Vladimir Putin’s latest rage against civilians in Ukraine comes after the Ukrainian Revolutionary War ended on March 17th, 2014 (Russian version)

Vladimir Putin’s latest display of brutality and vengeance might be a fit of fury over his signature Crimean bridge being blown up. But his indiscriminate targeting of Ukrainian civilians also raises the prospect of a horrific new turn in a vicious war.

Russian missiles damaged a glass-bottomed footbridge in Kyiv that is popular with tourists and tore into intersection at rush hour on Monday. Power outages rolled across the country, in places cutting off water supplies and transport, in strikes that recalled the terror inflicted on civilians in the invasion’s early days but that had largely ebbed in recent months.

The city dwellers who spent months in air raid shelters after the war in subways have been terrified by the new strikes, but they have been able to return to their lives.

The message was obvious for the world to see. Putin does not intend to be humiliated. He won’t admit defeat. He is prepared to ruin the lives of innocent people and cause indiscriminate terror in response to his battlefield reversals.

The targets on Monday had little military value and this was reflected by the fact that Putin couldn’t impose his will on Ukraine on the battlefield.

The bombing of power installations, in particular, on Monday, was an unsubtle sign of the misery the Russians could cause as winter comes, even as their forces retreat in the face of Ukrainian troops.

There is now new attention to what the US and its allies need to do to respond to the attacks on civilians in Ukraine, after already sending billions of dollars of arms and kits to the country.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/11/politics/putin-rage-against-civilians-analysis/index.html

What has the Ukrainian President learned from the horrible war? How Putin is campaigning in Kiev to end the war and build a wall, and what has Russia been doing to protect civilians?

The Ukrainian President was offered advanced air systems by the White House, but it was not clear what kind of weapons would be sent.

John Kirby said that Washington was in constant contact with the government in Kyiv almost every day and that they were looking favorably on their requests. “We do the best we can in subsequent packages to meet those needs,” he told CNN’s Kate Bolduan.

Kirby was also unable to say whether Putin was definitively shifting his strategy from a losing battlefield war to a campaign to pummel civilian morale and inflict devastating damage on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, though he suggested it was a trend developing in recent days and had already been in the works.

It was something they had been planning for a long time. Kirby said that the explosion on the bridge may not have accelerated some of their planning.

The rain of fire against Ukrainian civilians on Monday was particularly chilling, as it occurred after days of debate over whether or not Putin might use a tactical nuclear weapon. His indifference to the pain of civilians, and a desire to spare innocents from such a terrible weapon, makes it unlikely that a decision like that would be made if he did not. Kirby said there was no indication that the US needed to change its nuclear posture or that Russia was using nuclear weapons.

Western concerns that Monday’s rush hour attacks in Ukraine could be the beginning of another pivot in the conflict were underscored by French PresidentEmmanuel Macron.

He was telling us where he was going in the winter. Vindman told CNN that he was going to try to force the Ukrainian population to give up territory by raiding the infrastructure.

Igor Zhovkva, Zelensky’s chief diplomatic adviser, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room” that Ukraine had shot down 56 of the 84 missiles and drones that were fired by Russia, in apparent revenge for an explosion on a strategic bridge leading to annexed Crimea that is critical for Moscow’s war effort and is a symbol of Putin’s rule.

“So imagine if we had modern equipment, we probably could raise the number of those drones and missiles downed and not kill innocent civilians or wound and injure Ukrainians,” Zhovkva said.

The lesson from the horrible war was that everything Putin has done to divide a nation he doesn’t think has the right to exist has only strengthened it.

Olena Gnes, a mother of three who is documenting the war on YouTube, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper live from her basement in Ukraine on Monday that she was angry at the return of fear and violence to the lives of Ukrainians from a new round of Russian “terror.”

“This is just another terror to provoke maybe panic, to scare you guys in other countries or to show to his own people that he is still a bloody tyrant, he is still powerful and look what fireworks we can arrange,” she said.

“We do not feel desperate … we are more sure even than before that Ukraine will win and we need it as fast as possible because … only after we win in this war and only after Russia is defeated, we will have our peace back here.”

