I tend to have #MSNBC or #CNN on in the background while I'm working in my studio much of the time. I can be a political junkie, and I'm getting a kick out of the Republican's Presidential nomination proceedings these days. Over on the other side of the world - Vladimir Putin has become Russia's brand-new President-elect...a curious event that makes our political system in America seem just a bit less silly. Recently I began what will hopefully become an ongoing new gig - creating Wall Street Journal-style hedcuts for  IL – Intelligence in lifestyle, the monthly newsmagazine of Il Sole 24 ORE, the leading financial and economical newspaper in Italy. As it happens - my first assignment for them was a rendering of Putin, and he is featured alongside my portraits of Bashar al-Assad and his uncle Rifaat. Unfortunately, I do not speak/read Italian, but here's the article (below) for those of you who do.