Podcasts about crimean peninsula

The White House confirms President Trump is expected to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping soon. Amid heightened tensions, the U.S. is closely monitoring China's compliance with a recent trade agreement—one that Trump accuses Beijing of breaching.Immigration and Customs Enforcement has taken into custody the wife and five children of Boulder terror suspect Mohamed Soliman. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the development on X.Ukraine reports it has struck a major bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. The strike comes just days after a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian airfields. The White House issued a response today.

Ukraine's struck a critical bridge connecting Russia and the Crimean Peninsula. It's security service claims agents mined the supports of the bridge with more than one-thousand kilograms of explosives, severely damaging the foundations. Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey told Ryan Bridge the bridge is a hated symbol of Russian occupation for Ukraine. He says it's also a vital piece of infrastructure for Russia. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard is joined by Olga Oliker, Crisis Group's Europe and Central Asia Director, and Stephen Pomper, Chief of Policy, to discuss Donald Trump's ceasefire proposal for Ukraine. They unpack what is known about the U.S. proposal and its potential implications, including the prospects of U.S. recognition of Russia's claim to the Crimean Peninsula and Kyiv agreeing not to pursue membership in NATO. They examine Ukraine and its European backers' counterproposal and the U.S. response, and Moscow's position. They also explore Washington's negotiating tactics, including its threat to withdraw from the talks if an agreement isn't reached soon, and the minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine. Finally, they discuss the likelihood of Russia agreeing to a ceasefire given Putin's belief he has the battlefield advantage, and whether Moscow's position on negotiations to end the war has shifted.Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more, check out our recent statement “Deal or No Deal, a Basis for Talks about Peace in Ukraine” and our Ukraine country page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Trump administration is putting pressure on Ukraine to accept a U.S.-backed peace plan with Russia that closely aligns with Moscow's goals in the three-year war. The deal calls for freezing the battle lines that exist today — essentially forcing Ukraine to cede a vast swath of its eastern territory to Russian control. The U.S. also wants Ukraine to recognize the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, as Russian territory, and give up its goal of joining NATO. Vice President J.D. Vance said Wednesday that the U.S. would 'walk away' from negotiations if the two countries refused to accept the administration's terms. Matt Duss, executive vice president at the Center for International Policy and a former adviser to Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, breaks down why the Trump administration wants to strong-arm Ukraine over Russia and what it says about President Trump's views on power.And in headlines: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tried to ease fears over the administration's trade war with China, Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin announced plans to retire at the end of his term, and more Democratic members of Congress traveled to El Salvador to highlight Trump's threats to due process.Show Notes:Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's been a sleepless night in Kyiv, after what sounds a lot like a threat from Washington. Between the US president's pressure on Ukraine to sign on the dotted line, and Vladimir Putin's deadliest nighttime raids on Kyiv in months, how does Volodymyr Zelensky react? And what about European allies? What will they do if Ukraine is coerced into giving up not only its claim to the Crimean Peninsula but all the territory occupied by the Russian invaders?Before heading to Rome for Saturday's papal funeral that's set to feature interested parties, Ukraine's president was in South Africa – host of the next G20 summit and key member of the BRICS club of emerging powers. How to convince the Global South and push back against disinformation when some of it is being repeated by the White House? Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Ilayda Habib and Aurore Laborie. 

On this episode of Reaganism, Reagan Institute Policy Director Rachel Hoff is joined by Katerina Sergatskova who is the Co-founder of the 2402 Foundation. They discuss Katerina's childhood growing up on the Crimean Peninsula, her experience as a journalist covering conflicts in Crimea and the Donbas Region, and her work as a part of the 2402 Foundation in training and equipping journalists to cover the illegal Russian War in Ukraine.

