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Russia ‘Ruins’ the Weekend for 500 Americans
The Trump-prepared list includes Stephen Colbert and Barack Obama as Americans not permitted to enter Russia
It must have come as a blow to Stephen Colbert as he wrapped up the taping of his late-night show on Friday. Planning a long weekend on the shores of the Gulf of Finland in the formerly popular resort “train stop” — that is pretty much all it is — known as “Solnechnoye” (Sunny, in Russian) outside of St. Petersburg, the Kremlin declared him persona nongratis.
A new list came out with the names of 500 Americans who are now forced to postpone White Nights bridge-watching, mushroom-gathering trips, and visits to the ballet because the Kremlin has decided, after apparent consultation with Donald Trump, that people like Colbert and Barack Obama are forbidden from entering Russia.
Among the 500 people singled out for travel and financial restrictions on Friday were Americans seen as adversaries by Mr. Trump, including Letitia James, the state attorney general of New York who has investigated and sued him. Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state of Georgia who rebuffed Mr. Trump’s pressure to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election, also made the list. And Lt. Michael Byrd, the Capitol Police officer who shot the pro-Trump rioter Ashli…
