Recent content from John Rash
Despite change and challenge, U.S. journalists rally to the task
Washington Post's reporters' response to that paper's own scandal and the Wall Street Journal's advocacy for jailed journalist Evan Gershkovich serve as models.
What the worldwide wave of elections is indicating
Running for office by running against the system is just one of the themes seen in multiple countries — including the U.S.
'Tectonic shifts' roil media and politics
The interrelated changes are sharpening the partisanship shaping the character of the country.
![FILE - Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza is escorted to a hearing in a court in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 8, 2023. A court in Moscow on Monda](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/N76VGYPJQA7E6QE2RI5VDY5WKA.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Many governments worldwide failing to protect press freedom
As Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index details declines across continents, the Pulitzer Prizes highlights the need for great reporting.
Ukraine aid vote is a domestic and geopolitical inflection point
Renowned Russia expert Fiona Hill reflects on the Kremlin's propaganda program, what President Vladimir Putin is thinking and how U.S. divisions impact international issues.
![A scene from "The Movie Teller," one of 238 films representing 70 countries and cultures that screen through April 25 at the 43rd Annual Minneapolis S](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/2GVBSU7GRBGVZK3LDW3SPPLC4Q.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Film festival shows the transformative power of art
At the 43rd Annual Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, movies like "Sing Sing" and "The Movie Teller" reflect "how cinema or art in general moves us."
NATO's strength in numbers makes U.S. more secure
The transatlantic alliance, now up to 32 members, has protected the West for 75 years.
![FILE - In this May 24, 2018, file photo, Chair of the Republican National Committee Ronna McDaniel appears on the "Fox & friends" television program i](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/CBMB3FOXGQQ6FXK6IJOZ77THNM.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
McDaniel mess suggests a more profound pundit problem
The "revolving door" of the political media industrial complex hurts journalism and democracy.
Osterholm: As politics infect science, new tactics critical
The widening partisan divide may make responding to the inevitable next pandemic even more difficult.
Photo flap a tempest in a (royal) teapot compared to coming AI era
Photoshop fails are more easily detectable than the insidious artificial-intelligence images that may threaten society and democracy itself.
![Headshots of former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/F4YGLKOWKFBRUQBR6Q65TF3VOA.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
The complexities of age and ethics in the presidential race
The numbers voters may mostly focus on aren't economic metrics, but Biden's age and Trump's indictments.
![Ukrainian emergency employees and police officers evacuate injured pregnant woman Iryna Kalinina, 32, from a maternity hospital that was damaged by a](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/MLIPK2IGMNDRHOJIKBNCLXPIA4.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Film shows what doing 'whatever the hell they want' looks like
Oscar-nominated documentary "20 Days in Mariupol" depicts the results of an unrestrained Russia and Vladimir Putin.
![Group of people marching for human rights in New York City.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/B7WN2G7HHVFF3KMYYT2QCUT66M.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
The global impact from local human-rights activism
New U exhibit explores how Minnesota-based organizations often have had a worldwide influence in the enduring struggle for human rights.
Higher education takes a tough test
The University of Minnesota and other institutions face campus controversies, concern over cost and value from an increasingly skeptical public.
Why Dean Phillips continues against-the-odds quest
The Minnesota Democrat, who acknowledges a "steep slope ahead," has focused more on politics than policy while largely being ignored by the national news media.
![Signs for Republican presidential candidates are seen outside of the Horizon Event Center, a caucus location, on Caucus Day in Clive, Iowa, on Monday,](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/SEPSKVW2SBC3VIMTWJPD4Z2RSY.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Presidential candidates should run everywhere, for everyone
Biden, by bypassing Iowa and New Hampshire, reinforced Democratic drift from rural America.
The link between global connectedness and geopolitical outlook
Two new Pew Research Center reports reflect the value of international travel.
![Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn (center in white pants) is joined by former Peace Corps volunteers at the Minnesota International NGO Network Annual](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/YHZMFV7MNRJFSQSOVZSITAILGQ.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
In war-torn world, the Peace Corps endures
"Do whatever is in your sphere of influence," Peace Corps director Carol Spahn tells attendees at a summit of internationally involved Minnesotans.
