Putin has a Russian-mother problem

Plus: Inflation is a mystery. [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a Sting song of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - [Putin can’t hide Russia’s losses]( from mothers. - Inflation-fighting is [kind of a mystery](. - Elon Musk has [a new Twitter excuse](. - Car-rental [prices keep getting more ridiculous](. Think of the Children Sting is far better than I am at singing, writing songs, playing bass, acting and many [other things](, so I have no standing to make fun of his 1985 song “[Russians](.” Still, though: It’s a nice tune, but the idea of the answer to nuclear war being the Russians loving their children? Come on. All nationalities love their children and are still capable of doing terrible things. More than 100 days ago, Russia invaded Ukraine, which also loves its children, triggering a devastating war that has killed, wounded, displaced and impoverished countless children. Vladimir Putin doesn’t seem to care much about them. Then again, the Russians doing the fighting are also somebody’s children, albeit grown, [which could become a problem for Putin](. Clara Ferreira Marques writes it will be increasingly difficult to paper over the anger of Russian mothers grieving their mounting losses in Ukraine. The problem is that the pain the war is inflicting on the West could crack its unity and resolve long before it breaks Putin’s permasneer. Lionel Laurent warns “[sanctions fatigue” is setting in](, even as the sanctions on Russia keep getting tougher. Only deft policy-making can keep Europe singing from the same lyric sheet, and Clive Crook warns it [may not succeed in the long run](. Pankaj Mishra argues the Ukraine-triggered [obsession with reviving the good old days]( of Western unity is actively delaying peace. Niall Ferguson somewhat agrees with Pankaj — a sure sign the [Seventh Seal]( has been broken — suggesting the West [forget delusions of expanding the Ukraine war]( into an assault on Putin’s regime. He also recommends President Joe Biden strike a detente with China to possibly win Beijing’s support for a Ukraine settlement. Whether he takes their advice or not, [Biden should at least pay closer attention to the developing world](, Bloomberg’s editorial board writes, noting Western neglect has generally driven it into the arms of Russia and China. Love may not solve all the world’s problems, but it doesn’t hurt. The Inflation Enigma It’s been more than 30 years since we really had to worry much about inflation, but you might suppose we know the basics of fighting it, thanks to Paul Volcker: Jack up interest rates until something breaks, et voila: no more inflation. But Mark Gilbert writes a new study finds a lot of quantum weirdness goes on between the time the Fed mashes its big red Interest Rate Button in Washington and the time inflation cools in a massive, chaotic global economy. The scary implication is that [nobody really knows how to fight inflation](, exactly. The good news is that inflation pressures may already be easing without the Fed having to do much beyond gesturing menacingly at the Interest Rate Button (this is a real thing; please do not look it up). John Authers points out factory, hiring and wage data all point to [an economy that is cooling but not crashing](. This could make the Fed’s job a lot easier, which becomes even more important if we find out the big red button we’ve been mashing has been unplugged all along. Bonus Economic Policy Reading: [Democrats should admit Joe Manchin was right]( about the badness of the BBB bill. — Matt Yglesias Musk You Really? My pet theory of the universe is that everything is getting dumber, faster. A corollary of this is that you should always expect the dumbest possible outcome of every event. Elon Musk has been a big inspiration for this worldview, and today he did not disappoint, sending a notice to his old pals at the SEC that he might call off the Twitter deal because Twitter hasn’t shared enough data with him about robot accounts. Matt Levine points out this is just another transparent effort to back out of an expensive deal, but [it just might work this time]( because he got some actual lawyers to slap a coat of legitimacy on this one. “It is all going to get so much dumber,” Matt writes. QED. Telltale Charts Car-rental companies are [charging high rates and raking in huge profits]( due to a shortage of cars, notes Chris Bryant. But they should beware the backlash. The number of “[anti-gun elites” who could possibly be living in gated communities]( is microscopic, writes Justin Fox, contra Ted Cruz. Further Reading Despite surviving a confidence vote, [Boris Johnson “is walking wounded](.” — Therese Raphael A [new breast-cancer drug]( could be a real game-changer. — Lisa Jarvis The Jan. 6 hearings could change some minds and [help make Trumpism even less socially acceptable](. — Jonathan Bernstein [New hit apps are forgoing the addiction model](, which is better for users but maybe not for profits. — Parmy Olson The treatment of an [anti-Semitic relief on a German church]( is an example of how such displays can educate. — Andreas Kluth [Adoption is not the easy substitute for abortion]( many abortion opponents claim it is. — Kami Rieck ICYMI Paramount is being [sued over “Top Gun: Maverick](.” Ukraine is showing [small countries how to fight back](. Tankers are making [risky swaps of Russian oil](. Kickers [Chimp actor is living his best life]( after his owner faked his death. (h/t Lara Williams) [Amino acids were found]( in an asteroid sample. Area grad student’s side project [proves long-standing prime-number conjecture](. [Factory-made homes slash carbon]( emissions nearly in half. Notes: Please send Taco Bell Mexican Pizza and complaints to Mark Gongloff at mgongloff1@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Instagram](, [TikTok](, [Twitter]( and [Facebook](. Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( | [Ad Choices]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022