The US must bet on deterring Russian threats against Ukraine, or decide to back down to them.

I think Putin is bluffing and will not attack if the US takes purely defensive actions. He is an opportunist and grabs whatever is easy to grab. Furthermore, all his threats are only hints; if he does not attack, he will not have lost face. Thus, I think the US should take the defensive actions, then negotiate.

A commitment not to invite Ukraine into NATO would not deny Ukraine sovereignty, so I think it is ok to include in a peace deal, provided this is matched with Russian concessions. The US could demand Russia respect Ukraine's sovereignty by withdrawing support from the Donbas separatists.

However, demanding return of the Crimea would be too much. It is too late to undo that act of aggression.

People who are vaccinated against Covid-19 erroneously believe that they are completely safe, and that they can't ever transmit the virus. Both beliefs are incorrect.

Vaccinated people are less likely to catch Covid-19 when exposed, and less likely to transmit the virus if they are infected, but the probability is not zero. You still need to wear a mask to reduce those probabilities. You still need to keep distance from others.

These precautions can potentially drive R below 1 and make Covid-19 dwindle, if we keep doing all of them.

Attorney General Merrick Garland says he will rapidly prosecute passengers that interfere with flights. Most of these incidents start when someone refuses to wear a mask.

I wonder if Rep. Gosar or Rep. Green ever refuses to wear a mask on a plane. Probably they don't dare refuse, because they would really go to jail if they did. Photos of them wearing masks, like decent people, might show that they are not as heroic as they pretend to be.

California has legalized building houses closer together, but various exclusive areas are taking action to negate its effect.

This law is a good step, but it won't do enough to correct California's housing shortage. That requires building apartment buildings — lots of them.

* A joint report by human rights bodies and environment groups has found activists are increasingly facing repression by Australian governments.*