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THE PRESIDENT APPEASES PUTIN. On Tuesday came word that President Joe Biden will waive sanctions on a major player in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which U.S. officials have long seen as a Russian threat to U.S. and European security. The pipeline, which is nearly completed, would transport natural gas from Russia to Germany. In the process, it would make both Germany and the rest of Europe — and the NATO alliance — vulnerable to the strategic desires of Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin. Not surprisingly, the pipeline is a top-priority project for Putin.