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Thursday, March 24, 2022

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United States Officially Accuses Russia of War Crimes

From the story: The U.S. government announced on Wednesday that military forces ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine have committed war crimes because of their “deliberate targeting of civilians.” “We’ve seen numerous credible reports of indiscriminate attacks and attacks deliberately targeting civilians, as well as other atrocities,” the State Department said in a press release. “Russia’s forces have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, critical infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shopping centers, and ambulances, leaving thousands of innocent civilians killed or wounded. Many of the sites Russia’s forces have hit have been clearly identifiable as in-use by civilians. This includes the Mariupol maternity hospital, as the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressly noted in a March 11 report. It also includes a strike that hit a Mariupol theater, clearly marked with the word “дети” — Russian for “children” — in huge letters visible from the sky” (Daily Wire). From Townhall: When asked about how Russia would face accountability, given they sit on the UN Security Council, Ambassador at Large for Global Criminal Justice Bath Van Schaack told reporters domestic and International courts are available options. According to a NATO assessment, Russia has lost 15,000 soldiers since the beginning of the war three weeks ago (Townhall).

Russian Leader Anatoly Chubais Resigns in Protest and Flees Russia Over Ukraine Invasion

Fox News Reports: Russian government official Anatoly Chubais stepped down from his position in the highest-level display of opposition to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. His role as Special Envoy – specifically regarding climate and sustainable development – appears a small one, but he has supported and assisted Putin for decades (Fox News). Bloomberg News: Breaking: Anatoly Chubais, who gave Putin his first Kremlin job, stepped down as Russia’s climate envoy and has left the country over Putin’s war in Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the situation, becoming the highest-level official to break with the Kremlin over the invasion (Bloomberg).

President Biden Flies to Europe for “Extraordinary Meeting” With NATO

From the story: Biden’s itinerary includes a NATO extraordinary meeting, a Group of Seven (G-7) meeting and a summit of European leaders, all on Thursday, and a one-on-one engagement with the president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, on Saturday. Biden must also contend with tensions between those European nations that want to do more to aid Ukraine and the U.S. position, which has prioritized not escalating the conflict (The Hill). From The Washington Post: While in Poland, Biden plans to hold an event related to refugees, which could include meeting with some of the Ukrainians who have been streaming across the border. Amy Gutmann, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, told reporters this week in Berlin that the Biden administration is intent on “making sure that the U.S.’s concern and interest in helping with the refugee situation is front and center.” The United States is prepared to ease the burden on Europe by taking refugees, Gutmann said (The Washington Post).

Is NATO Starting to Get Tough on Russia, China?

From the story: NATO took on two of the world’s superpowers Wednesday and condemned both Russia and China as the 30-member alliance looks to counter the growing threat of a biological, chemical or nuclear attack. “Russia must stop its nuclear saber-rattling. This is dangerous, and it is irresponsible,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters. “Any use of nuclear weapons will fundamentally change the nature of the conflict. And Russia must understand that a nuclear war should never be fought,” he continued. “They can never win a nuclear war.” Security officials have increasingly warned that China may look to provide material support to Russia – a move Biden warned against during his call with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week. Moscow has accused Washington and Kyiv of plotting to use chemical weapons against Russian forces as they remain stalled across Ukraine for a fourth week. But Stoltenberg shot down the accusation as “absolute[ly] false” and warned that NATO is increasingly concerned by the rhetoric (Fox News). From The Washington Post: Ukrainian forces claimed Tuesday to have retaken control of a strategically important town outside of Kyiv, a nascent sign they could be beating back Russia’s brutal, weeks-long effort to seize the capital as the Kremlin intensifies its attacks across the country (The Washington Post).

