Is Putin a War Criminal?

Plus: what Biden can do to stop the Russian invasion; Beto O’Rourke’s long-shot journey; and a profile of the musician Cate Le Bon. View in browser | Update your preferences Friday, February 25, 2022 In today’s newsletter: • In Kyiv, a Ukrainian family hunkers down • Beto O’Rourke’s journey from long shot to long shot • How the Welsh musician Cate Le Bon found herself in the desert Is Putin a War Criminal? The West condemns Russia’s aggression as “barbaric” and “horrific,” as Biden warns that conflict could drag on for weeks or months. Illustration by Nicholas Konrad / The New Yorker; Source photograph by Sasha Mordovets / Getty In the eyes of the world and almost certainly history, Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday was an epic miscalculation, drawing comparisons to Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein for cold-blooded aggression that could challenge the world order and change its borders. The Russian leader is now, at minimum, a pariah condemned by leaders across the world. “Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war,” President Biden said, in a speech to the nation announcing new sanctions on Russian financial institutions and élites. Putin may now also qualify as a war criminal, according to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. —Robin Wright, from “Putin’s Historic Miscalculation May Make Him a War Criminal” Read the story From the News Desk Letter from Biden’s Washington In Washington, a Ukraine Tragedy Foretold But what can Biden really do to stop Putin? By Susan B. Glasser As Told To As War Begins in Kyiv, a Ukrainian Family Hunkers Down Lena Samoilenko slept through Russia’s first attacks on Ukraine’s capital, and has been fortifying her home since. By Masha Gessen News Desk New York’s Criminal Investigation of Trump Appears All but Over After promising to prioritize the case, the new Manhattan D.A., Alvin Bragg, seems to have abandoned it. By Jane Mayer Letter from the Southwest Beto O’Rourke’s Journey from Long Shot to Long Shot On a trip to the border region, the Democrat’s campaign for governor of Texas keeps hope alive. By Rachel Monroe Double Take Russia’s War on Ukraine, in Context The latest news on Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the conditions for civilians on the ground, and what the crisis means for the U.S. and Europe. By The New Yorker Editor’s Pick Persons of Interest Cate Le Bon’s Strange Journey Home How a Welsh artist making sharp, mysterious songs found herself in the desert. By Margaret Talbot Culture Dept. Under Review An Extraordinary Account of a Hasidic Enclave A new book, “American Shtetl,” charts how a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews created a separatist territory in upstate New York. By Gideon Lewis-Kraus The Front Row “CODA” Is a Feel-Bad Feel-Good Movie The Best Picture nominee is a predictable tale of virtue rewarded. By Richard Brody Screening Room A Dark Satire About Worker Exploitation in the Philippines In the short film “Excuse Me, Miss, Miss, Miss,” magical realism meets a very unmagical reality. Film by Sonny Calvento Text by Douglas Watson Fun & Games Dept. Daily Cartoon Friday, February 25th By Brendan Loper Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Liz Maynes-Aminzade Daily Shouts The Cost of Being an Extrovert It might be nice to be more outgoing—but who can afford that? By Meggie Ramm Daily Shouts I Just Love Mid-Century-Modern Furniture: A Cautionary Tale Oh, no—they warned me that this could happen. By Natalya Lobanova P.S. Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born on this day in 1841. The Impressionist painter’s work has inspired spirited responses over the years, including from our art critic Peter Schjeldahl, who asks, “Renoir: great or ghastly?” Then there are the Renoir fans who maybe take their love a little too far. In 2019, the curators of the Clark Art Institute held a Renoir-themed dinner party at the Explorers Club, in Manhattan, where “mainly well-heeled donors” had their hands washed with “rosewater in a basin filled with magnolia petals”—“It’s a Biblical thing,” the Clark’s director said—and enjoyed a “sensorial supper,” which included an abstract “edible portrait” composed of “mango, lychee, coconut, and raspberry macarons, set into a chocolate frame.” It was, as the pastry chef called it, “a nonlinear dessert experience.” Today’s newsletter was edited by Jessie Li. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2022. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.