Extra, Extra
Peace Nix: “The U.S. and Russia have drawn up a plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine that calls for major concessions from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to a person familiar with the matter.” Does it seem like a few interested parties are absent from these peace talks? EU leaders say they and Kyiv must be involved in peace talks.
+ Raw Nerve: Is having sushi for lunch a significant political statement? Sometimes, yes. Taiwan president shows support for Japan in China dispute.
+ Someone Heard the Tree Fall in the Forest: “If Bill made repairs, it might seem like the Forest Service was getting along fine with a smaller staff, justifying Trump’s cuts to government. But if he didn’t, people might get hurt. Even die.” WaPo (Gift Article): They retired from the government. Now they’re back, protecting forests Trump abandoned.
+ Larry, Larry, Quite Contrary: The bids are due from potential Warner Bros suitors. You can already guess who has the inside track with regulators. Larry Ellison discussed axing CNN hosts with White House in takeover bid talks.
+ Doc Crock: “The agency’s webpage on vaccines and autism, updated on Wednesday, now repeats the skepticism that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has voiced about the safety of vaccines, though dozens of scientific studies have failed to find evidence of a link.” C.D.C. Changes Website to Reflect Kennedy’s Vaccine Skepticism.
+ Showing a Lot of Potential: U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols. “Instead, the Coast Guard will classify the Nazi-era insignia as ‘potentially divisive.'”
+ Disaster Plan: “A federal indictment charges U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida with stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds, laundering some of the money through straw donors to her congressional campaign and then conspiring to file a false tax return, the Justice Department announced.”
+ Funeral Directors: George W. Bush and Liz Cheney gave eulogies at Dick Cheney’s funeral. Trump and Vance were not on the guest list.
+ Crash Testing for Dummies: For the first time ever, American car companies will soon be required to test vehicle safety using dummies that are representative of women.
+ Take No Prisoners: “His will to survive as a P.O.W., he later said, was built on memories of his domestic life and the hope of returning one day to his family. Those thoughts sustained him after he was shot down and forced to eject from his F-105 Thunderchief during a bombing mission over North Vietnam on Oct. 27, 1967, and they continued to sustain him in prison camps, including the notorious ‘Hanoi Hilton,’ where he was starved, tortured and subjected to mock executions … Three days before he landed at Travis Air Force Base, he was handed what he described as a ‘Dear John’ letter from his wife.” NYT (Gift Article) with the surprising backstory behind a very well known photo. Robert L. Stirm, Returning P.O.W. in Pulitzer-Winning Photo, Dies at 92.
