Ross Douthat: “If we intend to make economic war on Russia for a generation, we should be cleareyed about the calculus. In the hopes of making a dangerous great power as weak as possible, we will make it more likely that Putinism rules for decades, and that Russia remains our deadly enemy for as long as anyone can reasonably foresee.”
Ukraine Is the First Real World War
Thomas Friedman: “To be sure, Ukraine’s democracy is frail and the country has had its own serious issues with oligarchs and corruption. Kyiv’s burning aspiration, though, was not to join NATO but to join the European Union, and it was in the process of cleaning itself up to do just that.”
“That’s what really triggered this war. Putin was never going to let a Slavic Ukraine become a successful free-market democracy in the E.U. next door to his stagnating Slavic Russian kleptocracy. The contrast would have been intolerable for him, and that is why he is trying to erase Ukraine.”
“But Putin, it turns out, had no clue what world he was living in, no clue about the frailties of his own system, no clue how much the whole free, democratic world could and would join the fight against him in Ukraine, and no clue, most of all, about how many people would be watching.”
Evidence of War Crimes in Ukraine Mounts
“Nearly 300 civilians have been buried in mass graves by local authorities in this small suburb of Kyiv after Russian troops withdrew last week, one of several regions where Ukrainian officials and independent rights watchdogs say they are uncovering evidence of war crimes perpetrated by occupation forces,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Footage taken by the Ukrainian military shortly after Russian forces abandoned Bucha showed streets littered with bodies of civilians, some of them with their hands tied. Human Rights Watch on Sunday released a report documenting cases of rape and summary executions in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, including Bucha, as well as other crimes.”
Axios: “Ukraine’s forces retook the Kyiv region and northern areas of the country Saturday after Russian troops pulled out, leaving behind landmines and a trail of bodies.”
Democrats Need to Change the Trajectory
Dan Balz: “Democrats need a change in the national mood: events or things to alter what Gallup and other pollsters continue to report. Here are three factors to watch:
- Whether the public mood brightens as people try to move on from the pandemic.
- What happens to inflation and whether the Federal Reserve can slow things down without triggering a recession.
- The war in Ukraine and what a prolonged conflict might do to the world economy and public sentiment toward the Biden administration.
“For now, the good jobs report is something for Biden and the Democrats to point to as progress, though recently, monthly employment numbers haven’t had any real political impact. Democrats have only a few months left to begin turning the lines on all these polls upward.”
Coronavirus Is No Longer a Top Issue for Americans
Harry Enten: “For about two years, the popularity of the president (whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden) was tied to how he was handling the coronavirus pandemic. Then a funny thing happened. As Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths started falling over the last few months, Biden’s approval rating on the pandemic went up while his overall approval rating stayed flat.”
“Why? A recent Gallup poll gives us good insight. Just 3% of Americans said the coronavirus or diseases are the top problem facing the country. That’s less than half the previous low for this answer (8%), which occurred in mid-2021 when case rates were also falling.”
“Two years ago (April 2020), a record 45% said the coronavirus was the top problem in the country. It’s not surprising that we’re nowhere near that level anymore. Still, I had to take a step back when I saw that 3%.”
Garland Faces Pressure as Jan. 6 Investigation Widens
New York Times: “The attorney general’s deliberative approach has come to frustrate Democratic allies of the White House and, at times, President Biden himself. As recently as late last year, Mr. Biden confided to his inner circle that he believed former President Donald J. Trump was a threat to democracy and should be prosecuted, according to two people familiar with his comments.”
“And while the president has never communicated his frustrations directly to Mr. Garland, he has said privately that he wanted Mr. Garland to act less like a ponderous judge and more like a prosecutor who is willing to take decisive action over the events of Jan. 6.”
Greene Owns Stock In ‘Pro-Child Predator’ Company
“Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) this week accused Walt Disney Co. of sexualizing children after the entertainment giant criticized a Florida education law that critics have dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill — and vowed to fight against it,” Insider reports.
Said Greene: “Anyone who opposes anti-grooming laws like the one in Florida is pro-child predator. Stop sexualizing children.”
“What Greene didn’t mention is that she is a Disney investor.”
Russia in Broad Retreat From Kyiv
“The Russian forces that were intent on overwhelming Kyiv at the war’s start with tanks and artillery retreated under fire across a broad front on Saturday, leaving behind them dead soldiers and burned vehicles,” the New York Times reports.
“The withdrawal suggested the possibility of a major turn in the six-week war — the collapse, at least for now, of Russia’s initial attempt to seize Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and the end of its hopes for the quick subjugation of the nation.”
“Moscow has described the withdrawal as a tactical move to regroup and reposition its forces for a major push in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. While there are early indications that the military is following through on that plan, analysts say it cannot obscure the magnitude of the defeat.”
