April 5, 2022

Afternoon Update:

David Smith & Jon Henley of the Guardian: "Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has given the UN security council a harrowing account of atrocities in his country and demanded that Russian leaders be 'brought to justice for war crimes'. A day after Joe Biden called for Putin to be held to account, Zelenskiy said there should be an international tribunal similar to the Nuremberg trials of Nazis after the second world war. There has been global revulsion at apparently deliberate civilian killings by Russian troops in Ukraine. Zelenskiy visited the town of Bucha on Monday after officials said the bodies of 410 civilians had been recovered from Kyiv-area towns after Russian troops withdrew. 'There is not a single crime that they would not commit there,' Zelenskiy said ia video link and an interpreter. 'The Russians searched for and purposely killed anyone who served our country. They shot and killed women outside their houses. They killed entire families -- adults and children -- and they tried to burn the bodies.'"

Oh, TuKKKer! Max Boot of the Washington Post: "Only someone born yesterday would be remotely surprised by the atrocities revealed in Bucha, Ukraine. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has been committing war crimes since the day he took office. That makes it all the more sinister and enraging that he retains an influential rooting section of right-wing voters in the United States. The Pew Research Center finds that the number of Republicans expressing confidence in the Russian tyrant has, mercifully, declined from 37 percent in 2006 to just 7 percent today. But some of the loudest and most influential voices in the MAGA movement still refuse to support Ukraine or stop pushing Russian propaganda.... The worst offenders are also the most influential: ... Donald Trump and Fox 'News' host Tucker Carlson. Hey, Tucker, are you still rooting for Russia over Ukraine -- as you said you were in 2019?"

Ivanka Speaks. Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "Ivanka Trump..., Donald J. Trump's eldest daughter, who served as one of his senior advisers, plans to testify on Tuesday before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, according to a person familiar with the matter. Ms. Trump was one of several aides who tried to persuade the president to call off the violence that ultimately injured more than 150 police officers and sent lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence fleeing for safety, according to evidence gathered by the committee. The schedule for her testimony, which was reported earlier by NBC, comes days after her husband, Jared Kushner, who was also a top adviser to Mr. Trump, sat for an interview and provided what one member of the panel described as 'valuable' and 'helpful' information."

Marie: Looks as if the Conde de Mar-a-Lardo sort of accidentally admitted he lost the 2020 election: ~~~

Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: In that same Zoom interview with the historians -- story linked below -- "Describing his attempts to make South Korea pay more for US military assistance, Trump said Moon Jae-in, the South Korean president, was among the 'happiest' world leaders after the 2020 US election put Joe Biden in the White House. 'By not winning the election,' Trump said, 'he was the happiest man -- I would say, in order, China was -- no, Iran was the happiest. [Moon] was going to pay $5bn, $5bn a year. But when I didn't win the election, he had to be the happiest -- I would rate, probably, South Korea third- or fourth-happiest.' Trump also said 'the election was rigged and lost'."

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Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "The U.N. Security Council will meet on Tuesday as the United States and Europe threaten to further isolate President Vladimir V. Putin and demand that he be held accountable for possible war crimes by Russian forces outside the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. France, the United States and Britain are likely to present evidence that atrocities were committed in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, where more than 300 bodies have been found since Russian forces retreated last week. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine traveled there on Monday and called out Europe's leaders for not doing enough to stop Russia. He said he expected the civilian death toll to rise as officials cleared more homes. But it will be difficult for the council to agree on any concrete measures because of the veto power held by Russia and China." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Tuesday are here: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to demand greater help from world powers at a U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday to battle Russia and hold its forces accountable over mounting evidence of civilian killings near Kyiv that have sparked global outrage.... In southern Ukraine -- where Moscow appears to be shifting its military focus, along with parts of the east -- a Red Cross team seeking to evacuate people from the battered port city of Mariupol was released overnight. A Ukrainian official accused Russian forces of detaining the aid workers trying to reach trapped residents struggling to survive a brutal siege." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Tuesday are here.