![The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, was dispatched toward Israel following a large-scale assault from Hamas.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/A7U667ZS2WBJ6TGLNPYCG3F3MQ.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
U.S. is at peace, but Biden is increasingly a wartime president
Crises in the Mideast, Eastern Europe and elsewhere reflect the possibilities, and limits, of being commander-in-chief.
![A Palestinian carries a child pulled out of a building hit in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Hat](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/AQ2HDEL5YIW27C2SXMA6V3N4C4.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Ukraine, Israel inspire clashing reactions in foreign lands
President Joe Biden legislatively and geopolitically tied the wars between Russia-Ukraine and Hamas-Israel together, but much of the world may see it differently.
![A friend of Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah who was killed by Israeli shelling mourns over his body during his funeral procession in his hometown](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/PAONTBG7CEOPA6BSQ3KYRPFX6Y.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Casualties, including truth and truth-tellers, keep mounting in the Mideast
A wave of mis- and disinformation and the deaths of journalists imperil the ability to get verifiable information about the war in Gaza.
![Paul Dano stars as Keith Gill in “Dumb Money.”](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/3RG5JNPO2GHU5JEJP5GPUINQDE.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
A new film right on the (Dumb) Money
A comedy about 2021's GameStop stock-frenzy dramatically shows the inequity in equity markets — and the rest of society.
![Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, pointing to a map, joined U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and moderator Tom Hanson at an event at Norway](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/6JS4L2OJDBU7VYNLNJUBFHOGRM.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
A Minnesota lens: Defending democracy in Ukraine and beyond
At a Twin Cities event, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Sen. Amy Klobuchar reflected on today's key geopolitical divide.
![Elon Musk, billionaire and chief executive officer of Tesla, at the Viva Tech fair in Paris, France, on Friday, June 16, 2023. Musk predicted his Neur](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/GD5SIFX3AH2DSXFQM57PKW3RZM.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Elon Musk shouldn't command Ukraine decisions
Governments, not individual citizens, should make — and be held responsible for — military policies.
![Republican presidential candidates at the debate hosted Wednesday by Fox News (from left): former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson; former New Jersey Gov.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/HLALGM3PX2E24443AZQKZCGFYE.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
John Rash: Respect voters by improving debates
Fox News and former President Donald Trump should show more regard for the electorate as the debate schedule rolls on.
![A stack of the latest weekly edition of the Marion County Record sits in the back of the newspaper’s building, awaiting unbundling, sorting and dist](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/RDRTLHSKU2HBOETTHMPCPPDTUU.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
With newspapers, don't try that in a small town
A police raid on a Kansas newspaper galvanizes press advocacy organizations and everyday citizens to defend the First Amendment.
![The sun sets behind a smokestack in the distance in Kansas City, Mo.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/P3PCGF36WIG2AUMUVVVGQME74I.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
John Rash: As heat broils the planet it may roil geopolitics, too
The effects of climate change can spur migration — and subsequent political — crises that endanger democracy.
![Cillian Murphy stars in “Oppenheimer.”](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/ELMSL7SCE5ZRNNKJGJRVROHA7A.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Oppenheimer-era blast radius still reverberating
The threat of nuclear war — and of silencing scientists — is more dangerous than ever.
![Ukrainian youth soccer team playing in the USA Cup](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/JQ33CH4BWMIGXIGHFAAGIO3CDI.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Ukrainian soccer team returns to USA Cup, U.S. 'family'
For the squad's head coach, it's a respite from the war yet an opportunity to share "what's going on in Ukraine."
![Drawing out — and calling out — Vladimir Putin](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/WWRMHB2JNWV4MRERVJ35R4VS4A.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Drawing out — and calling out — Vladimir Putin
Graphic novel "Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin" examines and explains the Russian president.
![G7 leaders, from left to right, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. President Joe Biden,](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/QDPFSOF4QJPZV7BVZ3O33O6YLM.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
U.S., Biden approval ratings on the rise — abroad, at least
New Pew poll in 23 countries across continents shows increasing international support for America and its commander in chief.
![Top, undated handout photo shows Titan, the submersible that vanished on expedition to the Titanic wreckage. Bottom, a fishing boat carrying migrants](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/46GBSGLTRA6GUU6RK5LIWZNLNA.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Why one tragedy at sea eclipsed another
The search for the submersible Titan generated a level of media coverage far beyond the attention paid to the Adriana and the deaths of hundreds of migrants.
