- Tucker Carlson doing what he does best: inventing stuff to be mad about because he doesn't have any real problems.

As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues to consume much of 2022, all is not so quiet on the Eastern front. 
 

• Ukraine’s move to reclaim control of several Russian-occupied cities and towns last week was the largest military setback for Russia since its forces had to retreat from areas near the capital early on in the war. Undeterred, Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that he would continue on with his attack on Ukraine despite Ukraine’s latest successful counteroffensive. Further, he warned that Russian forces could ramp up strikes on vital Ukrainian infrastructure if Ukrainian forces target such facilities in Russia. Putin told reporters that the “liberation” of Ukraine’s entire eastern Donbas region remained his main military goal, and he sees no reason to revise it.
   

• Investigators searching through what appears to be one of the largest mass burial sites discovered in Ukraine have found evidence of atrocities, including torture, on land recently recaptured from Russia. In a taped video message from Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky today, he said hundreds of civilian adults and children, as well as soldiers had been found tortured, shot, and killed. More than 400 graves had been found on the site according to Zelensky, but the total number of victims isn’t yet known. He cited evidence of atrocities such as a body with a rope around its neck and broken arms. 
   

• President Zelensky also told Reuters that he believes the outcome of the war with Russia, now in its seventh month, hinges on the swift delivery of weapons to Ukraine by its allied foreign powers. The Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment on these allegations of war crimes. The United Nations General Assembly also voted today to allow Zelensky to deliver a pre-recorded address to next week’s meeting of world leaders because of his obvious extenuating circumstances, making an exception to the usual requirement that all leaders must speak in person.

Russia is becoming further isolated from its neighbors in the West, and even some of its own expressed allies. 
 

• Putin said yesterday that he understood that China has “questions and concerns” tacitly acknowledging that Beijing may not fully approve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Today at a regional security summit in Uzbekistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India told Putin that with the world grappling with food insecurity and energy crises, now is no time for war. This muted support from China and even a subtle admonishment from India signals that Russia lacks the full backing of its most powerful international allies. 
   

• Moving West, German officials announced today that the country will be taking control of three Russian-owned oil refineries in the country before an oil embargo from Russia takes effect next year. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called it “a far-reaching energy-policy decision to protect our country,” and added that “We’ve long known that Russia isn’t a reliable supplier of energy anymore.” Scholz reported that a one-billion Euro aid package will secure jobs for about 1,200 people currently working at the Russian refineries in Germany and help with the long-term transition toward a green economy.

Two Jons are nice—but have you ever heard a podcast with three of them?! (Plus, a Tommy for good measure.) This week,  Jon, Jon and Tommy from Pod Save America joined Jon Stewart on his podcast The Problem. The guys discussed everything from midterm elections to whether we should look to journalism to save us. Plus, they also took a stroll down memory lane to the Obama White House, reminiscing about the good old days of government website crashes and that time a gaping hole opened in the bottom of the ocean. 
 

You can listen to this episode of The Problem with Jon Stewart right now! Tune into new episodes of Pod Save America every Tuesday and Thursday, wherever you get your podcasts.

The commonwealth of Massachusetts transported migrants, kidnapped and trafficked by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), off the island of Martha’s Vineyard this morning, ferrying them over to a military base in nearby Cape Cod. DeSantis’ goons rounded up roughly 50 asylum-seekers, including about half a dozen children, and flew them to Martha’s Vineyard as part of an escalating effort by Republican governors to gin up a false panic over security along the southern border. Rachel Self, an immigration attorney and resident of Martha’s Vineyard, said she believes what happened to the migrants constitutes kidnapping, as they were lied to repeatedly and “fraudulently induced” to board the planes. She said “They were told there was a ‘surprise present’ for them, and that there would be jobs and housing awaiting them when they arrived.” Not only was this act unimaginably cruel, there is also no legal basis for a governor to take this kind of action. To add insult to injury, it appears that DeSantis may have paid for the flights sending migrants to liberal states with his state’s federal coronavirus-aid money. Massachusetts officials said they plan to assist the migrants who decide to stay on the base by offering clothing, personal hygiene kits, and food. Gov. Charlie Baker (R-MA) said he plans to activate up to 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to aid in the relief effort. DeSantis is an unconscionable scumbag, no one deserves to be used as a political pawn against their will as these migrants were, and good people in Massachusetts are rising to the occasion even though the Red Sox aren’t doing well this year.