This week we talk about Kursk, asymmetric warfare, and Russian politics.We also discuss HIMARS, supply lines, and Kyiv.Recommended Book: The Disappearance of Rituals by Byung-Chul HanTranscriptAbout two and a half years ago, on February 24, 2022, Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine.This invasion had been forecasted for a while, as Russian forces had at times surreptitiously, at times more overtly supported separatist factions in the eastern and southeastern portion of Ukraine for about a decade, eventually invading and them annexing the Crimean Peninsula back in March of 2014 using what became known as the "little green men" strategy because the invading soldiers had their flags, patches, and other insignia removed, which gave the Russian government deniability, saying basically some patriotic members of their military might be inclined to help their fellow travelers in parts of Ukraine that are being repressed for their Russian heritage, and who crave freedom from an oppressive central government; how these patriotic soldiers acting on their own behalf, without support from the Russian government, supposedly, were able to bring so much heavy artillery and tanks with them was never formally addressed.So Russia had been chipping away at Ukraine for a long while leading up to this more conventional attack in 2022, grabbing an important port when they took Crimea and leaving the Ukrainian government, which had been tilting toward Europe and away from Russia's sphere of influence—which is part of what triggered that pseudo-invasion of Crimea—and all of this left Ukraine fighting those separatist groups on their eastern flank pretty much continuously for the decade leading up to that bigger invasion a few years ago.When that invasion was launched, Russia was expected by pretty much everyone to basically waltz right into Kyiv with little opposition, as it was this huge, powerful country with nukes and a massive conventional military apparatus, so it stood to reason it should easily defeat its weaker, former supplicant neighbor.But that's not how things played out.Ukraine managed to hold off an initial, ill-planned but large invasion force, and for the past two and a half years they've continued to hold those lines, despite huge drafts of soldiers and new investments in wartime materials, including drones and missiles that have been near-continuously lobbed at Ukrainian cities and towns, by the Russian government.For the past year or so, following some back-and-forth pushes by Russian and Ukrainian forces in mostly the eastern part of Ukraine, at least following that initial unsuccessful incursion toward the capitol, Ukraine's efforts to reclaim its captured territory have been fraught.It launched a successful counterattack a little while back, retaking some earlier captured territory, but after plowing through Russian forces and arriving in the eastern portion of the country, it's next-stage offensives basically collapsed as soon as they were launched.The Ukrainian government is still making fresh attempts in this regard, as any stagnation and seeming lack of progress could serve as justification by its allies to stop sending money and weapons to bolster their war effort, but these have been relatively small and haven't accomplished much—not for the last year, at least.The same was generally true for Russia up until recently, it's troops on the ground exhausted and undersupplied, their pushes deeper into Ukrainian met with stern-enough resistance that they've had to pull back, or they've persisted in shouldering their way through a meat-grinder defense, capturing little tiny bits of territory, but with huge costs in terms of lives and military hardware.This past year they've seen some decent gains, though, as freshly drafted and trained troops have subbed-in for exhausted and wounded ones, and as Ukraine's forces have suffered the consequences of delayed support from the US in particular, and as their own forces have been unable to tap-out, rest, and recover, because of the difference in the size of the two countries' populations, but also because of the nature of the conflict, Ukraine being invaded, while Russia has remained a safe-haven for the most part.As of the day I'm recording this in late-August 2024, Russia's military controls about 20% of Ukraine's total territory—and that includes Crimea and other chunks that were taken in 2014—around 8.2 million of Ukraine's 41 million population before the invasion had already fled the country by mid-2023, some having returned in the year or so since, but millions of people are still scattered throughout Europe and the rest of the world, making this the continent's largest refugee crisis since WWII.About 8 million Ukrainians are now considered to be internally displaced, which means they're homeless within their own country, often because their cities or towns have been captured or destroyed.Estimates on casualties and fatalities in this conflict vary widely, as official numbers are often incomplete and filtered for public consumption and propaganda purposes, but some fairly strict and consequently probably low estimates from outside groups suggest a few hundred thousand people may have died in this conflict, so far, with hundreds of thousands more having been wounded, in some cases grievously, with some more biased figures—like those provided by Ukraine's Ministry of Defense—suggesting that well over half a million people may have been wounded on Russia's side, alone, since the 2022 invasion began.Again, this war has been uneven but surprising from the get go, Russia taking a lot of territory, but Ukraine holding its own and performing well beyond most expectations.But over the last year, since battle lines in the east were more firmly drawn and both sides had the opportunity to carve out defenses, lay mines, things like that, this has been a story of slow attritional conflict, which has tended to mean an advantage for Russia: they've ever-so-slowly been claimed more of Ukraine—grabbing just over 400 square miles of territory over the course of the past twelve months, including a few dozens cities and towns along those well-entrenched emplacements.What I'd like to talk about today is a recent move by Ukraine that has seemingly surprised just about everyone, and which, depending on who you ask, is the desperate act of a flailing military, or an inspired bit of asymmetrical warfare that could help turn the tides in their favor.—Part of why many well-informed analysts assumed Russia's invasion of Ukraine would be a quick thing, several days-long, maybe a week or two at most, is that Russia's military is big and backed by the largest arsenal of nukes in the world. Russia's economy is also decently large, even if it is significantly dependent on fossil fuel and mineral wealth.So Russia's military should be capable of stomping in to a smaller country's territory, especially a neighboring country, and then killing and threatening everyone into submission, and menacing them with nukes if they do anything threatening in return.That's the ostensible promise of a nuclear arsenal: you have the whammy on everyone else if they do anything that really scares you or threatens you, no matter what you do to them, first.That expectation didn't pan out, but the threat of nukes has hovered over this conflict from day one, and Russia's government has happily reinforced the sense that if Ukraine does anything to threaten them in return, even as they invade and gobble up Ukraine's territory, killing and kidnapping their people, Russia might use nukes, because why wouldn't they?And they've often signaled this by saying, basically, that if the Fatherland is threatened, if anyone menaces Russia in return, that could serve as a spark that turns this invasion into a nuclear conflict.This threat has ensured Russia's invasion of Ukraine, thus far, has been a fairly one-sided undertaking in which Russia can do basically anything they want, stomping all around Ukraine and launching endless drones and missiles at their densely populated cities, but Ukraine is not allowed to do anything like that to Russia in return.And this nuclear threat has been taken seriously enough by Ukraine's allies that they've said, from the get-go, we'll give you money and weapons, but you have to promise not to use them on targets within Russia, because we don't want to kick off a nuclear war, or even a broader conflict between nuclear-armed nations, if Russia were to consider attacks by Ukrainians wielding American weapons against Russian civilian targets to be an attack by the US—which was always a theoretical possibility that, again, Russia was happy to reinforce.As a result, some of the weapons provided to Ukraine by its allies were artificially limited, including the 20 HIMARS long-range rocket systems the US supplied back in late-2022, which were altered before being sent so they couldn't be used against targets within Russia territory.The US and other allies have also been incredibly hesitant to provide Ukraine weapons with greater range, like ATMS, Army Tactical Missile System rockets, that can strike targets up to 186 miles away, and fighter jets that could be used to take out targets deep within Russian territory, if used correctly.From the beginning, though, Ukrainian forces figured out ways to hit targets within Russia, generally using asymmetrical methods, like covert infiltrations and loose alliances with anti-government entities operating within Russia, rather than launching aerial or artillery strikes from within their own borders.In 2022, they struck dozens of air bases, fuel depots, and similar targets across the border, though they almost always denied involvement, officially, due to fears that overtly launching such attacks could lead to significant reprisals, and could cause their allies to step back from supporting Ukraine over fears of an expanding conflict.Several bits of manufacturing and shipping infrastructure in Russia were damaged or destroyed by Ukrainian missiles and drones in 2023, which were again, often denied, though a bit more overt than their earlier efforts, and military and civilian buildings in Russian towns along their shared borders were damaged by drones and saboteurs from the beginning of the invasion.Artillery shelling has also incidentally or accidentally hit civilian targets across these borders, though almost all of these attacks, up until 2024, caused little damage and few deaths and injuries; they were more symbolically than practically important.Beginning in early 2024, though, mostly drone attacks on Russia energy infrastructure seemed to impact Russia's economy, several important oil and gas terminals damaged to the point that they required a lot of time and investment to get them operational again, not to mention the further investment that would be required to protect these small, numerous, and important weak-points that Ukraine had shown a willingness to attack.There were also a few drone attacks on major cities, like St. Petersburg, but these seemed to be mostly symbolic strikes, and were generally not claimed by Ukraine—they could have been false flag attacks, or launched by Ukraine's anti-Russian-government allies operating within Russia's borders, or attacks by ISIS or similar terrorist organizations—but whoever launched them, they seem to have caused more fear and consternation than actual, physical damage.Causing fear, though, is still important in this conflict, because, as far as many Russian civilians have understood for years now, the war has been going fine, or fine enough, and they haven't felt they've had much to worry about, because although a lot of their people have been drafted and sent to the frontlines, the conflict itself hasn't really impacted them beyond some brands having disappeared from shelves due to international sanctions, and a general sense that the government has clamped down on several freedoms they previously enjoyed, using the invasion—which has been pitched internally as an effort to liberate Ukrainians from a tyrannical, Nazi government—as justification.That's part of what makes a recent move by Ukraine's military so interesting.On August 6, 2024, the Ukrainian military launched an attack across their border with Russia into the Kursk oblast, which is an administrative district of about a million people located in western Russia.This assault included at least 1,000 troops, alongside armored personnel carriers and tanks, and they plowed more than 6 miles into Russian territory within two days, apparently wiping out local defensive positions without too much trouble.They reportedly drove right past many defensive emplacements and came at the relatively few defenders from unexpected angles, behind rather than in front of them, and that allowed them to rapidly capture territory and prisoners.As a result of this blitz into Kursk, more than 100,000 Russian citizens, closer to 200,000 by some estimates, have had to flee their homes, a state of emergency has been triggered in this and surrounding regions, and the Ukrainian military has captured just under 400 square miles, or around 1,000 square km of Russian territory—which is about what Russian forces have managed to capture of Ukraine over the whole of the past year. Within that held territory, they also hold 82 towns and villages, and they've captured an estimated 2,000 or so prisoners.This rapid assault into Russian territory was unexpected, catching even Ukraine's allies by surprise, reportedly, and it struck an area that was apparently under-defended, which is part of why they were able to break through so easily, hundreds of Russian soldiers surrendering almost immediately, none of them having expected anything like this so far from what has become the front lines of the conflict all the way on the other side of the country.In the weeks since this assault was launched, Ukrainian forces have taken out a couple of important bridges, which serves the double-purpose of making a counterattack by Russian forces more difficult, while also hobbling some of their supply lines that are fueling the Russian invasion of Ukraine further south and east.The Ukrainian force that invaded Russia is relatively small, but because of the nature of this sort of thing, it's estimated that Russia will need something like 3 to 5-times as many soldiers as Ukraine has if they want to successfully dislodge them, which will likely mean having to pull troops and military hardware from the frontlines, or other spots along their border, which would leave those other spots less defended, in order to muster that kind of counterattack.This spot is also reportedly somewhat protected from existing Russian artillery installations, and any attacks they launch against the occupying Ukrainian forces will be attacks against their own cities and towns—something that is arguably inevitable when you're invaded and trying to boot the invaders, but also not something that's super politically popular, because, again, as many as a few hundred thousand people have fled their homes, and if their own government bombs their homes and other infrastructure into smithereens in order to recapture it, that probably won't make all those people too happy, in addition to making them an additional burden in a way, suddenly needing more government support just to keep them fed, housed, and so on.This is also tricky for Russia because, as I just mentioned, pulling troops from elsewhere will require weakening either some other border area, or their front lines in eastern Ukraine, meaning they either open themselves up to another incursion, or they slow the progress they're making with their own invasion, and that component of the conflict is currently going pretty well for them, so it's a tough sell, the idea of slowing that momentum in order to take back territory they didn't think was under any real threat, up till just now.Of course, this assault also makes clear that other parts of Russia's extensive shared border with Ukraine might be under threat if they leave any gaps or weak spots, which will likely mean having to shuffle things around a bit, either way. Attacking and capturing this part of Kursk, then, would seem to be a means of forcing Russia into a two-front conflict, while also demonstrating parts of their territory they thought were well-fortified-enough possibly aren't, which could further distract their leaders and spread their forces out over a wider area.The political aspect of this might prove to be important, too, as while Russia's economy has been doing pretty well, considering all the sanctions, because the government has been flooding the economy with war-time investment and dropping all kinds of regulations to keep businesses afloat and flourishing, authoritarian regimes are often bulwarked by certainty and the projection of strength, and anything that seems to weaken that supposed inevitability and invulnerability can lead to cracks in the facade that ultimately lead to the people up top no longer being up top.That doesn't seem to be a major threat here at the moment, but if we're looking at the long-term, this could be one more dent in what's meant to be an impervious, pristine visage of power, which could over time lead to something more substantial, in terms of who's in charge in Russia.All that said, most analysts seem to think this invasion of Kursk won't be terribly maintainable because it stretches Ukraine's supply lines in such a way that those who did the invading can be relatively easily cut off from the rest of their military, and because it forces Ukraine into a two-front conflict, as well, and while Russia can muddle through something like that, even if it would prefer not to, Ukraine will struggle to do the same because of the nature of their population and infrastructure at the moment.Ukrainian forces are also already struggling on their eastern front, losing territory in small bits, but continuously, to Russian forces, and the grinding nature of the invasion has really taken a toll on those who have been fighting without a break for in some cases years at this point.This successful and surprising move does seem to have served as a morale boost for Ukrainian troops, though, as this is the first time a rival military has taken and held Russian territory since WWII, marking a huge symbolic victory, and one that may keep Ukraine's allies optimistic as well, which is important, as many politicians in those allied countries have shown themselves to be more than willing to stop the ready flow of money and weapons into Ukraine any time it seems like the conflict might not be going their way, even momentarily.Some reports have suggested that this assault might be part of a larger effort by Ukraine's leadership to prepare itself for what seems to be, to some at least, inevitable near-future peace talks, as holding this chunk of Russian land and all these prisoners would give Ukraine more leverage to get some of their land and prisoners back in such negotiations.Others have suggested that the key purpose might have been to humiliate Russian President Putin, while also making everyday Russians feel the war the way everyday Ukrainians have, as that can help tip public opinion enough to, eventually, sway governmental action, even within authoritarian states like Russia.If that's the case, Ukraine may well achieve the opposite, as while Putin has seemingly been slow to respond, focusing his public statements on the Russian military's continuing success in eastern Ukraine, he's reportedly, behind the scenes, plotting revenge, and telling his people to step back from back-room negotiations that have been focused on agreements related to not targeting energy infrastructure on either side; this is pretty speculative and there are a lot of anonymous sources on this narrative, so take it with a grain of salt, but there's a chance that Putin is playing down how bad this is for him and his forces in public, but is planning some kind of significant and devastating counterattack for sometime in the near-future, to deter future attacks on Russian soil.Russian officials have described this attack as an escalation, which is exactly the language you would use if you were preparing your own escalation, so we maybe have that to watch out for in the coming weeks.Simultaneous to all this, though, Russia is on the brink of capturing all of Donesk in eastern Ukraine, which it illegally annexed a little while back, but which Ukraine has partially held all this time—so we may see some kind of change to the conflict once that capture is completed, as it could prove to be a suitable moment, strategically, for Russia to walk back to the peace talks table, happy to take the land it says it owns, before stepping back from active conflict and arming itself for some later, potentially less-direct effort to claim the rest; another little green men attack, perhaps.There's a chance that this attack will force Putin to make politically expedient, but militarily non-ideal decisions over the next few months, though.It would arguably be smartest for the Russian military to keep at it in the east, claim what they need to claim and reinforce their holdings, there, before then going and addressing the Ukrainians in Kursk, but he may feel pressured to send forces to Kursk sooner rather than later, because of embarrassment if nothing else, but also possibly pressure from other Russian leaders, which would spread out his forces and the military's attention, while also slowing their advances in the east, which could in turn give Ukraine a chance to shore up some of their positions, and possibly even launch more small attacks into Russian territory, further complexifying the state of play and the number of emergencies the Russian military needs to address simultaneously.Each of these attacks could be small and strategic, causing outsized damage and requiring an outsized response force: a bit like how irregular militaries, like Hamas and Hezbollah, use cheap rockets that they know will almost always be knocked out of the sky with countermeasures, but those rockets cost maybe ten thousands dollars, while the countermeasures cost ten or twenty times that.Over time, you can deplete the enemy's reserves of money, hardware, and people by forcing them to commit a lot more than you do to a given area or attack; in this way, the outgunned and out-populated Ukrainian military could tie-up a lot of Russia's forces by making them worry about maintaining the bare-bones status quo back home.There's also a chance, though, that Russia will play the long game, ignore opinion polls and protests by people who are forced to flee their homes, and wait to address these asymmetric incursions until later, at which point they'd be in a much stronger position within Ukraine, and that leaves them in a good spot to keep pushing forward, militarily, or to have peace talks that heavily favor them, even more than such talks would, today.Show Noteshttps://thehill.com/policy/defense/3762042-us-secretly-modified-himars-for-ukraine-to-prevent-kyiv-from-shooting-long-range-missiles-into-russia/https://www.wsj.com/world/behind-ukraines-russia-invasion-secrecy-speed-and-electronic-jamming-188fcc22https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/how-russia-looked-wrong-way-ukraine-invaded-2024-08-17/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/belarus-lukashenko-says-nearly-third-army-sent-ukraine-border-belta-reports-2024-08-18/https://www.news24.com/news24/world/news/most-likely-used-north-korean-ballistic-missiles-russia-strikes-with-for-the-third-time-ukraine-20240818https://ca.news.yahoo.com/now-even-north-korea-weighed-103312164.htmlhttps://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kursk-incursion-bridge-invasion-43d6579c82c24ffc5cfabd99d07c66dbhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/17/world/europe/ukraine-russia-bridge.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/17/world/europe/ukraines-incursion-russian-conscripts.htmlhttps://www.politico.eu/article/ukraines-raid-kursk-russia-shift-tactical-narrative/https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4829506-how-ukraines-surprise-offensive-into-russia-has-changed-the-war/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_2024_Kursk_Oblast_incursionhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/19/world/europe/ukraine-russia-zelensky-putin-ceasefire.htmlhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/17/safety-at-ukraines-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-deteriorating-iaea-warnshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/08/18/vladimir-putin-kursk-crisis-reponse/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-17/ukraine-military-incursion-into-russia-maps-satellite-images/104233912https://www.barrons.com/news/russia-says-captured-another-village-near-ukraine-s-pokrovsk-6dc20994https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/18/world/europe/kursk-russia-ukraine-incursion.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/16/world/europe/russia-ukraine-pokrovsk-kursk.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_2024_Kursk_Oblast_incursionhttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0ngzg9754ohttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/10/ukraine-braces-for-reprisals-as-russia-to-send-more-troops-to-kurskhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacks_in_Russia_during_the_Russian_invasion_of_Ukrainehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_invasion_of_Ukrainehttps://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-16-2024https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-incursion-kursk-afa42b9613323901bef07800ac2cae9ehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annexation_of_Crimea_by_the_Russian_Federation This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

Though never large in number, the Karaite communities of Russia are an interesting side chapter in Russian Jewish history. Residing primarily in the Crimean Peninsula, with communities in Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania, the Czarist government recognized the Karaites as distinct from Rabbinic Jews. Due to this recognition and intense lobbying efforts, the Karaite community was gradually absolved from the many restrictions pertinent to the Jews of the empire, including permission to reside outside the Pale of Settlement. Karaite scholars from Lutzk flourished in Crimea during the 19th century, and one of their endeavors was to write a new history of Karaites of the region. The most famous of these was Avraham Firkovich, whose research and collections played a large role in forming the new Karaite identity as ethnically distant from the Jewish People. Though much of his work was proven to be based on forgeries, the Karaite community of Russia was overall successful in remaining a distinct ethnic tribe from the Jewish People, and therefore not susceptible to Czarist discrimination.   Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/   Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at:  yehuda@yehudageberer.com  

From April 9, 2021: Tensions are heating up between Russia and Ukraine, seven years after the seizure by the Russians of the Crimean Peninsula and the incursions into Eastern Ukraine. With troop movements and some saber rattling, is Vladimir Putin trying to send a message to Joe Biden, or perhaps to Ukrainian President Zelensky? Is he trying to satisfy domestic constituencies or distract them? Benjamin Wittes sat down with Alexander Vindman to talk about what Russia is doing and why, and what the Biden administration should do about it.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/c/trumptrials.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us as we delve into the high-stakes clash between Ukraine and Russia in the Crimean Peninsula. In this gripping podcast, we uncover the intense encounter between a Russian warship and Ukrainian forces, resulting in flames engulfing the 111-year-old vessel. Explore the geopolitical tensions, the historical context, and the potential ramifications of this alarming incident. Get ready for an in-depth analysis, expert interviews, and compelling narratives that shed light on the complexities of this ongoing conflict. Don't miss out on this riveting podcast that brings you closer to the frontlines of international strife. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/esatalks/message

February 24 marked the second anniversary of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. With tens of thousands dead and more wounded on both sides and no end in sight to the conflict, it's important to remember that the history of this conflict did not begin on February 24, 2022, nor on February 22, 2014, when the Russian military took control of the Crimean Peninsula.We discuss this and other lessons of the last two years, including why there cannot be “unity” between the left and fascist forces who pretend to be part of the anti-war movement, and the spread of anti-imperialist sentiment across the US as Israel continues to commit genocide in Gaza.We're joined by Walter Smolarek, producer with The Socialist Program.Support the show

Crimean Peninsula, Cambridge Analytica, Kim Jong Un, Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man, Podcast. Featuring... What! Is! It! featuring Corey "Shazam" Craft drum drum drum drum drum MAIL CALL - Blowing the dust off the podcast's gmail account Hosted by your own personal cinematic Richard Simmons & Pauly Shore! Music by Splash '96 Recorded & Edited by Boutwell Studios

