What’s Happening With Ukraine & Taylor Swift’s Latest Accolade
December 7, 2023
Keeping Up With Kyiv
As the war in Ukraine slows down for winter, things are getting a little weird. According to sources close to the matter, NGOs and charities who provide Ukraine’s military with volunteer aid are being blocked from shipping their goods across the border by Polish truckers. The truckers say that Ukrainian truck drivers, who don’t require permits to access the E.U. (given their at-war status) are abusing their freedom to undercut permitted truck drivers, but Ukraine says that enforcing a permitting system during wartime is impossible. Apparently, Ukraine has imported hundreds of millions of dollars in voluntarily-donated military aid since the war began, on top of billions of dollars from its Western allies.
Speaking of at-war status, a familiar scene is taking place in the U.S. According to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a classified briefing in the Senate on Tuesday devolved into a literal screaming match between legislators as Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans began yelling at the generals giving the briefing. “It was immediately hijacked by Leader McConnell,” said Schumer, saying, “…when I brought up the fact that they could do an amendment and have the ability to get something done on border, they got stuck … they didn’t like it. Even one of them was disrespectful and started screaming at one of the generals and challenging him to why they didn’t go to the border.”
While Kyiv deals with that, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare diplomatic trip outside Russia. He’s traveling to the UAE and Saudi Arabia to discuss the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as oil production. Putin has barely left Russia since the war in Ukraine began last February because he’s currently wanted by the International Criminal Court for illegally deporting Ukrainian children to Russia, but neither the UAE nor Saudi Arabia recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction, so he’s free to escape the cold Russian winter in the warmth of the Gulf.
Want To Know More?
- US charges Russian soldiers with war crimes against an American in Ukraine (CNN)
- Pro-Kremlin Ukrainian politician Illia Kyva assassinated near Moscow: “Such a fate will befall other traitors of Ukraine” (CBS)
- Russia claims night-time seizure of US Bradley fighting vehicle from Ukraine (Reuters)
Some Good News
- £42k raised as gameshow contestant shares MND battle (BBC)
- Stockton teen ensures seniors are staying warm and unforgotten during holiday season (CBS)
- Paris is getting a whole new Metro network. And it’s huge (CNN)
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No More Nordic Neutrality
- Sweden is eagerly shedding the last bits of its policy of neutrality. The Nordic country, which is set to join NATO soon, has signed a new defense agreement with the U.S. which will grant Washington access to all military bases in the nation. Pal Jonson, Sweden’s defense minister, said the agreement “will create better conditions for Sweden to be able to receive support from the United States in the event of a war or crisis.” That “crisis” being a certain global power to the east whose name begins with an “R.”
- Jonson told Swedish media that not “all 17 locations will be used,” only “where it is most important from a military perspective for them to be able to store defence equipment, for example.” One of Sweden’s most important strategic assets is the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, which is just 186 miles from Russia’s strategically important Baltic Coast city of Kaliningrad.
- Sweden is just a hair’s breadth from joining the NATO military alliance. The country’s NATO bid, submitted after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, requires votes of approval from Turkey and Hungary. Sweden’s neighbor to the east, Finland, joined NATO in April without a hitch after shedding its policy of neutrality just like Sweden.
Italy Has Enough Belts And Roads, Thank You Very Much
- This week, Italy has reportedly pulled out of a deal that we’re surprised the country was ever involved in to begin with. Sources within Italy’s government say that the European nation has sent a letter to Beijing, letting China know that it will be pulling out of the Asian superpower’s Belt and Road Infrastructure Initiative (BRI). Italy joined the initiative in 2019 (angering its Western allies), but right-wing prime minister Georgia Meloni has been critical of the move since its inception, and has been expected to withdraw from the BRI since she was elected last October.
- The BRI plan is an attempt to link China to Europe and the rest of the world by roads, shipping routes, and other infrastructure on a path similar to the Silk Road. Over 100 countries have been involved in the initiative since it began in 2013. “We have every intention of maintaining excellent relations with China even if we are no longer part of the Belt and Road initiative,” one Italian government source told the media. “Other G7 nations have closer relations with China than we do, despite the fact they were never in [the BRI].”
