Monday morning news drop
The wartime president: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with Scott Pelley in Kyiv On February 24, with the Russian invasion coming at him from three sides, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reached for his most powerful weapon – his phone. The moment Zelenskyy told his people he refused to flee, Ukraine refused to fall. Leaders don't become legends often, but over these nearly seven weeks, this 44-year-old former comedian inspired his country to stand up to the overwhelming force of Russia. Last Wednesday, we were admitted to Zelenskyy's fortified war rooms to meet the man who stands between the Russian army and the free world. (60 Minutes)
‘This Is True Barbarity’: Life and Death Under Russian Occupation: The town of Trostyanets was occupied by Russian forces for a month before the Ukrainian military liberated it. Residents described weeks of hunger and horror. (New York Times)
The Bear Breaks Down: Andrei Soldatov on Russia’s Self-Destruction: “When you have a guy in the Kremlin who is being absolutely delusional about the real situation in Ukraine, you can’t speak in terms of a coherent foreign policy.” (Octavian Report)
US right wing figures in step with Kremlin over Ukraine disinformation: False narratives pushed by Tucker Carlson and key Republicans in Congress have been embraced and recycled by Moscow (The Guardian)
How a QAnon conspiracy theory about Ukraine bioweapons became mainstream disinformation It started as a fringe belief. Now it's an official stated reason for Russia’s invasion (CBC)
Why China stands firmly with Russia — for now Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has known China as a student, scholar and head of state. When it comes to China’s “limitless partnership” with Putin’s Russia, he thinks he knows where the red lines are. (Grid)
Mortgage Rates Rise, Home Sellers Fear Time Is Running Out to Cash In A growing sense of urgency to list properties before the housing market cools (Wall Street Journal)
How Many Billionaires Are There, Anyway? Forbes thinks there are 735 of them in America. Another count finds 927. Whatever the answer, the mystery is revealing — and the number is growing rapidly. (New York Times Magazine)
Heaps of money got Disney what it wanted in Florida, until now The Walt Disney Co. has dominated Florida for so long that the very idea of a backlash from the state’s political leaders has been unimaginable. Yet here we are. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and his GOP colleagues in the state legislature are threatening to bring the hammer down on the entertainment behemoth. Why? Because Disney is expressing disapproval of their latest effort to pander to their far-right base, the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law aimed at oppressing transgender people. (Los Angeles Times)
Baseball’s Owners Are Winning the Game Behind the Game With the most powerful union in pro sports, why are player salaries falling even as franchise values soar? (Businessweek)
A Million Little Pieces: The Race to Rebuild the World’s Coral Reefs: Nearly half of these ocean ecosystems have been wiped out since 1950. One man is on a mission to reverse that—by speed-growing coral in hyperefficient nurseries. (Wired)
It’s Time for a Net Zero Building Boom A mix of high-tech and old-fashioned energy efficiency tactics can deliver carbon-neutral buildings, right now. But the U.S. needs to pick up the pace. (CityLab)
What’s really holding the world back from stopping climate change The latest UN climate report suggests the world has to end new fossil fuel infrastructure to meet current goals (Vox)
Inside the Bitcoin Bust That Took Down the Web’s Biggest Child Abuse Site They thought their payments were untraceable. They couldn’t have been more wrong. The untold story of the case that shredded the myth of Bitcoin’s anonymity. (Wired)
How sewage can warn us about the next pandemic The ins and outs of wastewater surveillance. (Vox)
Why experts are terrified of a human-made pandemic — and what we can do to stop it As biology gets better, biosecurity gets harder. Here’s what the world can do to prepare. (Vox)