A California man pleaded guilty to threatening to bomb and shoot the Merriam-Webster dictionary offices in Springfield, MA, and New York City over its updated gender definitions. He also admitted to similarly-motivated threats against academics, politicians, religious figures, and the Walt Disney Company. 

Public records show that proto-fascist and Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano was registered to vote in New Jersey, not Pennsylvania, for 28 years, until July 2021. 

A new recording from his appearance at the University of Georgia last week shows Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) openly stating that he is open to banning contraception in the next legislative session.

The Republican nominee for governor of Nevada Joe Lombardo said yesterday that he would fight against a national abortion ban were Congress to pass one. Sure you will, Finger-In-The-Wind Joe. 

Longtime election denier Don Bolduc announced almost immediately after winning the Republican senate nomination in New Hampshire that he had “come to the conclusion” that the election was not, in fact, stolen. Extremely convenient timing for that realization, Don!

The American Library Association reported today that attempted book banning and restriction efforts continue to intensify, with numbers this year already approaching last year’s totals, which were the highest in decades. 

Abortion providers and funders in Utah were hit with cease-and-desist letters from a coalition of Utah Republican legislators threatening to retroactively prosecute them if they continue providing abortions, despite an existing injunction blocking the state’s new abortion ban.

Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) signed a total statewide abortion ban into law today, making West Virginia the second state to enact a ban on abortion in all stages of pregnancy since the Dobbs decision was announced. 

In a contentious House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing examining how fossil-fuel companies campaigned to halt climate action, Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) repeatedly belittled one witness, environmental lawyer and founder of the Energy Justice Law and Policy Center Raya Salter, even booing her and repeatedly calling her “young lady.” Ms. Salter is a better person than me because in the same position I would have not stopped referring to Rep. Higgins only as “old man.”

The disgraced former president is back to threatening to harm America if he gets indicted again! “If it happened,” he told the right-wing propagandist and Stuart Smalley impersonator Hugh Hewitt on Thursday. “I think you’d have problems in this country the likes of which perhaps we’ve never seen before.” His latest call for violence from his supporters come at an interesting time. On the one hand, the corrupt judge Aileen Cannon (a Trump appointee naturally) has lawlessly intervened once again to obstruct the Justice Department’s investigation of his theft of hundreds of classified documents, just as Trump wanted her to. On the other hand, different investigations (the guy does lots of crime) keep inching closer to him. His pillow friend Mike Lindell and several others are now under federal investigation in Colorado for “identity theft, intentional damage to a protected computer and/or conspiracy to commit either,” in connection with a post-election breach of Mesa County’s voting system. Just one person’s opinion, but it also seems quite illegal to tell law-enforcement officials ‘nice country you’ve got here, shame if something were to happen to it after you arrest me.’ Perhaps someone will forward this newsletter to Merrick Garland. 

The Great Lakes are the largest source of freshwater in the world. Right now, Canadian fossil fuel giant Enbridge is trying to build miles of pipeline to transport crude oil through Wisconsin and Michigan. If these projects are approved, the Line 5 pipeline will put the region at risk for a disastrous oil spill, and lock in fossil fuel production for 99 years. Take action with EarthJustice today to demand a serious federal review of Line 5. 
 

Since 1968, the Line 5 pipeline has leaked more than 1.1 million gallons of oil in 33 spills across its length. In 2021, Michigan’s governor ordered the pipeline to be shut down. Enbridge fought the order in court and proposed a new tunnel through the Straits of Mackinac that experts say could cause a catastrophic explosion. The Straits of Mackinac is a place of immense cultural significance to the Bay Mills Indian Community. Enbridge continues to threaten their treaty-protected rights, fighting tooth and nail to silence tribal voices in the courtroom. 

The Army Corps of Engineers is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement to examine Enbridge’s proposed tunnel through the Straits of Mackinac. If approved, this would place the entire Great Lakes region at risk and accelerate climate change to the tune of 23 million gallons of oil and gas transported each day. 
 

Congress is eyeing a new bipartisan bill that would help make housing affordable for teachers and first responders, who are usually priced out of the housing market of the communities they serve.

Doubts about polling showing more favorable skies for Dems in the midterms may be overstated. Join me in knocking as hard as you can on wood.
 

Dozens of religious organizations threw their support behind the Respect for Marriage Act in a letter to lawmakers today, as the bill to enshrine protections for same-sex marriage and interracial marriage is currently stalled in the Senate. 

A new autoimmune therapy harnessing one’s own cells to find and correct defective cells has shown promising results among patients who haven’t responded to other treatments for diseases like lupus.