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Category: Politics

Most Russians are unaware of the horrendous war crimes being committed by Putin’s forces in Ukraine

Most Russians are unaware of the horrendous war crimes being committed by Putin’s forces in Ukraine

Vladimir Kara-Murza writes: At the hearing in early June — the one that extended my arrest through mid-August — the court honored the prosecution’s request to ban any spectators, including journalists and diplomats, from the room. It was a scene reminiscent of the dissident trials of the Soviet era. Even if the outcome is predetermined, the last thing the Kremlin needs is to have the uncomfortable truth about its bloody war in Ukraine publicly voiced in a courtroom in downtown…

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An American’s murky path from Russian propagandist to January 6

An American’s murky path from Russian propagandist to January 6

The New York Times reports: In security footage from Jan. 6, it is easy to overlook the thin man wearing a red Trump hat who filters into the U.S. Capitol Building to record the mayhem with his phone. He blends in with the mob, seemingly unexceptional by the chaotic standards of that day. But what he did afterward was far from routine. Within 24 hours, the man, Charles Bausman, gave his recordings and commentary to a Russian television producer for…

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Thirty-five years in Afghanistan

Thirty-five years in Afghanistan

Kathy Gannon writes: The Afghan policeman opened fire on us with his AK-47, emptying 26 bullets into the back of the car. Seven slammed into me, and at least as many into my colleague, Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus. She died at my side. Anja weighed heavy against my shoulder. I tried to look at her but I couldn’t move. I looked down; all I could see was what looked like a stump where my left hand had been. I…

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Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony changed our minds about indicting Donald Trump

Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony changed our minds about indicting Donald Trump

Alan Z. Rozenshtein and Jed Handelsman Shugerman write: Until Tuesday, we had both publicly stated that the Department of Justice had insufficient evidence to indict former President Trump for his conduct on Jan. 6. Our conclusion, which we each came to independently, was largely grounded in First Amendment concerns about criminalizing purely political speech. But Tuesday’s explosive testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, changed our minds. In particular, Hutchinson testified to hearing…

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The January 6 committee is going to have the final word

The January 6 committee is going to have the final word

Quinta Jurecic writes: During its astonishing Tuesday hearing about Donald Trump’s actions on the day of January 6, the House select committee investigating the insurrection made clear that the integrity of its work is under threat. “The same people who drove the former president’s pressure campaign to overturn the election are now trying to cover up the truth about January 6,” warned committee chair Bennie Thompson. “But thanks to the courage of certain individuals, the truth won’t be buried.” The…

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The Supreme Court is the final word on nothing

The Supreme Court is the final word on nothing

Jamelle Bouie writes: The Constitution gives our elected officials the power to restrain a lawless Supreme Court, protect citizens from the “sinister legislation” of the states, punish those states for depriving their residents of the right to vote and expel insurrectionists from Congress. They are drastic measures that would break the norms of American politics. They might even spark a constitutional crisis over the power and authority of Congress. But let’s not be naïve. The norms of American politics were…

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Ukraine has exposed Russia as a not-so-great power

Ukraine has exposed Russia as a not-so-great power

Phillips Payson O’Brien writes: In times of peace, much of what anyone says about national power is guesswork. Different claims can be based on hopes, prejudices, or even simple self-interest. Analysts and experts can speak confidently about how some states are undoubtedly great powers while others are weak, that some countries are led by strategic geniuses and others by corrupt incompetents. The statements can sound eminently plausible as facts, even be downright persuasive, because there is no way of knowing…

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Newly arrived advanced weapon systems will help hinder further Russian advances in Ukraine

Newly arrived advanced weapon systems will help hinder further Russian advances in Ukraine

The New York Times reports: The most advanced weapons that the United States has so far supplied Ukraine are making an impact in their first several days on the battlefield, destroying Russian ammunition depots and command centers, American and Ukrainian officials say. Ukraine’s military had eagerly awaited the arrival of the first batch of truck-mounted, multiple-rocket launchers, whose satellite-guided rockets have a range of more than 40 miles, greater than anything Ukraine had possessed. The weapons have even won grudging…

