The DSR Daily Brief Newsletter – Wednesday, April 19, 2023

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Ukraine

A year into the war, despite suffering months of artillery and rocket strikes at the hands of the Russian military, some residents of towns along the front line in eastern Ukraine still confound officials and the police with their support for Russia.

Amid a recent surge in cheap grains and farm products from Ukraine, Poland and Hungary announced temporary bans on imports on Saturday, to protect their own farmers’ interests. Slovakia joined them on Monday, and Bulgaria on Wednesday. Romania, another country that has witnessed farmer protests over the issue, has so far stopped short of a ban.

The Americas

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told NATO officials privately that Canada will never meet the military alliance’s defense spending target, according to a leaked secret Pentagon assessment obtained by The Washington Post. The document’s anonymous authors say Canada’s “widespread” military deficiencies are harming ties with security partners and allies.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday kept on hold limits set by lower courts on access to the abortion pill mifepristone in a challenge by anti-abortion groups to the drug’s federal regulatory approval.

Europe and Asia

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his Swedish counterpart inside a naval base an hour outside Stockholm on Wednesday, a rare visit meant to signal Washington’s support for Sweden’s bid to join NATO.

French President Emmanuel Macron was loudly booed by crowds in eastern France Wednesday, April 19, as he embarked on his first domestic trip outside of the capital since signing his unpopular pensions reform into law.

The Middle East and Africa

Testimonies from two women, who said they started bleeding heavily after getting pills and injections, are similar to accounts of more than 30 other women and girls who described having their pregnancies forcibly terminated by the military. They come as Nigeria’s human rights commission holds hearings on a Reuters investigation that revealed a secret abortion scheme aimed at women abducted and raped by Islamist militants.

Thousands of residents have fled Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, where witnesses said bodies lay in the streets, after a 24-hour truce failed to hold between the army and paramilitaries.

DSR Exclusives

For in-depth analysis, check out our sister podcasts on the DSR Network and stay tuned to the DSR Daily podcast for new and evolving stories from around the world. On the latest episode of Deep State Radio, the damage that has been done to our legal system and our democracy at large now is visible at every level of the courts, state legislatures and in our Congress. We don’t often connect the dots to see how serious the decay has been…but in this special one-on-one conversation with Dahlia Lithwick that’s exactly what we do. Foreign Office with Michael Weiss, features a conversation with Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at Kings College, London and author of a new book, “Command: The Politics of Military Operations from Korea to Ukraine,” to discuss the latest in the Ukraine War. A new episode of the Secret Life of Cookies features a conversation with former Cigna executive and healthcare advocate, Wendall Potter. And in the latest episode of Words Matter, Norm and Kavita discuss a number of judiciary issues, including reproductive health. In a special extended bonus section, Norm and Kavita tackle Clarence Thomas and Diane Feinstein.

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