In this episode of History Rage, we delve into the often-overlooked complexities of the Crimean War, focusing on the Battle of Balaclava. Josh Provan, historian and author of "Wild East," provides a detailed exploration of the events, shedding light on the misconceptions surrounding the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade.Introduction to the Crimean WarLearn about the historical backdrop of the Crimean War, including the political tensions between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, the strategic significance of the Crimean Peninsula, and the involvement of major European powers.The Battle of Balaclava UnveiledExplore the Battle of Balaclava, a key engagement during the Crimean War, as Josh analyzes the Russian strategy, British and French response, and the famous Charge of the Light Brigade. Gain insights into the series of events that shaped the outcome of this complex and often misunderstood battle.Charge of the Light Brigade: Myths vs. RealityChallenge common misconceptions surrounding the Charge of the Light Brigade. Josh offers a critical examination of the decisions made by British commanders, the conflicting perspectives of officers involved, and the true impact of this legendary yet disastrous cavalry charge.The Aftermath and LegacyDiscover the aftermath of the Battle of Balaclava and its implications for the Crimean War. Josh discusses the strategic outcomes, the ultimate fate of Sebastopol, and the factors contributing to the end of the conflict.Don't miss this episode if you're eager to uncover the layers of history behind the Crimean War and gain a fresh perspective on the Battle of Balaclava.You can, and should, subscribe to Josh's YouTube Channel Adventures in Historyland.You can buy Josh's first book Wild East from the History Rage Bookshop and you can follow Josh on Twitter @LandofHistoryYou can follow History Rage on Twitter @HistoryRage and let us know what you wish people would just stop believing using the Hashtag #HistoryRage.You can join our 'Angry Mob' on Patreon as well. £5 per month gets you episodes 3 months early, the invite to choose questions, entry into our prize draws and the coveted History Rage mug. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 1046, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Southernmost Points 1: The southernmost point on the USA's mainland is Cape Sable in this Florida national park. the Everglades. 2: South America's southernmost mainland point, cape froward on the Brunswick Peninsula, lies in this country. Chile. 3: Asia's southernmost mainland point, Cape Piai, lies in this country just north of Singapore. Malaysia. 4: Germany's is in this state bordering Austria. Bavaria. 5: Cape Sarych, Ukraine's southernmost point, lies on this peninsula that juts into the Black Sea. the Crimean Peninsula. Round 2. Category: B Nice. With B in quotes 1: Medically, it's the opposite of malignant. benign. 2: Insurance entitlements, or things you might share with a really good friend. benefits. 3: A favor or gift, it's a homonym of a Colonial frontiersman's name. boon. 4: Robert Burns wrote that the men of Ayr were honest and the lasses were this. bonnie. 5: Officially, it's the "B" in B.P.O.E.. benevolent. Round 3. Category: Old Testament Names 1: Oddly, his name means "dove" and not "he of the big fish". Jonah. 2: Hebrew for "friend" or "companion", she was the companion and daughter-in-law of Naomi. Ruth. 3: Various sources list her name as meaning "temptress" and "seductive". Delilah. 4: "Behold, a son", this firstborn son of Jacob. Reuben. 5: Though his name is from Hebrew for "laughter", he probably didn't laugh much while he was on that altar. Isaac. Round 4. Category: The Writing Stuff 1: "Passing away" is this kind of term, an indirect substitute for something harsh or offensive. a euphemism. 2: "Uneven" 2-word term for an early version; Jefferson used it about one pass at the Declaration of Independence. a rough draft. 3: Aunt Grace wants 1 more copy; good thing you put out your poems using P.O.D., short for this. printing on demand. 4: Add a dose of this quality to your novel, the incongruity between what was expected and what actually occurs. irony. 5: Orson Scott Card said this is never solved by "writing through it" because you haven't solved the original problem. writer's block. Round 5. Category: Presidential Astrology 1: Gerald Ford was the last president born under this "crab"by sign. Cancer. 2: Even though this was John Quincy Adams' sign, we'd never describe him as "crab"by. Cancer. 3: Appropriately, we've had 2 presidents born under this sign, Bush and Kennedy. Gemini. 4: This was LBJ's sign, though he's not usually associated with maidenly virtues. Virgo. 5: With the exception of Reagan, every U.S. pres. born under this sign, including Lincoln, died in office. Aquarius. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!Special thanks to https://blog.feedspot.com/trivia_podcasts/ AI Voices used

On today's show, Sergey Melnichuk discusses the ongoing situation from the Crimean Peninsula. GUEST OVERVIEW: Sergey Melnychuk is a Crimean political scientist and TV commentator.  

On today's show, Sergey Melnichuk discusses the ongoing situation from the Crimean Peninsula.  GUEST OVERVIEW: Sergey Melnychuk is a Crimean political scientist and TV commentator.

GUEST HOST: Simeon Boikov filling in for Lembit Öpik.   On today's show, Sergey Melnichuk discusses the ongoing situation in the Crimean Peninsula. Later, Dirk Pohlmann talks about the situation in Germany/Berlin with Pro-Palestinian protests and how the German government is managing the situation. GUEST 1 OVERVIEW: Sergey Melnychuk is a Crimean political scientist and TV commentator. GUEST 2 OVERVIEW: Dirk Pohlmann is a seasoned journalist with over 35 years' experience, creating over 25 documentaries for international TV. He contributes to alternative media, video blogs, and hosts on TNT Radio.  GUEST 3 OVERVIEW: Craig Kelly, former Liberal MP for Hughes, now leads the United Australia Party after shifting to independent status in 2021 and joining the party later that year. skepticism of climate change measures, opposition to certain health mandates, strong stance on personal freedoms and anti-corruption.

Journalist and editor of ‘Ukrainian Freedom News' Joseph Lindsley joins Bob Sirott from Ukraine to deliver the latest news on the Ukraine-Russia War, including how Ukrainians destroyed some Russian air defense in the Crimean Peninsula and Russia’s attacks of south central Ukraine. You can find more updates on Joseph's website, ukrainianfreedomnews.com. To donate to Joseph and […]

This is TRT World's Daily News Brief for Wednesday, September 13th. *) Death toll from devastating Libya floods tops 5,000 in Derna alone The death toll from devastating floods in Libya's eastern city of Derna has risen to 5,300, the country's official news agency reported. Earlier the International Committee of the Red Cross said that more than 10,000 people have been reported missing following the devastating floods. Initial reports indicate that dozens of villages and towns were submerged by the deadly floods caused by Storm Daniel that struck eastern Libya on Sunday. *) North Korea fires ballistic missiles as Putin welcomes Kim Jong-un in Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin has met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a cosmodrome in Russia's Far East. Their meeting underscores how the two leaders' interests are aligning in the face of their separate, intensifying confrontations with the United States. Hours earlier, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles toward the sea, extending a highly provocative run in North Korean weapons testing since the start of 2022 *) Morocco's king visits earthquake survivors, donates blood Morocco's king has shown solidarity with his suffering nation as it counts the dead from a powerful earthquake. King Mohammed VI visited some of the injured at a hospital not far from the epicentre and rolled up a sleeve to donate his royal blood. The earthquake, with its epicentre in the Atlas Mountains, took the lives of more than 2,900 people and injured more than 2,000 others. *) Crimea's Sevastopol under Ukrainian attack — Russian official In the latest in the Ukraine war, Ukraine has carried out a missile attack on Sevastopol in Crimea, wounding at least 24 people. The Moscow-installed governor of the port city said that the missile attack caused a fire at a “non-civilian facility”. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in a broadly condemned move in 2014. And finally… *) What's at stake as Republicans seek to open impeachment inquiry into Biden? US President Joe Biden is set to face an impeachment inquiry. The investigation, instigated by the Republicans, will focus on the business dealings of the president's son Hunter Biden. The White House has dismissed allegations of wrong-doing as baseless and accused the Republicans of “extreme politics at its worst”. And that's your daily news brief from TRT World. For more, head to trtworld.com