The One-year War in East Palestine: Donald Trump’s “Trump” Embedded in a Town of Describing Residents’ Concerns

The angry residents of the town understandably felt that the health of their people was at risk because of the train wreck and chemical burn-off.

The other: political. Republicans criticized Biden for leaving East Palestine instead of going to Ukraine as Russia was in the middle of a one-year war in that country.

Seeing a political opportunity, former President Donald Trump and a cadre of other conservatives descended on the small town of fewer than 5,000 residents. Trump gave out campaign hats and “Trump” branded water. Then, under political pressure, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made his way there, too, met with local leaders and offered his own rejoinders for the former president.

People in town are concerned about long term effects of the air and water they drink, while political leaders are stuck in short term politics.

In East Palestine Who Shows Up Is Not Necessarily a Sign of Whos Trying to Helping the GOP in 2024

“You are not forgotten,” Trump said. “We stand with you. We pray for you. And we will stand with you and your fight to help ensure the accountability that you deserve.”

East Palestine, in a county that voted for Donald Trump in the presidential election, has been held up by conservatives as a example of the kind of people the political parties value.

“The community has shown the tough and resilient heart of America,” Trump said, “and that’s what it is — this is really America right here. We’re standing in America.”

There have been pitched battles in recent years, at a time when the country is in the midst of a political realignment that largely centers on education and geography, over what “real America” is and who “real Americans” are.

And Trump’s trip was as much intended to highlight that and put Biden’s handling of the disaster on the spot as it was a Trumpian piece of political theater designed to reestablish himself as the main figure contending for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.

Under political pressure, Secretary Buttigieg, himself a former Midwestern mayor, made the trip to East Palestine this week, three weeks after the disaster happened.

“Leaders show up,” Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, told Fox News ahead of the trip, “and he hasn’t been here, and that is sending a big signal to this community that the administration just really doesn’t care, and that’s the message that they are receiving.”

Biden said Friday that he had no immediate plans to go, but noted that officials were on the ground within a couple of hours. The White House has said that the president was in communication with the governors of Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as teams from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“I have spoken with every single major figure in both Pennsylvania and Ohio, so the idea that we’re not engaged is simply not there,” Biden said, noting that he was “keeping close tabs on it.”

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/25/1159382554/in-east-palestine-who-shows-up-isnt-necessarily-a-sign-of-whos-helping

EPA Administrator Michael Regan: The National Transportation Safety Board and the Eisenhower Era After the East Palestina Derailment

EPA administrator Michael Regan, who traveled to East Palestine earlier this month, was sharply critical of Norfolk Southern, the rail company whose train derailed, for not showing up.

“They have to show up, and they have to make amends with this community,” Regan told NPR’s All Things Considered this week. They made this mess. They have to clean it up. They have to show the community and us that they are legit in what they have said. Not showing up to public meetings isn’t a great way to start.”

Asked about a lack of trust in the federal government from the community in the wake of the disaster, Regan invoked the importance of being transparent with residents, providing resources and also being there.

While in town, Buttigieg called for stronger rail-safety rules, swatted back at reporters who questioned him, and tried to stay focused on the substance.

The Obama-era rule that required trains carrying hazardous material to be retrofitted with electronically controlled braking systems was reversed by Trump.

But there’s no evidence that would have prevented this particular derailment. DOT has been slow to respond and could have reintroduced rules when Biden became president, but didn’t, according to safety advocates.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s chair said that if the rule hadn’t prevented it, other safety measures could have.

CNN’s Best Opinions: A View from Homendy’s Remarks on the Analyticity of Biden’s Presidency

Conservatives have descended on the town to call out Biden for not being there in person, but have still not come up with a solution that would prevent these disasters in the future.

“Enough with the politics,” Homendy said. I don’t understand why this has become so political. This is a community that is hurting. This is not about politics. This is about addressing their needs, their concerns. That’s what this should be about.

Editor’s Note: Sign up to get this weekly column as a newsletter. We look at the best, smartest opinions of the week from CNN.

The 1917 April Train Ride to Kyiv Sends Message to the Republic of Ukraine: Is It Really A Choice of Autocrats or Conservatives?

