Free Republic

It would be easy to underestimate Valeriy Zaluzhny. When not in uniform, the general prefers T-shirts and shorts that match his easygoing sense of humor. When he first heard from aides to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in late July 2021 that he was being tapped to lead the country’s armed forces, his stunned response was, “What do you mean?” As it sank in that he would become commander in chief, he tells TIME in his first interview since the Russian invasion began, he felt as if he had been punched “not just below the belt but straight into a knockout.”...

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the network of pharmacies run by businessmen Alpesh and Manish Patel was struggling...One top executive had previously been convicted for his role in running a national opioid pill mill; two others, including Manish Patel himself, were barred from doing business with federal health-care programs due to allegations ranging from racketeering to conspiracy to paying illegal kickbacks. But then the pandemic presented an opportunity: loosened rules for telehealth and long-distance prescription writing combined with massive demand for unproven COVID-19 treatments could mean big money. And the Patels soon capitalized. First, they were able to take advantage of...