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Thursday, August 3rd, 2023. Isn’t it about time to take action on how you're going to give your children and grandchildren a good music education? Moses, David, and all the Saints of the church have worshiped God with musical might, so let’s be confidently found doing the same. Bohnet Music Academy instructs children and adults in how to be musically literate. That’s everything you need to know and do as the musician God made you to be. Lessons are available locally in Moscow, ID and online. What’s great is that in addition to getting vocal training, you can also study the piano, guitar, violin, cello, drums, or the trumpet. Visit Bohnetma.com/crosspolitic for more information on how to equip your family to serve God’s musical commands. B-O-H-N-E-T MA.com/crosspolitic http://bohnetma.com/crosspolitic Listen to this! Some good education news… https://www.theblaze.com/news/hs-seniors-con-vs-lib High school senior boys nearly twice as likely to be conservative as liberal: Survey A University of Michigan survey found that boys in their senior year of high school are almost two times more likely to identify as conservative than as liberal. However, for twelfth-grade girls, they are even more likely to consider themselves liberal than conservative. On the Monitoring the Future survey, which is considered a scholarly endeavor that dates back to the 1970s, according to The Hill, political differences that were once somewhat close have drifted farther apart. For high school senior boys, the shares of conservative versus liberal were nearly identical between 2014 and 2016, around 19% for both factions. By 2022, that number had shifted to 23% for conservative, which was actually down three points from 2020. Since that 2016 marker, boys identifying as liberal in grade twelve have plummeted to 13%. The 2020-2023 numbers are the highest they've been for conservatives since the early 1990s, although the figures have nearly always hovered around the 20% mark, save for 1998-2002. Just a reminder that while this is positive, conservatism without Christ is what got us to this point where we are now. Now an update from Budlight. https://dailycaller.com/2023/07/31/distributors-bud-light-beer-dylan-mulvaney-anheuser-busch/ Distributors Giving up on Bud Light - No Longer Expect Beer Giant to Recover The embarrassment is real for Bud Light. Several distributors of Anheuser-Busch beer say they have accepted the fact they’ve lost money — and a lot of it — due to consumers boycotting Bud Light. And not just that, but they’ve also given up completely on trying to win back customers who have been negatively affected by the anti-American beer’s Dylan Mulvaney campaign, according to the New York Post. Hiring freezes and layoffs have been going on for four months, while some beer truck drivers have been slammed with hecklers and other harassment while Bud Light’s sales have tanked over 25%. As a result, wholesalers of Anheuser-Busch have resigned to the large number of customers they’ve lost permanently, and in response, they need to focus on a new set of beer drinkers. “Consumers have made a choice,” an unidentified executive from a Texas-based beer distributor told the New York Post. “They have left [Bud Light] and that’s how it’s going to be. I don’t envision a big percentage of them coming back.” Other Anheuser-Busch branded beers such as Budweiser, Busch Light and Michelob Ultra have also been tanking in sales since Bud Light decided to disastrously partner with Mulvaney. The executive went on to say that customers have most likely found out that Bud Light competitors including Miller Lite and Coors Light “are a very similar product.” Reigning victorious in the beer war all comes down to “whoever is best at marketing,” the executive told The Post. https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/meta-starts-blocking-canadian-news-content-5437258?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport Meta Starts Blocking Canadian News Content Meta has announced it has started blocking news content for Canadian users on its platforms, following months of threats to strike back against the Online News Act, which mandates that major tech companies pay Canadian media outlets for news content linked on their platforms. Starting Aug. 1, Meta begins the process of ending news availability in Canada, the company said in a statement. Over the next few weeks, all users accessing Facebook and Instagram in Canada will no longer be able to view news links and content posted by Canadian news publishers and broadcasters. Meta said the news outlets to be affected will be identified based on legislative definitions and guidance from the Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18. The bill received royal assent on June 22. Tech giant Google also said it would retaliate against the the new law. The company announced on June 29 it would remove links to Canadian news from its Search, News, and Discover products, while users in Canada will no longer be able to operate the Google News Showcase. After being appointed the new heritage minister, Pascale St-Onge said her door is "always open" to negotiate with the tech companies, but that her government would not back down. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the issue a "dispute over democracy." On July 10, Heritage Canada said it would propose regulations to implement the act, which would include establishing a financial threshold for the contributions of tech companies. The Epoch Times reached out to Heritage Canada for comment but didn't immediately hear back. Meta says the new legislation is based on an "incorrect premise," that the company gains unfair benefits from news content shared on its platforms. The company also emphasized that the primary usage of its platforms doesn't revolve around news consumption, arguing instead that news outlets voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to expand their audiences and bolster their financial standing. "The Online News Act is fundamentally flawed legislation that ignores the realities of how our platforms work, the preferences of the people who use them, and the value we provide news publishers," Meta said. "As the Minister of Canadian Heritage has said, how we choose to comply with the legislation is a business decision we must make, and we have made our choice." The company assured users that despite the changes regarding news content availability in Canada, their products and services would remain unaffected. Users will continue to have the ability to connect with friends and family, grow their businesses, and support their local communities as before, Meta says. Speaking of Canada… https://www.foxnews.com/world/canadian-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-wife-18-years-announce-separation Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, wife of 18 years announce separation Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday announced that he and his wife Sophie are separating after 18 years of marriage. Trudeau made the announcement in an Instagram post. "Sophie and I would like to share the fact that after many meaningful and difficult conversations, we have made the decision to separate," Trudeau wrote. Sophie Grégoire, a former television reporter in Quebec, married Trudeau in 2005. They have three children together. In an interview with Maclean's magazine in 2005, Trudeau shared that he and Grégoire-Trudeau met as adults two years prior, when they co-hosted the Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ball. Before, Grégoire had been a childhood friend of Trudeau's youngest brother, Michel — who died in an avalanche in 1998 at the age of 23 — and had spent time at the Trudeau family's home. The couple became engaged in October 2004 and married on May 28, 2005, at a ceremony at Montreal's Sainte-Madeleine Church. Trudeau has spoken glowingly of his wife in public in the years since. In April, the prime minister posted a pair of selfies with his wife on social media on her birthday. "From this, to this, and everything in between, there’s no one I’d rather have by my side," he wrote. He also praised her on Mother's Day in May, calling Sophie and his mother "two of the strongest, bravest, and greatest people we know." The prime minister's office said in a statement that Trudeau, 51, and Sophie, 48, have signed a legal agreement making their separation official. https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/russia-ukraine-war/2023/08/01/id/1129190/ Russia Accuses Ukraine of Moscow Drone Attack Russian authorities accused Kyiv early Tuesday of yet another attack on Moscow and its surroundings with drones, one of which hit the same building in the capital that was damaged by a drone just days ago in a similar attack. Russian officials have claimed that the intensified attacks on the capital region reflect failures in Ukraine's counteroffensive, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said over the weekend that "the war is gradually coming back to Russian territory," but stopped short of taking responsibility for the attacks. The repeated drone strikes underscore Moscow's vulnerability as Russia's war in Ukraine drags into its 18th month. The Russian military also said that Ukrainian forces tried to attack two of its warships in the Black Sea overnight, using maritime drones. Three drones targeted two patrol vessels, Sergei Kotov and Vasily Bykov, 340 kilometers (210 miles) southwest of the Russian-controlled city of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula, the Defense Ministry reported. All three drones were destroyed, the report said. https://www.outkick.com/los-angeles-dodgers-host-faith-night-after-sisters-of-perpetual-indulgence-disaster-chris-pratt-clayton-kershaw-attend/ LOS ANGELES DODGERS HOST FAITH NIGHT AFTER ‘SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE’ DISASTER; CHRIS PRATT, CLAYTON KERSHAW ATTEND On Sunday, the L.A. Dodgers hosted their first “Christian Faith and Family Day” at Chavez Ravine since 2019 and nearly two months since LA honored “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” an LGBT group whose past digs at religion drew criticism. Following a loss to the Cincinnati Reds, hundreds of Dodgers fans remained seated to partake in the team’s “Christian Family and Faith” event. Sunday’s postgame festivities included testimonies — emphasizing the importance of faith in God — from Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, third baseman Max Muncy, utility player Chris Taylor and movie star Chris Pratt. Pratt was in charge of throwing Sunday’s ceremonial first pitch. Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts also made an appearance. Roberts, like much of the Dodgers personnel in attendance for the event, identifies as Christian. “My relationship w/ Christ is the most important thing in my life,” Roberts previously shared, when discussing the impact of faith on his life. Kershaw drew the most attention from the media once the event was announced. The Dodgers pitcher objected to the celebration of the “Sisters” when the Pride Night event was first publicized in May. Clayton Kershaw’s critics saw the revival of “Christian Faith and Family Night” — originally canceled due to COVID in 2020 — as a countermeasure to the Pride Night event featuring the “Sisters.” The ace called it coincidental timing. OutKick’s Ian Miller attended the event on June 16 and noted that the Dodgers seemingly buried noise around it as 2,000 or so Dodgers fans showed up to protest. While June’s event was met with backlash due to the “Sister’s” mockery of the Christian and Catholic faith, Sunday’s event was met with delight. The LA team has long been worshipped by the Latino community of Southern California, so naturally the fanbase has a strong Catholic representation. As detailed by Los Angeles Times’ Helene Elliott, fans in attendance for the event adamantly cheered Dave Roberts for his appearance at the faith-based event. Elliott called it a “very forgiving crowd,” considering the team had just lost, 9-0, to Elly De La Cruz and the Cincinnati Reds. To a degree, the Dodgers fans’ adoration after a deflating loss was emblematic of the idea of “grace”.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Thursday, August 3rd, 2023. Isn’t it about time to take action on how you're going to give your children and grandchildren a good music education? Moses, David, and all the Saints of the church have worshiped God with musical might, so let’s be confidently found doing the same. Bohnet Music Academy instructs children and adults in how to be musically literate. That’s everything you need to know and do as the musician God made you to be. Lessons are available locally in Moscow, ID and online. What’s great is that in addition to getting vocal training, you can also study the piano, guitar, violin, cello, drums, or the trumpet. Visit Bohnetma.com/crosspolitic for more information on how to equip your family to serve God’s musical commands. B-O-H-N-E-T MA.com/crosspolitic http://bohnetma.com/crosspolitic Listen to this! Some good education news… https://www.theblaze.com/news/hs-seniors-con-vs-lib High school senior boys nearly twice as likely to be conservative as liberal: Survey A University of Michigan survey found that boys in their senior year of high school are almost two times more likely to identify as conservative than as liberal. However, for twelfth-grade girls, they are even more likely to consider themselves liberal than conservative. On the Monitoring the Future survey, which is considered a scholarly endeavor that dates back to the 1970s, according to The Hill, political differences that were once somewhat close have drifted farther apart. For high school senior boys, the shares of conservative versus liberal were nearly identical between 2014 and 2016, around 19% for both factions. By 2022, that number had shifted to 23% for conservative, which was actually down three points from 2020. Since that 2016 marker, boys identifying as liberal in grade twelve have plummeted to 13%. The 2020-2023 numbers are the highest they've been for conservatives since the early 1990s, although the figures have nearly always hovered around the 20% mark, save for 1998-2002. Just a reminder that while this is positive, conservatism without Christ is what got us to this point where we are now. Now an update from Budlight. https://dailycaller.com/2023/07/31/distributors-bud-light-beer-dylan-mulvaney-anheuser-busch/ Distributors Giving up on Bud Light - No Longer Expect Beer Giant to Recover The embarrassment is real for Bud Light. Several distributors of Anheuser-Busch beer say they have accepted the fact they’ve lost money — and a lot of it — due to consumers boycotting Bud Light. And not just that, but they’ve also given up completely on trying to win back customers who have been negatively affected by the anti-American beer’s Dylan Mulvaney campaign, according to the New York Post. Hiring freezes and layoffs have been going on for four months, while some beer truck drivers have been slammed with hecklers and other harassment while Bud Light’s sales have tanked over 25%. As a result, wholesalers of Anheuser-Busch have resigned to the large number of customers they’ve lost permanently, and in response, they need to focus on a new set of beer drinkers. “Consumers have made a choice,” an unidentified executive from a Texas-based beer distributor told the New York Post. “They have left [Bud Light] and that’s how it’s going to be. I don’t envision a big percentage of them coming back.” Other Anheuser-Busch branded beers such as Budweiser, Busch Light and Michelob Ultra have also been tanking in sales since Bud Light decided to disastrously partner with Mulvaney. The executive went on to say that customers have most likely found out that Bud Light competitors including Miller Lite and Coors Light “are a very similar product.” Reigning victorious in the beer war all comes down to “whoever is best at marketing,” the executive told The Post. https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/meta-starts-blocking-canadian-news-content-5437258?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport Meta Starts Blocking Canadian News Content Meta has announced it has started blocking news content for Canadian users on its platforms, following months of threats to strike back against the Online News Act, which mandates that major tech companies pay Canadian media outlets for news content linked on their platforms. Starting Aug. 1, Meta begins the process of ending news availability in Canada, the company said in a statement. Over the next few weeks, all users accessing Facebook and Instagram in Canada will no longer be able to view news links and content posted by Canadian news publishers and broadcasters. Meta said the news outlets to be affected will be identified based on legislative definitions and guidance from the Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18. The bill received royal assent on June 22. Tech giant Google also said it would retaliate against the the new law. The company announced on June 29 it would remove links to Canadian news from its Search, News, and Discover products, while users in Canada will no longer be able to operate the Google News Showcase. After being appointed the new heritage minister, Pascale St-Onge said her door is "always open" to negotiate with the tech companies, but that her government would not back down. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the issue a "dispute over democracy." On July 10, Heritage Canada said it would propose regulations to implement the act, which would include establishing a financial threshold for the contributions of tech companies. The Epoch Times reached out to Heritage Canada for comment but didn't immediately hear back. Meta says the new legislation is based on an "incorrect premise," that the company gains unfair benefits from news content shared on its platforms. The company also emphasized that the primary usage of its platforms doesn't revolve around news consumption, arguing instead that news outlets voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to expand their audiences and bolster their financial standing. "The Online News Act is fundamentally flawed legislation that ignores the realities of how our platforms work, the preferences of the people who use them, and the value we provide news publishers," Meta said. "As the Minister of Canadian Heritage has said, how we choose to comply with the legislation is a business decision we must make, and we have made our choice." The company assured users that despite the changes regarding news content availability in Canada, their products and services would remain unaffected. Users will continue to have the ability to connect with friends and family, grow their businesses, and support their local communities as before, Meta says. Speaking of Canada… https://www.foxnews.com/world/canadian-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-wife-18-years-announce-separation Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, wife of 18 years announce separation Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday announced that he and his wife Sophie are separating after 18 years of marriage. Trudeau made the announcement in an Instagram post. "Sophie and I would like to share the fact that after many meaningful and difficult conversations, we have made the decision to separate," Trudeau wrote. Sophie Grégoire, a former television reporter in Quebec, married Trudeau in 2005. They have three children together. In an interview with Maclean's magazine in 2005, Trudeau shared that he and Grégoire-Trudeau met as adults two years prior, when they co-hosted the Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ball. Before, Grégoire had been a childhood friend of Trudeau's youngest brother, Michel — who died in an avalanche in 1998 at the age of 23 — and had spent time at the Trudeau family's home. The couple became engaged in October 2004 and married on May 28, 2005, at a ceremony at Montreal's Sainte-Madeleine Church. Trudeau has spoken glowingly of his wife in public in the years since. In April, the prime minister posted a pair of selfies with his wife on social media on her birthday. "From this, to this, and everything in between, there’s no one I’d rather have by my side," he wrote. He also praised her on Mother's Day in May, calling Sophie and his mother "two of the strongest, bravest, and greatest people we know." The prime minister's office said in a statement that Trudeau, 51, and Sophie, 48, have signed a legal agreement making their separation official. https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/russia-ukraine-war/2023/08/01/id/1129190/ Russia Accuses Ukraine of Moscow Drone Attack Russian authorities accused Kyiv early Tuesday of yet another attack on Moscow and its surroundings with drones, one of which hit the same building in the capital that was damaged by a drone just days ago in a similar attack. Russian officials have claimed that the intensified attacks on the capital region reflect failures in Ukraine's counteroffensive, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said over the weekend that "the war is gradually coming back to Russian territory," but stopped short of taking responsibility for the attacks. The repeated drone strikes underscore Moscow's vulnerability as Russia's war in Ukraine drags into its 18th month. The Russian military also said that Ukrainian forces tried to attack two of its warships in the Black Sea overnight, using maritime drones. Three drones targeted two patrol vessels, Sergei Kotov and Vasily Bykov, 340 kilometers (210 miles) southwest of the Russian-controlled city of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula, the Defense Ministry reported. All three drones were destroyed, the report said. https://www.outkick.com/los-angeles-dodgers-host-faith-night-after-sisters-of-perpetual-indulgence-disaster-chris-pratt-clayton-kershaw-attend/ LOS ANGELES DODGERS HOST FAITH NIGHT AFTER ‘SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE’ DISASTER; CHRIS PRATT, CLAYTON KERSHAW ATTEND On Sunday, the L.A. Dodgers hosted their first “Christian Faith and Family Day” at Chavez Ravine since 2019 and nearly two months since LA honored “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” an LGBT group whose past digs at religion drew criticism. Following a loss to the Cincinnati Reds, hundreds of Dodgers fans remained seated to partake in the team’s “Christian Family and Faith” event. Sunday’s postgame festivities included testimonies — emphasizing the importance of faith in God — from Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, third baseman Max Muncy, utility player Chris Taylor and movie star Chris Pratt. Pratt was in charge of throwing Sunday’s ceremonial first pitch. Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts also made an appearance. Roberts, like much of the Dodgers personnel in attendance for the event, identifies as Christian. “My relationship w/ Christ is the most important thing in my life,” Roberts previously shared, when discussing the impact of faith on his life. Kershaw drew the most attention from the media once the event was announced. The Dodgers pitcher objected to the celebration of the “Sisters” when the Pride Night event was first publicized in May. Clayton Kershaw’s critics saw the revival of “Christian Faith and Family Night” — originally canceled due to COVID in 2020 — as a countermeasure to the Pride Night event featuring the “Sisters.” The ace called it coincidental timing. OutKick’s Ian Miller attended the event on June 16 and noted that the Dodgers seemingly buried noise around it as 2,000 or so Dodgers fans showed up to protest. While June’s event was met with backlash due to the “Sister’s” mockery of the Christian and Catholic faith, Sunday’s event was met with delight. The LA team has long been worshipped by the Latino community of Southern California, so naturally the fanbase has a strong Catholic representation. As detailed by Los Angeles Times’ Helene Elliott, fans in attendance for the event adamantly cheered Dave Roberts for his appearance at the faith-based event. Elliott called it a “very forgiving crowd,” considering the team had just lost, 9-0, to Elly De La Cruz and the Cincinnati Reds. To a degree, the Dodgers fans’ adoration after a deflating loss was emblematic of the idea of “grace”.