Allie Malloy of CNN: "President Joe Biden on Monday called the atrocities allegedly committed by Russian forces in Bucha, Ukraine, a 'war crime' and called for a trial to take place against ... Vladimir Putin.... [Biden] said he was looking into additional sanctions against Russia.... US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the State Department would help document any attacks by Russian troops against Ukrainian civilians. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the deaths of civilians in Bucha a 'brutality' and said 'I strongly welcome' an investigation by International Criminal Court, which has opened an investigation into war crimes in Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed the extensive footage of dead civilians in Bucha was 'fake' and that 'not a single local resident suffered from any violent actions' during Russia's occupation of the town." MB: Second only to the atrocities themselves is the audacity of the Defense Ministry to mock its victims by declaring their dead bodies "fake." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Malachy Browne et al., of the New York Times: "An analysis of satellite images by The New York Times rebuts claims by Russia that the killing of civilians in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, occurred after its soldiers had left the town.... In a Telegram post on Sunday, the ministry suggested that the bodies had been recently placed on the streets after 'all Russian units withdrew completely from Bucha' around March 30. Russia claimed that the images were 'another hoax' and called for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on what it called 'provocations of Ukrainian radicals' in Bucha. But a review of videos and satellite imagery by The Times shows that many of the civilians were killed more than three weeks ago, when Russia's military was in control of the town." ~~~

     ~~~ Eliot Higgins of bellingcat: "... open source evidence exists that appears to run counter to claims of elaborate fakes and staged productions, as well as calling into question the apparent timeline of events as depicted by Russia in recent days." Although Higgins doesn't cite satellite imagery, he does lay out quite a bit of other evidence against Moscow's preposterous claims.

A Census of War Crimes. Robert Klemko of the Washington Post: Ukraine's "prosecutor general's office estimates the country is using about 50,000 investigators from five different law enforcement agencies to investigate war crimes. They are conducting interviews across the country and meticulously documenting evidence that they hope to use in war crimes prosecutions against ... Vladimir Putin and the military force he sent to invade Ukraine.... They have fanned out across Ukraine, addressing small groups of mostly female and elderly displaced people in churches, classrooms and auditoriums...."

Carlotta Gall of the New York Times: "Badly frightened and hungry, residents of Nova Basan, a town east of Kyiv, emerged from their cottages and farmhouses on Monday, and described living through the terrifying ordeal of the Russian occupation -- detentions, threats and a strict curfew that confined them to their homes with no outside communication for more than a month. Nova Basan, about 60 miles east of the Ukrainian capital, is one of a stretch of towns and villages retaken from Russian control after battles through the last week of March, and just now coming back to life.... Mykola Dyachenko, the official responsible for the administration of the town and surrounding villages..., said he was among some 20 men who were held prisoner by Russian troops for 25 days during the occupation.... He said he had been put through what he called a mock execution 15 times while being questioned about local Ukrainian territorial defense forces and ammunition stored in the area."