![Former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a combined image.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/J4P5MAP5QCJEDOJKEWC7DUSOUE.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
In Ukraine and the U.S., a reckoning on classified information
When secrets are "divulged through whatever means, you are literally putting people's lives in danger," said a top defense expert.
![SOUTH CHINA SEA (May 20, 2022) Sa Sailor stands watch aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) while underway w](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/UTXDFIX5JM3OHROPWJTJUWPSUY.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Carleton students attempt virtual peacemaking in War College exercise
The U.S. Army War College's International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise focused on the South China Sea.
![Military personnel raise the flag of Finland during a ceremony on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels,](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/7KFSDIDLHP3F4RPGEHCFTW2QSQ.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Finland strengthens, and is strengthened by, NATO
Finland's ambassador to the U.S. shares his views on his nation, NATO ascension, Russian aggression and tighter ties with Minnesota.
![Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Feb. 8 visits the city center destroyed by the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/CXOU4EUY4MLTINDEFPCUCZIDPQ.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
2023's most important election
Just months after devastating earthquakes, Turks head to the polls for a vote that has global implications.
![Chief Justice Warren Burger administers the Oath of Office to President Gerald Ford while Betty Ford looks on.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/Y332QYO47R4F2E363YNTKTCV4E.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Gerald Ford, an extraordinary 'ordinary man'
A new biography of America's 38th president offers a lesson for today's leaders contending with a riven nation.
'Discord Leaks' sows an evolving surveillance era
Discord, the online site popular with video gamers, is where classified U.S. government documents were initially posted.
International film festival seeks to 'unite, inform and transform'
Close to 200 short and feature films from around the world will screen between April 13-27 at the 42nd annual Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival.
![The Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich is shown in this undated photo. The State Department says Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/HSXIFXLZ47UZDISKL3N5TR2PS4.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Russia must free reporter Evan Gershkovich
"Wrongfully detained" Wall Street Journal correspondent shows the severity of Russia's repression of media freedom — and ultimately the truth.
![In this June 12, 1987 file photo U.S. President Reagan acknowledges the crowd after his speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, where](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/ED2TNDQDA73UP3B2O4CTM7CS2E.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Campaigns past and present reflect on Reagan's legacy
Allegations about the 1980 campaign surface as the GOP's top 2024 candidates veer from Reagan's resolute stand against totalitarianism.
![A man in Tehran holds a local newspaper reporting on its front page the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in B](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/5XBXF76V4DMPF56VAIRCT4NL7E.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
China's unexpected diplomatic coup changes the Mideast puzzle
A Beijing-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia alters regional, and maybe even geopolitical, dynamics.
![Left, anti-government demonstrators protest against recent reforms pushed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to the country’s electoral law th](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/YC5SQ4RCP6ZWAD5ZSSJ75DCUMI.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
U.S. must be a beacon for democracy for Mexico, Israel
As protests roil its two allies, America needs to live up to its own democratic ideals.
![Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, US president Jimmy Carter, and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin are shown on the north lawn of the White House, s](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/L2DGC2NT5CA2VDTJH7VOG4ST4U.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
An exemplary post-presidency. (And a pretty good presidency, too.)
Belying public (and often pundit) perceptions, Jimmy Carter had an often consequential and constructive White House tenure.
![President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine speaks from a screen at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany on Feb. 17.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/ZP5J526BK2YMRYOMPI3MU42BR4.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Avoiding 'Munich' at the Munich Security Conference
World leaders gathering at the annual meeting seem resolute in rejecting further appeasement of Russia.
![Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Sen. Richard Russell in December 1963.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/I4DRNCZ4KOBU6E72TWYJ7WOUWQ.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
In a new documentary, as in life, LBJ looms large
"Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb" focuses on the 50-year collaboration between the legendary writer and editor.
In tank debate, all was not quiet on the German front
Oscar-nominated "All Quiet on the Western Front" reminds why Germany's history plays a role in present-day politics, too.
![An idled snow cannon in the village of Davos Wiesen, Switzerland, on Jan. 8. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by Francesca Volpi](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/7JZ2WSSQQL4P67I6EFBA42JARM.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Geopolitical, global-warming angst in the Alps
The climate crisis is the type of challenge meant for the business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
![President Vladimir Putin speaks in a recording of his annual televised New Year’s message on New Year’s Eve after an awarding ceremony during his](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/7DPVJBGCPBP2FAHRFW3SIAG7CE.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
On black swans, gray rhinos and white doves
Geopolitical experts consider the conflicts and top risks of 2023.
![Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Time's 'Person of the Year,' channels Chaplin as much as Churchill](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/HBUYJ4NP2OB2UCUXUI6UCR4BP4.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Time's 'Person of the Year,' channels Chaplin as much as Churchill
In a compelling profile, the Ukrainian comedian-turned-statesman lauds unconventional voices against totalitarianism.
![A still from an ad for Sipsmith Gin.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/3X22QHLBOHS4Y2VBNPKKFOVZO4.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
At the Walker Art Center, the best of Britain's (deeply) moving images
The annual Arrows Awards screening, featuring the best of British advertising, begins its holiday-season run.
![People pose for a photograph with a sign reading in English” Fifa World Cup, Qatar 2022” at the corniche in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/KTMWDJFOUXMOUQ3RLYAOCFLP64.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
World Cup in Qatar is an 'own goal' by FIFA
Soccer's governing body, as well as the International Olympic Committee, should live up to ideals in awarding events.
![U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., with U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn, in March. Both signed a letter to President Joe Biden from the Congressional Pr](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/UNTW3MZMFVXTLQFAHLZ2SQNFQY.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Democracy on the ballot — Ukraine's democracy, that is
A campaign focused on domestic dynamics may have major global implications.
![A child receiving life-saving RUTF (ready-to-use therapeutic food) in Somalia.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/WYH5J4Z2F4FXB47GIW5C5TZHBY.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Starvation stalks the Horn of Africa
Concurrent crises across the world have meant less attention on a looming human catastrophe.
![Beatrice Fihn of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, ICAN, arrives for a press conference at the headquarters of the International](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/CVXHFKYK2SLGGX3RIVBCNDTZVE.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Nuclear threats prove prescience of former Peace Prize laureate
2017 Nobel winner Beatrice Fihn and ICAN continue to push for the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
![In this image made from a video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service, Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in Moscow, R](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/GEQ5XCYLXM3TYKJDE4GTIS2YX4.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
The West calls out Putin's imperialism
After world leaders mourn a queen, but not the British Empire, they warn of the Kremlin leader's drive to resurrect a Russian Empire.
![FILE - Parents and children wait outside the Riverside Public School in Elmira, N.Y., on July 1, 1953, to get the polio vaccine, due to the rise in in](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/3JI6PBDUTH4IK7YZSETBUDRECY.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Yet another crippling 20th-century scourge makes a comeback
Polio, which along with extremism was foretold and forewarned by novelist Philip Roth, re-emerges.
![Author and historian David McCullough in 2005. McCullough, who was known to millions as an award-winning, best-selling author and an appealing televis](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/TSWSEK6PTFGHG6X5ZBEN7NY3AY.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
McCullough, Mar-a-Lago and the enduring search for historical truth
Histrionics, not historical context and method, marked the rush to judgment about the FBI search of former President Donald Trump's home.
![On May 1, 2011, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with with members of the national security team, receive an update on the m](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/JR6LZXB5YKYVLURWWH5L6FQMWQ.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
White House photographer witnessed, and captured, history
Pete Souza, in Minneapolis for a Wednesday evening event, sees similarities between former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama.
![Pastor Rudolph Balazhynets, coach of the FC Minaj team from Ukraine.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/KVL2IQM2Y7CIW5BDANY3BAPPWQ.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
From Ukraine to Blaine: A soccer team's journey to the USA Cup
Two Minnesotans and a minister from Ukraine help a team get "out of the trauma and see there is some normalcy in the world."
![Krisjanis Karins, Latvia’s prime minister.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/FAGZFGSQYVJAVM5XHU5WP3YWW4.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Latvian prime minister's clear-eyed view of Russia
Krisjanis Karins, visiting Minnesota, says that Putin "will go as far as he is allowed to go."
![Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of the influential Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, speaks to attendees during auctioning of his 23-karat gold medal o](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/CZM423G2PUATMPSYBT2T7EERCY.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Russian Nobel laureate's noble act for Ukraine
Journalist Dmitry Muratov auctions his 2021 Peace Prize to aid UNICEF's efforts on Ukrainian refugees.