Idaho Governor Signs Pro-Life Legislation: “I Remain Committed to Protecting the Lives of Pre-Born Babies”

From the story: The bill was modeled after a Texas law passed last year that allows the public to sue anyone who performs or facilitates an abortion. Idaho’s is slightly different — it only allows family to sue abortion providers, but doubles the $10,000 maximum that Texas plaintiffs can seek… The law amends last year’s “fetal heartbeat bill,” which would make it illegal to perform abortions after around six weeks of pregnancy (Idahostatesman). From Idaho News 6: The Idaho Family Policy Center said in a statement the organization is “confident” the law will survive any legal challenges and will protect unborn babies (Idaho News 6). This comes off the heels of West Virginia banning abortion for babies with disabilities (Christian Headlines).

Canadian Home Depot Shames Employees for Having White, Christian Privilege

From the New York Post: A Canadian branch of Home Depot sparked outrage after it posted a notice to employees about the benefits of “white privilege” and included a checklist for those who are “white, male, Christian, cisgender, able-bodied, and heterosexual.” A spokeswoman from Home Depot’s US headquarters confirmed to The Post that the white privilege notice was material from its Canadian division. She said it hadn’t been approved by the company’s diversity and inclusion department. The flyer had a Home Depot logo at the top (New York Post). Jordan Peterson: Welcome to the commissariat at Home Depot. How can our capitalist corporations be so blind to their own interests (Twitter)? From Western Standard: The policy encourages staff members to talk with each other about their “white privilege” and explains “the word ‘white’ creates discomfort especially when individuals are not used to being defined or described by their race” (Western Standard).

NATO to Bolster Defense of Eastern Countries

From the story: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday the alliance is likely to bolster troops along its eastern flank, deploying four new battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia. “I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO’s posture in all domains, with major increases in the eastern part of the alliance on land, in the air and at sea,” Stoltenberg said during a press conference ahead of the NATO leaders summit in Brussels. Since the Kremlin’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, NATO has readied 140,000 troops in the region and mobilized a colossal war chest of advanced military equipment. Of the approximately 140,000 troops, the United States has provided the lion’s share with 100,000 soldiers (CNBC). From The Daily Wire: In addition, the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, said that a “longer-term” stationing of troops in the area is being considered. “Permanent stationing could be one solution, or persistent rotations as another option, that could be on the table. So at this point, what we need to do is have our military commanders give us the best advice that they can come to us with specific proposals and then as an alliance, look at what the security environment requires,” Smith added. (The Daily Wire). This is happening at a similar time when Estonia is calling for a permanent NATO force (The Guardian).

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett Continues Efforts to Negotiate Peace Between Russia and Ukraine

From the story: Prime Minister Naftali Bennett continued his efforts to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv, speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. “Bennett shared his evaluation of the situation in Ukraine, considering his contact with leaders of a number of foreign countries, and referred to ideas related to the continuing negotiations,” the Kremlin said (The Jerusalem Post). From The Times of Israel: The two leaders last spoke on March 14. Bennett has held a handful of calls with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as he has sought to exploit Israel’s working ties with both countries to help mediate a ceasefire that will end the war (The Times of Israel). Earlier this month, Prime Minister Bennett stated, Israel has a “moral duty” to do everything in its power to bring an end to the human suffering in Ukraine (Breitbart).

Nancy Pelosi’s Husband Bought $2 Million Worth of Tesla Stock While She Pushes for Green Spending

From the story: Amid Democrats pushing for higher levels of green energy spending, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) bought 2,500 shares of Tesla stock, according to recent congressional filings. Pelosi’s husband Paul purchased the shares last Thursday and the filings were published Monday. He paid $500 a share, or $2.18 million at time of purchase. Shares rose to $872 each by the end of that day. Since executing the trade, shares of the electric vehicle and clean energy company surged about 19%, reaching $1,036 at one point (The Daily Wire).

10.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright Passes Away of Cancer

From the story: Former secretary of state Madeleine Albright died at age 84 on Wednesday, her family announced in a statement. Appointed by former president Bill Clinton in 1997, Albright was the first female U.S. secretary of state (National Review). From CNN: Albright was a central figure in President Bill Clinton’s administration, first serving as US ambassador to the United Nations before becoming the nation’s top diplomat in his second term (CNN).