Bethan McKernan of the Guardian: "Women across Ukraine are grappling with the threat of rape as a weapon of war as growing evidence of sexual violence emerges from areas retaken from retreating Russian forces.... As Russian troops have withdrawn from towns and suburbs around the capital in order to refocus the war effort on Ukraine's east, women and girls have come forward to tell the police, media and human rights organisations of atrocities they have suffered at the hands of Russian soldiers. Gang-rapes, assaults taking place at gunpoint, and rapes committed in front of children are among the grim testimonies collected by investigators.... Rape and sexual assault are considered war crimes and a breach of international humanitarian law, and both Ukraine's prosecutor general and the international Criminal Court have said they will open investigation into reported sexual violence." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Francisco Ubilla, et al., of the AP: "The U.S. government on Monday seized a 254-foot yacht in Spain owned by an oligarch with close ties to ... Vladimir Putin, a first by the Biden administration under sanctions imposed after the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine and targeting pricey assets of Russian elites. Spain's Civil Guard and U.S. federal agents descended on the Tango at the Marina Real in the port of Palma de Mallorca, the capital of Spain's Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Associated Press reporters at the scene saw police going in and out of the boat.... The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close Putin ally who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to U.S. Treasury Department documents." MB: Gosh, I hope all us taxpayer-owners get to go yachting on our new luxury vessel. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Adam Cancryn of Politico: "The Biden administration is planning on Tuesday to propose a long-sought change to the Affordable Care Act aimed at lowering health insurance costs for millions of Americans, four people with knowledge of the matter told Politico. The new policy is designed to close a loophole in the ACA known as the 'family glitch' that's prevented an estimated 5 million people from qualifying for subsidized health plans -- even when they can't find affordable coverage elsewhere." The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~

~~~ I Like What You've Done with the Place. Annie Linskey of the Washington Post: "... Tuesday afternoon..., [President] Obama [will step] into the White House for the first time since he vacated the premises in 2017.... The immediate reason for Tuesday's visit is for Obama to witness President Biden signing an executive order strengthening the Affordable Care Act, Obama's landmark domestic achievement. But Obama's appearance will also take place against the backdrop of low poll numbers for Biden, dim electoral prospects for Democrats and an urgent search for a spark by party leaders."

Marie: I did not read this "Garland Under Pressure" story when it first came out, as I previously had linked quite a few similar articles. But I noticed today that the NYT story does contain one interesting tidbit: ~~~

~~~ Katie Benner, et al., of the New York Times (April 2): "As recently as late last year, [President] Biden confided to his inner circle that he believed ... Donald J. Trump was a threat to democracy and should be prosecuted, according to two people familiar with his comments. And while the president has never communicated his frustrations directly to [Attorney General Merrick] Garland, he has said privately that he wanted Mr. Garland to act less like a ponderous judge and more like a prosecutor who is willing to take decisive action over the events of Jan. 6." MB: Bear in mind that this is the kind of stuff leaders like to have "confidentially" leaked. But Merrick Garland can read, and it sends him a sotto voce message from the guy who appointed him.

Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "A nearly unified wall of G.O.P. opposition to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson cracked slightly on Monday as two more Senate Republicans said they would side with Democrats in supporting her, paving the way for her confirmation as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Senators Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined a third Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, in lending their support to Judge Jackson, defying deep resistance in their party to the nominee. The G.O.P. opposition was underscored anew on Monday when all 11 Republicans on the Judiciary Committee voted against the nomination. That prompted Democrats to use an unusual procedure to force the nomination out of the deadlocked panel with a vote of the full Senate, which agreed to the move by a vote of 53 to 47.... [Murkowski's & Romney's] support came after another contentious day in the Judiciary Committee, during which Republicans spent hours vehemently reiterating their opposition to her elevation. The N.A.A.C.P. called the resulting deadlock in the panel a 'stain' on the committee." ~~~

~~~ Mary Jalonick & Kevin Freking of the AP: "The Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked, 11-11, Monday on whether to send Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court nomination to the Senate floor. But President Joe Biden's nominee is still on track to be confirmed this week as the first Black woman on the high court. The committee's tie vote was expected, as there is an even party split on the panel and all of the Republicans are opposing Jackson&'s nomination to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. But it was still a blow to Democrats who had hoped for robust bipartisan support -- and it was the first time the committee has deadlocked on a Supreme Court nomination in three decades. In order to move forward, Democrats planned a new vote to 'discharge' Jackson's nomination from committee Monday evening and then take a series of procedural steps in the coming days to wind it through the 50-50 Senate. With the support of at least one Republican, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Jackson is on a glidepath toward confirmation by the end of the week." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Loose Lips Lindsey Says the Quiet Part Out Loud. Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) indicated on Monday that Senate Republicans wouldn't have accepted Ketanji Brown Jackson as a Supreme Court pick if they controlled the Senate and sent a warning shot about how Republicans will treat any Supreme Court nominees in 2023 or 2024. 'If we get back the Senate and we're in charge of this body and there is judicial openings, we will talk to our colleagues on the other side. But if we were in charge, she would not have been before this committee. You would have had somebody more moderate than this,' Graham said during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting." ~~~