![President Joe Biden talks to reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, June 17, 2022, in Washington. (AP Phot](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/7LSG7SF5JMO6PK4OUTHHEEGE4U.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Amid enduring challenges, U.S. journalists remain resilient
A new Pew poll shows that despite an increasingly difficult media, political and social environment, most would choose the career again.
![Left, John Dean at the Senate Watergate hearings, in 1973. Right, Caroline Edwards, the first Capitol Police officer injured in the riot, testifies at](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/5FIC4TEDT5O5JSOTZAWAJCNCZQ.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Similarities, differences between Watergate and Jan. 6 eras
The political, social and media environments have changed in the half century between the two scandals.
![President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy appears via remote during the opening ceremony of the 75th international film festival, Cannes, southern Fran](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/LRP4NKA5WJ5FIHGMGOPMSUFJOA.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Ukraine needs arms — and hearts and minds, too
As the war endures, so must support and attention from Americans and citizens of other countries.
![Activists dismantle Ukraine's biggest monument to Lenin at a pro-Ukrainian rally in the central square of the eastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/Y75JLRVF56OYBCRSWDT4Q6N6UI.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
'The Long Breakup' gives context to conflict in Ukraine
Filmmaker Katya Soldak will attend Sunday's Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival screening of her documentary about her country's turbulent post-Soviet era.
![Clarissa Ward reports in Ukraine in a screenshot on CNN.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/NY24WIY5PVCKAAD3OQ72UH56OY.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Elon Musk, CNN+ and the Times headline latest media tumult
How the new direction of social media and news organizations are received will tell a lot about where media — and democracy — is headed.
![Cartoons of the war.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/42TOACSYP5SKFLFJE5R7WO7FMY.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Ukrainian, Russian political cartoons draw upon antiwar sentiment
New exhibit at the Museum of Russian Art showcases satirists' work — and its unflinching support of Ukraine.
![Cows walk around a destroyed farm after a Russian attack near Brovary, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 28.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/D4EIGKRB6QHISJH5Z2BELARSNE.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
World food supply may be the next war casualty
Along with other destabilizing disruptions, Russia's attack on Europe's breadbasket producing "alarming cascading effects," according to the U.N.
![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the U.S. Congress by video to plead for support as his country is besieged by Russian forces, at the](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/2UQ6OSPFTJHAIMMWCA3RWVTMSY.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Neighbors at war, two presidents a world apart
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's communication acumen and motivating message are a sharp contrast to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
![Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Ma](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/J4TZXJYFXGQ4K6IOXISG3I4HQM.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
The consequences — and clarity — of calling Putin a 'war criminal'
President Joe Biden, "speaking from his heart," calls out the heartless Russian president for atrocities in Ukraine.
![President Joe Biden greets Col. Matthew Jones, Commander of the 89th Airlift Wing, as he arrives on Marine One to board Air Force One at Andrews Air F](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/G5NHB3QDBW2BBWHODMBRYOKPKQ.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Playing Politics: Biden heads to Europe
The president looks to advance allied unity on Ukraine. Hear the "Playing Politics" analysis from WCCO Radio's Chad Hartman and the Star Tribune Editorial Board's D.J. Tice and John Rash.
![A woman looks at a computer screen watching a dissenting Russian Channel One employee entering Ostankino on-air TV studio during Russia's most-watched](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/735RESRPK3RQF5ZBNCV4WAKHXI.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Putin's propaganda hurts the world, but harms Russians most
What Russians read, hear and see — and what they don't — props up the Russian president, but at times the truth seeps through.
![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared via video before Congress on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center Congressional Auditorium.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/APITQB35MANGFHREZHFRQNELO4.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Playing Politics: Zelenskyy's address to Congress
The Ukrainian president's speech is analyzed by WCCO Radio's Chad Hartman and the Star Tribune Editorial Board's Scott Gillespie and John Rash.
![Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke at a news conference last week.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/KFKRGTZKXJOHWVDKPXQN4W5D7M.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Playing Politics: Report roasts Minneapolis riot response
Mayor Jacob Frey and other leaders failed to follow protocols. Hear the "Playing Politics" analysis from WCCO Radio's Chad Hartman and the Star Tribune Editorial Board's Patricia Lopez and John Rash.