The News Not Noise Letter: Goodbye, Russian Warship

You Sunk My Battleship: The US confirmed that a Ukrainian cruise missile attack sank a Russian warship, the Moskva. Russia’s defense ministry refuses to acknowledge the astonishing strike, insisting the ship sank due to a fire in a storm. Because truth is stranger than fiction: this same ship attacked Snake Island in the early days of the war, when Ukrainian soldiers refused to surrender and instead said, “Russian warship, go f*** yourself!” The crew of the Moskva evacuated to other ships in the Black Sea.

NATO Threat: As Finland and Sweden weigh joining NATO, Russia is threatening to move nuclear and hypersonic weapons to its Baltic region.

Putin’s Nuclear Option: The CIA director William Burns today said Putin’s “potential desperation” might lead him to use “tactical” or “low-yield” nuclear weapons. Those are short-range weapons that could be deployed on the battlefield (as opposed to intermediate or intercontinental missiles which could be sent across borders to Europe or the US). Burns warned that the US can’t "take lightly" the consequences of Putin’s “potential desperation” but there is no “practical evidence” he intends to deploy nuclear weapons now.

Le Pen Wants Out: As the French run-off election approaches, right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen said NATO should reconcile with Russia and vowed that France will leave NATO’s “integrated military command” if she’s elected president. This would be a major blow to the alliance that has helped keep peace in Europe since the end of WWII.

Russian Oil Ban: The EU is drafting a ban on Russian oil which would phase out oil imports. If approved, this would create another major blow to the Russian economy. In 2021, 49% of Russian oil exports went to Europe.

Twitter Takeover… Maybe: Elon Musk made an offer to buy 100% of Twitter at $54.20 per share, or about $43 billion in total. Drama ensued. Twitter’s board hasn’t publicly responded, but Twitter’s stock fell today by 1.7%. Musk, who happened to be interviewed at the 2022 TED conference today, backtracked a little saying he’s “not sure” he’ll be able to buy Twitter, but he has a “Plan B.” He might need a plan C: asset management firm Vanguard Group increased its shares in Twitter, making it the largest shareholder with 10.3% of the company. Other investors and entrepreneurs tweeted doubts that Musk would prevail. What if the board rejects Musk’s bid and Musk sells? Check Twitter to find out.

Climate Protests: 1000 scientists in 25 countries staged protests over a new climate report that warns the world faces catastrophe if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t dramatically reduced by 2025. One scientist chained himself to the White House fence, others locked themselves to a JP Morgan Chase building in Los Angeles, where 100 police with riot gear arrested them.

Conspiracists: Far-right conspiracy theorists protested outside Disney headquarters in Burbank, CA. They allege that Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law is an “anti-grooming” bill, and Disney’s opposition to it is a sign of support for pedophilia. This draws on age-old anti-gay myths linking LGBTQI+ identity to pedophilia. It also feeds into QAnon conspiracy theories that are making their way into the mainstream ahead of the upcoming election.

Abortion: Kentucky and Florida are the latest states that ban abortion after 15 weeks. The Kentucky legislature overrode the governor’s veto of this law, which also bans medication abortion pills from being sent in the mail.

COVID: The FDA authorized the first COVID breathalyzer test which gives results in as little as 3 minutes.

Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, made a surprise visit to the Queen on their way to the Invictus Games in the Netherlands. This is the couple’s first visit to the Queen since 2020, when they stepped away from royal duties and moved to California. Does their family drama ever make you feel like your family is functional?