Big Bad Vlad

Start your day smarter with the most important world news, plus intriguing and offbeat stories. www.ozy.com [OZY]( [OZY]() Your World. Bold & Bright [Presidential Daily Brief]( Start your day smarter with a dossier on the most important world news, rounded off with a shot of intriguing and offbeat stories. Like the president, you deserve no less. Feb 21, 2023 Today Putin delivered a long, bellicose state-of-the-nation address in which he pulled Russia out of the New START nuclear arms treaty. Biden will be giving a speech of his own, but his mad dash to Kyiv’s already done most of the talking. Yet another tremor struck southern Turkey. And the Supreme Court is weighing a case that could change the internet forever. All this and more in today’s PDB. IMPORTANT Spitting Venom Putin Rages Against the Western Machine in Landmark Speech “They were the ones who started the war,” the Russian president claimed before pulling Russia out of a major nuclear arms control treaty. His address came three days before the anniversary of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine and was used to double down on his war goals. He accused the West of “opening the way” for Nazis to take power in the 1930s and spending the subsequent century trying to wrest Russia’s “historical lands … what is now called Ukraine” away from Moscow. “We were doing everything possible to solve this problem peacefully, negotiating a peaceful way out of this difficult conflict,” he insisted. Walking the Talk Biden’s Also Giving a Speech — But His Visit to Kyiv Speaks Volumes Hours after Putin’s speech, U.S. President Joe Biden will deliver a landmark address of his own. But it’s Biden’s surprise visit to Kyiv Monday that will do most of the talking. The president, who snuck out of Washington in the early hours of Sunday, completed the last 10 hours of his journey to Kyiv on a train with a heavy security presence. It was the first time in modern history that a U.S. president had entered a war zone with no active American military presence — and it sent a potent message of Washington’s seemingly unwavering support for Ukraine. (Sources: [CNN](, [Reuters](, [CNBC]() Sucker Punch 6.4 Magnitude Tremor Hits Region Already Flattened by Quakes The earthquake struck near the Turkish city of Antakya just after 8 p.m. Monday, killing at least six people. “I thought the earth was going to split open under my feet,” said local resident Muna al-Omar. The tremor, which toppled buildings weakened by quakes on Feb. 6, has further complicated recovery efforts in both Turkey and Syria. Earlier in the day U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had taken a helicopter flip over Antakya and announced $100 million in humanitarian aid to Turkey. Few felt that this gesture of goodwill would change the strained relations between Turkey and the U.S. (Sources: [BBC](, [WaPo]() Gonzalez v. Google The SCOTUS Case That Could Transform the Internet Nohemi Gonzalez was killed by Islamic State gunmen during the 2015 Paris attacks — and her family alleges that YouTube, owned by Google, bears responsibility for her death for promoting the group’s content via its “Up Next” algorithm. It all comes down to Section 230, a 1996 law that says internet sites are not “publishers” of third-party content. While 230 clearly allows YouTube to host harmful content, actively promoting it is a grayer area. “We’re at a point where both the courts and legislators are considering whether they want to continue to have a hands-off approach to the internet,” said cybersecurity expert Jeff Kosseff. (Source: [WaPo]() Briefly Here are some things you should know about today: Daddy’s boy. Robert Mugabe Jr., the eldest son of the late Zimbabwean dictator, was arrested for allegedly causing $13,000 worth of damage to cars and other property in Harare. (Source: [BBC]() Cry me a river. Low tides and an unseasonably dry winter have left some of Venice’s canals unnavigable — even by gondola. It’s an unusual problem for a city more accustomed to floods. (Source: [The Guardian]() The truth will out. James O’Keefe has been suspended by Project Veritas, the right-wing hidden camera operation he founded, for “financial malfeasance” that included spending “$14,000 on a charter flight to meet someone to fix his boat.” (Source: [AP]() INTRIGUING Ice Robots Scientists Delve Beneath an Antarctic Ice Shelf to See How It’s Melting The Thwaites ice shelf is melting faster than ever, but scientists are divided over whether its collapse is inevitable. If Thwaites did collapse, it’d cause sea levels to rise a whopping 2 feet. In an attempt to answer this question, a team of scientists spent several months exploring the ice shelf with Icefin — an underwater robot just 9 inches in diameter but 12 feet long. The melting wasn’t as severe as predicted, but it wasn’t happening where scientists expected it to, either. The worst-case scenario “is a little less worse than it used to be,” said glaciologist Ted Scambos. (Source: [NYT]() Treasure Trove Vast Stash of Angkorian Jewelry Recovered From Smuggler’s Family In a London parking lot, representatives of deceased art smuggler [Douglas Latchford]( handed over four boxes to Cambodian investigators. The boxes contained 77 pieces of jewelry and gold, including “crowns, necklaces, bracelets” and a large 11th-century bowl believed to be made from solid gold. While some of the items had been listed in books authored by Latchford, many had never been seen before. “I felt like crying,” said lead investigator Brad Gordon. “I just thought — wow — the crown jewels of ancient Cambodian civilization packed into four boxes in the back of a car.” The collection will go on display in Cambodia soon. (Sources: [BBC](, [ABC News]() Dildo or Darning Tool? Archaeologists Take Another Look at 2,000-Year-Old Wooden Phallus When the 6 1/2-inch penis carving was discovered at the ancient Roman fort of Vindolanda in the northern U.K. in 1992, it was listed as a darning tool. “I have to confess,” said archaeologist Rob Collins, “Part of me thinks it’s kind of self-evident that it is a penis. I don’t know who entered it into the catalog.” Collins and colleagues now believe that the item was one of three things: a sex object of either pleasure or pain, a pestle that sprinkled magic on its ingredients, or part of a statue that passersby rubbed for good luck. (Source: [The Guardian]() ‘Please Go Home’ The Indian IT Firm Using Software to Prevent Overwork Since the pandemic “[bossware](” has become commonplace, with paranoid firms the world over clandestinely monitoring their employees’ productivity. Softgrid Computers in New Delhi does things differently: they’ve designed a widget that warns workers when their shift is over. “The office system will shut down in 10 mins,” the pop-up warns. “Please go home.” Chief Executive Ajay Golani said it’s all about “providing employees a good work-life balance so that they can spend time with their families and loved ones.” As far as we know the company, which employs 40 people and specializes in custom software development, is not accepting résumés. (Source: [Reuters]() Rebound? Bucks Give Disgraced Meyers Leonard Chance to Resume Career Leonard hasn’t featured in the NBA since March 8, 2021 when a video of him using an anti-semitic slur while gaming went viral. Now ESPN is reporting that the Milwaukee Bucks have agreed a 10-day contract with the 7-foot center. The player, who apologized immediately for using the slur and claimed not to know its meaning, spent much of his time off the court working with the Jewish community to atone for his actions. “I am a compassionate human being and I truly love all people,” he said. He now has 10 days to get his career back on track. (Sources: [ESPN](, [AP]() NOW STREAMING FROM OZY STUDIO COMMUNITY What else are you curious about? Share your questions or thoughts with us at OzyCommunity@Ozy.com ABOUT OZY OZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on “the New and the Next.” OZY creates space for fresh perspectives, and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. [www.ozy.com]( / #OZY Curiosity. Enthusiasm. Action. That’s OZY! 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