Before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s armed forces were believed to be lean, modern and fighting fit. We ask why they have performed so poorly. A life sentence for a Turkish activist portends heightened repression as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heads for a tough election. And celebrating master harmonica player Toots Thielemans on the centenary of his birth. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
We're talking about bipartisan support for billions more in Ukraine aid and why it might get tangled up in Congress anyway.
Also, it looks like the U.S. economy is shrinking, but economists aren't worried. We'll explain.
Plus, a popular kind of tobacco product might be banned soon, a new pocket-sized drone is meant to follow you around, and a new study says you'll have to look beyond the breed to determine a dog's personality.
What will happen at the state level if the Supreme Court overturns its 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade? Can we expect more lawsuits like those we've seen in Kentucky and other states that recently passed pro-life legislation?
Americans are waiting for the Supreme Court to announce its ruling in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which could overturn Roe and send the issue of abortion back to the states to regulate.
In anticipation of a change in federal abortion law, pro-life leaders are seeing a “ton of activity at the states,” says Sarah Parshall Perry, a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation. (The Daily Signal is Heritage's multimedia news organization.)
Perry joins this episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain what likely will happen in conservative and liberal states across the country if the high court strikes down Roe.
Also on today's show, we cover these stories:
President Joe Biden calls on Congress to pass supplemental funding to the tune of $33 billion to continue aide to Ukraine.
Student loan debt relief is back on the table for the Biden administration.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas faces tough questions from Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee.
The most valuable crypto stories for Thursday, April 28, 2022.
"The Hash" team discusses the impact of a shrinking economy in the United States to the booming DeFi space with reports stating that there were over 100 crypto assets created in the past week.
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Consensus 2022, the industry’s most influential event, is happening June 9-12 in Austin, Texas. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in the fast-moving world of crypto, Web 3 and NFTs, this is the festival experience for you. Visit coindesk.com/consensus2022 to get your pass today.
This episode has been edited by Michele Musso. Our Executive Producer is Jared Schwartz with additional production support from Eleanor Pahl. Our theme song is “Neon Beach.“
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mask mandate on planes, trains and buses ended earlier this month, and it came down, in part, to a judge's interpretation of the word "sanitation." U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle voided the mask requirement, citing a 1944 law that gives the CDC power to stop the spread of communicable diseases through measures like inspection, fumigation, disinfection and sanitation.
Lawrence Gostin is a professor of public health law at Georgetown University. He explains what the 1944 Public Health Service Act did and why he thinks the judge's interpretation could have an impact on the United States' ability to respond to future health crises. Additional reporting by NPR's Pien Huang also appeared in this episode.
Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at the institutional side of the crypto industry, focusing on:
A fascinating new sentiment survey from Bitstamp
Fidelity’s plans to add bitcoin to 401(k) plans
Goldman Sachs exploring financial asset tokens
Dragonfly raises $650 million with concentration of endowments
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Consensus 2022, the industry’s most influential event, is happening June 9–12 in Austin, Texas. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in the fast-moving world of crypto, Web 3 and NFTs, this is the festival experience for you. Use code BREAKDOWN to get 15% off your pass at www.coindesk.com/consensus2022.
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“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell, research by Scott Hill and additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Jared Schwartz is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsor is “I Don't Know How To Explain It” by Aaron Sprinkle. Image credit: AlexSava/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.
South Korea is the world's sixth-largest arms exporter and Ukraine has turned to it for help in its war against Russia. But so far, Seoul has only agreed to provide non-lethal aid.
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with the president of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, about the role of women leaders in peace and security and her country's role in the world right now.
Russia is cutting off natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, and has demanded countries pay for energy in rubles. The move is seen as a warning by Russia to bigger European energy consumers.
