Crooked Media - What A Day: Hasta la vista, maybe?

 -House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on the COVID-positive Taoiseach of Ireland

In spite of its serious military losses, Russia has continued to bomb Ukrainian cities into unliveable hellscapes, prompting the Biden administration to significantly escalate its rhetoric and pursue new economic sanctions. 
 

• In a rare piece of good news, Mariupol residents who were sheltering in the theater that Russian forces bombed on Wednesday—despite the huge white letters spellling out “children” on the pavement outside—have begun emerging from the rubble. Hundreds of civilians had taken refuge in the theater’s basement bomb shelter; it’s not yet clear whether all of them survived. 
   
• Russia continued to target civilian areas with stunning brutality. An artillery strike destroyed a school and community center in Merefa, near Kharkiv, killing at least 21 people. Officials in the northern city of Chernihiv said that at least 53 people had been brought to morgues in the last 24 hours, and a U.S. citizen was among the 10 people killed while waiting in a breadline there on Wednesday.
   
• On Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined President Biden in calling Russia’s attacks war crimes: “Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime. After all the destruction of the past three weeks, I find it difficult to conclude that the Russians are doing otherwise.” Biden on Thursday also referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as “a murderous dictator” and “a pure thug.” Biden will speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, in a call that will include a discussion of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s death toll is grim and rising, but the losses haven’t been limited to one side. 
 

• An estimated 7,000 Russian troops have been killed in the first three weeks of the invasion, according to U.S. intelligence. The Russian military has also lost at least three generals, and the high rate of casualties has lowered troop morale. Russian generals have reportedly been talking on unsecured phones and radios, allowing Ukrainians in at least one instance to target a general’s location, and kill him and his staff.
   
• The Kremlin is also facing another harsh set of sanctions: The House voted Thursday to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, which will subject both countries to higher tariffs. (Eight of the usual GOP suspects voted no.) Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate would work quickly to approve the bill. Any legislation, of course, pales in comparison to the sheer power of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reading Bono’s St. Patrick’s Day poem about Ukraine, a deployment of weapons-grade cringe guaranteed to bring Putin to his knees. 

Putin can only be officially designated a war criminal and held accountable under international law at the end of a formal legal process, if it happens at all. But Biden’s decision to use the term reflects the reality that the atrocities in Ukraine are beyond the pale, and could spur the international community to isolate Putin further.

Women’s History Month isn’t over yet! This week on an all new episode of Hysteria, Erin and Alyssa are joined by fashion consultant, author, and magazine editor Stacy London to discuss women's beauty standards and society’s preconceived notions of menopause. New episodes of Hysteria drop every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts.

Far-right former Washington state Rep. Matt Shea showed up in a small Polish town with more than 60 Ukrainian children, alarming the locals and anyone who’s ever heard of him. A quick primer: Shea was booted out of the GOP caucus after an investigation concluded he’d engaged in domestic terrorism through his involvement with an armed standoff at a wildlife refuge. (Not his first armed standoff.) He also supports the establishment of a territory for far-right Christians, and authored a manual for establishing a Christian theocracy that involves killing non-believers. In short, a chill and trustworthy guy!

Shea now claims to be trying to facilitate the adoption of Ukrainian orphans in the U.S.—which international agencies say shouldn’t happen during the chaos of war, as many fleeing families get separated—through a nonprofit that was registered in Florida just last month. An aide to the mayor of the Polish town said the whole thing felt off: “I asked him many times, ‘What are you going to do with these children?’ and he told me that it’s not my business…I got the feeling in my gut that something’s wrong with this guy; he didn’t want to tell me his last name.”

• A Russian court has extended WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention until May 19, according to a Russian state-controlled news outlet. Here’s a good explainer on why you’re not seeing a ton of public statements or media coverage about her imprisonment: more publicity could make it harder to get her home. 
   
• At least one Trump White House aide was secretly involved in preparing a December 2020 report falsely alleging that Dominion Voting Systems rigged the election for Joe Biden, which Trump officials later used to justify their efforts to overturn the election. 
   
• White House COVID-response coordinator Jeff Zients will step down next month, and will be replaced by Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University's School of Public Health.
   
• Disgraced former president Donald Trump is reportedly considering un-endorsing Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) for Senate. Brooks has been flailing in the polls and once had the audacity to suggest that it’s time to move on from the 2020 election.
   
• Instagram suspended Kanye West for 24 hours after he directed a racial slur at Trevor Noah, who had the temerity to discuss West’s alarming behavior toward Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson in a Daily Show segment. 
   
• A number of senators likely would have blocked the passage of a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, if only they had known it was happening on Tuesday. (Probably disoriented from losing an hour of sleep or something.) The bill still needs to make it past the House, and the White House declined to say where President Biden stands on abolishing pre-5 p.m. sunsets. 
   
• The world’s largest potato (“Doug”) has been exposed as a non-potato through DNA testing, in the latest sad instance of stolen potato valor. 

Coronavirus cases are once again on the rise in the U.K. and western Europe, which could be a sign of things to come on this side of the Atlantic. In the U.K, which recently dropped all pandemic-related restrictions, COVID cases were up 48 percent last week compared to the week before, while hospitalizations were up 17 percent over the same period. Cases are also rising in more than half of E.U. countries, fueled by the more contagious Omicron subvariant, BA.2. Experts say the situation is cause for concern, not alarm: For one thing, BA.2 doesn’t seem to cause more severe disease, and health experts suspect that rising COVID hospitalizations in the U.K. may be a matter of muddy data. But surges in the U.S. have tended to lag behind those in the U.K. by a few weeks, U.S. wastewater samples have revealed an uptick in viral load, and the federal pandemic response is poised to sputter out after Congress failed to pass $15 billion in new funding. It’s too early to know whether another wave will materialize, but now would be the time to prepare for one. 

Relationships take work. A lot of us will drop anything to  go help someone we care about. We’ll go out of our way  to treat other people well, but how often do we give ourselves the same treatment? 

This month, BetterHelp online therapy wants to remind you to take care of your most important relationship– the one you have with yourself. Whether it’s hitting the gym, making time for your haircut, or even trying therapy, you are your greatest asset, so invest the time and effort into yourself like you do for other  people.  

BetterHelp is customized online therapy that offers video, phone and even live chat sessions with your therapist, so you don’t have to see anyone on camera if you don’t want to. It’s much more affordable than in-person therapy and you can start communicating with your therapist in under 48 hours.

Give it a try and see why over 2 million people have used BetterHelp online therapy. This newsletter is sponsored by BetterHelp, and What A Day readers get 10% off their first  month  BetterHelp.com/crooked.

Thirty-five manufacturers in 12 countries have signed an agreement to produce generic versions of Pfizer’s COVID antiviral pill, to be distributed in low- and middle-income countries.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has signed a law overriding a California Supreme Court decision that would have forced UC Berkeley to cut enrollment by more than 2,600 students. 

University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas has become the first openly trans athlete to win an NCAA Division I title.

Arnold Schwarzenegger put out a very good video aimed at getting the truth about the invasion of Ukraine across to disinformation-blasted Russian citizens.