UK recipe for cacio e pepe draws outrage from Italian media. (I miss the days when this would have been the top international conflict story…)
