Remembering Madeleine Albright as NATO Reasserts Influence
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Mar 24, 2022
Today
President Biden will meet European powers in Belgium today as Russia continues its bombardment of Ukrainian cities. Yesterday’s confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson were slowed by Republican talking points. Idaho has passed an abortion law that mimics the restrictive one Texas passed last year. And bird flu is making a comeback on the East Coast and in the Midwest. All this and more in today’s PDB.
IMPORTANT
NATO Powers Unite
Biden Arrives in Brussels for NATO Summit
President Joe Biden arrived in Brussels as the U.S. prepares to send the first shipment of an $800 million arms package to Ukraine. He’s expected to announce new sanctions on Russia as he attends the NATO, G-7 and European Union summits, and repeated his warnings over Russia’s possible use of chemical weapons. Meanwhile, more than 4,500 Ukrainians fled their home cities through humanitarian corridors yesterday as Russian troops continued their assault. With ground forces slowed or stopped by Ukrainian units, Russia has resorted to bombing cities to rubble from afar, tactics it used in Syria and Chechnya. (Source: Al Jazeera, AP)
Culture Wars Rage On
Republicans Renew Attacks on Jackson in 10 Hours of Questioning
In day three of confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin criticized Republicans for using Tuesday’s session to “showcase talking points for the November election.” Senators questioned Jackson yet again over her sentencing in child pornography cases, although fact-checkers have repeatedly found her practices typical for federal judges. Sens. Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz led the charge, consistently interrupting Jackson then denying her the opportunity to respond. Cruz’s questioning did lead Jackson to say that if confirmed she will recuse herself from an affirmative action case scheduled to reach the Supreme Court this year. (Source: The Guardian)
Falling Like Dominoes
Idaho Second State to Pass Restrictive Abortion Law Targeting Clinics
Gov. Brad Little signed a controversial abortion bill yesterday that would allow family members of a person who gets an abortion to sue the providers for at least $20,000. “If there are 10 siblings and parents, [and] all of those people can sue you ... you can see how one lawsuit could pretty much wipe out an entire clinic,” said Shaakirrah Sanders, a law professor at the University of Idaho. After Texas passed SB 8, abortions fell by 60% as women left the state to seek medical care. The Idaho law also bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. (Source: NPR)
Bird Flu Back
US Chicken Farms Hit by Deadly Bird Flu, Concerns Over Mutations
While there are no signs this strain of bird flu could jump to humans, health officials remain watchful for viral mutations. Since February, the H5N1 virus has been found in flocks in 17 states along the East Coast and Midwest in their highest numbers since 2015, when 50 million birds were slaughtered or died. Scientists believe the disease is transmitted through wild bird droppings as they migrate over domestic chickens. Experts say a continued spread among farm birds could increase opportunities for mutation, becoming more of a risk to humans, though scientists believe that risk to be very low. (Source: NBC News)
Briefly
Here are some things you should know about today:
Moderna releases study on vaccine effectiveness in children under 6. Early findings suggest two small doses are effective, paving the way for FDA authorization for child-size shots. (Source: AP) Donald Trump Jr. announces new news app. MxM News, launched yesterday, will deliver “curated” news from traditional news sources free of “mainstream bias.” (Source: The Guardian) High court declines to say if Justice Clarence Thomas remains in the hospital. Thomas was expected to be released by Tuesday evening, but there has been no update on his condition or whereabouts. (Source: AP)
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INTRIGUING
Remembering Albright
America’s First Female Secretary of State Dies of Cancer at 84
Madeleine Albright, one of the main architects of the current global geopolitical order, served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and as secretary of state to former President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 2001. One of Albright’s biggest accomplishments was expanding NATO eastward to encompass former Soviet nations. Born in Prague, she came to the U.S. as a refugee in 1948 after a communist coup in Czechoslovakia. Her father, Josef Korbel, was ambassador to Yugoslavia. A spokesperson for the State Department underscored Albright’s massive influence on international relations and her role as a trailblazer for women in the workforce. (Source: The Hill)
Freedom of Speech
Brain Implant Allows Paralyzed Patient to Communicate
A patient fully paralyzed by Lou Gehrig’s disease has communicated via a brain implant, according to a new study by European researchers published in Nature Communications. The new technology, which involves two microchip implants, allowed a German patient to form words and sentences via mental impulses. While promising, similar experiments conducted by the same researchers in 2017 and 2019 were retracted after failing to hold up under investigation. The German Research Foundation also concluded the scientists had made false statements and did not appropriately share details of their analyses. The foundation confirmed it would investigate this latest study. (Source: Axios)
Going Medieval
Taliban Will Keep Afghanistan Girls’ Schools Closed Indefinitely
Many Afghan girls donned their uniforms and headed to school yesterday, only to be sent home. In their latest blow to women's and girls' rights, the Taliban said schools will remain closed indefinitely, reversing a previous decision to reopen them March 23. The majority of schools for girls over sixth grade have been shuttered since August when the Taliban assumed power, despite international pressure to respect women's rights. Women's education remains a divisive issue among Taliban leadership, who worry any softening on women's rights will anger hard-liners. (Source: WaPo)
The Giver Who Keeps On Giving
MacKenzie Scott Donates Nearly $4 Billion to 465 Nonprofits
The billionaire philanthropist’s publicly disclosed donations since 2019 add up to over $12 billion. Her biggest gift was a $436 million donation to Habitat for Humanity International, and Planned Parenthood received $275 million, its largest gift ever. Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, declines public interviews but said through her blog: “As always our aim has been to support the needs of underrepresented people from groups of all kinds … The cause of equity has no sides. Nor can it have a single solution.” Scott signed the Giving Pledge, a billionaires’ promise to donate over half their wealth. (Source: ABC News)
Scandal on the Slopes
Former Head Coach of US Snowboard Team Accused of Sexual Assault
Three athletes and an ex-employee of U.S. Ski and Snowboard have accused former head coach Peter Foley of unwanted kissing and touching, along with coercing them into taking nude photos. The women formally complained to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, established to police issues of sexual abuse in amateur sports, which temporarily suspended Foley. U.S. Ski and Snowboard announced that Foley was no longer an employee with the organization. He’d been head coach for both the U.S. men’s and women’s snowboard teams since 1994 and his athletes have won a combined 35 Olympic medals. (Source: ESPN)
