Into the war zone | Morning Newsletter
And SEPTA sued a reporter to hide payouts
The Morning Newsletter
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The clear and sunny weather is set to continue with a high of 82.
We’re nearing seven months since Russia invaded Ukraine. Not many expected it to last this long, and there’s still not a definitive end in sight. Philly activists are fighting to keep people’s attention on the war as they face challenges at home, such as rising food costs and supply-chain-induced shortages.
But developments are happening. Ukrainian forces liberated numerous villages and the key city of Izium from Russian occupation over the weekend. The war isn’t over, but the Ukrainian military proved it has the skills to defeat Vladimir Putin’s flailing army.
Our lead story follows columnist Trudy Rubin during her summer of reporting from the front lines of the war.
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Inquirer foreign affairs columnist Trudy Rubin has spent 40 years documenting war, and in her own words: “I’ve never seen anything like Ukraine.”
She went there for two reasons:
To measure the morale of soldiers, citizens, and cities battered by Russian rockets and missiles as the invasion continues.
And to gauge how long Ukraine could hold out before the West recognized it could not afford to let Ukraine lose — and Vladimir Putin win. The United States, Britain, and Germany recently delivered advanced mobile rocket launchers, after Ukraine requested weapons for months.
Keep reading to learn as she documents the travel to get to Ukraine, her lengthy conversations with residents who can’t plan their lives beyond a few weeks, and her moments with Ukrainian military officers as they took her to the front lines over the course of three weeks.
Despite the devastation, Rubin believes Ukraine has a chance to push back and ultimately win.
What you should know today
The Pennsylvania House voted to hold Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner in contempt for defying a subpoena. It’s the latest escalation in a heated impeachment effort among state Republicans.
In more Krasner news, a federal judge found that the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office provided incomplete and misleading information while trying to free a man from death row.
Philly poll workers who will work Election Day are set to get significant raises.
Quinta Brunson said she’s not mad about the Jimmy Kimmel stunt, but the rest of the world is.
Fraud is rampant in the sports collectible world as the hobby has struggled to regulate itself. The industry and collectors are trying to fight it 🔑.
Local coronavirus numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
SEPTA will go to great lengths to hide public records.
They want to keep some so quiet that the transportation agency sued reporter Juliana Feliciano Reyes after requesting six unredacted separation agreements.
Necessary context: She requested these documents after her original story with fellow reporter Thomas Fitzgerald revealed the agency didn’t distribute pay cuts equally to its executives, despite saying that it would.
Nine months after she requested those documents, she got them and they revealed generous deals. When asked to leave, all six men agreed to resign and got paid their full salary and benefits for a certain amount of time. In one case, it was more than a year.
You know who doesn’t get these type of deals? The workers.
Bruce Bodner, the lawyer for the biggest union representing SEPTA workers, Transport Workers Union 234, blasted the payouts as an “unbelievable double standard.”
Keep reading to uncover Reyes’ nearly yearlong legal fight with the transportation agency.
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Hint: This Iron Chef is moving to the ground floor of the Cira Centre.
CARESSE JOG
Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shoutout to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shoutout goes to Dan Tureck, who correctly guessed AWSM Sauce as Tuesday’s answer.
One of the biggest names to emerge from the Philadelphia rap scene in the last decade was fatally shot in Los Angeles on Monday
PnB Rock is known for effortlessly moving between R&B and rap. He’s known for hits like “Everyday We Lit” and “Selfish” as well as more reflective pieces like “My City Needs Something,” a deeply personal song about escalating violence in Philly.
The artist born Rakim Hasheem Allen was shot multiple times during a robbery while eating lunch with his girlfriend. His sudden passing sent a shock through the hip-hop community, locally and nationally.
Celebrities, politicians, and fans have publicly mourned online since the news broke.
Philly venues including The Met, Fillmore, and the TLA all paid tribute to the rapper Tuesday.
Continue reading to follow the story of his rise to fame and how it was tragically was cut short.
What We’re...
🗳️ Reading: A guide on where Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates Doug Mastriano and Josh Shapiro stand on LGBTQ rights.
💻 Pondering: This theater premiere starring two computers having a conversation. 🔑
❤️ Swooning: Over this adorable raccoon that tucked itself into a Philly squid scientist’s hammock.
Photo of the Day
And that’s your Wednesday. I’m off to brew my morning green tea and honey ☕. Thank you for waking up with The Inquirer.