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‘Perfect storm’ of crises is widening global inequality, says UN chief

‘Perfect storm’ of crises is widening global inequality, says UN chief

The Guardian reports: Humanity is facing a “perfect storm” of crises that is widening inequality between the north and south, the UN secretary general has warned. The divide is not only “morally unacceptable” but dangerous, further threatening peace and security in a conflicted world. The global food, energy and financial crises unleashed by the war in Ukraine have hit countries already reeling from the pandemic and the climate crisis, reversing what had been a growing convergence between developed and developing…

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America is headed for disaster

America is headed for disaster

Yascha Mounk writes: Most of the time, politics is like a jumble of puzzle pieces. On any given day, there are hundreds of news stories, some promising, others ominous. How they fit together is anyone’s guess. Right now, it feels as though American politics is like a simple puzzle consisting of five pieces. While each piece of the puzzle has been widely discussed, it is easy to miss how they all fit together. But once you put the pieces together,…

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Real power in America no longer lies in the people. It resides at the Supreme Court

Real power in America no longer lies in the people. It resides at the Supreme Court

Mark Joseph Stern writes: If anyone still doubted that the Supreme Court served as the nation’s chief policymaking institution after Dobbs, Thursday should put that to rest. The court is ruthlessly efficient, putting our gridlocked Congress to shame with its speedy and definitive resolution of the most pressing issues facing the country today. It does not require hourslong hearings or endless negotiations to operate. The six-justice conservative majority chooses which conflicts to prioritize, takes up cases that present them, then…

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In the wake of Dobbs, Biden leans on familiar excuses for inaction

In the wake of Dobbs, Biden leans on familiar excuses for inaction

Toni Aguilar Rosenthal, Mekedas Belayneh, and Glenna Li write: During his campaign, now-President Biden loved likening his image to that of FDR. But when a rogue U.S. Supreme Court threatened to overturn the sweeping reforms of FDR’s New Deal, Roosevelt directly challenged their gross power grab by threatening court expansion coupled with expansive judicial reforms. The controversial move paid off; the Court subsequently backed down and FDR preserved the slate of New Deal–era reforms that kept the working class alive…

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Ukraine-Russia war: The first four months in numbers

Ukraine-Russia war: The first four months in numbers

Army Technology reports: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February this year has resulted in a reaffirmation among NATO members about the need for the Alliance and the role it plays in European security. However, as the war drags on, the scale of the challenge is becoming ever clearer. Earlier this week, NATO announced that it would increase the number of forces held as rapid readiness to more than 300,000, up from around 40,000 at present, mainly based on the Alliance’s…

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In Russia’s biggest cities, Ukraine war fades to background noise

In Russia’s biggest cities, Ukraine war fades to background noise

The Wall Street Journal reports: Dima Karmanovsky had just finished his second DJ set of the night on a recent weekend, and was catching his breath before dashing off to another club for his next job. “I haven’t had this much work since before the pandemic,” the 35-year-old disc jockey said at Blanc, a popular bar in Russia’s capital. As the invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth month, there are relatively few outward signs in Moscow and St. Petersburg of…

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Taliban splits begin to emerge over religion, power and girls’ schools

Taliban splits begin to emerge over religion, power and girls’ schools

The Wall Street Journal reports: Taliban government ministers thought the matter of girls’ education was settled. Schools for girls over sixth grade were set to reopen this past March, after months. Then the Taliban’s religious council, dominated by ultraconservative clerics, scuttled the plan. Hours before school gates were supposed to reopen, it was announced that they would remain closed. Teenage girls who showed up to school in their uniforms were turned away. The reversal drew widespread condemnation in Afghanistan—including from…

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How the Supreme Court ruling will gut the EPA’s ability to fight the climate crisis

How the Supreme Court ruling will gut the EPA’s ability to fight the climate crisis

CNN reports: The Supreme Court on Thursday dealt a major blow to climate action by handcuffing the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate planet-warming emissions from the country’s power plants, just as scientists warn the world is running out of time to get the climate crisis under control. It is a major loss for not only the Biden administration’s climate goals, but it also calls into question the future of federal-level climate action and puts even more pressure on Congress…

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