~~~ Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "Judging by the numbers, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are obsessed with child pornography. In four days of Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the phrase 'child porn' (or 'pornography' or 'pornographer') was mentioned 165 times. There were also, according to transcripts, 142 uses of 'sex' ('sexual abuse,' 'sexual assault,' 'sexual intercourse,' 'sex crimes'), 15 of 'pedophile,' 13 of 'predators,' 18 of 'prepubescent' and nine of general pornography. There were only 30 mentions of the First Amendment and 12 of the Bill of Rights. The Republican fixation on pornography continued during Monday's round of statements by senators before the committee advanced Jackson's nomination to the Senate floor.... In fairness, child pornography wasn't Republicans' only obsession. The phrases 'critical race theory' or 'CRT' came up 66 times during the hearing."

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court ruled on Monday in favor of a Brooklyn man who said he had been falsely accused by police officers of resisting arrest, saying he could sue for malicious prosecution under a federal civil rights law. The vote was 6 to 3, with the majority deciding only the narrow question of what the man, Larry Thompson, had to show to meet a requirement that there was a favorable termination of the prosecution against him."

Alex Henderson of Alternet: In September 2021, Donald Trump showed up on a Zoom conference with Princeton history professor Julian Zelizer & some other historians who were writing a book about his presidency* to give them his take on what a great job he had done & how the 2020 election was stolen from him. MB: Apparently Trump's experience with rubes has led him to believe that he can persuade anyone with his lies.

Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Lawyers for ... Donald Trump are asking a federal judge [-- Donald Middlebrooks --] appointed by President Bill Clinton to step aside from a suit Trump filed last month claiming that Hillary Clinton and her political allies engaged in a racketeering conspiracy to falsely accuse Trump of colluding with Russia to gain support in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.... Motions to recuse based on the identity or party of the president who appointed a judge are rarely granted. In a largely two-party system, federal judges are virtually certain to have been appointed by the political rivals of a president or his political allies."

Ha Ha. Meridith McGraw & Emily Birnbaum of Politico: "Top executives from ... Donald Trump's social media venture, Truth Social, have departed the company as the site has struggled to gain traction with users. Three top executives quit Truth Social, including chief technology officer, Josh Adams and Billy Boozer, the head of the company's product development, and chief legal officer, Lori Heyer-Bednar, according to two people familiar with the matter.... Trump launched the Truth Social app as a way to take on 'Big Tech.' He and his allies argued it would rival major social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, which both removed the former president from their platforms following the Jan. 6 riots on Capitol Hill.... Trump himself has only posted once on the app. He had 827,000 followers as of Monday morning. Former Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) quit his job in Congress in order to serve as CEO of Truth Social." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) See Akhilleus' commentary below. ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE, Over at the Competition. Michelle Chapman & Tom Krisher of the AP: "Tesla CEO Elon Musk acquired a 9% stake in Twitter to become its largest shareholder at a time when he is questioning the social media platform's dedication to free speech and the First Amendment. The ultimate aim of Musk's 73.5 million share purchase, worth about $3 billion, is not known. Yet in late March Musk, who has 80 million Twitter followers and is very active on the site, questioned free speech on Twitter and whether the platform is undermining democracy. It's unclear just when Musk bought the stake." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Although Musk "has a track record of silencing critics with threats of lawsuits and firing employees who disagree with him," [Business Insider link; BI is firewalled] he claims to be a "free speech absolutist." Stephanie Ruhle of MSNBC suggested that might cause Twitter's biggest shareholder to demand that Donald Trump & other misinformation and lie factories be allowed back on the platform.