On Monday, explosives damaged a key bridge connecting the Russian mainland and Crimean Peninsula. Russia blamed Ukrainian forces for the deadly attack on the Kerch Bridge, and Russia soon after said it would halt its participation in the Black Sea grain deal.Donald Trump's legal team is heading back to court today for a pre-trial hearing in the former president's classified documents case. The hearing could shine a light on how Judge Aileen Cannon plans to handle the case, and whether the trial will begin before or after the 2024 election.And in headlines: an Iowa judge issued a temporary injunction blocking the state's new six-week abortion ban, House Democrats unveiled a new resolution to censure Republican George Santos, and more employers in the U.S. are ditching marijuana drug tests for new hires.Show Notes:What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

An extreme weather triple threat — deadly heat, flash flooding and smoke from the Canadian wildfires — takes hold across the country. An emergency slide from a United Airlines flight falls into a residential neighborhood in Chicago. Tom speaks with GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales about his new immigration bill. Ukrainian forces attack a major bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. And Edward Caban becomes the first Latino chief of the NYPD.

Ukraine said its forces shot down Russian drones and cruise missiles targeting the Black Sea port of Odesa before dawn Tuesday in what Moscow called “retribution” for an attack that damaged a crucial bridge to the Crimean Peninsula. In the latest salvo in a battle between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the president of the Temecula Valley Unified School District over a banned book, Newsom announced Thursday that the state would purchase the book for district students if the board did not ensure that students had sufficient material before the start of the school year on Aug. 14. A bill moving through the California legislature could tighten the rules on electric bikes and make it illegal for people under a certain age to ride them. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) did not help Democratic Party concerns that he may run for president in 2024 on Monday night, arguing in favor of a third-party candidate for the 2024 presidential race and not ruling out a run of his own. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month's run of triple-digit temperatures — seven so far, with at least a week's worth on the way — will have many Fresnans opening their utility bills this summer with trepidation. And, a proposed 32% rate hike for Pacific Gas and Electric that the California Public Utilities Commission is pondering would make those big bills even bigger in the future. Activists have filed a lawsuit against the city of Fresno over the renaming of 10 miles of streets to Cesar Chavez Boulevard. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Black Sea Grain Initiative would be suspended until demands to get Russian food and fertilizer to the world are met. An attack Monday on a bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula to Russia was not a factor in the decision, he said. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month's run of triple-digit temperatures — seven so far, with at least a week's worth on the way — will have many Fresnans opening their utility bills this summer with trepidation. And, a proposed 32% rate hike for Pacific Gas and Electric that the California Public Utilities Commission is pondering would make those big bills even bigger in the future. Activists have filed a lawsuit against the city of Fresno over the renaming of 10 miles of streets to Cesar Chavez Boulevard. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Black Sea Grain Initiative would be suspended until demands to get Russian food and fertilizer to the world are met. An attack Monday on a bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula to Russia was not a factor in the decision, he said. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tragedy strikes in Pennsylvania as flash floods sweep away cars, killing at least five. Two very young children are also missing. Former President Trump suggests his potential running mate could be among his opponents. Meanwhile, he's still not committing to a primary debate. We have some takeaways from Mr. Trump's weekend event and interview. Accusations fly after a fresh attack on the Crimean Peninsula bridge. Two parents died in the attack, and their daughter has been hospitalized with injuries. ⭕️ Watch in-depth videos based on Truth & Tradition at Epoch TV

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the nineteenth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.' Hosted by the former Deputy Commander of Ops Group and retired, COL Edward Twaddell III, on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today's guests are Dr. Lester Grau and Mr. Charles “Chuck” Bartles from the renowned Foreign Military Studies Office at Ft Leavenworth, Kansas.   The mission of the Foreign Military Studies Office is to research and present understudied and unconsidered foreign perspectives in order to better understand the operational environment. Dr. Lester Grau is a senior analyst and the Research Director for the FMSO. He is considered a subject matter expert on tactical, operational and geopolitical subjects involving Russia. Chuck Bartles is a junior analyst and Russian linguist at the FMSO. His specific research areas include Russian and Central Asian military force structure, modernization, tactics, officer and enlisted professional development, and security assistance programs.   While this episode was filmed mere weeks prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the information presented here isn't based on the observations and trends analysis from that conflict. Instead the assessment was largely formed from Russia's 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, their activity in Eastern Ukraine prior to the 2022 conflict, the Cold War-esque saber rattling regarding the Baltics, and their combat operations in support of Syria. We have a future episode where Dr. Grau and Mr. Bartles address some of the lessons learned from the most recent Russo-Ukrainian Conflict.   In this episode we discuss he modern Russian military force structure as it applies to large scale combat operations. The discussion centers around the Russian overall employment methodology, general overview of the assets available at echelon to the tactical ground force commander, and their modernization program. Some of the assets addressed in this episode are their electronic and cyber warfare and communications capabilities as well as armored-mechanized teams, reconnaissance, and indirect fire formations. One fact that is repeatedly emphasized is that the Russian armed forces focus more on commander centric “battle drills” than a military decision making process focused on warfighting functions and maneuver enables fires instead of the Western model of fires enables maneuver.   For a more in depth look at the information covered, please check-out their book, The Russian Way of War, hosted by Army University Press.   Part of S11 “Conversations with the Enemy” series.   For additional information and insights from this episode, please checkout our Instagram page @the_jrtc_crucible_podcast   Be sure to follow us on social media to keep up with the latest warfighting TTPs learned through the crucible that is the Joint Readiness Training Center.   Follow us by going to: https://linktr.ee/jrtc and then selecting your preferred podcast format.

This week, Russia accused Ukraine of striking a bridge that connects mainland Ukraine with the Crimean Peninsula. This is amid the emerging counteroffensive by Ukraine attempting to push back Russian troops. This week on Deconstructed, Ryan Grim is joined by Amed Khan, who has 20 years of experience funding and implementing humanitarian relief. Khan is currently based in Ukraine, where he has been seeing the war's destruction firsthand. Grim and Khan discuss the recent developments in the war and Khan's experiences working in Ukraine.If you'd like to support our work, go to theintercept.com/give, where your donation, no matter what the amount, makes a real difference.And if you haven't already, please subscribe to the show so you can hear it every week. And please go and leave us a rating or a review — it helps people find the show. If you want to give us additional feedback, email us at Podcasts@theintercept.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been nine years since Russian forces invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula. With the likelihood of Russia losing its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine looking ever more promising, is the end of Crimea's occupation finally near? On this week's episode of The Eastern Front, Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia speak with Elina Beketova, a democracy fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), about the fate of the occupied territories. Does the Ukrainian government have a plan for reintegrating Crimea's occupied population back into Ukraine? How has the ethnic composition of the Peninsula changed since 2014? The co-hosts and Beketova also discuss the human rights violations against Crimean Tatars and the brainwashing of Ukrainian children who have been abducted by Russian forces.Show notes: Sign up for The Eastern Front's biweekly newsletter here. Follow us on Twitter here; Elina Beketova's articles on CEPA's website.

There's a canal that runs from Kherson to the Crimean Peninsula and serves as the area's sole irrigation water source. And with how dry the region is, this canal is critical to the Crimean Peninsula. Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/ukraine-qa-series-canal

In this most sobering, yet fascinating episode of the Elevate Your Leadership podcast, Ukrainian Air Force Colonel Hennadiy Kovalenko (Colonel H) discusses the current state of affairs regarding the war with Russia and the potential outcomes, including a total collapse of Russia. He has served Ukraine in uniform for 32 years and is highly experienced and educated. Colonel H discusses how President Putin was told that the Ukrainian people would welcome the invading Russian army with hugs, smiles, and flowers, and how this war really began in 2014 with the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. He has been assigned to NATO ACT in the United States since 2019, and will return to fight in his homeland within weeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I went to Ukraine thinking I'd find victims of war and recipients of humanitarian aide. What I found were civilians creatively, consciously engaging in what was going on around them. ~ Dr. Greta Uehling Can you imagine life in a war zone? The residents of Ukraine have lived amidst devastating war and crisis for years, first with the invasion of the Crimean Peninsula and now with Russia's further invasion starting in 2022. For those of us living in the United States, life in a war zone is something we observe from afar. The images we most often see are devastating, showing civilians huddling in fear near bombed out homes and cities. Yet, when Dr. Greta Uehling visited Ukraine to better learn how civilians were coping with the war, she discovered resilience and brilliance as people often “made choices based on others' vulnerability,” discovering also that “relationships became essential to resilience.” Dr. Uehling's book, Everyday War illustrates how individuals found their worldview shifting as they discovered the importance of relationships, awareness of others' suffering and the usefulness of transferable skills in navigating life in a war zone with resilience. This week's powerful interview with Dr. Uehling illustrates the concepts of how to live a Brilliantly Resilient life in the most challenging of circumstances, highlighting the power of employing our transferable skills in service to others. Even Dr. Uehling's personal journey to Ukraine required a willingness to evolve with changing situations, and not being married to a particular outcome. Tune into this week's episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast to hear more of Dr. Uehling's wisdom, and be sure to listen for these additional bits of brilliance: I had to let go of my previous agenda. I couldn't control the occupation of Crimea, but I still had the power of my pen. In my case, the anthropological skill set was very transferable and for me that was empathetic listening. The wife of a doctor found new life assisting people, finding resilience together with others, through the everyday ethic of care. You improvise your own ethics and decide what's right. People get to live another day. Value is placed on the gift of being alive; that's what's important. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, Kristin & Mary Fran

April 13: Saint Martin I, Pope and Martyr c. 590–655 Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red Exiled, abandoned, starving, a Pope dies for sound theology After being elected the Bishop of Rome in 649, today's saint called a local Council which established the correct theology of the Church regarding the two wills of Christ. For this teaching and its broad dissemination, Martin was abducted in Rome by emissaries of the Byzantine Emperor Constans II, brought to Constantinople, and humiliated. Martin refused to retract or bend to the Emperor's incorrect theology, which denied that Christ had a human will. Martin was imprisoned, publicly flogged, maltreated, condemned for treason, and exiled from Constantinople to the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea. And there the Pope died—naked, starving, forgotten, and alone—far from Rome, in the year 655, a victim of bad theology and the last pope, so far, venerated as a martyr. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 had synthesized centuries of theological debate by teaching, authoritatively, that the divine nature of the Second Person of the Trinity and the human nature of Jesus were distinct but united in the one person of Jesus Christ. This merging of natures in one person is called the hypostatic union. The Son of God, then, truly took flesh and experienced all things, save sin, that a man experiences. So when Jesus said, “I am thirsty” (Jn 19:28), He didn't mean to say, “Just my human nature is thirsty.” And when His majestic voice echoed off the stone walls of Bethany calling, “Lazarus, come out!” (Jn 11:43), He didn't mean to say, “The divine nature inside of me, and only the divine nature, says ‘Lazarus, Come Out!'” Yet Eastern Christians, primarily in Egypt and Syria, clung to a Monophysite, or one nature, theology of Jesus Christ long after Chalcedon had settled the matter. The Second Council of Constantinople in 553 attempted, unsuccessfully, to pull the Monophysites back into the orbit of Chalcedon. By the 600s, tensions between Chalcedonians and Monophysites were a political problem for the Byzantine empire. So some Eastern theologians, supported by the Emperor, looked for common ground and proposed a one-willed Christ, instead of a one-natured Christ. This one-will heresy is called Monothelitism (monos = one; thelos = will). The issue of Christ's will(s) had never been formally resolved, so the Emperor hoped a one-willed, instead of a one-natured, Christ would placate the Monophysites and unite his theologically diverse subjects. Chalcedon's teaching on Christ's two natures was ontological, or just logical, and did not explain how a person operates with dual intellects and wills. Monothelitists argued that if Christ's two natures could seamlessly unite in one person, then so could His two wills. There was no human will in Christ, the argument went, because it was totally subsumed into the mightier divine will. But Pope Martin and others knew that this was theologically impossible, since a Christ without a functioning human will would have been a zombie, a ghost of a man. Nor could one argue that Jesus had one will divided into a divine and a human sphere, as Jesus was not a schizophrenic with a split identity. Martin's theology of the two wills was vindicated after his death when it was explicitly defined by the Third Council of Constantinople in 681. This Council taught Christ's human will was “in subjection to his divine and all-powerful will.” That is, Christ's two wills were separate in their natures but freely united in their object. How do two wills inside of one person enter into communion? In the same way that two wills in two different persons enter into communion. Each will gives free and independent assent to a principle, idea, or truth shared with the other will. The two wills retain their independence but freely unite in their assent to a common value. Thus Jesus' human will, in total freedom, submitted to the will of the Son of God. During his captivity, Martin was hurt by the indifference which the Church of Saint Peter in Rome paid to one of their own. Martin was also deeply pained when a new Pope was elected though he was still alive. It is every pope's duty to preserve the unity and integrity of the Church by preserving the unity and integrity of Christ. Martin did just that. The fruits of Martin's martyrdom advanced theology toward its correct conclusion on Christ's two wills in the decades after he died, even though poor Martin himself has been largely forgotten. His remains were returned to the Eternal City after his death and he now rests in peace somewhere under the marble floor of Saint Peter's Basilica. Pope Saint Martin I, through your intercession before the Father in Heaven, fortify all teachers and leaders of the Church to remain steadfast in the truth, to advocate for the truth, and to suffer for the truth, no matter the personal cost.

