April 16, 2020
DONALD CHOSE A LOUSY SVENGALI:
As corona casualties mount, Putin keeps a low profile (MARC BENNETTS, 04/15/2020, Politico)
Less than a month ago, when Russia had suffered just one death from COVID-19, a state television presenter introduced a guest dressed in green and wearing spiky headgear. "So, when did you first arrive in Moscow?" the presenter asked, referring to the actor as the "coronavirus bug."The broadcast -- a bizarre blend of dark humor and public health information -- aired on March 21 when there were just 253 confirmed cases of coronavirus infections in the country and just days after the Kremlin had assured Russians that the virus was "under control."A month on, the joking has stopped, and the Kremlin's tone is very different.
Posted by Orrin Judd at April 16, 2020 12:00 AM