Russia has killed thousands of Ukrainians, inflicted untold damage, and still controls more territory than it did before the invasion. If Mr. Putin secures a truce that ratifies those territorial gains, he will have snatched the part of Ukraine that contains the bulk of its energy resources. He would be able to re-arm and continue as a lethal threat to the rest of Ukraine, the Zelensky government, and the border nations of NATO.

Ejecting Russia in whole would be hard for Ukraine to do alone. Yet direct western involvement is unthinkable. That means Ukraine could be forced to suffer months or even years of bloody stalemate.

Although it is possible that the Kremlin has only temporarily withdrawn some of its forces from around Kyiv, there is now little doubt that there has been a change of plan.

Blinken and members of Congress might say “never again,” but increasingly, when it comes to caviar diplomacy, it appears they mean, “Well, maybe one more time.”

The U.S. has stopped short of using the term “genocide” because of its strict legal definition and the heavy implications it carries. Asked whether the latest reported atrocities are genocide, Biden told reporters, “No, I think it is a war crime.”

…bodies, wrapped in black bags, piled like firewood into the back of a van collecting the corpses from the streets. Two months ago, these were human beings, living perfectly suburban lives. Whether this constitutes genocide hardly matters when it is precisely evil.

We must not make do with forbidding hospitals to bar the entry of chametz, because there are people who see this as a green light for continuing to impose religious coercion through other means.

…the voracity of her comments, and the background upon which she made them, suggest they were meant more to neutralize anger from Yamina’s largely religious and conservative voting base and less about taking a principled stand or seeking to set up a coalition-busting fight.

According to a Supreme Court ruling, hospitals are obliged to respect the entire public with strict adherence to the principles of freedom of religion, equality and human dignity without harm and without coercion. In sum, the ruling concludes that chametz can enter hospital premises during Passover. Horowitz said he simply reminded hospitals of that ruling ahead of the holiday.

…we could rewrite that grim future if big changes are made to cut emissions in half this decade. The longer-term goal is to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of the century in order to keep global average temperatures stable.

These changes are already testing the limits of habitation for millions of people who now face unbearable heat, disaster, drought, and flooding. The actions we take now and over the next eight years will be key in deciding how much worse warming gets this century.

Whether humanity can change course after decades of inaction is largely a question of collective resolve… Governments, businesses and individuals must summon the willpower to transform economies, embrace new habits and leave behind the age of fossil fuels — or face the catastrophic consequences of unchecked climate change.

One-party Democratic states are increasingly resorting to government coercion to impose their social values, which is one more reason so many people and businesses are moving elsewhere.

California’s Democratic leaders are obsessed with cosmetic diversity questions and far less concerned about the state’s real issues or its citizens’ constitutional rights.

In a statement, California Partners Project called the decision “disappointing but not determinative.” The group pointed to studies showing business outcomes were better “when all of our rich talent is represented in positions of leadership…”

The victory at Amazon, as well as a string of such victories at Starbucks that started with a café in Buffalo, New York, reflects teeming pro-union excitement among many workers, especially young workers.

Faced with union organizing efforts in Alabama and New York City last year, Amazon did what most U.S. employers in its position would do: It went out and hired a bunch of anti-union consultants to throttle the campaigns.

The fight is just beginning for the ALU; it now has to begin negotiations with Amazon, a company well-known for its aversion to unions and its willingness to use union-busting tactics. The ALU will have to bring the same determination to the next — and arguably harder — part of the process: getting Amazon to sign a contract.