Crème de la Kremlin

American Shame, The Oscars

With the nonstop onslaught of nervous breakdown inducing breaking news, the smashing of norms, and the shredding of the nation's fabric, we tend to quickly move from one outrage to the next. But let's not move on from the sick betrayal of America, its allies, and common decency that took place in the Oval Office last week, an affront egregious even by Trumpian standards; but one still not sick enough to shake the support of Maganablers who, quite clearly, are willing enable anything. As someone who opens fifty news tabs each morning, I'm used to being saddened, furious, perplexed, overwhelmed, and disgusted. But the ambush on Zelensky (and American values) left me with another feeling. It turns out Newshour's David Brooks had the same feeling. "I first started thinking, is it — am I feeling grief? Am I feeling shock, like I'm in a hallucination? But I just think shame, moral shame. It's a moral injury to see the country you love behave in this way." George W Bush famously gaffed, "Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." When it comes to his Kremlinphilia, Trump has never really attempted to fool anyone. That makes the fact that America let things get to this point all the more shameful.

+ "The sheer rudeness shown to a foreign guest and friend of the United States was (to use a word) deplorable as a matter of manners and grace, but worse, Trump and Vance acted like a couple of online Kremlin sock puppets ... Zelensky has endured tragedies, and risked his life, in ways that men such as Trump and Vance cannot imagine ... I am ashamed for my nation; even if Congress acts to support and aid Ukraine, it cannot restore the American honor lost today." Tom Nichols in The Atlantic (Gift Article): One of the Grimmest Days in the History of American Diplomacy.

+ There's a certain irony that the day of infamy for a president infamous for lying came during a moment when he displayed his true self. David Frum in The Atlantic (Gift Article): At Least Now We Know the Truth. "Both the president and vice president showed the U.S.-led alliance system something it needed urgently to know: The national-security system of the West is led by two men who cannot be trusted to defend America’s allies—and who deeply sympathize with the world’s most aggressive dictator."

+ Over the weekend, I considered downloading Duolingo so I could experience the Trump/Vance Oval Office performance in its original Russian. Sounds like it translated pretty well back at the Kremlin. Kremlin says US foreign policy now ‘aligns’ with Moscow’s vision.

+ The embrace of Moscow's vision is only getting warmer. Hegseth Orders Pentagon to Stop Offensive Cyberoperations Against Russia.

+ UK, France scramble to draft peace plan for Ukraine as US support falters.

2

Lean, Mean, Righting Machine

"Michael Protzman, a former Seattle demolition contractor, attracted a following of QAnon conspiracy believers so devoted to his prophecies that hundreds of them traveled to Dallas on Nov. 1, 2021, to witness John F. Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. appear on a grassy knoll adjacent to the assassination site of JFK ... When the deceased Kennedys failed to show, Protzman’s supporters followed him to a nearby Rolling Stones concert, where he predicted that Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Steve Jordan would remove their masks and reveal their true identities: JFK, Michael Jackson and Prince, respectively. When the unmasking didn’t occur, many members of the group waited around in Dallas for months, raising money from online supporters to pay their bills at the Hyatt Regency." It seems that conspiracy theories are easy to sell and extremely difficult to dislodge. Could an AI bot help? Annie Duke in WaPo (Gift Article): Finally, something is puncturing conspiracy theories. "When someone takes an extreme position, they’re increasing the distance between themselves and the pack. That distance makes the position more integral to identity, a part of the way that a person defines themself as distinct from other people. Once a belief is integral to identity, it sticks." (This is what makes it so hard for another person to break the spell. Can a machine do the job? And if so, couldn't conspiracy theorists just create a myth about machines?)

3

Arm Dealer

"When Harrison was 14, he got sick and had to have one of his lungs removed. The grueling process involved a three-month hospital stay, 100 stitches and nearly two gallons of donated blood, he told NPR. It inspired him to donate his own later — despite his aversion to needles." James Harrison got over his aversion to needles. That's a good thing because his own "plasma contained a rare and precious antibody called anti-D." And he gave a lot of it during the course of his life — so much that he acquired the nickname: The Man with the Golden Arm: NPR: James Harrison, whose blood donations saved over 2 million babies, has died.

