Good morning. This is Shades of the Day, bringing you different shades of perspective in news and culture so that you can see the big picture quickly.

Here at Shades we believe that seeing multiple points of view is the best way to stay informed. Get the Shades app to be part of the future of news and culture.

It’s Monday, April 22 — here’s what you’ll find in today’s newsletter:

• Trump’s peace plan for Russia and Ukraine

• The Chinese swimmer doping scandal

• 4 quick hits of news from the last 24 hours

- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)

🕊️ Trump’s peace plan

🕊️ Trump has a peace plan that would cede Donbas and Crimea to Russia. WaPo says the idea is Nixon/Vietnam all over again.

🕊️ But MSNBC sort of likes it. As much as we'd hate to see it, the only way out of this stalemate might be for Ukraine to cede territory.

🕊️ Newsweek, on the other hand, totally hates the plan. Ceding some territory could risk Ukraine being swallowed whole.

🕊️ Yahoo agrees: The plan is just "terrible". Trump's stance appears to side with Russia, and fundamentally conflicts with current US policy.

🏊 China’s doping scandal

🏊 Top Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics — but they swam anyway. The NYT says there's new evidence of a cover-up.

🏊 @Jimbob95goon on X was outraged by the scandal: It's time to ban all of the swimmers involved.

🏊 Olympians in the Sydney Morning Herald were also angry: Shame on the doping swimmers and the World Anti-Doping Agency for letting them compete.

🏊 Yet, Aussie (and Chinese) coach Denis Cotterell took China's side. He said the idea of an “orchestrated” doping scheme is inaccurate.

🏊 And by the way, China's anti-doping agency likewise called the reports “misleading”.

4️⃣ Quick hits

🏛️ Speaker Mike Johnson commended for advancing foreign aid legislation, facing far-right backlash.

⚖️ The trial against Donald Trump over hush-money payments begins, marking the first prosecution of an American president.

🌍 For Earth Day, Judith Enck shares how choosing less plastic packaging during grocery shopping can impact the planet.

⚫ A mass grave with 180 bodies was uncovered in Gaza's Khan Younis amid continued Israeli attacks.