Guests featured in this episode:Sergei Guriev, Provost of Sciences Po in Paris. He's professor of economics there following an outstanding academic career at the New Economic School in Moscow. He was its Rector until 2013 when he was forced by political circumstances to leave Russia. Between 2016 and 2019, Sergei served as the chief economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. And he has held visiting professorships at MIT, Princeton. And in 2006, he was selected a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.His very broad research interests span various areas of political economics, developmental economics, labor mobility, corporate governance and contract theory. And besides numerous academic publications, he also writes for "The New York Times," "Financial Times," "Washington Post," and "Project Syndicate." His latest book, "Spin Dictators," written together with Daniel Treisman, is a fascinating account of the changing character of authoritarian politics. GlossaryWhat is China's “zero-COVID” policy?(23:25 or p.6 in the transcript)COVID-19, a highly contagious respiratory illness, was first detected in Wuhan, China, in 2019 and rapidly spread throughout the country and the world, giving rise to a multiyear pandemic that resulted in millions of deaths worldwide. In efforts to keep the disease from spreading, China implemented strict “zero-COVID” policies aimed at keeping the number of cases as close to zero as possible through measures including strict lockdowns, quarantines, and mass testing. As a result, infection cases and deaths were relatively lower in China compared with other wealthy countries. Despite residents' initial support of government policies and China's early success in containing the spread of the disease, many grew frustrated as the restrictions became harsher and longer due to an increased number of cases resulting from highly transmissible variants. Repeated lockdowns and testing disrupted residents' daily life and travel across the country. Some parts of China, such as Yining and Guiyang, experienced shortages of food and other essential items. The zero-COVID policies were eased in December 2022 following a rare protest by thousands of Chinese residents demanding that the government end the harsh policies, some even calling for the resignation of Xi Jinping. sourceWhat was the 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea?(25:10 or p.7 in the transcript)Almost immediately after the 2014 Maidan Revolution in Ukraine ended, armed men began occupying key facilities and checkpoints on the Crimean Peninsula. They wore Russian combat fatigues but with no identifying insignia. President Vladimir Putin at first flatly denied these were Russian soldiers, only to later admit that they were and award commendations to their commanders. The sizeable Ukrainian military presence in Crimea stayed in garrison. If shooting began, Kyiv wanted the world to see the Russians fire first. Ukraine's Western partners urged Kyiv not to take precipitate action. Since many enlisted personnel in the Ukrainian ranks came from Crimea, Ukrainian commanders probably had less than full confidence in the reliability of their troops. By early March, Russian troops had secured the entire peninsula. On March 6, the Crimean Supreme Council voted to ask to accede to Russia. The council scheduled a referendum for March 16, which offered two choices: join Russia or return to Crimea's 1992 constitution, which gave the peninsula significant autonomy. Those who favoured Crimea remaining part of Ukraine under the current constitution had no box to check. The conduct of the referendum proved chaotic and took place absent any credible international observers. Local authorities reported a turnout of 83 percent, with 96.7 percent voting to join Russia. The numbers seemed implausible, given that ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars accounted for almost 40 percent of the peninsula's population. (Two months later, a leaked report from the Russian president's Human Rights Council put turnout at only 30 percent, with about half of those voting to join Russia.) On March 18, Crimean and Russian officials signed the Treaty of Accession of the Republic of Crimea to Russia. Putin ratified the treaty three days later. source Democracy in Question? is brought to you by:• Central European University: CEU• The Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy in Geneva: AHCD• The Podcast Company: Novel Follow us on social media!• Central European University: @CEU• Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy in Geneva: @AHDCentreSubscribe to the show. If you enjoyed what you listened to, you can support us by leaving a review and sharing our podcast in your networks! 

Hosts: Taylor Morgan and Derek Brown Why Did Silicon Valley Bank Collapse? We begin the show by breaking down exactly how the Silicon Valley Bank collapsed. We bring Economic Professor at BYU Mark Showalter to discuss what went wrong, and why the systems that are in place to prevent this, failed. Can We Stop the Domino Effect? Soon after the Silicon Valley Bank failed, two other banks had to be rescued by the government. In Europe, another bank seems to have also been affected. We speak with Public Finance Senior Research Fellow at the Kem C. Gardner Institute of Policy, Phil Dean joins us to talk about whether this will have major effects down the road. How is Utah Affected? We've seen one of Utah's major banks, Zion Bank, could be downgraded by Moody's Corporation. Could other Utah banking institutions or credit unions be also affected? Scott Simpson, President of the Utah Credit Union Association, joins us to talk about it. Be Financially Ready The latest news of the banking collapse in California has a lot of people worried about their financial future. We call Ann House, Financial Wellness Center Director at the University of Utah, to discuss what people should know to feel better about their finances. Utah Tech Companies Utah is known for its Silicon Slopes, and many businesses in Utah were affected by the collapse of the SVB. We speak with Brad Bonham, Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity, to discuss how they worked over the weekend to ensure Utah's tech businesses were not affected. US & Russia Ramp Up Their Rhetoric Over Downing Of Drone Tensions are high right now between Russia and the U.S., over a U.S. surveillance drone that encountered Russian warplanes and crashed near the Crimean Peninsula. ABC News Correspondent Andy Field joins us to give us the details. Utah GOP Chair Will Not Seek Re-election Over the past 2 years, the Utah republican party has been led by Carson Jorgensen. He recently announced he is not seeking re-election this year. He joins us to discuss his highlights over the past two years, and what he is planning on doing next. “Woke” Candidates A new poll by the Deseret News looks at whether labeling a political candidate as “woke”, and other labels would hurt their chances in an election. Taylor and Derek go over the list that Democrats and Republicans reject the most.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosts: Taylor Morgan and Derek Brown Tensions are high right now between Russia and the U.S., over a U.S. surveillance drone that encountered Russian warplanes and crashed near the Crimean Peninsula. ABC News Correspondent Andy Field joins us to give us the details.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darrell Castle talks about the most dangerous powder keg in the world right now and that is the Crimean Peninsula where Russia has its Black Sea Fleet and where Ukraine has desires of reconquest. Transcription / Notes POWDER KEG Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. This is Friday the 3rd day of March in the year of our Lord 2023. I will be talking about the most dangerous powder keg in the world right now and that is the Crimean Peninsula where Russia has its Black Sea Fleet and where Ukraine has desires of reconquest. Crimea has very important strategic interest to both sides and is therefore a powder keg that could explode in nuclear war. I know that I talk about World War lll and nuclear conflict a lot, but I am not the little boy who cried wolf because there is a real wolf out there right now. Crimea, as Vladimir Putin has said a few times has more than military importance to Russia. Militarily it is home to Sevastopol Naval Base which is Russia's only warm water base, and it provides Russia with a naval route from the Black Sea into the Mediterranean and from there into the Persian Gulf. It also has the military significance to Russia of preventing the West from using it to stage intermediate range ballistic missiles as part of its plan to surround Russia. Crimea has spiritual significance to Putin as he has said quite often. It is the location of the Baptism of St. Vladimir who converted to Christianity and then brought the religion of Orthodox Christianity to Ukraine because he was born in Kiev, and then to all of Russia. That was around 987 and at that time there was no Ukraine and Russia because it was just Russia. Without going into the entire history, it is important to note that in 1783 Catherine the Great took Crimea back from the Ottoman Empire where it remained until the death of Stalin in 1954. Stalin's successor, Nikita Khrushchev decided to cede it to the Soviet Socialist Republic of Ukraine which became independent after the Soviet fall in 1989 but was then a Russian state so he knew Russia would still control it. In 2014 after the fall of the Pro-Russian government in Ukraine, Russia recaptured Crimea. So, Crimea is important to Russia for reasons I have stated, but it is also important to Ukraine. The capture of Crimea would mark the end of Russia as a great power. It would be a crushing and humiliating defeat that Putin could not possibly survive. Russia would no longer have a presence in the Black Sea and would no longer be a threat to the Ukrainian ports and it would make future Russian attacks much more difficult. It would follow then, that the entire Russian Federation would be weakened to the point of possible disintegration. Undersecretary of state, Victoria Nuland, yes, she's the one from the Nord Stream Report, is now saying that the U.S. is supporting Ukrainian strikes on Crimea, which drew a stern reminder from Moscow that the Crimean Peninsula is a redline the crossing of which will have consequences. Zelensky in a news conference, said that Ukraine is preparing a large operation for the de-occupation of Crimea. I pray that U.S. leaders are unwilling to continue poking the nuclear bear, but evidence is to the contrary. It seems that Vladimir Putin is just as determined to maintain Russia's position as a great power as the West is determined to end it. It is hard for a Westerner to understand what Crimea means to the Russian soul. For example, during the siege of Crimea by the French, British, and Turks in 1854-55, and the Germans and Romanians in 1941-42, the Red Army lost more men than the U.S. has lost in all its wars in its entire history. Here is a comparison that makes Crimea's importance easy to understand. From an unknown Russian, “In the last resort, America would use nuclear weapons to save Hawaii and Pearl Harbor, and if we have to, we should use them to save Crimea.” So, Crimea presents the greatest threat of nuclear catastrophe that humanity has faced.

After nearly a full year of war with Russia, Ukrainian leaders say victory will come when the Russians make a full retreat out of Ukraine — including the Crimean Peninsula.

The 101st airborne division has been deployed near Ukraine. CBS News has more:   The U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division has been deployed to Europe for the first time in almost 80 years amid soaring tension between Russia and the American-led NATO military alliance. The light infantry unit, nicknamed the "Screaming Eagles," is trained to deploy on any battlefield in the world within hours, ready to fight.  CBS News joined the division's Deputy Commander, Brigadier General John Lubas, and Colonel Edwin Matthaidess, Commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, on a Black Hawk helicopter for the hour-long ride to the very edge of NATO territory — only around three miles from Romania's border with Ukraine.  From the moment Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, his forces have advanced northward from the Crimean Peninsula, a Ukrainian region that Moscow illegally seized control of in 2014. For more than seven months, Russian troops have tried to push along the Black Sea coast into the Kherson region, aiming to capture the key Ukrainian port cities of Mykolaiv and Odesa.  Also, Transformation Tuesday.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the Past few days, Russian missiles have slammed into Ukrainian cities in the most sweeping attacks since the start of the war. This according to Vladimir Putin was in response to the destruction of the Kerch Strait Bridge, which is a strategic link between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula. This episode brings you different perspectives from people around the world about what to expect as "Baby Putin" gets backed into a corner. Follow the Podcast On Apple & Spotify to catch new episodes.

Just before the sun came up on Saturday on the Kerch Strait Bridge, a strategically and symbolically important link between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, a bomb detonated, creating a giant fireball.But Ukrainian elation about the explosion quickly turned into concern about how Russia would respond. And in the days since, Moscow's retaliation has been to pound Ukrainian cities with missiles in the most sweeping rocket assault since the start of the war.Guest: Michael Schwirtz, an investigative reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: President Vladimir V. Putin vowed that more strikes would follow if Russian targets were hit again.The hail of missiles also seemed intended to appease the hard-liners in Russia who are furious with the humiliating setbacks on the battlefield.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The mainstream media would like Americans to believe that they are much more divided than they really are. Vince discusses why that is not the case.   Russia launched a counterattack in Ukraine over the weekend after an attack on the Crimea bridge. NBC News has the story:   Russia unleashed a barrage of deadly attacks on cities across Ukraine on Monday, hitting the heart of the country's capital, Kyiv, as part of a wave of strikes against civilians and infrastructure not seen since the earliest days of the war.  From Lviv in the west to Kharkiv in the northeast, missiles tore through rush-hour traffic and into energy facilities, in apparent retaliation for a blast that damaged a key bridge to the annexed Crimean Peninsula over the weekend.  Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a televised address that his military had launched a "massive strike" on Ukraine's "energy, military command and communications facilities," telling his security council it was revenge for what he called Kyiv's long track record of "terrorist" actions, including the bridge blast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

*** Please support us to keep bringing you in-depth coverage. Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneuropeIn the first part of the episode, the trio of co-hosts briefly exchange summer reflections and what they were following recently in the region after not seeing each other for a while. The core part overviews the situation over the Crimean Peninsula and of Crimean Tatars. Crimea has been recently at the heart of a debate over the war due to reported Ukraine's strikes on Russian infrastructure in Crimea in mid-August. It was also toward the end of August when the Second Crimea Platform took place. It is a Ukraine-initiated tool to keep the issue of Crimea high on the international agenda.Guest: Nedim Useinow, a member of the Coordination Council of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars in Poland. He also represents the Department of European Islam Studies at the University of Warsaw."The mission of journalists is to reveal the truth", https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/07/14/the-mission-of-journalists-is-to-reveal-the-truth/"The Crimea Platform as a new approach to a seven-year-old problem", https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/08/24/the-crimea-platform-as-a-new-approach-to-a-seven-year-old-problem/"The Crimean Platform: possible light in the hybrid tunnel", https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/08/23/the-crimean-platform-possible-light-in-the-hybrid-tunnel/

