I’m now caught up and headed to bed. It’s a thunderin’ and lightening out there, with a flash flood warning up.
Imperialism
Russia
Ukraine
Fig. 1. “Destroyed Russian military vehicles located on the main street Khreshchatyk are seen as part of the celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine in Kyiv, August 24.” Photograph by Gleb Garanich for Reuters, August 24, 2022,[1] fair use.
Matthew Mpoke Bigg, Daniel Victor, and Ivan Nechepurenko, “Russia Pulls Out of the Black Sea Grain Deal,” New York Times, July 17, 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/17/world/europe/ukraine-russia-grain-deal.html
Nicolas Camut and Veronika Melkozerova, “Blasts reported on key bridge linking occupied Crimea to Russia,” Politico, July 17, 2023, https://www.politico.eu/article/kerch-bridge-blast-reported-link-occupied-crimea-russia-war-ukraine/
Fredrick Kunkle, David L. Stern, and Mary Ilyushina, “Ukraine hits Crimean Bridge, but railway undamaged; Russia halts grain deal,” Washington Post, July 17, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/17/kerch-bridge-crimea-grain-ukraine-russia/
Shaun Walker and Emma Graham-Harrison, “Two dead after explosions on Kerch Bridge linking Crimea and Russia,” Guardian, July 17, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/17/explosions-reportedly-hit-crimeas-kerch-bridge-as-russia-cites-emergency-situation
Mirko Fuchs, “Russian men keep fleeing abroad to avoid fighting in Ukraine,” Deutschewelle, July 18, 2023, https://www.dw.com/en/russian-men-keep-fleeing-abroad-to-avoid-fighting-in-ukraine/a-66277704
Julia Ioffe, “Ukraine’s Summer War of Attrition,” Puck, July 18, 2023, https://puck.news/ukraines-summer-war-of-attrition/
Mary Ilyushina, “Prigozhin says Wagner mercenary group for now will not fight in Ukraine,” Washington Post, July 19, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/19/prigozhin-wagner-belarus-ukraine-putin/
John Hudson and Isabelle Khurshudyan, “Ukraine begins firing U.S.-provided cluster munitions at Russian forces,” Washington Post, July 20, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/20/cluster-munitions-ukraine-war-russia/
Wagner mutiny
Fig. 2. Yevgeny Prigozhin. Screen capture from video by УлПравда ТВ, June 13, 2023, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
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Mary Ilyushina, “Prigozhin says Wagner mercenary group for now will not fight in Ukraine,” Washington Post, July 19, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/19/prigozhin-wagner-belarus-ukraine-putin/
Gilead
Right-wing militias
Police White supremacist gangs
Fig. 3. Photograph by Lorie Shaull, April 1, 2021, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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Charlie Wolfson, “Consultants give Gainey plan to fix ‘overstaffed’ police, but new chief disagrees,” Public Source, July 19, 2023, https://www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-bureau-police-staffing-study-mayor-gainey-chief-scirotto/
Donald Trump
Coup attempt
Fig. 4. “Jake Angeli (Qanon Shaman), seen holding a Qanon sign at the intersection of Bell Rd and 75th Ave in Peoria, Arizona, on 2020 October 15.” Photography by TheUnseen011101 [pseud.], October 15, 2020, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Federal prosecutors investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results have evidence to charge the former president with three crimes, including section 241 of the US legal code that makes it unlawful to conspire to violate civil rights, two people familiar with the matter said. . . .
Prosecutors appear to have evidence to charge Trump with obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States based on the target letter, two statutes that the House select committee examining the January 6 Capitol attack issued criminal referrals for last year. . . .
Should prosecutors charge Trump in the federal January 6 investigation, the case could go to trial much more quickly than the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case – before the 2024 election – because pre-trial proceedings would not be delayed by rules governing national security materials.[2]
Devlin Barrett, “Trump’s outbursts met with silence so far by prosecutor, judge,” Washington Post, July 16, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/16/trump-attacks-special-counsel-cannon-smith/
Mike Wendling, “The ‘QAnon Shaman’ and other Capitol rioters who regret pleading guilty,” British Broadcasting Corporation, July 16, 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66169914
Holly Bailey, “Georgia Supreme Court rejects Trump petition to block election probe,” Washington Post, July 17, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/07/17/trump-georgia-fani-willis/
Bess Levin, “Chris Christie Suggests Jared Kushner May Not Have Been Entirely Truthful When Testifying About Trump’s Failed Election Coup,” Vanity Fair, July 17, 2023, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/07/chris-christie-jared-kushner-donald-trump-grand-jury-testimony
Perry Stein and Mark Berman, “Judge seems skeptical of Trump desire to delay documents trial until after 2024 election,” Washington Post, July 18, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/18/florida-trump-documents-cannon-hearing/
Perry Stein, Josh Dawsey, and Jacqueline Alemany, “Trump says he received a target letter in federal Jan. 6 investigation,” Washington Post, July 18, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/18/trump-jan6-target-letter/
Prem Thakker, “‘Little Bitch’: Republicans Melt Down as Trump Faces Third Indictment,” New Republic, July 18, 2023, https://newrepublic.com/post/174406/little-bitch-republicans-melt-trump-faces-third-indictment
Hugo Lowell, “Trump under investigation for civil rights conspiracy in January 6 inquiry,” Guardian, July 19, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/19/trump-investigation-three-federal-crimes-january-6
Illiberalism
Fig. 5. Photograph by Joachim F. Thurn, August 1991, Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-F089030-0003, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE.
Times of Israel, “Ex-Shin Bet chief justifies army reservists’ refusal to serve: ‘Overhaul is a coup,’” July 20, 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-shin-bet-chief-justifies-reservists-refusal-to-serve-this-is-a-coup/
COVID-19 Pandemic
Fig. 6. Cartoon by Peter Brookes, October 3, 2020, via the Times, fair use.
Ciara Linnane, “COVID pandemic is officially over in the U.S., excess-deaths data show,” MarketWatch, July 20, 2023, https://www.marketwatch.com/story/covid-pandemic-is-officially-over-in-the-u-s-data-on-excess-deaths-show-96331698
Imperialism
China
Afghanistan
It seems that Afghanistan has a lot of lithium. With U.S. sanctions against the Taliban, the Chinese are being very, ahem, “neighborly.”
Gerry Shih and Lorenzo Tugnoli, “Rich lode of EV metals could boost Taliban and its new Chinese partners,” Washington Post, July 20, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/ev-lithium-afghanistan-taliban-china/
- [1]Reuters, “Ukraine puts destroyed Russian tanks on display in Kyiv,” August 25, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/ukraine-puts-destroyed-russian-tanks-on-idUSRTSALV9Q↩
- [2]Hugo Lowell, “Trump under investigation for civil rights conspiracy in January 6 inquiry,” Guardian, July 19, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/19/trump-investigation-three-federal-crimes-january-6↩