Prigozhin Unbound
Plus: The Taliban Are Who We Thought They Were
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CATHY YOUNG: Prigozhin Unbound.
OVER THE PAST SPRING, amid the tense wait for the Ukrainian counteroffensive, the segment of the Russian invading forces that commanded the most attention was the Wagner Group, the āprivate military companyā founded by food-service tycoon (and longtime Vladimir Putin crony) Yevgeny Prigozhin. As Wagner units took the leading role in the grinding, gruesomely bloody, months-long fight for Bakhmut, Prigozhin himself became something of a starānot only of his own viral videos appeared with some regularity, but of reports from independent Russian media and Western journalists.
Yet back in February 2022 when Putinās āspecial military operationā began, Prigozhin was still denying his connection with Wagner, even via legal actionāand whatever role Wagner played in the war was kept very much on the down-low.
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NATALIE GONNELLA-PLATTS AND JESSICA LUDWIG: The Taliban Are Who We Thought They Were.
When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in the mid-1990s, they established one of the most brutal and oppressive regimes in the world and harbored international terrorists. Since regaining control of the country in 2021, they have reverted to their old behavior, once again using violence against Afghans to maintain their grip on power. As a result, Afghanistan has become a āsignificant coordination siteā for threats to the United States, Europe, and Asia, according to a leaked Pentagon assessment.
Terrorism both at home and abroad is a core, unchanging element of what the Taliban are and have always been. It shouldnāt shock anyone that the Taliban broke their purported promise to curb terrorism. They rely on violence and corruption to control the population.
MONA CHAREN: Is the GOP Tiptoeing Toward Normality?
EVERY MORNING, before we open our eyes, every one of us must grapple with the excruciating possibility that Donald Trump could be re-elected. Itās the nightmare from which we cannot awake, at least for now. And yet, while we go through our days under this sword of Damocles, we can also detect that something is stirring in the Republican party. After eight vertiginous years of rot and decay made no less alarming by their often buffoonish character, the GOP seems to be taking some tentative steps toward normality.
šØOVERTIMEšØ
Happy Smokey Wednesday! Looks like weāre gonna be staying indoors as air quality in the east is getting worse.
The House comes to a standstillā¦ No votes until next week, and a reminder of how this never happened under Pelosi.
A Whole Herd of Stripe-less Zebrasā¦ Holly Berkley Fletcher explains why sheās a Bulwark super-fan. (Have you seen her parodies? Theyāre amazing.)
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The LIV-PGA Shit-Eating Tourā¦ Is A Marvel To Behold.
RIP, Jabroniā¦ The Iron Sheikh is dead.
Ron DeSantisās approval ratingā¦ Plummets.
The devil in the groovesā¦ The case against forensic firearms analysis, by the great Radley Balko.
D.C. may have legalized weedā¦ Now it has to deal with the nuisance.
More about the sonic boomā¦ From our friend and former Naval Aviator Ward Carroll.
So close!! Trump die-hard Ken Cuccinelli drew laughs with his hemming and hawing in front of a House committee regarding the truth about the 2020 election.
Tucker on Twitterā¦ Was a sad, low-energy affair, that apparently violated his contract with Fox.
What am I doing here? I read this column from Chris Cillizza with interest because sometimes I feel the same way. But not often, because most readers get what weāre doing here.
Is Meadows making a deal? New reporting in the Independent says so.
From Hollywood to January 6ā¦ A Bobās Burgers voice actor was just arrested for his actions.
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