Crooked Media - What A Day: Vlad state of affairs

President Biden made an historic visit to Ukraine this weekend and delivered an impassioned speech on the world stage appealing for continued solidarity among Western allies ahead of Friday’s one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion. 
 

• Biden delivered a speech in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday in which he pledged to continue supporting Ukraine and vowed that the United States and its allies “will not tire” of that objective. Speaking before a crowd of thousands, Biden said the attack on Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, even as their strikes in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson left six dead and a dozen more wounded. The Biden administration is poised to impose new sanctions on about 200 Russian individuals and entities this week following the state visit, a further application of economic pressure around Russia one year after its invasion of Ukraine. 
   

• Biden used his speech to accuse Russia of crimes against humanity such as the killing of civilians, using rape as “a weapon of war,” stealing Ukrainian children from their parents, and targeting civilian-dense locations such as train stations, maternity wards, hospitals, schools, and orphanages. He urged Western allies to recommit to a unified defense of Ukraine as global democracy is at stake. Just a few hours earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed a joint session of the Russian parliament and doubled-down on his attacks on what he baselessly calls Ukraine’s “neo-Nazi regime.” Unexpectedly, he also announced that Moscow would be suspending its participation in New START, the last remaining Russian-American nuclear arms agreement, and curried favor with Republicans by siding with them against equality for LGBT people.
   

• The timing of both addresses was seemingly coincidental, but Biden’s speech nonetheless telegraphed as a rebuttal to Putin’s. Putin has long maintained the false accusation that Western elites initiated the conflict, a claim which he repeated today, but Biden shot back that, “The West was not plotting to attack Russia, as Putin said today. As he is wont to do, Biden used lofty rhetoric to cast this war as a fundamental battle between autocracy and democracy. Not quite full-on Star Wars “light vs. dark” rhetorical contrasts, but pretty damn close.

In his speech, Putin portrayed Russia not as the aggressor but as the victim, like so many “cancelled” comedians who loudly shout "The woke mob is silencing me!!" as they continue to sell out theaters across the country and say whatever they want. 
 

• Biden was of course impaled by criticism from bad-faith right-wing critics, who are desperate to gin up a false sense of controversy, lest Biden receive uncontested publicity for doing something brave, and disapprove of American aid to Ukraine. They would rather see that money allocated to billionaires and corporations and McKinsey consultants, you know, people who really need it. The Fox News set cynically used the president’s trip to Ukraine as “evidence” that he is neglecting the environmental problems in East Palestine, OH, (which, for the record, they only care about as a means of fomenting racial resentment in their base) despite the fact that Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) said that President Biden has made himself available and offered “anything you need”—an offer DeWine has not taken him up on. 
   

• Many Republicans noted that Biden’s previously undisclosed trip landed on Presidents’ Day, which made them really (fake) mad. If the president was going to spend George Washington’s birthday doing anything, they wanted it to be re-writing U.S. History curriculum to erase the wrongdoings of the Founding Fathers or illegally deploying the military to  the U.S. southern border. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) summed up the comments of his Republican colleagues best, telling MSNBC, “These people know nothing about national security and foreign policy.”

One year into Russia’s war on Ukraine, the landscape of the conflict has changed substantially, but the resolve of Western allies appears as strong as ever. The question is whether Putin can use his citizens as cannon fodder long enough to outlast the West’s current leaders, whom he hopes will be replaced by pro-Russia ones in (to pick a year at random) 2024.

Congrats to Pod Save the People for being featured in Amazon Music's "Credit the Culture" collection out this month. This collection is a celebration of Black Culture and recognizes Black creators and podcasters that have made an impact on society, history, entertainment, and beyond. 
 

Each week, Pod Save the People provides thought-provoking discussions around headlines and stories most affecting people of color today. To join the conversation, you can tune in weekly for new episodes and if you're already an avid fan, consider giving us a review via your favorite podcast platform! 

The forewoman of the Fulton County, GA special grand jury, who spoke to multiple media outlets Tuesday, confirmed that she and her fellow grand jurors recommended indictments against over a dozen individuals, including “potentially” disgraced former president Donald Trump. Fingers crossed!! And also, we hope this forewoman has a good lawyer.

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) announced that his office has made a criminal referral in response to the train derailment in East Palestine, OH and its aftereffects on the environment. Secretary Buttigieg, u up?

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) announced he will be leaving elected office on June 1 to serve as President and CEO of a private foundation. He’s a member of House Democratic Leadership and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees. 

The Supreme Court has declined to hear a case brought by an Ohio man who said his constitutional rights were violated when he was arrested and prosecuted for making satirical posts about his local police department on Facebook. 

Fox News will host the first Republican primary debate on July 15, a full year before the Republican National Convention because like a Tarantino movie after Sally Menke died, the presidential campaign season is simply TOO LONG. 

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) announced her candidacy for Senate today in what is shaping up to be a crowded race to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) appeared on Face The Nation on Sunday to advocate for the United States to revisit its billions of dollars in financial aid to Israel, suggesting adding conditions regarding human-rights abuses by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu’s ultra right-wing government.

A full-time substitute teacher in Duval County, FL, was fired last week after tweeting a picture of empty bookshelves at his school’s library, the result of crackdowns and book censorship by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and his administration. 

The Securities and Exchange Commission has fined the Mormon Church $5 million over accusations that the LDS church failed to properly disclose $32 billion in investment holdings. Hate to editorialize but $5 million seems…low!

James O’Keefe, the right-wing creep and founder of the disreputable GOP agitprop organization Project Veritas, has stepped down after he put the group’s non-profit status in jeopardy with the IRS. 

More GOP-led states are looking to revise the Advanced Placement African American Studies curriculum after Meatball Ron did. At least four more states will review the course to determine if it “conflicts” with their policies or laws restricting the teaching of race in public schools, because that’s the kind of legislation Republicans are interested in these days! You’ll remember that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) objected to a focus on “activism” in the 1960’s section (as any such accurate history would) and the intersection of Blackness and queerness. The College Board went so far as to appease him in the face of the firestorm he created. The course is still being piloted in 60 classrooms nationwide, and will roll out fully in Fall 2024 unless states block their schools from offering it. The precedent this sets for politicians interfering with and even blocking curriculum designed by scholars is nauseating. It seems like the “Facts don’t care about your feelings,” crowd is explicitly seeking to impose a tendentious history curriculum on public schools, chiefly to prioritize the feelings of White Americans.

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The National Labor Relations Board reversed two precious decisions today, determining that employers can no longer bar laid-off employees from publicly disparaging their former companies as part of their severance agreements, nor can they stop employees from publicly disclosing the terms of such agreements. 

Democrat Jennifer McClellan has won her special election for a House seat, becoming the first Black congresswoman elected to represent the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) accidentally stumbled into the background of a TikTok in the most Bernie way possible. 

After a successful pilot program, dozens of employers in the United Kingdom plan to adopt a four-day workweek on a more permanent basis.