The FBI raided Donald Trump's Florida property Mar-A-Lago on Monday. A New York Times source says agents were searching for classified documents the former President might've taken with him after he left the White House. But the event was just one of several developments in the past few days involving Trump records kept from the various teams investigating him. Ilya Marritz, co-host of the podcasts "Will Be Wild" and “Trump Inc,” helps us round up all of Trump's mounting legal battles, including this one.And in headlines: explosions hit a key Russian airbase on the Crimean Peninsula, the average price of gas dropped to $4 a gallon, and Serena Williams plans to retire after the U.S. Open.Show Notes:“Will Be Wild” – https://apple.co/3HcFEO5Vote Save America: Fuck Bans Action Plan – https://votesaveamerica.com/roe/Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Russian military has apparently gained control of the city of Mariupol, which gives it an unbroken land bridge to the Crimean Peninsula and deprives Ukraine of a key port and long stretch of coast. Meanwhile, as much as the West was hoping that economic sanctions would bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to his knees, it's not at all going that way. The sanctions could actually be inadvertently empowering the Russian economy. In Lebanon, the Jihadist terrorist group Hezbollah is losing political power. Radical leftists in the U.S. have their pitchforks out, blaming a conservative political commentator for a tragic mass shooting. We also discuss Germany arming Europe, some good news for Benjamin Netanyahu, Sri Lanka's economic crisis, and some disturbing FBI investigations. Links [00:45] Mariupol Falls (8 minutes) “Bible Prophecy Comes Alive in Ukraine” [08:15] Russia's Economic Gains (8 minutes) “Russia Is Winning the Economic War” VIDEO: “The Times of the Gentiles (2022)” [16:00] Hezbollah Losing Lebanon (7 minutes) “Hezbollah Losing Power in Lebanon” [23:05] Radical Leftists Out for Carlson (8 minutes) “Radical Left Blames Fox News' Tucker Carlson for Inspiring Mass Shooting” [31:30] Germany Arms Europe (7 minutes) “Germany Arms Europe, Except Ukraine” TREND: “Why the Trumpet Watches Europe's Push Toward a Unified Military” [38:35] Netanyahu Legal Victory (7 minutes) “What Will Happen When Trump Regains Power” [45:25] Sri Lanka Crisis (4 minutes) “Could America Soon Look Like Sri Lanka?” [49:25] FBI Targets Parents (6 minutes) “Whistleblowers: FBI Investigating Parents Who Speak Out at School Board Meetings”

Vladimir Putin. Who is the former KGB officer who has led Russia since 2000? Is he a friend of a foe of the West? Was he legitimately elected to office? Legitimately re-elected? Does he have any valid reason to be in Ukraine right now? What does he really want to accomplish in Ukraine? Today we dig into the story of Russia's leader, who is maybe one of the greatest propagandists the world has ever known. Can we actually trust anything that comes out of his mouth? Are his troops actually "de-nazifying" Ukraine? Or is that whole narrative just more of Putin's lies? Bad Magic Productions Monthly Patreon Donation:  The Bad Magic Charity for May is the HALO Dental Network. Founded by Dr. Brady Smith, HALO Dental Network is a coalition of dental professionals who donate their services to the dental underserved. Services include dental implants, veneers, fillings and crowns. If you want to learn more, please visit halodentalnetwork.orgNot only can donate, you can also nominate someone you know who is in need.TICKETS FOR HOT WET BAD MAGIC SUMMER CAMP!  Go to www.badmagicmerch.comWatch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XgOCz0WnC1EMerch: https://www.badmagicmerch.comDiscord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89vWant to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)For all merch related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcastWanna become a Space Lizard?  Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcastSign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits.

Our previous episode took you through important transformations of the Golden Horde during the long-reign of Özbeg Khan; the islamization, and urbanization, of the khanate. Today we share the first part of our coverage of the political dimensions of Özbeg's nearly thirty year reign, focusing on Özbeg's interactions with the Ilkhanate and the Mamluk Sultanate, an area in which Özbeg suffered almost continual defeats.  I'm your host David, and this is Kings and Generals: Ages of Conquest.   As we covered previously, upon becoming khan of the Golden Horde in 1313, Özbeg ordered a wide purge of the Jochid princes, a two-pronged assault to both remove potential rivals and promote Islam among the elite, for those who refused to convert were punished mortally. After his first year in power Özbeg would be remarkably tolerant to other religions within his empire, but he made it abundantly clear that the religion of the Khan and the court was Islam. One of Özbeg's earliest actions was the construction of a mosque in the Crimean city of Solkhat, or as it's known for Turkic speakers, Eski Qırım, or Staryi Krym after the Russian annexation. [note for David: Qırım=Crimea, hard K sound]. Built in 1314, parts of the mosque are still extant, though in the sixteenth century parts of it were moved into a new building some distance away.   Özbeg was no idle khan. With the assistance of the powerful bey Qutlugh-Temür, Özbeg further weakened the power of the remaining Jochid princes with the establishment of the qarachi beys as the lead ministers of the empire, putting greater administrative power into the non-Chinggisid elite. The qarachi beys were headed by the beyleribey, the chief bey,  held first by Qutlugh-Temür, and later his brother ‘Isa. These two men were instrumental in Özbeg's control. Powerful, islamic lords, their early backing had not just been key in Özbeg seizing power in the first place, but in solidifying Özbeg's islamization of the khanate's upper echelons. Their support and influence among the military-elite were significant in Özbeg's centralization of authority, and in the smooth function of the empire as lands and territories were redistributed with the change in authority. And Özbeg went to great effort to ensure their loyalty, creating  a reciprocal marriage alliance with them that the Mongols called quda. Qutlugh-Temür married a Jochid princess named Turabey, while ‘Isa married one of Özbeg's daughters, and in turn Özbeg married one of ‘Isa's daughters. The brothers were then assigned some of the most economically important and lucrative regions within the khanate; Qutlugh-Temür as governor of Khwarezm, but with his authority expanded to stretch to the Lower Volga, while ‘Isa was situated in the Crimean Peninsula.  With Özbeg in the capital on the Volga River, three of them were like three weights balancing the khanate.   In 1314, only the second year of Özbeg's reign, the Khan of Chagatai Khanate, Esen Buqa reached out to Özbeg. The ten years since the Pax Mongolica in 1304 had hardly instilled the desired unity among the khanates. Esen Buqa Khan was in the midst of growing tensions with the Ilkhanate and Yuan Dynasty, and feared a combined Toluid assault on the Chagatai lands.  By then Esen-Buqa had taken captive Ilkhanid and Yuan envoys, and contacted Özbeg in an effort to bring him into an alliance, telling him that the Great Khan, Ayurburwada, saw Özbeg as illegitimate, and wished to depose him. Özbeg, likely on the council of the experienced Qutlugh-Temür, refused the request for support. The Golden Horde did not take part when Yuan forces invaded the Chagatai lands in 1316 while Esen-Buqa was campaigning in the Ilkhanate. The effort at neutrality with the khanates who had influence in Central Asia was also likely influenced by Özbeg's success at bringing the Blue Horde, the eastern wing of the Golden Horde, closely under his control, especially after 1321. The once autonomous, if not outright independent, khanate became essentially a province of the Golden Khan through Özbeg's effort. As the Blue Horde, backed by Özbeg's troops, in this period extended to the Syr Darya and incorporated former Khwarezmian cities of Otrar, Jand and others, Özbeg did not want the Yuan Dynasty intervening with this profitable expansion.   Throughout his life Özbeg retained amicable relations with the Yuan Khans, sending them tribute, gifts and his nominal allegiance in exchange for revenues from Jochid estates in China.  He valued this income higher, and was not above sending his envoys to the Yuan court to remind them to keep up the payments. Some historians have gone as far as to suggest that Özbeg, influenced by the Yuan administrative system, based his reforms in the Golden Horde upon it's two-tiered system.  Others see Özbeg's four qarachi beys an adoption of the system employed by the Yuan, where the keshig's four day-commanders had to countersign the orders of the khan. Furthermore, Özbeg encouraged and profited greatly from the great overland trade. Wares both originating from, and influenced by, China  are found within the remains of the Horde cities. The trade across Asia, from Egypt, India, China, the Chagatais and even the Ilkhanate, was the source of much of the great wealth enjoyed by the Jochid khans in the fourteenth century. For more on that, be sure to listen to our previous episode though.    But Özbeg was no man of peace. His lack of involvement in Esen Buqa's war with the Ilkhanate and Yuan was not out of a firm belief in the pax Mongolica. In 1314 Özbeg was simply not in a position of security to take part in a larger conflict, and neither did he wish to sour relations with the Great Khan. In fact, Özbeg was to take up seriously Jochid claims on the Caucasus. After his enthronement he sent envoys to the Ilkhanate demanding they cede these lands to the Golden Horde, while another letter reached the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt, urging Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad to join him in an attack on the Ilkhanate. When the opportunity presented itself, Özbeg was to commit wholeheartedly to the task.    This came after the death of Il-Khan Ölejitü in 1316, and the enthronement of the young Abu Sa'id as Il-Khan the next year. Özbeg promptly set about ordering preparations for an all-out assault; a prince of the Chagatai lineage who had recently defected to the Ilkhanate, Yasa'ur, was convinced to revolt in the eastern part of the Ilkhanate, while Özbeg rallied a great host to assault the Caucasus.  In late 1318 the invasion commenced, in what was likely the largest army put to the task since the days of Berke and Nogai almost 60 years before. In the account of the contemporary writer Wassaf, Özbeg's official pretext was that he came to rest the regency of the Ilkhanate away from Choban, the non-Chinggisid who really ran the Ilkhanate while Abu Sa'id was still in his minority. Yet, Abu Sa'id and Choban rose to the occasion. In the east, Yasa'ur's revolt was crushed, and the young Abu Sa'id and Choban defeated and repulsed Özbeg along the river Kur, though not before Abu Sa'id was nearly overcome by the Jochid forces.   Özbeg was not put aside though; in the early 1320s he resumed the effort, this time in conjunction with an army under the Chagatai Khan Kebek.  The dating is a bit uncertain; 1322 or 1325, or perhaps these were two distinct invasions. Regardless of the date, the result was the same. The Ilkhanate was victorious, Choban's skilled military mind outplaying Özbeg, and Choban even pursued Özbeg's fleeing army back into the Golden Horde. Özbeg's dreams at conquering the Caucasian pastures did not end. In 1335 Özbeg gave it another go, rumoured to have been invited by Abu Sa'id's wife, Baghdad Khatun. In the midst of riding north to meet him, Abu Sa'id died, possibly poisoned by his estranged wife. Yet here too, Özbeg was defeated by Abu Sa'id's hastily chosen successor, Arpa Khan. It may have been too that Özbeg was demoralized when news came of the death of his ally, Qutlugh-Temür, late in 1335. So ended Özbeg's final attempt to invade the lands of the Ilkhanate. No single reason is obviously apparent for the consistent defeats. It was not based on an inherent military differentiation; both armies continued to field lightly-armoured horse archers. The Ilkhans relied on knowledge of the Caucasus, fortifying and blocking the Jochids at river crossings and preempting Jochid mobility. Jochid defeats may not have necessarily been military failures, as much as an inability to advance except through strategic choke points controlled by large, well-supplied Ilkhanid armies. There is an assumption that Ilkhanid troops were on average better armed and equipped than their Jochid counterparts, even though  Özbeg may have fielded larger armies.  One factor seems to have been Özbeg himself; the Ilkhanate's commanders he faced, Choban Noyan and Arpa Khan, were simply better commanders than Özbeg.    Özbeg's repeated assaults on the Ilkhanate became a main detail of his reign in numerous medieval accounts, and was evidently well known; the Book of the Knowledge of all the Kingdoms, an anonymous, late-fourteenth century work by a Spanish Franciscan, is a source where the author claims to have travelled around the world, though generally repeats nonsensical claims. Yet even here, a recognizable account of Özbeg's invasion of the Ilkhanate is presented. A circa 1330 Franciscan account, the Book of the Estate of the Great Khaan, has Özbeg attack Abu Sa'id with 707,000 horsemen, a forced he raised “without pressing hard on his empire.” Some centuries later, Turkic histories like that of Abu'l Ghazi Bahadur Khan even retained mentions of  Özbeg's campaigns against the Ilkhanate, even when such sources are otherwise rather brisk or religion focused when it comes to describing  Özbeg's reign.     With the military front making no progress, Özbeg was not above that other favoured Jochid strategy. That is,  attempting to get the Mamluks to do the work for them. Özbeg had opened contact with the Mamluks soon after his enthronement, where he signaled his support for the alliance. Özbeg heavily promoted his conversion to Islam in his letters, as well as his successes in converting the nomadic population. Coupled with allowing the Genoese back into the Black Sea ports and reopening the slave trade with the Mamluks, Özbeg was clearly marking the time had come to move past the poor Jochid-Mamluk relations that had existed during the reign of his predecessor Toqta Khan. For the Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad, this seemed a convincing enough transformation, and showed himself willing to commit to Özbeg's initiative. It was this detente, as well as his dreams of a glorious Qalawunid dynasty, that led al-Nasir Muhammad to make an unusual request. In 1315, his messengers arrived in Özbeg's ordu requesting a Chinggisid princess for al-Nasir Muhammad. Thus began the lengthy, and headache inducing, process of organizing the first, and only, marriage between a Chinggisid and the Mamluks of Egypt.    It should first be noted that the marriage of Chinggisid women to non-Mongol dynasties was not uncommon. Numerous examples can be found with the other khanates, but for the Golden Horde alone, shortly before al-Nasir's offer Özbeg had married his own sister Konchaka to Prince Yurii Daniilovich of Moscow, and during the 1250s the khans had offered princesses in marriage to the Hungarian king Béla IV. To the Mongols, such a marriage symbolized one thing; submission to the house of Chinggis Khan, for only a subject could have the right to marry a daughter of his lineage. And Özbeg certainly thought so. As we noted in earlier episodes, the Golden Horde likely imagined the Mamluks as their vassals, and Özbeg must have seen this as a confirmation of it, even if the Mamluks did not view it as such. Negotiations went on, and Özbeg's demands for a great dowry —some 27,000 dinars, which the Sultan had to borrow from merchants—were reluctantly met. The princess, Tulunbey, arrived in Cairo in 1320 after five years of back and forth, and the marriage was undertaken.    Unfortunately for Tulunbey, Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad was not the most loving of husbands. Al-Nasir Muhammad had, by that point in his life, lost his throne three separate times, and his youth been manhandled by greedy emirs; the consequences of these emirs resulted in the  boy sultan suffering an humiliating defeat at the hands of Ghazan Il-Khan in 1300. Extreme paranoia of all those around him was al-Nasir Muhammad's primary personality trait, and he was not exactly unjustified in this. But it seems the Sultan rather quickly came to doubt Tulunbey's heritage, and accused her of not actually being a Chinggisid. The Mamluk chronicles are confused over her background; variously, they identify her as a descendant of Batu, of Berke, or as Özbeg's daughter, sister or niece. Yet these chroniclers do not share al-Nasir Muhammad's doubt over the fact of her being a Chinggisid, and appear almost embarrassed at his accusation. As the Mamluks' general portrayal of Özbeg is as a pious and sincere Muslim monarch, such an accusation of an important ally was a bit of a needless incident. Furthermore, it seems an unusual ploy for Özbeg to play given the scenario, and his outrage over al-Nasir's treatment of her seems rather much had Özbeg in-fact sent a dummy Chinggisid.    But even before al-Nasir's suspicions of Tulunbey developed, his detente with Özbeg had already begun to fray.  Özbeg had used the marriage to make greater economic and military demands of the Mamluks, requesting that al-Nasir Muhammad attack the Ilkhanate.  As the early 1320s saw the ongoing peace talks between al-Nasir Muhammad and the Il-Khan Abu Sa'id, Özbeg's demands for military asssitance were evermore discomforting.  The frustration of Özbeg Khan resulted in him sending lower-ranking embassies to the Mamluks, beginning a spiraling game of tit-for-tat where each side further disrespected the other's envoys in an ever-escalating series of diplomatic slaps. At one point Özbeg even forbid the sale of slaves to Egypt in reaction. Perhaps not coincidentally, Özbeg also began to build up his own body of mamluk guards, according to Ibn Battuta. This fall out hardly bode well for the relationship between Sultan al-Nasir and Tulunbey.   The marriage to Tulunbey produced no children, and by 1327 al-Nasir divorced her and married her off to a lower ranking commander. It took Özbeg some time to learn of this, but once he did he was furious. In 1334 his letter arrived in Cairo, and lambasted the Sultan, telling him that Tulunbey should have been sent back to the Horde, and wrote “Someone like you should not injure the daughters of the Qa'ans!” Özbeg, like all khans, thought little of the Mamluks' origins as Qipchap slaves. For him to divorce and humiliate a Chinggisid princess was an insult beyond measure.   Al-Nasir's very thoughtful response was to claim that Özbeg had been misinformed, and that actually Tulunbey had sadly died. In fact, Tulunbey was still very much alive; her second husband had recently died though, so al-Nasir forced her to marry another commander. This fellow too predeceased her, and Tulunbey was married to a fourth husband. She never returned to the Golden Horde, and died in Cairo in the 1360s, where her tomb remains today.    Özbeg requested that al-Nasir Muhamamd provide him a daughter to marry in recompense. Just like he would do with the Ilkhanate when they made the same request, al-Nasir equivocated, claiming his daughters were too young to marry. At the same time, he was marrying them off to Mamluk emirs. The relationship between their two states remained strained. While Mamluks chronicles retain a high opinion of Özbeg, neither al-Nasir or Özbeg cared much for the other, and tension remained until both died in 1341. In effect this was the great result of much esteemed Jochid-Mamluk alliance. What initially may have proved promising, largely turned into diplomatic squabbling, annoyance at the failure of the other party to meet expected demands, and never materialized into actual cooperation against the Ilkhanate. At best it stopped the Ilkhanate from truly concentrating too greatly on the Mamluk or Golden Horde frontiers. At worst, it was coincidental diplomatic posturing with two states the Ilkhanate had gone to war with independently. Özbeg, the mighty Islamic khan, proved no more effective with the Mamluks than his non-Muslim predecessors.   Özbeg's “southern policy” with the Mamluks and the Ilkhanate then, was not one of great successes. But what of his western frontiers, with Europe and the Rus'? That will be the topic of our next episode, so be sure to subscribe to the Kings and Generals Podcast to follow. If you enjoyed this and would like to help us continue bringing you great content, consider supporting us on patreon at www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. This episode was researched and written by our series historian, Jack Wilson. I'm your host David, and we'll catch you on the next one. 