A Week on Trump’s Social Network
Rosie Bradbury: “I downloaded the Truth Social app on launch day and created an account – only to be told I’d been put on a waitlist in spot number 157,120. Three weeks later, on March 14, I was finally allowed to use the app.”
“And I found…not very much. It was like a conservative ghost town that had been overrun by bots.”
Chinese Hire Private Eyes to Harass Dissidents in U.S.
“Chinese government agents are increasingly recruiting and hiring private eyes to harass dissidents and forcibly repatriate Chinese-born U.S. and Canadian residents whom Beijing considers criminals,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
McConnell Pushes GOP Senators to Oppose Jackson
“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is putting public and private pressure on Senate Republican colleagues to oppose President Biden’s nominee to the Supreme Court, despite the historic nature of her nomination to be the first Black woman on the court,” The Hill reports.
“McConnell has dug in against Biden’s nominee, arguing the vote isn’t about ‘race or gender’ but about Jackson’s record, which he says is too soft on crime and indicates she’ll likely turn into an activist judge on the bench.”
A Wild House Race Takes Shape in Alaska
The Anchorage Daily News reports that 51 candidates — including Sarah Palin — have filed to run in the special election to fill the seat of the late Rep. Don Young (R-AK).
“Some of the candidates were proteges of Young; others were rivals. And their experience runs the gamut from political novices to veterans of statewide campaigns.”
Iran Nuclear Talks at Stalemate
Washington Post: “Tehran’s demand that the United States lift its designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, and U.S. refusal so far to do that, have brought the year-long negotiations over reviving the Iran nuclear deal to a halt, with no new meetings scheduled and little obvious room for compromise.”
Russians Leave Mines In Wake of Retreat
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned his people early Saturday that retreating Russian forces were creating ‘a complete disaster’ outside the capital as they leave mines across ‘the whole territory,’ including around homes and corpses,” the AP reports.
“He issued the warning as the humanitarian crisis in the encircled city of Mariupol deepened, with Russian forces blocking evacuation operations for the second day in a row. Meanwhile, the Kremlin accused the Ukrainians of launching a helicopter attack on a fuel depot on Russian soil.”
“Ukraine denied responsibility for the fiery blast, but if Moscow’s claim is confirmed, it would be the war’s first known attack in which Ukrainian aircraft penetrated Russian airspace.”
Sarah Palin Says She’s Running for Congress
“Former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin (R) said Friday night she is running for her state’s congressional seat after years away from the national spotlight, casting herself as a fighter against the ‘radical left,’” the Washington Post reports.
New York Times: “She will be joining a crowded field of nearly 40 candidates to fill the House seat left vacant by Representative Don Young, whose unexpected death last month has spurred one of the largest political shifts in the state in 50 years.”
“In the past, Ms. Palin had suggested, but never followed through on, launching various campaigns for elected office several times in the years since she first electrified the base of the Republican Party after 2008 presidential nominee John McCain plucked her from obscurity and named her as his running mate.”
U.S. Will Help Transfer Soviet-Made Tanks to Ukraine
“The Biden administration will work with allies to transfer Soviet-made tanks to bolster Ukrainian defenses in the country’s eastern Donbas region,” the New York Times reports.
“The decision to act as an intermediary to help transfer the Soviet-made tanks, which Ukrainian troops know how to use, comes in response to a request from President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, the official said. It marks the first time in the war that the United States has helped transfer tanks.”
Officials Provided Less Detail About Trump’s Activities
“Just days before the US Capitol riot, White House officials started providing fewer details about then-President Donald Trump’s calls and visits, the person in charge of compiling those activities for the official record told the House select committee investigating January 6, 2021,” CNN reports.
“The committee interviewed Trump’s presidential diarist roughly two weeks ago. That interview has not been previously reported, nor has the testimony describing a noticeable drop-off in information provided by Oval Office staff leading up to January 6.”
Why the Jobs Boom Isn’t Translating
Politico: “The U.S. unemployment rate hit 3.6 percent today, as 431,000 jobs were added during the month of March. It’s the type of data point that should make a White House giddy. And yet, one can’t help but smell the whiff of frustration emanating from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
“There is a remarkable disconnect among the American public involving the reality of the jobs market and the perception of it. A little-noticed survey by Navigator Research last month showed that 37 percent of the public thought that more jobs had been lost (yes, lost) over the last year while just 28 percent thought that they had been gained. That was particularly pronounced among Republicans, 47 percent of whom believed jobs had been lost over the last 12 months.”
“Needless to say, that’s wildly inaccurate: The unemployment rate was 6.4 percent when Joe Biden took office… That these basic facts aren’t translating to the public says a lot about how news is disseminated and consumed.”
