Russian troops have shelled the Zaporizhzhia region’s Huliaipole neighborhood with incendiary munitions, an Ukrinform correspondent experiences from the scene.

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Another day, another fraud scam for House Republican George Santos. This time a Brazilian news channel is reporting that more than a decade ago, Santos and a woman traveled together to the United States, where he drained her bank account and pawned her jewelry. This comes after last week’s news that Brazil already had a completed criminal case ready to go against Santos for alleged check fraud several years ago before he left the country, and is now planning to charge him and hold a trial.

This also comes even as some more of the dots have been connected between Santos, the alleged ponzi scheme company he worked for in Florida, the sham company he launched after the ponzi scheme was busted, and the money he may have loaned his campaign from that sham company. It’s getting so ugly that even Deutsche Bank – long known as a notorious facilitator of money laundering – was telling clients that the whole thing was a fraud. Do you know how much of a fraud you have to be for Deutsche Bank to call you out?

This raises some interesting questions about international jurisdiction, which don’t matter yet but could soon become rather important. Brazil will likely indict George Santos first, because it built its case against him years ago before he left the country. It’ll hold a trial whether he shows up for it or not. And if he’s convicted and sentenced to prison, it’ll seek extradition. That’s when things will get intriguing.

The US is investigating Santos at the federal and state level, for the potential campaign finance fraud he may have committed in 2022. Those probes are still getting underway and may take awhile. But by the time Brazil seeks extradition, US prosecutors should have a sense of whether they’re going to end up charging him.

If Santos is indeed going to be indicted in the US, then Brazil will have to wait its turn. Of course at that point the doomsday pundits would begin pushing the absurd conspiracy theory that the DOJ is blocking extradition to protect Santos. That’s insane, but some pundits will push it anyway. That’s just a heads up for when you end up hearing it.

Meanwhile back in the real world, if Brazil requests extradition and the U.S. government declines it’ll mean Santos is 100% being indicted in the United States, on charges serious enough to blow off Brazil’s desire to put Santos in prison for check fraud.

Of course none of this will have any direct impact on Santos’ status as a member of Congress. The only thing that gets you kicked out of Congress during your term is if you’re expelled with a two-thirds vote. Even if Santos were sitting in a prison cell – even a cell in Brazil – he could still theoretically remain a sitting member of Congress until the end of his term. Then again, at some point in Santos’ downfall, even these House Republicans will eventually decide that he’s no longer of any value and toss him aside, if only for selfish reasons. They’ll just keep him around far too long, and generate far too many ugly headlines for themselves, before belatedly cutting bait.

But the larger point is this: George Santos has not in any way insulated himself from criminal prosecution by deciding to take office. In fact House Republicans Duncan Hunter, Chris Collins, and Jeff Fortenberry have all been indicted and convicted of various crimes over the past few years, and let’s just say that none of them are in Congress anymore.

So no, George Santos is not going to “get away with it all.” When you’re being criminally investigated in two countries and one of them has already decided to charge you, you’re losing the game you’re playing, no matter how much sick fun you might be having playing it. Meanwhile House Democrats are weaponizing Santos by holding him up as the poster child for an embarrassingly corrupt and inept Republican House. By refusing to promptly resign, Santos is helping the Democrats’ odds of winning the House in 2024. But what does he care? He’s got far bigger problems.

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Labor leader Sean O’Brien, president of Teamsters labor union, has a list of demands for UPS — and isn’t afraid to talk about going on strike.

Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

• The Teamsters union has begun meetings to plan its upcoming contract negotiations with UPS. 
• The contract expires next July and members will be ready to strike, union leadership told Insider.
• At the top of the union wish list is undoing parts of the 2018 contract, complicating negotiations. 

The existing contract between UPS and its 360,000 unionized workers expires in July, and the work on the next one has already begun. Negotiations will start next month. 

Leading the Teamsters union, which represents UPS drivers, package handlers, and warehouse workers is Sean O’Brien, a long-time local union leader in Boston. O’Brien is shaking up the negotiation by bringing rank and file members to the table, shortening the timeframe for the talks, and threatening a strike.

“Sean is going to pick a fight with this company,” said O’Brien’s second in command Frank Zuckerman at a meeting of the union’s committee as it met to discuss proposals January 9. “This contract is going to be unlike the contracts of the past 25 years where UPS comes in and says they want a cost-neutral contract.” 