Happy Friday, this is Anna Hadfield with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Friday, March 4th, 2022 I’m definitely not who you were expecting today… But, I’m filling in for Pastor Toby today. As you know, our second stop on our Liberty Tour is April 7th in Rapid City, South Dakota. Special guests include comedian John Branyan, Uncle Gary DeMar, and Larry Elder. We will also offering a free all-day workshop before the live show with talks from our very own Gabe Rench, Pastor Toby, Gary DeMar, and more. Head to crosspolitic.com/libertytour/ to register for the show and check out the details for the workshop. Also, save the dates for our yearly conference in Knoxville, TN on October 6th-8th. The theme of this year’s conference is Lies, Propaganda, Storytelling, and the Serrated Edge. Satan is the father of lies, and the mother of those lies is a government who has rejected God. We have especially been lied to these last two years, and the COVIDpanic has been one of the central mechanisms that our government has used to lie to us and to grab more power. Because Christians have not been reading their bibles, we are susceptible to lies and are weak in our ability to fight these lies. God has given us His word to fight Satan, and we need to recover all of God’s word. So, mark your calendars for October 6th-8th, as we fight, laugh, and feast together with beer and Psalms, our amazing lineup of speakers, our awesome vendors, new friends, and more. Early bird tickets will be available starting in the middle of March. Also remember that club members get reduced rates to the conference, so if you aren’t a club member already, head to fightlaughfeast.com to sign up. World Bank Ends Programs in Russia and Belarus https://thehill.com/policy/international/596645-world-bank-ends-programs-in-russia-and-belarus The World Bank announced on Wednesday it was ending all programs in Russia and Belarus, citing "hostilities against the people of Ukraine." The banking organization, with 189 member countries across the globe, has not approved any new loans or investments in Russia since 2014, when the country annexed the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine, or in Belarus since 2020, following a disputed presidential election. The decision comes as a large number of countries, organizations, and businesses are severing ties with Russia over the country's invasion of Ukraine last week, and with Belarus for its support and cooperation with Moscow. In a press release, World Bank President, David Malpass said, “The World Bank Group is horrified by the shocking violence and loss of life as a result of the events unfolding in Ukraine. We are a long-standing partner of Ukraine and stand with its people at this critical moment. He went on to explain that he had met with President Zelenskyy in Munich and reaffirmed the Bank’s strong support and commitment to the people of Ukraine and the region. On Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said it was considering Ukraine's request for emergency financing, while another program gave the nation access to 2.2 billion dollars through the end of June. The World Bank Group also announced on Tuesday it was providing a 3 billion dollar support package to assist Ukraine. Both financial groups are considering other options to assist the region and neighboring countries affected by the war, especially those taking in the more than 600,000 Ukrainian refugees. Hawaii: https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/Hawaii-COVID-19-rules-changing-16954886.php https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/ You can now book your summer vacation plans to Hawaii! At least maybe you can… All counties in the state are dropping many of their covid regulations. Governor of Hawaii, David Ige, announced on Tuesday that the state will end its Safe Travels program at midnight, March 25th, concurrent with the end of the state’s emergency proclamation. The state’s Safe Travels Program required travelers to do a five-day mandatory self-quarantine for travelers from the U.S. and its Territories. To bypass the quarantine, travelers entering the state either needed to have an approved pre-travel covid test done, or have a valid up-to-date vaccine record. Starting March 26, domestic visitors will no longer need to show proof of COVID vaccination or the results of a pre-travel test. Nor will they need to undergo a mandatory quarantine if they are unable to produce that proof. All pre- and post-arrival COVID screenings will end, including post-boarding screenings at airports with participating airlines. Visitors will also no longer need to provide information about their trip or create a Safe Travels account. However, it is still bad news if you are an international traveler… Travelers from international destinations, including returning U.S. citizens, are still required to show proof of a negative COVID test, regardless of vaccination status, or documentation of recovery from the virus from a licensed health care professional. Because of course the virus clearly knows if you’re coming from a different country or not… Additionally, Ige said that the indoor mask mandate will remain in effect after the March 25th date. Again, because this is a smart virus and knows if you are inside or outside… Idaho Family Policy Center: We want to let you all know about Idaho Family Policy Center. IFPC is currently the only explicitly Christian policy organization in Idaho politics. Toby Sumpter and Israel Waitman serve on the board, and the president is Blaine Conzatti, a member of our sister CREC church, Kings Congregation down in Meridian. Blaine and IFPC have been leading the efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, end abortion in Idaho, and protect children from the transgender agenda. Blaine is a strategic voice in Idaho politics, and he represents many of our biblical and constitutional concerns in Boise. IFPC is a brand new ministry and is in need of significant donations to help fund it. We all have many commitments to other good ministries, but if you are particularly concerned about Idaho politics, this is one way you can have a very direct impact. Go to www.idahof amily.org to learn more and make a donation Judge Tosses New Yorks Attorney Generals Bid to Dissolve the NRA https://www.wsj.com/articles/judge-tosses-new-york-ags-bid-to-dissolve-nra-11646255814?mod=itp_wsj&mod=djemITP_h A state court judge dismissed the New York Attorney General’s attempt to dissolve the National Rifle Association. Judge Joel M. Cohen ruled that the state’s allegations of corruption and mismanagement by NRA top officials fell short of the public harm required to impose the “corporate death penalty” on the nonprofit group. The ruling on Wednesday represented a big win for the NRA. The decision comes 18 months after New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the NRA and its top officials, alleging that they violated the state’s nonprofit laws by illegally diverting tens of millions of dollars from the group through excessive expenses and contracts that benefited relatives or close associates. The NRA and its officers deny the claims. If the attorney general’s allegations are proved, they could be addressed through less intrusive measures, the judge ruled, and dissolving the NRA “could impinge, at least indirectly, on the free speech and assembly rights” of the group’s members. The NRA has charged that the suit by Ms. James, a Democrat, is politically motivated, which she has denied. The NRA, falls under Ms. James’ regulatory authority. Ms. James said she was disappointed that the judge ruled against the dismissal portion of the case. She said the Attorney Genneral’s office is considering its legal options. She welcomed the court’s decision on the other counts, which she said affirmed her office’s right to pursue claims that “fraud, abuse and greed permeate through the NRA.” William A. Brewer, an outside attorney for the NRA says, “We look forward to continuing the defense of the NRA—and proving that it acts in the best interests of its members and the Second Amendment freedoms in which they believe.” This is Anna Hadfield with your Crosspolitic News. Support Rowdy Christian media by joining our club at fightlaughfeast.com, downloading our App, and heading to our annual Fight Laugh Feast Events. With your partnership, together we will fight outdated and compromised media, engage news and politics with the gospel, and replace lies and darkness with truth and light. Go to fightlaughfeast.com to take all these actions. Have a great weekend and Lord bless.

The Ukraine and Russian tension can be traced back decades to when Ukraine gained it's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Things came to a head in February of 2014 when Russia invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine (which resulted in thousands of casualties). This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russian-Ukrainian War.From 2021 to present, Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought  to prevent Ukraine's drift toward the United States and it's Westernized allies. This would allow NATO countries to set up military bases around the Russian border and potentially gain better intelligence into the Russian military and surrounding areas. Completely unprovoked, Putin doesn't want Ukraine to become more westernized and have a truly fairy democracy that he can't dictate. So by force, he is trying to intimidate allies in NATO, and in many ways the world that there would be dangerous consequences for anyone who tries to intervene with his attempt to overtake the country of Ukraine.NATO has responded swiftly by sanctioning not only Russia as a country and cutting off many of their resources including their large banks ability to access the global economy but have also sanctioned Putin specifically .Welcome to Season Three of Authentic Filters episode Four where we are talking the full segment about the Ukraine and Russian war. If you enjoyed what you listened to and want to keep the conversation going, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your family and friends. We want to thank you for taking the journey with us thus far and we're excited to see where it goes next! Let's Get Into It.