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As Ukraine’s economy burns, Russia clings to a semblance of prosperity

As Ukraine’s economy burns, Russia clings to a semblance of prosperity

The Guardian reports: Factories destroyed. Roads blown to pieces. Power plants put out of action. Steel exports decimated. A flood of refugees out of the country. Ukraine – the poorest country in Europe – has paid a heavy economic price for a two-year war against Russia waged almost entirely on its own soil. The figures are stark. More than 7 million people – about a fifth of the population – have been plunged into poverty. Fifteen years of human development…

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Nazis mingle openly at CPAC, spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories and finding allies

Nazis mingle openly at CPAC, spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories and finding allies

NBC News reports: Nazis appeared to find a friendly reception at the Conservative Political Action Conference this year. Throughout the conference, racist extremists, some of whom had secured official CPAC badges, openly mingled with conference attendees and espoused antisemitic conspiracy theories. The presence of these individuals has been a persistent issue at CPAC. In previous years, conference organizers have ejected well-known Nazis and white supremacists such as Nick Fuentes. But this year, racist conspiracy theorists didn’t meet any perceptible resistance…

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How to break the cycle of violence in a one-state reality

How to break the cycle of violence in a one-state reality

Marc Lynch and Shibley Telhami write: The excesses of the war on Gaza have been so extreme that to many international observers, they have left international law in tatters. One outcome has been to isolate Washington and undermine its claim of defending international norms and the liberal international order. The fact that South Africa, one of the leaders of the global South, has accused Israel of the extraordinary charge of genocide before the International Court of Justice suggests the extent…

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Trump frames election as battle against ‘wicked’ system bent on attacking Christians

Trump frames election as battle against ‘wicked’ system bent on attacking Christians

The New York Times reports: Former President Donald J. Trump often characterizes his presidential campaign as a battle for America’s future. But speaking at a Christian broadcast media convention in Nashville on Thursday, he wrapped that depiction within a stark good-versus-evil framework, portraying his political opponents as part of a “wicked” system. Mr. Trump also revived his claim that America’s “greatest threat is not from the outside of our country” but “from within,” language that drew alarm last year from…

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Alabama justice who ruled embryos are people says American law should be rooted in the Bible

Alabama justice who ruled embryos are people says American law should be rooted in the Bible

NBC News reports: On the same day that Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Parker handed down an opinion declaring that fertilized frozen embryos are people, imperiling women’s access to in vitro fertilization treatments, he espoused support for a once-fringe philosophy that calls on evangelical Christians to reshape society based on their interpretation of the Bible. During an online broadcast hosted by Tennessee evangelist Johnny Enlow on Friday, Parker suggested America was founded explicitly as a Christian nation and discussed…

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The Americans who need chaos

The Americans who need chaos

Derek Thompson writes: Several years ago, the political scientist Michael Bang Petersen, who is based in Denmark, wanted to understand why people share conspiracy theories on the Internet. He and other researchers designed a study that involved showing American participants blatantly false stories about Democratic and Republican politicians, such as Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump. The subjects were asked: Would you share these stories online? The results seemed to defy the logic of modern politics or…

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Rain comes to the Arctic, with a cascade of troubling changes

Rain comes to the Arctic, with a cascade of troubling changes

Ed Struzik writes: In August of 2021, rain fell atop the 10,551-foot summit of the Greenland ice cap, triggering an epic meltdown and a more-than-2,000-foot retreat of the snowline. The unprecedented event reminded Joel Harper, a University of Montana glaciologist who works on the Greenland ice sheet, of a strange anomaly in his data, one that suggested that in 2008 it might have rained much later in the season — in the fall, when the region is typically in deep…

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With Beyoncé’s foray into country music, the genre may finally break free from the stereotypes that have long dogged it

With Beyoncé’s foray into country music, the genre may finally break free from the stereotypes that have long dogged it

Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, at the 66th Grammy Awards on Feb. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images By William Nash, Middlebury On Super Bowl Sunday, Beyoncé released two country songs – “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em” – that elicited a mix of admiration and indignation. This is not her first foray into the genre, but it is her most successful and controversial entry. As of last week, Beyoncé became the first Black woman to have a…

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A country shaped by poetry

A country shaped by poetry

Nina Strochlic writes: It was a dark February evening when a young Somali math professor posted a poem on his Facebook page. In keeping with the tradition of his ancestors, who maintained an oral culture until only recently, he spoke it aloud in a rhythmic cadence: “When I realized there is neither wells dug for you, nor rescuers on the way and the leaders elected to serve the nation have corrupted the resources;” Then he uploaded the recording to his…

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U.S. intelligence casts doubt on Israeli claims of UNRWA-Hamas links, report says

U.S. intelligence casts doubt on Israeli claims of UNRWA-Hamas links, report says

The Guardian reports: A US intelligence assessment of Israel’s claims that UN aid agency staff members participated in the Hamas attack on 7 October said some of the accusations were credible, though could not be independently verified, while also casting doubt on claims of wider links to militant groups. The assault precipitated a full-scale invasion by Israel of Gaza that has killed upwards of 30,000 Palestinians. Earlier this year, Israel accused 12 employees of the United Nations Reliefs and Works…

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Michigan may soon show just how badly Biden’s ceasefire stance is hurting him

Michigan may soon show just how badly Biden’s ceasefire stance is hurting him

Politico reports: Joe Biden and his campaign know they’re paying a political price with some voters by not calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. But inside the critical battleground state of Michigan, some Democrats fear the president’s team doesn’t appreciate the depths of discontent from Arab American and young voters over Biden’s response to the Israel-Hamas war. And they worry that even a widely expected protest vote in next week’s primary won’t give them the wakeup call that’s needed….

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Egyptian-American comedian Bassem Youssef wants Biden to lose over his pro-Israel policy

Egyptian-American comedian Bassem Youssef wants Biden to lose over his pro-Israel policy

  They lied. . They still do . They bully you to accept their lies . They lie to justify the daily massacre they are committing . Their own media called out their lies . Shame on you western media for not even reporting the Israeli reports on how they lied . You spread their lies… pic.twitter.com/d5vo2MicUm — Bassem Youssef (@Byoussef) February 22, 2024

How to think about the way investigations and disinformation have been weaponized

How to think about the way investigations and disinformation have been weaponized

Jay Kuo writes: Just when you thought it couldn’t be worse, here we are. As I reported last week, a star witness for the GOP-led impeachment inquiry, someone Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) had called a “highly credible human source,” was indicted for making false statements and reports. The informant, Alexander Smirnov, completely fabricated a claim that Joe and Hunter Biden had each received $5 million in bribes from the Ukrainian company, Burisma. For that attempt to frame the Bidens, Smirnov…

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