O’Brien’s toughest task may be undoing elements of UPS’ current contract, which went into effect on a technicality, even though members who voted were against it. 

“Walking backwards is difficult,” O’Brien told Insider in August. “But the one thing we have, we have leverage. We have the ability to strike.”

Here are some of the issues the union could strike over. 

‘Second-class drivers’

Four years ago, to add Saturday service, UPS created a new class of drivers who work Tuesday through Saturday. They start at $20.50 per hour and top out at $30.64, while regular drivers can reach $40.

O’Brien and some regular UPS drivers have said eliminating this position is a top priority. “I hate the fact that I work with somebody that’s doing the exact same job as I’m doing, if not more, because he’s less senior — and he’s getting paid less,” a UPS driver in the Northeast told Insider in 2021. “That is definitely a strike issue,” O’Brien said.

‘Excessive overtime’ 

Another byproduct of Saturday service has been more requests for regular drivers to work overtime. At lots of hubs, it’s a struggle to find enough volunteers to work Saturday, so managers assign the shifts. During the pandemic, drivers also reported longer days with a daunting number of stops designed to “sweat the assets.”

“We’re open to finding a solution to the seven-day week delivery because what the competition is doing,” O’Brien said, but the existing staffing solution is not working in his view. UPS rival FedEx has been delivery on Saturdays and Sunday for two years, but has been dialing back Sunday’s in recent months as part of a drastic cost-saving effort.  

Personal Vehicle Drivers 

PVDs, as they’re known inside UPS, are a familiar concept in a delivery world increasingly run on gig-economy labor. These temporary workers supplement full-time drivers, delivering packages while driving their own cars. According to the existing contract, UPS can hire PVDs as seasonal laborers as long as it gives priority to union employees. Some drivers see it as the commodification or “uber-ization” of their job.

“When I went to work in the construction industry 32 years ago, I didn’t bring my own truck to work,” O’Brien said when Insider asked about PVDs. The Teamsters’ goal is to eliminate what a spokesperson called “outsourcing” and “subcontracting.” 

“Every worker at UPS should be classified, treated, and paid as an actual employee, protected by a Teamster contract,” the spokesperson said. 

Driver surveillance

UPS has been gradually installing devices on the dashboards of package cars that contain front-facing and driver-facing cameras as well as other sensors. How those units are being used is a point of controversy. 

According to a UPS spokesperson, the devices do not record inward-facing video or audio of the driver. “Inward-facing sensors act like motion detectors, similar to home motion security systems, alerting our drivers to at-risk driving behaviors such as not fastening their seatbelt and repeatedly using a cell phone while driving,” they said. “The data may be used to provide in-person coaching and training.”

O’Brien called the inward-facing cameras an “invasion of privacy,” and vowed to get them removed in the next contract. “That’s just another tool to increase productivity and hold our members hostage,” he said. 

Part-time pay raise

“The fight for $15 is antiquated now,” O’Brien told Insider. “We’ve got to fight for a $20 starting rate of pay, and then reward long-term part-timers accordingly.” 

In addition to higher pay and what it calls “catch-up raises” for part-time package handlers and warehouse workers, the union also wants more opportunities for part-timers to convert to full-time. 

Heat

The death of a 24-year-old UPS driver from heat stroke in June brought the issue of heat-related worker safety to the front of the Teamsters’ priority list. They sent a letter to UPS leadership in late July requesting detailed information related to the company’s plans to prevent heat-related injuries. The union is still developing a specific ask on the issue, but O’Brien said one way to help would be to “staff up” so drivers aren’t driving 12- to 15-hour routes in the hottest months of the year. 

Brian Ashby

• The so-called “Invisible House” in Joshua Tree, California is on the market for $18 million. 
• The 5,500-square-foot home was designed by architect Tomas Osinski and film producer Chris Hanley.
• It sits on 67 acres that run up against Joshua Tree National Park. Take a look inside. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) speaks with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexandrovsky Garden near the Kremlin wall in Moscow on June 22, 2022.

MIKHAIL METZEL/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

• Scores of Russian troops were killed over the New Year holiday in a Ukrainian HIMARS strike. 
• A string of Russian command failures allowed the deadly attack to happen. 
• Security experts told Insider that the incident highlights a critical lack of skill at a tactical level. 

