Ukraine Tries To Drum Up Support & Your Cat Might Be A Killer
December 13, 2023
Letting Out Secrets, Raking In Nothing
On Tuesday, the U.S. declassified intelligence regarding the war in Ukraine, hoping to drum up support for a massive international $111 billion assistance package, which includes over $60 billion for Ukraine. Unfortunately for the White House, the leaks weren’t enough to get the package passed in time to coincide with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington yesterday.
The declassified intelligence includes U.S. assessments of Russia’s recent offensive. The Pentagon estimates that Russia has lost 315,000 of the 360,000 troops with which it started the war, forcing Moscow to turn to recruitment and conscription to keep its war machine running. The intelligence also shows that Russia has lost 2,200 of its 3,500 tanks. According to a National Security Council spokeswoman, Moscow has lost over 13,000 troops and 220 tanks in its recent offensive near the city of Avdiivka, which was allegedly designed to hurt Western support for Kyiv. Russia “seems to believe that a military deadlock through the winter will drain Western support for Ukraine,” she added.
President Biden has promised to support Kyiv for “as long as we can.” Despite not securing the funding he’s looking for, Zelenskyy says he had a “friendly and candid” meeting with Senate leaders during his visit, and emphasized “the significance of sustaining vital U.S. support” for his country. Another victory for Ukraine came in the form of U.S. economic and diplomatic sanctions announced in tandem with Zelenskyy’s visit, which will target the people and groups from Russia, China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates that have helped arm Russia’s invasion forces.
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Macron In Another Mess
- While the government of French President Emmanuel Macron was able to weather mass protests in response to pension reforms earlier this year, it’s now facing a new challenge. The centrist government was shut down by opposition from both sides of the aisle on Monday when Macron’s Renaissance party tried to pass a key immigration bill.
- Far-right, far-left, and small-party politicians banded together to block the legislation, succeeding by 270 votes to 265. The immigration bill would have allowed the government to expel migrants with prison sentences over five years, and would have made it harder for migrants living in France to bring their families into the country. While the far-left opposition said the measure was too harsh on migrants, the far-right politicians who also blocked the bill claimed it did too little.
- Now, the centrist government says it plans to head back to the drawing board on the issue, but the blockage reflects a growing problem for Macron and his party – ever since losing its parliamentary majority in June 2022 elections, the government has struggled to get bills passed without bending to the right or left.
Trade War Is Back On The Table
- While former U.S. president Donald Trump was all too happy to start a trade war with China in 2018, it appears that a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers are just as willing to continue that effort, and even expand it. On Tuesday, The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party released a 53-page report (with almost 150 recommendations) focused on how the U.S. might counter China’s “multidecade campaign of economic aggression” against America.
- The report claims that interdependence between the world’s two biggest economies has left the U.S. highly vulnerable against China, especially in the case of a war. American war hawks say that such a conflict might break out as soon as 2025. Recommendations include raising tariffs on Chinese goods and setting up a new committee to review Chinese investments for national security threats. However, legislators noted that they’re not advocating a full decoupling of the Chinese and U.S. economies.
- Interestingly, the report comes at a time of increased diplomacy between the two countries, with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping even visiting the U.S. for the APEC conference in November, and top-level American diplomats journeying to Beijing multiple times. A study published by Oxford Economics last month indicates that the U.S. increasing tariffs against Chinese goods would also damage the American economy, to the tune of $1.6 trillion in losses over five years.
Additional World News
- Myanmar overtakes Afghanistan as top opium producer (BBC)
- Pakistani armed forces suffer deadliest attack this year (CNN)
- Polish far-right lawmaker extinguishes Hanukkah candle in parliament (ABC)
- Alexey Navalny fails to attend trial after his team loses contact with jailed Russian opposition leader (CNN)
Middle East Reads
- Netanyahu says Israel, U.S. differ about post-war Gaza rule (Reuters)
- UN General Assembly set to demand Gaza ceasefire (Reuters)
- Biden tells donors Israel is losing support, Netanyahu must change his government (CNN)
- U.S. Raises Concern Over Israel’s Possible Use of U.S.-Supplied White Phosphorus (NYT, $)
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” – Plutarch
Unity At Universities
- Harvard University’s board issued a statement on Tuesday assuring everyone that the university’s president, Claudine Gay, has their unanimous support. “Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing,” the statement read.
- Calls for Gay to be ousted from her role at the university have grown louder in recent days in the wake of testimony on antisemitism at American universities before a House committee a week ago. UPenn President Liz Magill, who testified alongside Gay, has already resigned. More than 700 Harvard faculty members have also signed a petition backing Gay, the university’s first Black president in history.
- Gay was cautious when answering questions about antisemitism and how it violates Harvard’s code of conduct. The three presidents who testified – Gay, Magill, and MIT President Sally Kornbluth – soon after attempted to clarify their testimony, publicly saying that they were giving academic answers to questions of safety, and that they believe calls for genocide would violate school rules.
The Truth Shall Set You Free (From Employment)
- Hannah Giles, the CEO of rightwing Project Veritas, resigned from her role on Monday. “Though I had high hopes when I joined the organizations, I stepped into an unsalvageable mess – one wrought with strong evidence of past illegality and past financial improprieties,” her statement said.
- Project Veritas typically operates with sting-type operations on left-wing figures. Among their more notable targets are community activism group Acorn, The Washington Post, Mary Landrieu, a Democratic senator from Louisiana, and Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley Biden, whose diary Project Veritas obtained but never used.
Additional USA Reads
- Election worker suing Rudy Giuliani testifies in defamation trial against him (NBC)
- George Santos discussing plea deal with federal prosecutors, legal filing shows (ABC)
- Poll: A fifth of Black voters want ‘someone else’ instead of Trump or Biden (Politico)
- Pharmacies share medical data with police without a warrant, inquiry finds (WaPo, $)
- FBI chief in India following explosive US assassination plot indictment (CNN)
- Florida school board may seek ouster of Moms for Liberty co-founder over Republican sex scandal (NBC)
Here Kitty, Kitty, Killer
- Besides the issues of fleas, ticks, dirt, and cars, scientists have come up with another reason for you to keep your cat at home. According to a new paper published in the journal Nature Communications, your cute little kitty cat is also likely to become a serial murderer when you let it roam outdoors. Researchers estimate that house cats kill and eat over 2,000 different species worldwide, including hundreds of species of conservation concern.
- “Our study sheds light on the predatory habits of one of the world’s most successful and widely distributed invasive predators,” write the paper’s authors. They then go on to describe cats as “amongst the most problematic invasive species in the world,” showing that they eat over 9% of known bird species, 6% of known mammals, and 4% of known reptiles, as well as dozens of different insect and amphibian species.
- The paper also offers a few different ways to keep cats from happily tearing up local ecosystems like the sides of your new couch. The authors say that attaching bells to cats’ collars can warn prey of their approach. Installing ultrasonic devices to keep cats out of gardens can help too, and building residential developments further away from the habitats of vulnerable species can also prevent feral cat colonies from eating up species in need of protection.
Additional Reads
- Biden Administration Chooses Military Supplier for First CHIPS Act Grant (NYT, $)
- Dinosaur head found in U.K., and experts say it’s one of the most complete pliosaur skulls ever unearthed (CBS)
- Denzel Washington’s casting as Hannibal in Netflix film sparks race controversy in Tunisia (Guardian)
- Panera founder says employees aren’t motivated by the idea of making money for shareholders: ‘Nobody cares’ (Business Insider)
- What I have learnt in 37 years of financial journalism (Financial Times)
- Sports Illustrated publisher fires CEO after AI article debacle (CNN)