4

They Adora Anora

In this golden age of endless streaming television, it probably makes sense that many of us first experienced this year's best movie nominees during a television show. Aside from some crazy impressive musical performances led by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the Oscars were good. Conan O'Brien did a good job hosting. The production was good. Most of the speeches were good. It was all ... good. But I'm not sure any of it will be particularly memorable. Though the awards were spread among a few movies, the night's big winner was clearly Anora. "After a drawn-out awards season in which the biggest contenders seemed often in flux, Anora dominated at a fun if elongated Oscars ceremony. This year’s Best Picture winner also took home Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. Four of those trophies went to Baker, tying a record for individual wins in a night with the legendary Walt Disney; Anora’s young star Mikey Madison received the Best Actress trophy, in a fairly shocking upset over the widely tipped-to-win Demi Moore." The Tiny Film That Dominated the Oscars.

+ Here's a full list of winners. And the Snubs and Surprises. Demi Moore was definitely the big one. But consider Diane Warren. She lost for best original song ... for the sixteenth time.

+ Conan is getting solid reviews and had some great moments ... though I can't help but wonder if his best line was texted to him during the show by Jimmy Kimmel. "Anora is having a good night. Two wins already. I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian."

+ Adrien Brody Becomes World Record Holder With Longest Acceptance Speech in Oscars History. (I love his movies, but a movie about Brody's acceptance speech could fairly be titled The Brutalist.)

+ We probably all needed an escape from news and politics, but it's still notable how un-political everything was.

+ Here are some of the red carpet looks.

5

Extra, Extra

Canceled: "Four weeks later, on Wednesday, Rubio and Marocco completely ended nearly 10,000 aid programs in one fell swoop — including those they had granted waivers just days earlier — saying the programs did not align with Trump’s agenda. The move consigns untold numbers of the world’s poorest children, refugees and other vulnerable people to death, according to several senior federal officials." ProPublica: The Trump Administration Said These Aid Programs Saved Lives. It Canceled Them Anyway.

+ There's a New Tariff in Town: Trump says 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports will start Tuesday, with 'no room' for delay. (In case you were wondering what just happened to your stock portfolio.) Meanwhile, Trump sends crypto prices soaring after surprise announcement of strategic government reserve.

+ I Fought the Law: "They don’t command any troops, but they do guide the commanders on the legality of their operations." The Atlantic (Gift Article): Firing the ‘Conscience’ of the Military. "Getting rid of the military’s top lawyers is not exactly a sign that the Trump administration wants to follow the law."

+ Speaking of Health: RFK Jr.’s Top Spokesman at HHS Quits After Just Weeks on the Job. (Apparently, Thomas Corry is under the impression that a large measles outbreak is sort of a big deal.) I covered this topic in detail on Friday: S*M*A*S*H*

+ Nordic Head: "Go ski in Russia." JD Vance receives ice-cold reception as family arrives for Vermont skiing vacation.

+ Market Bubble: "Its full name Mìxuě Bīngchéng means "honey snow ice city", with its stores adorned with its Snow King mascot and playing the firm's official theme tune on a loop. According to Mixue, it has more than 45,000 stores across China and 11 other countries." Bubble tea chain bigger than Starbucks sees shares jump on debut.

+ Two Petes in a Pod: President Trump says he will issue Pete Rose a complete pardon. (What can I say. The guy has thing for Reds.)

6

Bottom of the News

Scheduling note: I might be off tomorrow depending on how long a much-delayed dental cleaning takes. But first...

SNL advertises a new medication that helps when life hits a low point: CouplaBeers.

+ Conan O'Brien Shows Off a New Way to Watch Movies. Plus, Conan's monologue.