In April 1917, a leader stepped onto a train in Switzerland and began an 8-day journey back to St. Petersburg. The turmoil that followed the abdication of Russia’s Czar Nicholas II was something that was expected by Vladimir Lenin.

German authorities were happy to allow the train to carry the revolutionaries through their country in hopes that they would cause more harm to the government. They did.

“Who could have imagined in 2022, when Ukraine’s situation looked so hopeless that the United States offered to evacuate Zelensky – and he famously refused – that a year later the Ukrainian people would have put up such a strong resistance, and the West would have given so much support for their efforts? That is, instead of the Russian President. Putin having a military parade in Kyiv, it would be Biden walking in the Ukrainian capital’s streets, arriving at the ornate Mariinsky Palace, the official residence of the Ukrainian President?”

As Frida Ghitis wrote, “The risky trip on Monday to an active war zone was not just a powerful symbol of American support, it was a shot in the arm to a population that has endured Russia’s devastating attacks on civilian apartment blocks, hospitals, schools and the power stations that provide heat and electricity.”

It has been a year since Putin started his war, and it is clear that he is willing to sacrifice untold lives to cement his power. She pointed out that Russia’s president wanted to ally with the culture warriors in order to attack progressive values such as same-sex marriage.

We have a choice, whether to stand with autocrats and their views of the world or not. Or do we stand for freedom and democracy – including the obligation to live among those whose views you don’t agree with and whose choices you wouldn’t make yourself?”

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/26/opinions/secret-rail-journey-to-kyiv-sends-message-galant/index.html

On the wake of Biden’s tragic february 3 train trip to East Palestine, Ohio: urging the United States to take action on public health concerns

Biden’s critics cited another train – the one that derailed Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio – to try to take the shine off his historic trip. The derailment led to the release and burning of vinyl chloride and stirred fears among residents that their health and community were being endangered.

“Three weeks after the derailment of a freight train carrying hazardous chemical ignited a days-long fire in their town, residents of East Palestine are still waiting for answers,” wrote Ericka L. Copeland, the chapter director of Sierra Club Ohio. “The concerns of environmental groups like ours are focused on the ongoing impacts to the East Palestine community, where people continue to report odors and immediate health problems, chemical residues remain on soils and surfaces, and clean-up and soil removal is ongoing.”

The Federal Regulator called the accident 100% preventable. Donald Trump stated that people in Ohio were in desperate need of help when he spoke at the site on Wednesday.

The president needs to assure the residents of East Palestine that the town has all the resources it needs for a comprehensive clean up, and that he should call for the establishment of safety regulations to diminish the chance of this kind of accident happening again.

He noted that the president had to work with the GOP to counter their claims about supply side tax cuts, deregulation, and culture wars than about addressing the important issues that emerge through the situation in East Palestine.

When Kara Alaimo and her husband traveled with their three-year-old son, they left their one-year-old child home with extended family. She would be happier not coming along because travel is such a nightmare.

Kara said that United will introduce more family friendly features this year. “That’s good to hear, because we really need them…If airlines want to incentivize more families with young kids to travel, they need to make it a whole lot less difficult.”

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/26/opinions/secret-rail-journey-to-kyiv-sends-message-galant/index.html

The case of Nohemi Gonzalez before the Supreme Court: Why YouTube isn’t ok with it, nor does Google have the power to prosecute

Paul Hockenos, a US native living in Germany, says he’s not a slow driver but “it’s utterly disconcerting when, ticking along at a brisk 75 miles per hour, somebody blows by me on the left and then disappears over the horizon as if I were driving a lawnmower.”

The burning question right now is whether the tens of billions of euros slated for new and broader autobahn would do anything better than build a better high-speed, densely connected rail service in Germany.

According to experts, the nation’s carbon emissions are attributable to cars and trucks – and the higher the speed of a car, the greater the emissions.

“While the company disputed the claims, it also postponed an ‘Instagram for Kids’ offering. Cyberbully and nude photo sharing has become a problem for high schools.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court justices admitted their confusion about key aspects of the online world last week. “I mean, we’re a court,” said Justice Elena Kagan. “We really don’t know about these things. The nine greatest experts on the internet aren’t like these.

