Russia's Red Line, the Oscars Emergency & An E-Sports Coup
Happy Friday. This is The Daily Courant, your afternoon guide to what’s new at Puck.
Today, Julia Ioffe reports on the latest stomach-churning twist in the Ukraine-Russia saga: Even as Vladimir Putin's war machine falters, and negotiators look for an off-ramp, a growing number of Russians are refusing to settle for anything less than total victory.
Plus, below the fold: Matt Belloni goes inside the wild, emergency Academy meeting in the aftermath of the Will Smith fiasco. Eriq Gardner reveals the backstory of an explosive lawsuit involving a billion-dollar gaming concern. And, on the latest episode of The Powers That Be, William D. Cohan joins Peter Hamby to examine another post-succession headache at Disney.
Contrary to Western optimism, there is emerging evidence that, after the initial shock and despair of a poorly planned invasion, Russians are now rallying around their flag and their president. Some are refusing to accept anything less than total victory. Thursday marked five weeks since the Russian army crossed the border into Ukraine and Vladimir Putin’s dreams of a lightning conquest of the cradle of Russian civilization went up in smoke. When Ukrainian soldiers ambushed columns of Russian tanks, they torched not just the military hardware, but the dress uniforms that Russian soldiers carried with them for the planned victory parade in Kyiv. And yet, victory for either side remains elusive.
These days, the question asked most frequently in Washington and in Russia and foreign policy circles is: How does this end? No one, myself included, has a good answer—or much of an answer at all. This week brought more talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, first in Istanbul on Tuesday, then by video conference on Friday. The negotiations on Tuesday, in particular, seemed to produce something that many, especially in the West, were eager to cling to as a ray of hope...
FOUR STORIES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 
Inside the wild, emergency board of governors meeting in the aftermath of the slap fiasco—and who’s ultimately to blame. MATTHEW BELLONI 
During the peak of his powers, Will Smith allowed what should have been his brightest moment to reveal his own darkest shadow. BARATUNDE THURSTON 
FaZe Clan is trying to clean up its image before going public at a $1 billion valuation. Its legal filings reveal a far messier backstory. ERIQ GARDNER 
In our age of AMC apefests, social media influence is becoming the people’s leverage in the world of professional finance. WILLIAM D. COHAN 
You received this message because you signed up to receive emails from Puck.
Was this email forwarded to you?
Sent to {{customer.email}}
Interested in exploring our newsletter offerings?
Puck is published by Heat Media LLC.
For support, just reply to this e-mail. For brand partnerships, email ads@puck.news |
SHARE
