Chet Collins

Iran, U.S. Close to Reviving Iranian Nuclear Deal - WSJ

Iran has been pushing for more sanctions relief if the nuclear deal is restored. In particular, it wants the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be taken off Washington’s most significant terror sanctions list, the Foreign Terrorist Organization.

lol

Ram Relieved As Kindly Old Jewish Man Frees Him From Thicket - The Babylon Bee

“My luck is really turning around!” the ram thought to himself as the patriarch gently untangled him from the bush the animal had gotten stuck in earlier that day. “You know, you’ve always gotta look on the bright side of things. No matter how bad your circumstances are, there’s always hope!”

10 Key Moments From Biden’s State Of The Union - The Babylon Bee

When Biden told businesses to cut costs: Genius.

Biden and the State of the Midterm Elections - WSJ Opinion

Mr. Biden’s speech then descended into a mind-numbing list of big-government proposals including a global minimum tax, a pandemic fraud prosecution chief, more apprenticeships, the Paycheck Fairness Act, a $15 minimum wage, more Pell grants, a child tax credit extension, community college grants, the PRO Act and more—each offered without priority or particular passion.

The delivery of this section was particularly flat. Most of the proposals didn’t get more than a name drop.

Even more disappointing is that I was sure he was building up to giving everyone a pony at the end, but it was the only thing he didn’t promise me!!

Biden Misses the Moment in His State of the Union Address - WSJ Opinion

An anxious world is looking for American leadership in a dangerous new era. Instead Mr. Biden offered a rehash of his first-year domestic agenda that has brought him to his low political ebb.

My first experimental foray into the world of Cold Brew.

MLB Lockout: Baseball’s Opening Day Will Be Delayed as Owners, Players Fail to Agree on New Contract - WSJ

MLB games haven’t been affected by a work stoppage since the strike of 1994 that resulted in the cancellation of the World Series. Following that dispute, attendance didn’t return to its previous levels for more than a decade.

What’s MLB?

Finland’s Drift Toward NATO Membership Accelerated by Russia’s Ukraine Invasion - WSJ

Watching 200,000 Russian troops amass on the border with Ukraine, a country with eight times the population of Finland, unsettled many in the Nordic country, which was a part of Russia until 1917 and was invaded by half a million Soviet troops in 1939.

Five days is all that it took for Putin to destroy 30 years of economic progress, wreck his economy, spoil a relationship with Germany, revive NATO from “brain-death,” and push non-NATO countries to set plans to join up.

I wonder what he’s planning on doing this week?

Spring is upon us.

Russian Skaters Who Roiled the Olympics Are Barred From World Championships - WSJ

The news is likely to be met with protests from Russian skating officials, who as late as Monday had said they had no plans to withdraw from the world competition. 

Yeah, they already spent all that money on years of steroids and hundreds of hours coming up with schemes to avoid detection. Why should all of that hard work go to waste?!

Zelensky Renews Call for Help, EU Membership: ‘Prove You Are With Us’ - WSJ

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his forces are targeting military installations and infrastructure.

Lots of military infrastructure in apartment blocks and city squares.

Abortion-Rights Bill Blocked in Senate - WSJ

“This is Day 1. We want Americans to know where their legislators stand on this issue,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.). “We’re not going to give up. We’re not going to go away.”

They won’t give up until the law gives all mothers the unlimited right to kill their child up to the moment of live birth.

This is the same law that imposes a term of life imprisonment should the mother commit the exact same action one second after birth.

46% of sitting United States Senators are on the record today in support of enshrining this perverse logic in our legal code.

Lordstown Motors Reports Deepening Losses - WSJ

The company warned last year it was burning through cash faster than expected. In September, it agreed to sell its Ohio factory to Foxconn Technology Group, which will take over manufacturing of Lordstown’s vehicles at the factory.

This company has been coddled with political support, subsidy support, Wall Street cash, sweetheart deals, tax credits, and gifts galore. With all of that wind at it’s back, it still can’t pull off a single product launch.

Textbook market distortion.

Citigroup Has Nearly $10 Billion In Total Russian Exposure - WSJ

some of which sit in a consumer bank it has been trying to sell and may now be stuck with.

Losers.

IOC Recommends Banning Russian Athletes from International Competition - WSJ

The International Olympic Committee on Monday recommended banning all Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competition following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, in one of the sports world’s most drastic responses to the crisis.

Yes.

Pope Francis Refrains From Blaming Russia for War in Ukraine - WSJ

That makes the pope, who has made a priority of better relations with Russia, one of the few Western leaders to have refrained from explicitly condemning the attack on Ukraine.

My initial reaction was to criticize Francis, but he’s a savvy operator.

My hope is that he’s taking the Pius XII model: public silence, aggressive covert action.

Fence being reinstalled around US Capitol for Biden speech - WTOP

Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement Sunday that the fence will be erected around the Capitol building for the speech and is being put up “out of an abundance of caution,” in consultation with the Secret Service.

This again?

Energy, Russia and American Power - WSJ Opinion

Shippers have redirected liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargos to Europe from Asia. Asian economies have shifted to burning more coal. In other words, Europe has reduced its CO2 emissions by outsourcing them.

Virtue, signaled.

Europe’s anti-carbon policies will have zero impact on global emissions. China has six times more coal power under development than all of Germany’s coal-fired capacity.

As in, additional capacity not yet installed.

Putin Gambles That the West Is Weak - WSJ Opinion

A Western world that has spent two years sacrificing freedom to preserve life is hardly going to sacrifice life to preserve freedom. Or at least that’s how it must look to the hard men in Moscow and Beijing.

An excellent piece.

General Milley Calls Russia To Warn Them Of Ukrainian Counter-Attack - The Babylon Bee

General Milley then picked up a giant green rotary dial phone like the ones military generals always use and found the Kremlin’s number in the margins of his favorite book, The 1619 Project, which he reads every night. Sources say that after some friendly small talk, Milley gave Putin the time, date, and location of the planned counter-attack, as well as the strength and capability of the Ukrainian force.

Meta/Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube banned Trump after January 6th because of the potential that the accounts could be used to incite further violence.

What’s their excuse for continuing to host official Russian state and media accounts?

Ukraine invasion: EU shuts airspace to Russian planes - BBC News

All such planes, including the private jets of oligarchs, will now be unable to land in, take off from or fly over any EU nation.

Mount up!

Ex-Attorney General William Barr Urges GOP to Move On From Trump - WSJ

“The election was not ‘stolen,’” Mr. Barr writes. “Trump lost it.” Mr. Barr urges conservatives to look to “an impressive array of younger candidates” who share Mr. Trump’s agenda but not his “erratic personal behavior.”

Bill’s a good dude.

Germany to Raise Defense Spending Above 2% of GDP in Response to Ukraine War - WSJ

The measures, all of which had long been resisted by successive governments and will now be reflected in this year’s budget, underline how profoundly Russia’s attack on Ukraine is upending European politics after almost eight decades of nearly uninterrupted peace on the continent.

Good morning, Germany! How was your long nap?