‘Screw Vladimir Putin.’ That’s Ukrainian descendant and Illinois Gov. J.B Pritzker addressing a Chicago rally yesterday to protest Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
‘His courage has changed my mind.’ A journalist long skeptical of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky praises his stand against Putin.
■ The Atlantic: “Zelensky Gave the World a Jewish Hero” …
■ … who just happens to have voiced the role of Paddington Bear in the Ukrainian version of the 2014 movie.
She ‘brought seeds to a gunfight and she somehow still comfortably won.’ HBO’s John Oliver praises a Ukrainian woman who delivered an “ice-cold” insult to a heavily armed Russian soldier.
■ Oliver suggests George W. Bush is “not the guy” to condemn an “unprovoked and unjustified invasion.”
‘The war in Ukraine isn’t working out the way Russia intended.’ The Washington Post: “Scenes of humiliation have played out widely on social media, where the Ukrainians have won a clear advantage.”
■ In a move that could hinder the Russian invasion, Google has turned off Google Maps’ live traffic features.
■ Facebook and Twitter have been scrubbing anti-Ukrainian propaganda accounts.
■ Ukrainian filmmakers are sending journalists bulletproof vests and other equipment.
■ Ukraine’s COVID-19 infection rate is high, raising concern that more than half a million refugees may spread the virus as they flee.
Maskaway Monday. Face-covering mandates are history for most people under most circumstances in Chicago and Illinois as of today …
■ … but they remain the rule on public transport …
■ … although businesses can still make their own calls.
■ Sun-Times columnist Laura Washington: “I will continue to mask up in most spaces.”
■ Who needs more free COVID tests? The U.S. has half a billion to spare.
‘All Americans should renounce this garbage.’ Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming is slamming two of her colleagues for addressing a white nationalist convention over the weekend.
■ Popular Information names corporations supporting reelection for those two.
‘Parts of the planet will become uninhabitable.’ The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is out with a “dire warning about the consequences of inaction” to avert global warming.
■ The UN secretary-general calls it “an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership.”
■ One of the report’s authors: “Environmentally imposed transformations lurk very near for some, and eventually for all.”
■ Download the full 3,675-page report—or a 37-page “summary for policymakers”—here.
40 Minutes. Roughly two-thirds of last night’s 60 Minutes on CBS dealt with Chicago journalism:
■ A piece about Alden Global Capital’s ravaging of the Tribune and other local newspapers around the country …
■ … and Lesley Stahl’s interview with Columbia College-educated journalist Danny Fenster, who was detained in Myanmar for almost six months last year.
■ Poynter’s Tom Jones: “CNN … really has become the go-to destination for Ukraine coverage.”
‘I know you’re trying to lighten things. But …’ Friend of Square Chris Koenig takes issue with a link in Friday’s edition to a piece noting that Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson was a Harvard classmate to Matt Damon: “There’s a lot in that Politico article. So many things could have been pointed out instead. Why can’t a strong and smart black woman stand on her own without noting she was vaguely associated with a white guy who doesn’t have a great track record regarding diversity?”
■ The Onion mocks: “Jackson Weighs Making History Against Soul-Crushing Thought Of Spending Time With These People.”
■ Thanks to readers who’ve helpfully shared suggestions over recent weeks, you may note other changes—mainly to improve readability across email apps and other platforms. Let us know what you think.