Afternoon Anna, weather is damn cloudy and I expect rain later and tomorrow. On the bright side, the weekend is looking much warmer with some sun on the side.
Last night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner saw a volley of jokes and roasts, namely from the president himself. Biden made much of the night roasting the ones who usually like to roast him, hitting back at everyone from Tucker Carlson (who, remember, was just let go days ago from Fox), the news media, and even his 2024 electoral opponents, mainly Trump and potential-rival DeSantis. Biden opened up his speech with acknowledgement of Evan Gershkovich, the WSJ reporter imprisoned by the Russian government for alleged espionage, as well as other Americans detained abroad. He defended the free press, in stark contrast to Trump, as the former president continues to call the press an enemy of the people.
Biden poked some fun at himself, joking and brushing off his age, and even went as far to embrace the internet’s “Dark Brandon” meme, pulling out his signature aviators for good measure. Towards Fox News, he quipped, “Last year, your favorite Fox News reporters were able to attend because they were fully vaccinated and boosted. This year, with that $780 million settlement, they're here because they couldn't say no to a free meal.”
He also went at the liberal side of media, “Call me 'old?' I call it being seasoned. You say 'I'm ancient,' I say I'm wise. You say 'I'm over the hill,' Don Lemon would say that's a man in his prime!” Lemon was fired from CNN about a week ago.
Biden seemed to making the case for 2024, showcasing he still had wit, charm, and energy to spare for four more years. He didn’t shy away from criticizing his political opponents either, poking fun at DeSantis saying, “I had a lot of Ron DeSantis jokes ready, but Micky Mouse beat the hell out of me and got there first.”
Speaking of political opponents, days after the House passed a debt limit bill, the Republicans and the White House have settled into a stalemate, with neither side willing to budge for the time-being. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del) compared the impasse to Republicans “demanding hostage negotiations,” during an interview with ABC’s “This Week.” The hope is that talks between the two side can happen soon, as the deadline for the debt ceiling nears and nears.
King Charles III is going to be officially crowned on Saturday. After months of speculation, yes, Prince Harry will be attending. Though, in an era where the monarchy has little power and after decades of scandal has eroded their public image, much of the British public seems uninterested in the coronation, according to a recent YouGov poll where 64% of respondents showed little to no interest. Besides, the British public is much more likely focusing on the economic and political turmoil happening within their borders than the king, as inflation and a growing housing crisis that has brutalized the country, pushing their economy into 6th-place behind India just last year. The king also doesn’t have the benefit of being as popular as his late mother and former Queen Elizabeth, not when his name is commonly associated with his tumultuous marriage with the late Princess Diana.
The war in Ukraine is being filled with anticipation and anxiety for Ukraine’s expected counter-offensive. News has spiraled around the Ukrainian preparations to go on the offensive in the south and east, though many military analysts are skeptical the offensive will deal large enough blows to end the war or force Russia to the negotiating table. Russia’s internal struggle between the mercenary Wagner Group and the Ministry of Defense continues after Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin threatened to pull Wagner out of the front due to ammunition shortages.
The Russians have spent months grinding away at Ukrainian defenses in the city of Bakhmut, costing tens of thousands of lives in the bloodiest battle of the entire war, with Wagner spearheading much of the attack. Whether or not Prigozhin follows up with his threat will be seen, while Ukraine struggles to maintain its supply roads into Bakhmut after Russia seized the flanks. On Friday, Russia launched another barrage of missiles and drones, killing 23 people, including three children, striking an apartment building in Uman, just south of Kyiv. On Saturday, the Ukrainians struck a fuel depot in Russian-occupied Sevastopol, in Crimea, with drones and creating quite the blaze. Though, while the Ukrainians have not publicly claimed responsibility (a habit of theirs when the strike the Russians), CBS News reported an Ukrainian intelligence officer calling it, “God’s punishment,” in response to what happened Friday.
Francisco Oropeza, 38, is still on the run after killing five people Friday night in Cleveland, Texas, with the sheriff noting the man could be anywhere. The victims were his neighbors, including an 8yr-old child. Authorities say the shooting occurred after one of the victims asked Oropeza to stop firing rounds in his yard, to which Oropeza walked over to the victims’ house with an AR-15 and shot them, from what the sheriff’s office described as from the neck up and much like an execution. The manhunt continues, and police have widened their search efforts in order to catch him after tracking dogs lost his scent. He is likely still armed, and highly dangerous.
That’s it for today. It’s actually kind of a slow news day, to be honest.