A recent Ukrainian strike killed scores of Russian troops, highlighting a series of command failures that put soldiers in a vulnerable position in the first place. Moscow’s response to the deadly incident has only made things worse and hasn’t really addressed any of the problems that caused it. 

Security experts told Insider that the incident highlighted Russia’s “lack of skill at the tactical level,” referring specifically to their inability to lead and safely house troops in a combat zone. Moscow’s response though has been to excuse command failures by blaming troops and fabricating revenge strikes.

Ukrainian forces used US-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to strike Russian positions during the New Year holiday in Makiivka, an occupied city in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

Russia said that nearly 90 soldiers were killed in the attack — a rare disclosure of battlefield losses. Ukraine’s military, however, placed the death toll at a much higher figure of around 400 people. These estimates could not be independently verified.   

The attack sparked sweeping criticism and condemnation of Moscow’s military leadership by prominent lawmakers, government officials, and military bloggers. They complained that the Kremlin placed troops near ammunition storage, allowed them to use cellphones that emit location data, and stationed them within firing range of Ukrainian weapons. 

“Having that many military personnel that concentrated, together on a battlefield like that, in artillery range, is kind of operational and tactical malpractice” on the part of command, Ian Williams, a fellow in the international security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Insider.

A lack of oversight, discipline, and awareness

Moscow was quick to blame the deadly HIMARS attack on its own troops, attributing the losses to their use of  cellphones, saying that this allowed Ukraine to determine their position and conduct the strike. This story, however, was dismissed by some in Russia — such as a war reporter who was previously honored by Putin — and also in Ukraine by senior military officials.

It’s unclear if cellphones played a role in the strike. If they did, it is unclear if Russian troops were explicitly told not to use their phones and did anyways, or if these rules were actually enforced. “In any case, it’s a lack of oversight, it’s a lack of discipline, or a lack of awareness,” Williams said.

The aftermath of the strike in Makiivka on January 3, 2023.

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

Battlefield cellphone usage by Russian troops has been a constant issue plaguing Putin’s military throughout his war in Ukraine, which has used their data at times to pinpoint their locations. 

Still, Moscow’s rush to slap the blame on its own troops triggered criticism among Russians, who accused the Kremlin of trying to pin responsibility on anyone but itself. 

Williams said one theme he’s noticed with Russia’s constant “screw-ups” is Moscow’s “blaming down,” where military leadership tends to buck-pass responsibility to those below. This can be attributed to Russia’s dependence on strong “top-down leadership,” he said, adding that there’s no corps of non-commissioned officers, which makes it difficult to instill good practices and behaviors. 

“It’s the soldier’s fault because they were using their cellphones. It’s the soldier’s fault because they were smoking, or the ammunition depot blew up because of people smoking where they shouldn’t be smoking,” Williams said, reflecting on the Russian leadership’s blame game. “The blame always seems to roll down to the bottom. There never seems to be much accountability held at the top.”

Beyond mismanaging cellphone usage, assuming that played a role, Russian command failures that ultimately led to such a high death toll appear to have included the physical location where the troops were stationed — within firing range of Ukrainian weapons systems and near the storage of ammunition. 

People take part in a ceremony in memory of Russian soldiers killed in Makiivka in Glory Square in Samara, Russia, on January 3, 2023.

REUTERS/Albert Dzen

Britain’s defense ministry shared in an early January intelligence update that the extent of the damage in Makiivka indicated there was a “realistic possibility” that ammunition was being stored near Russian troop accommodations at the time and detonated during the strike, causing secondary explosions. 

“The Russian military has a record of unsafe ammunition storage from well before the current war, but this incident highlights how unprofessional practices contribute to Russia’s high casualty rate,” the ministry said.

Andrew Metrick, a fellow with the defense program at the Center for a New American Security, said that some elements of the incident can be attributed to declining Russian military morale and quality. But another key aspect is the inherent “fog and friction” that comes with a prolonged war, where decisions are made without too much forethought, he said. This has become a problem for Russian command.

“A huge part of military training is stalling that degradation in command and degradation in skill that happens as you become much more tired and weary,” he added.

A ‘lack of skill at the tactical level’

Russia later went on claim that it killed hundreds of Ukrainian troops in a retaliation strike in the eastern city of Kramatorsk. But there doesn’t appear to be any evidence supporting the Kremlin’s narrative — journalists, local politicians, and military personnel have all reported no signs of casualties at the site. 

