Weekly News Roundup - 2/23/24
Navalny's death continues to send shockwaves around the world
Welcome to the eighth weekly news roundup of 2024. The archive for all weekly news roundups is here. If you notice stories or issues you’d like to see mentioned in these roundups, let me know. In 2024, the Border Stalkers Substack is featuring one news update a week, and one book a month, with weekly posts on each book. The book of the month schedule is here.
Big stories this week:
There was global fallout from the sudden death in a Russian prison last Friday of Vladimir Putin's most formidable critic and political foe, Alexei Navalny. The Biden administration pointed the finger directly at Putin's government and promised "major sanctions." World leaders around the globe followed suit. Russian authorities arrested over 300 people in the country who sought to honor the life and death of Navalny, often for nothing more than laying flowers. The apparent murder of a political opponent by the Russian dictator put comments by former Fox News entertainer Tucker Carlson into stark relief. A few days before Navalny's death Carlson — fresh off his interview with Putin — was asked why he did not press the Russian dictator "about Navalny, about assassinations, about restrictions on opposition in the coming elections.” Carlson, who also distributed cynical (and hilariously wrong) pro-Kremlin propaganda videos about Russian subway stations and grocery stores (quite similar to what Bernie Sanders said in defense of the Soviet regime during his trip there in 1988), said simply: "Every leader kills people." After Navalny's death, Carlson tells The New York Times that "it's horrifying what happened to Navalny ... no decent person could defend it."
The Biden informant: An FBI informant who had provided Republicans with allegations central to their impeachment inquiry into President Biden was charged by federal prosecutors with making up his claims that President Biden was bribed to help Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Prosecutors revealed a few days after the charges were brought that the informant, Alexander Smirnov, was passing along stories to the FBI that were influenced or provided to him by Russian officials with ties to the Kremlin's intelligence apparatus. It gave the impression that significant parts of the narrative spread by Republicans, and trumpeted on Fox News, were baseless lies with some connection to Russian spies.
A ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court found that embryos are a form of human life with legal protections, creating likely liabilities for those who dispose of embryos during the process of in vitro fertilization. The ruling raised the prospect that the abortion issue could hurt Republicans in the fall elections. Some Republican lawmakers quickly distanced themselves from the ruling. But former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is still running a longshot campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, did not back away, saying she agreed with the ruling.
Nikki Haley vowed to stay in the race at least through the March 5 Super Tuesday primaries in which 15 states will hold contests. Haley gave a defiant speech Tuesday, days ahead of the South Carolina primary Saturday. She argued that a few states should not deprive the rest of the country of having a say in who the Republican nominee is. “Ten days after South Carolina, another 20 states vote. I mean, this isn’t Russia. We don’t want someone to go in and just get 99% of the vote. What is the rush? Why is everybody so panicked about me having to get out of this race?” Haley told the Associated Press. The Dispatch reports that "a candidate must secure 1,215 delegates to win the GOP nomination—and with 92 delegates allocated so far, Trump leads Haley 63-17."
The U.S. opposed a ceasefire plan for Gaza backed by Arab states at the United Nations Security Council, but was circulating its own resolution that broke with Israel over its plans to mount a ground invasion of Rafah, the southernmost portion of the Gaza Strip. The New York Times wrote that though the U.S. has supported Israel's offensive while trying to restrain their indiscriminate killing of Palestinian civilians, the U.S.-backed resolution was a "rare break" between the Israeli and U.S. governments.
Week in Review
Friday, Feb. 16
The FBI informant who had provided Republicans with bribery allegations central to their impeachment inquiry into President Biden is charged by federal prosecutors with making up his claims.
President Biden blames Vladimir Putin for the death of Alexei Navalny. "Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death ... What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality," Biden says. Former President Trump does not condemn Navalny's death.
New York Judge Arthur Engeron orders Donald Trump to pay $350 million for falsifying business records to inflate his wealth. Trump is appealing.
President Biden cites the death of Alexei Navalny and urges Congress to send military aid to Ukraine to resist Russia's invasion: “This tragedy reminds us of the stakes of the moment,” he said. “History is watching the House of Representatives. The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten.”
Saturday, Feb. 17
Russian forces take control of the eastern Ukrainian city Avdiivka, after months of brutal fighting. Several hundred Ukrainian soldiers are feared captured.
Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, arrives in the remote Arctic town of Kharp where her son died the previous day in the "Polar Wolf" prison complex. She is sent to several different locations by government and medical officials, and is unable to locate her son's body.
Sunday, Feb. 18
Nearly 400 people are arrested in Russia over the weekend, in 30 cities, for commemorating Alexei Navalny's life and death at the hands of Vladimir Putin's totalitarian regime, according to a watchdog group. Many are arrested simply for laying flowers in public spaces.