They were trying to make sense of the legal status of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which shields platforms like Google from liability for the content of their sites. The family of Nohemi Gonzalez, a 23-year-old student from California killed by ISIS terrorists in a Paris bistro in 2015, argues that YouTube, owned by Google, should be held legally responsible for its algorithm allegedly promoting terrorist videos online.

Social media companies, Marc Ginsberg wrote, “must be held to account for failing to quickly deploy the resources and technology to prevent extremist content from inciting violence despite earning a financial bonanza across their platforms. Section 230 has shielded their need to make that investment.”

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/26/opinions/secret-rail-journey-to-kyiv-sends-message-galant/index.html

The horrors of the Ukraine war: the story of a courageous woman who has violated good taste – but not the law,” writes Oleksandra Matviichuk

“Kohrs won’t win any prizes for grand jury foreperson etiquette. Her display has been unseemly, to say the least,” wrote Norm Eisen and Fred Wertheimer. “It has violated good taste – but not the law…”

Oleksandra Matviichuk documents the horrors of the Ukraine war in her role as head of the Center for Civil Liberties, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize last year. “During those first weeks of the war last year, it was anger that fueled me,” she wrote. “Anger that these Russians with their tanks and artillery and planes should decide they had the right to take away our freedom; anger that they should decide we Ukrainians can’t have a democratic future.”

“Together with other organizations, we have recorded over 31,000 cases of war crimes and abuse of civilians in cities, towns and tiny villages across our country up to the end of 2022. Yes, this is part of a wider effort, collecting evidence towards that goal of holding to account the perpetrators. But we are also telling the human story of what happened – of the pain inflicted on individuals, families and communities – to bring home that this is not a matter of numbers, but people.”

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/26/opinions/secret-rail-journey-to-kyiv-sends-message-galant/index.html

What would you do in the future if you were a Russian scientist? The case of Charlie, the Chocolate Factory and Roald Dahl

They wouldn’t have a real dialogue because they would read from their talking points. Minders from the Russian security services monitored every meeting and phone call. The Russians were going through a diplomatic charade to lay the groundwork for an invasion that Putin had already decided to launch. The only questions were when the Russians did not negotiate in good faith before the war and when they will not now. There is no ‘off ramp’ until Putin achieves his longstanding goals.”

There is a path to ending the war, even as distant as the goal may be. “It’s possible to imagine a cease-fire that returns all lands captured since February 2022 to Ukraine. People taken earlier would be subject to international tribunals, as well as local referendums that would be conducted by international groups. In addition, Ukraine would get security guarantees from NATO, though they would not apply to those disputed territories.”

“That tradeoff – to put it simply, Crimea and parts of the Donbas for de facto NATO and EU membership – is one that could be sold to Ukrainians because they would achieve their long-cherished goal of becoming part of the West. It could be acceptable to Russia because it could claim to have protected some Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine.”

Roald Dahl’s publisher decided it was time to revise some of the language in his classic children’s books, including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” to make sure it doesn’t offend readers in 2023. The Daily Telegraph reported that the words “fat” and “attractive” were dropped along with other changes.

The sentence describing the witches’ dedication to hunting children regardless of what they’re up to was changed from “even if she is a cashier in a supermarket or typing letters for a businessman.” to “even if she is a top scientist or running.”

We can accept in good faith that things have changed for the better, and that women were less likely to do certain jobs in the past. Here’s to everyone typing their own emails! However many people still work as cashiers, which is perfectly respectable. The upgrade to the top scientist is intended to be a step up, but also carries a trace of snobbery.

The classic editions of the books will still be published by Penguin Random House, despite the changes that have been made to the books.

The author changed his work to make it more suitable for white people, according to the Washington Post. As other racist, sexist and ableist elements grow more distasteful, who’s to argue that they shouldn’t also be adjusted for children?

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/26/opinions/secret-rail-journey-to-kyiv-sends-message-galant/index.html

Do we live in the 21st century? I’m afraid I can do it, but I am afraid I’ll have to do it again

The editor was cautious and did not harm the world even though he was a social warrior.