Well, heck. The response to my request on Day 826 to convert Stripe pledges to PayPal transfers has been truly remarkable, and the generosity quite humbling. We’re breathing easier around here, and the gratitude is boundless.
The loud explosion you heard early this morning was the sound of a missile fired from an Iskander-K cruise missile system in Kursk being intercepted over Kyiv. Falling debris damaged a tranformer substation, several buildings and cars in Kyiv’s Holosiivsky district. No one was reported killed as of this writing.
Michael Birnbaum is now up there with David Ignatius, Christopher Miller, Luke Harding and David Sanger1 on the list of jornos whose articles are reflexively snapped up by their intended audience, yet rarely read. Most every news outlet in the English-speaking world keeps these windy exclusives on conspicuous display in X threads and Instagram stories. In Kyiv, mention of the authors’ names can divide a room of creative humans between those out-snorting each other with derision and those betraying the sort of baffled irreverence given to an abrasive idiot.
This article is based on interviews with 25 Ukrainian, European and U.S. policymakers in Kyiv, Washington and Europe. Many spoke on the condition of anonymity to allow a frank discussion of sensitive diplomatic and security issues. — from The Washington Post2
It’s not that these kinds of articles don’t try to be read: each is a virtuoso performance of modern jornoism, impeccably typeset and laid out, stubbornly free of compromise and concessions to reality. I’ve never been fond of their length, but that’s me. The arguments are strong and elegantly presented, with the central, ongoing (and, here, vastly reduced) theme – that our complicated situation deserves unencumbered presentation – about “deep frustration from many sides,” ringing out in example after glowing example, according to anonymous sources.
But as perfectly logical as Birnbaum’s method is, and as illuminating as unidentified corroborators can be, the message has little relevance to ordinary Ukrainians, whose impulses of survival precludes the BOGSAT (bunch of guys sitting around a table) approach to examining decisions taken to improve their chances of survival.
The article is lovely to flip through while, oh, waiting for the steamer to adjust from espresso to milk setting. It will tide us over until the next revelation based on beautiful evidence, which will also be unlikely to budge too many people from bad reporting habits based on a hilarious collection of pot-shots at the ludicrous meatgrinder of bonhomie between American and Ukrainian decision-makers3.
In other news, I found my glasses. When I reached for them after exiting the subway yesterday evening they were not on my nose. I panicked. I practically never take the subway because I ride a bike. Without glasses, this would still be possible but unsafe for everyone, especially me.
And, finally, Trump.
The “Soros-funded prosecutor” part jumped out at me. Last time I checked, GS donated $1,000 to the colorofchange PAC in May 2021.
I applaud all 12 members of the the trial jury, all Manhattan residents, for determining that Trump illegally falsified business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
Justice is served. Go directly to jail.
As Ukraine stumbles in war, Kyiv and Western powers struggle to coordinate. Infighting and strategic disagreements are clouding Ukraine’s path to regain the battlefield edge (The Washington Post, updated May 30, 2024)
Under Pressure, Biden Allows Ukraine to Use U.S. Weapons to Strike Inside Russia. White House officials said the president’s major policy shift extended only to what they characterized as acts of self-defense so that Ukraine could protect Kharkiv, its second-largest city (The New York Times, May 30, 2024)
Don’t get me wrong. The rumours cited by Birnbaum are, of course, unimpeachable, and the quotes are exactly right, er, maybe. But one wishes the key points were presented in a breezier style, like, oh, a bulleted list, with surnames and some lively colours and graphics.