Monday, Feb. 19
At the United Nations Security Council, the U.S. circulates a ceasefire resolution in Gaza, after rejecting another resolution supported by Arab nations for a ceasefire. The U.S. resolution says that "under current circumstances a major ground offensive into Rafah would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement including potentially into neighboring countries," and that is "should not proceed under current circumstances."
Tuesday, Feb. 20
"Officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story” to the FBI informant who made up bribery allegations against President Biden, federal prosecutors allege in a court filing.
Nikki Haley says in a speech that she will not drop out of the Republican presidential primary even if she loses the South Carolina primary on Saturday, which polling shows to be a near certainty. "“I’m not afraid to say the hard truths out loud. I feel no need to kiss the ring. And I have no fear of Trump’s retribution. I’m not looking for anything from him," Haley said.
Biden announces "major sanctions" against Russia for the death of Navalny.
"There is now a 62% chance the Fed will leave rates at their current sky-high levels following its May meeting, according to the CME FedWatch tracker based on futures prices. Those odds were just 15% a month ago," Axios reports.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange mounts a last ditch legal effort to avoid extradition to the U.S.
Trump compares himself to Navalny.
Wednesday, Feb. 21
Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, files a lawsuit in a Russian court to gain access to see her son's body, after her fifth day of trying to find out where he has been taken. "They wouldn’t release his body to me. And they’re not even telling me where he is,” Navalnaya, 69, says in a video filmed in front of the "Polar Wolf" arctic prison where her son died, and release on social media by those who worked with Navalny.
The Alabama Supreme Court rules that frozen embryos are legally protected forms of life, casting doubt on whether in vitro fertilization will continue in that state and others who might follow suit. A handful of facilities pause their in vitro fertilization processes.
James Biden, the president's younger brother, tells lawmakers in closed door testimony to the House Oversight Committee that Joe Biden "never had any involvement" in his business dealings.
A Colorado man dies after being bitten by his pet Gila monster.
Thursday, Feb. 22
Alexei Navalny's mother says she has finally seen the body of her dead son, and she is resisting pressure from Russian authorities to agree to a secret burial.
Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-NC, a veteran of GOP leadership who is retiring after this year, tells Major Garrett that Navalny's death should be a wakeup call. "Human life is at stake. Western civilization is being tested in a major way. The first world is being challenged. Civil society is being challenged ... We are the great democracy on the globe. And we should be the example to the rest of the world and have a safety umbrella for the rest of the world so we can have economic prosperity," McHenry says.
Cell phone service for upwards of 70,000 people in the U.S. who are AT&T customers suffers an outage for most of the day.
Yale becomes the latest university, and the second Ivy League college, to reinstate the requirement that applicants submit SAT scores, reversing a COVID-era policy.
Interesting Reads
I'd like to highlight one essay in particular. Sometimes a piece is so well done, timely, and important that it's worth making a big deal about. This essay by Ted Gioia about phone addiction and the disappearance of art and culture is worth reading, printing, discussing, and re-reading.
The State of the Culture, 2024 Or a glimpse into post-entertainment society (it's not pretty) by
for The Honest Broker
Some companies get people hooked with pills and needles. Others with apps and algorithms. But either ways, it’s just churning out junkies.
Not long ago, I’d have dismissed anecdotes like this. I couldn’t really imagine somebody addicted to Instagram or TikTok or some other phone app.
But I don’t need to imagine anything now. I see those strung out junkies, hooked to their devices, wherever I go. And even their facial expressions convey that haggard strungout look.
But you will hardly hear about this—because too many people are making far too much money from the dopamine culture.
Why Russia Killed Navalny by Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic
What a Murdered Russian Dissident Can Teach Us About Moral Courage by Russell Moore for Christianity Today
The Documentary Aleksei Navalny Knew We’d Watch After His Death by Alissa Wilkinson for The New York Times
Death of a Russian Liberal Patriot: Why Alexei Navalny’s demise is another wakeup call for the cause of freedom in the world—and at home, by Brian Katulis for The Liberal Patriot
How the Kremlin weaponized Russian history — and has used it to justify the war in Ukraine by Dasha Litvinova for The Associated Press
Farmers Protest Across Europe: Narrowing profit margins and stifling regulations are pushing Europe’s farmers to the brink, by James Scimecca, Mary Trimble and Grayson Logue for The Dispatch
Meant in my post - you are doing a huge service to all of us.
Jon, these weekly news roundups you are doing are a huge service to all of them. SO well done and we know very carefully done, balanced and fair. Thank you.