Additional World News
- Prosecutor seeks terror-linked charge for man accused of killing tourist near Eiffel Tower (ABC)
- Peruvian constitutional court orders release of former President Alberto Fujimori (NPR)
- Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai urges world to confront Taliban’s ‘gender apartheid’ against women (AP)
- Boris Johnson heckled as he attempts to say sorry for Covid deaths (CNN)
- US warship shoots down drone launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen (CNN)
Middle East Reads
- ‘Apocalyptic’ conditions in southern Gaza blocking aid, top UN official says (Guardian)
- Freed Israeli hostage, 17, says her puppy was a ‘huge help’ in captivity (USA Today)
- Israel and Hamas fight house-to-house battles across Gaza (Guardian)
- Generation after generation, Israeli prison marks a rite of passage for Palestinian boys (AP)
- Oakland Educators Plan Unauthorized Teach-in Supporting Palestinians (NYT, $)
- Leaked audio of heated meeting reveals hostages’ fury at Netanyahu (CNN)
“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” – John F. Kennedy
Not-So-Quiet Quitting
- Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, who struggled to muster up the votes to become Speaker in January but easily mustered up the votes to be ousted nine months later, revealed that he’ll be resigning from Congress at the end of this year. He made the announcement in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal yesterday.
- The departure adds to the concerns about the GOP’s increasingly slim majority in the House (the expulsion of Rep. George Santos last month narrowed their margins even further). McCarthy has been in the House for 17 years, and didn’t express any regrets, saying, “I go knowing I left it all on the field – as always, with a smile on my face. And looking back, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
Let Me Just Do One Day Of Dictatorship, Please?
- During his appearance on a Fox News Town Hall, Sean Hannity asked former President Trump whether he would use the presidency to “abuse power, to break the law, to use the government to go after people” if he were to take back the White House in 2024. If you think this story is going to end well, spoiler alert: it does not.
- “You are promising America tonight you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?” Hannity asked. “Except for Day One,” Trump answered. He added, “I love this guy. He says, ‘You’re not going to be a dictator, are you?’ I said, ‘No, no, no. Other than Day One.’ We’re closing the border, and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator,” Trump said. Nothing to see here, folks!
Additional USA Reads
- Bowman to face primary challenge from pro-Israel Democrat (Politico)
- Republicans to blur faces in January 6 footage as ‘we don’t want them charged’ (Guardian)
- U.S. restricts visas for Israeli settlers linked to extremist violence (WaPo, $)
- California’s holiday tree lighting ceremony goes virtual due to possible protests (NBC)
- Fake electors in Wisconsin first to admit Biden won election and face penalty (Guardian)
- A tiny and cheap device called a ‘Glock switch’ lets criminals create their own machine guns (NBC)
- UNLV shooting: Multiple victims reported, suspect dead, police say (ABC)
It’s Me, Hi, I’m Time’s Person Of The Year, It’s Me
- Time’s 2023 Person of the Year isn’t some head of state or tech billionaire — she’s just a girl with a guitar from a small town in Pennsylvania. That girl, Taylor Swift, is a full-on, multibillion-dollar force of nature, who’s topped headlines and the Billboard charts all year thanks to her international arena tour and whirlwind (and highly-publicized) romance with NFL star Travis Kelce.
- Now, Swift has been a bona fide star for over two decades at this point, topping the charts anytime she releases new music. “But this year, something shifted,” wrote Time editor Sam Lansky. “To discuss her movements felt like discussing politics or the weather —a language spoken so widely it needed no context. She became the main character of the world.”
- This is in part because of her massive international Eras tour, which has seen her play to sold-out crowds in every corner of the world. According to one analysis, her tour generated an estimated $5 billion in consumer spending in just the U.S. portion of the international tour. Then there’s the behind-the-scenes concert movie named Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, a box office behemoth that made over $250 million in just one month. Another piece of the puzzle was her headline-snatching romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, which has stirred the NFL (and the paparazzi) into a frenzy for months at this point. Overall, it seems like Swift and her fans have never been more prevalent. Maybe another Grammy is next?
Additional Reads
- George Santos reportedly making six figures by selling Cameo videos (Guardian)
- Black Americans expect to face racism in the doctor’s office, survey finds (NPR)
- Apple admits to secretly giving governments push notification data (Ars Technica)
- Here are the 25 most-viewed articles on Wikipedia in 2023 (NPR)
- EVs don’t always achieve their driving ranges. Here are Consumer Reports’ best and worst performers. (CBS)
- How old fishing nets could be part of the climate crisis solution (CNN)
- LISTEN: Can a social media post change public opinion? Researchers weigh in (NPR)