Chronicle briefs for Sept. 22

Zelenskyy Thanks Canadians for Unwavering Support

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, in his latest stop on a North American tour to shore up support for his war effort, told Canada’s Parliament on Friday that Russia is conducting a genocide in Ukraine.

“It is genocide, what Russian occupiers are doing to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “It is not just about an ordinary conflict. It is about saving lives of millions of people.”

“This Russian aggression must end with our victory so that Russia will never bring back genocide to Ukraine,” he added.

The speech to a special joint session of Canada’s House of Commons and Senate was the most widely anticipated event in his first trip to the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The audience, which included guests as well as lawmakers, repeatedly interrupted Zelenskyy with standing ovations.

Zelenskyy thanked Canada for its military and humanitarian assistance as well as its support for Ukraine’s entry into NATO. He also urged Western nations to seize Russian assets and use them as reparations for Ukraine as well as to bring “Russia to justice for the crime of aggression itself.”

The address followed a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has been a particularly strong supporter of Ukraine, reflecting a consensus among Canadians. His country has the largest population of expatriate Ukrainians aside from Russia, and Trudeau’s government has provided about $3.7 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine and an additional $1.3 billion in military aid. About 175,000 Ukrainians have found refuge in Canada since the Russian invasion began.

Thomas Twice Attended Koch Network Donor Summits

WASHINGTON – Justice Clarence Thomas twice attended an annual donor summit organized by the conservative political network established by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, a spokesperson for the group confirmed Friday.

The justice’s presence at the summit was earlier reported by ProPublica.

The spokesperson, Gretchen Reiter, said that Thomas had only attended on those two occasions. He was invited first in 2008 to promote his memoir, “My Grandfather’s Son,” she said, and then to deliver remarks at a small dinner in 2018. She declined to comment on what Thomas discussed or who was in attendance.

The circumstances of Thomas’ role at an elite donor event organized by a powerful right-wing organization renewed questions about his ethics practices, particularly given that the Koch network has brought several cases before the Supreme Court. One, in 2021, shielded charities in California from a requirement to report the identities of their major donors. In a dissenting opinion, members of the court’s liberal wing argued that the decision in the case had the potential to erode disclosure laws for political donations.

“The public must have faith that the justices’ decisions are informed by facts and law, and decades of decision-making, and are not influenced by a wealthy and powerful few,” Maya Wiley, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said in a statement emailed Friday.

Amazon Will Show Ads on Prime Video Starting Next Year

Amazon will start featuring advertisements on content streamed on Prime Video, the company said on Friday, making it the latest streaming service to turn to commercials to raise revenue.

The changes, which will go into effect early next year, will apply in the United States, Canada, Britain and Germany, unless subscribers pay more to opt out. Amazon said that U.S. subscribers will have to pay an additional $2.99 per month for an ad-free service, and that it would disclose pricing for users in other countries at a later date.

Ads will be rolled out to Prime subscribers in France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Australia later in 2024, the company said.

“To continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time, starting in early 2024, Prime Video shows and movies will include limited advertisements,” Amazon said in a statement. The statement added that Amazon would have fewer ads than other streaming providers and that the company would not make any further changes to the price for the rest of 2024.