Since the war with Ukraine began in 2022, Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet has been hit hard by Ukrainian forces. The fleet stationed in Crimea has lost 15 naval vessels including the sinking of the fleet’s flagship “the Moskva.” Now the Putin regime is talking about moving the Russian fleet to Abkhazia, the breakaway region in the nation of Georgia. Yet, the port in Abkhazia along the Black Sea, is undeveloped and Moscow would need to build new port facilities. The pro-Moscow government in Abkhazia, which broke away from Georgia in the early 1990s, supports the plan.
(“Russia’s Black Sea Ambitions,” Foreign Policy, March 21, 2024)
A recent report by the Housing Assistance Council, a nonprofit that supports affordable housing efforts throughout rural America, found that rural America is losing affordable housing at an alarming rate, fueling a growing housing crisis, where the homeless are less visible. Barn Raising Media reports that 1.4 million homes in rural areas fail to meet basic standards with essential services like water, sanitation and electricity.
(“Taking Stock of Rural America’s Hidden Homeless” Barn Raising Media, March 18, 2024)
Donald J. Trump’s net worth on paper dramatically increased when his new social media venture Trump Media became a public company. In the process Trump Media relied on $40 million dollars in emergency loans, including a bridge loan from a family trust operated by Russian-American Anton Postolnikov who runs an offshore bank linked to the porn industry. Postolnikov is the nephew of Alexandr Smirnov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
(“Trump Media Saved in 2022 by Russian-American Under Criminal Investigation,” The Guardian, April 3, 2024)
This week’s News Summary was narrated by Anna Manzo.