Russian messaging on the “so-called revenge strike” shows that the government is “trying to put a positive spin on this for their population,” Metrick said. It backfired though, as Russian milbloggers expressed anger with Russian military leadership after it came out that Russia’s claims were made up.

Critics said that Russia’s defense ministry regularly makes false claims and expressed dissatisfaction with the leadership for fabricating a story of revenge rather than addressing the failures responsible for Russian losses, according to a recent Institute for the Study of War report.

The Ukrainian strike on Makiivka is not the only time where Kyiv has been able to take advantage of Russian command failures during the nearly 11-month-long war, either. Mistakes and blunders have cost Putin’s military at various stages of the conflict, including as early as the attempted capture of Kyiv. 

A Ukrainian soldier checks a wrecked Russian tank outside of the village of Mala Rogan, east of Kharkiv, on April 1, 2022.

SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images

At the tactical level, the Russians have “not always been very skillful” when fighting in Ukraine,” Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine Corps colonel and a senior advisor with the CSIS security program, told Insider, and that has come as a surprise to many given that Moscow’s military underwent a number of reforms after the 2008 war with Georgia. 

“The Russians have shown some lack of skill at the tactical level, however, they’ve been able to continue their operations,” Cancian said. These operations that Moscow has been able to pull off include the evacuation from over the Dnipro River in Kherson and the withdrawal from around the Kyiv area.

He said it’s important to keep an eye on whether an incident like Makiivka happens again. 

“War is a harsh teacher, but it does teach,” Mark said. “If this is the last time we hear something like this, maybe the Russians learned their lesson and took all the cellphones away. But if we see this happen again, then that means maybe they are not picking up and disseminating these war-fighting skills.”

Russia fired a second wave of missiles at Ukraine on Saturday, forcing people to take cover as sirens blared across the country just hours after morning air strikes that hit critical infrastructure in Kyiv and the eastern city of Kharkiv.

Authorities in Mykolaiv, the western city of Lviv and the Black Sea port of Odesa said air defences were trying to shoot down incoming missiles. Explosions were heard in the central Vynnytsa region, Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne reported.

Moscow, which invaded last February, has been pounding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with missiles and drones since October, causing sweeping blackouts and disruptions to central heating and running water as winter bites.

The second attack on Saturday came hours after Reuters journalists heard a series of blasts in Kyiv in the morning before the air raid siren even sounded, which is highly unusual. The extent of any damage or casualties in the second wave was not yet clear.

No one was reported hurt following the first wave, but missile debris caused a fire in one place and houses were damaged outside the capital, officials said.

“An infrastructure facility was hit. No critical damage or fire. All emergency services are working at the site. No one is wounded,” Kyiv’s military administration said in a statement.

Ukrenergo, which runs the power grid, said its workers were racing to fix the damage and that the network was grappling with a power deficit caused by earlier attacks even though it was -2 Celsius (28 Fahrenheit) in Kyiv, only mildly cold.

DTEK, the biggest private electricity company, introduced emergency blackouts in Kyiv, the Kyiv region and Odesa region.

Kyiv’s mayor said the debris of a missile came down on a non-residential area in the Holosiivskiy district in the west of Kyiv, causing a fire but hurting no one.

Residential infrastructure was also hit in the village of Kopyliv in the region just outside the capital. The windows and roofs of 18 privately owned houses were shattered or damaged by the blast, Oleksiy Kuleba, the regional governor, said.

Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said Russia’s missiles had likely been fired along a high, looping ballistic trajectory from the north, which would explain why the air raid siren did not sound.

Ukraine is not able to identify and shoot down ballistic missiles, he told the Ukrainska Pravda online outlet.

In Ukraine’s northeast, Oleg Synehubov, Kharkiv’s regional governor, said two S-300 missiles struck the city near the Russian border early on Saturday.

The attacks hit critical energy infrastructure and industrial facilities in the Kharkiv and Chuhuev district of the region, he said.

“Our emergency services units and energy workers are working to liquidate the consequences and stabilise the situation with energy supplies,” he said.

The strikes on Saturday came as Ukrainian and Russian forces battled for control of Soledar, a small salt-mining town in eastern Ukraine that for days has been the focus of a relentless Russian assault.

Russia said on Friday that its forces had taken control of Soledar, in what would be a rare success for Moscow after months of battlefield reverses, but Kyiv said its troops were still fighting in the town.

Reuters could not immediately verify the situation in Soledar.

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