AND There Will Be No Free Speech at Amazon. Ken Klippenstein of the Intercept: "Amazon will block and flag employee posts on a planned internal messaging app that contain keywords pertaining to labor unions, according to internal company documents reviewed by The Intercept. An automatic word monitor would also block a variety of terms that could represent potential critiques of Amazon's working conditions, like 'slave labor,' 'prison,' and 'plantation,' as well as 'restrooms' -- presumably related to reports of Amazon employees relieving themselves in bottles to meet punishing quotas. 'Our teams are always thinking about new ways to help employees engage with each other,' said Amazon spokesperson Barbara M. Agrait. 'This particular program has not been approved yet and may change significantly or even never launch at all.'";

Josh Margolin, et al., of ABC News: "Hunter Biden is apparently spending his father's presidency living in luxury in Malibu -- and so is his taxpayer-funded security detail. The Secret Service detail protecting the president's controversial son has been paying more than $30,000 a month to rent out a swanky Malibu, California, mansion for nearly a year, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News. The agency ... selected the property in order to be located as close as possible to Biden's own rented mansion where he is paying about $20,000 a month according to property listings, sources told ABC News.... The Spanish-style estate that the Secret Service has rented sits on a 0.7-acre lot above the Malibu coast and also features 'gorgeous ocean views,' according to its listing.... Hunter Biden's California lifestyle is coming into focus just as the federal probe into his tax affairs has intensified, as sources familiar with the matter recently told ABC News." MB: Gosh, you wouldn't expect Secret Service agents to stay in more humble digs back in the Malibu hills, would you? (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "There are four elements ... that make Fox News a uniquely damaging part of the American news landscape: its strength on the political right, the demonstrated way in which it shapes its viewers' beliefs, its grip on Republican power and the views of its leadership." Bump writes in response to a report that President Biden had privately called Rupert Murdoch "the most dangerous man in the world," and that the President felt Fox "News" was "one of the most destructive forces in the United States."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here: "Senators announced a deal on a $10 billion coronavirus aid package on Monday to provide additional aid for domestic testing, vaccination and treatment efforts, after dropping a push to include billions for the global vaccination effort.... The package was announced by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, and Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah. Both have led negotiations in recent days. In a statement, Mr. Schumer said that President Biden supported the agreement, even though it was less than half of the White House's original $22.5 billion request.... The domestic spending is paid for largely by repurposing unspent money that was approved in March 2021 in the $1.9 trillion pandemic law that Democrats pushed through without any Republican votes, as well as some funds from the $2.2 trillion law approved under the Trump administration, a key Republican demand."

Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky announced plans Monday to revamp the agency that has come under blistering criticism for its performance leading the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying, 'it is time to step back and strategically position CDC to support the future of public health.' In an agencywide email sent shortly after 1 p.m., Walensky said she has hired a senior federal health official outside of the Atlanta-based agency to conduct a one-month review to 'kick off an evaluation of CDC's structure, systems, and processes.'"

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: Gov. Ron "DeSantis escalated his attacks on Disney amid its criticism of the law he signed limiting classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity. But DeSantis's war on Disney will soon face a reckoning. A big question is whether DeSantis will seek to revoke Disney's state tax incentives as a weapon in the war over that measure, which opponents call the 'Don't Say Gay' law.... Some on the right, particularly the new nationalists seeking to build a post-Trump Trumpism, actually do believe the state should be weaponized to fight the culture wars as aggressively as possible.... One prominent right-wing activist explicitly told Michelle Goldberg [of the New York Times] that attacks on Disney are all about teaching it 'the lesson' that 'they should stay out of politics.' The goal is to wield state power to dissuade corporations from empowering the enemy known as social liberalism." ~~~

     ~~~ As Jonathan Chait of New York writes, in an article I can't link because it's firewalled, DeSantis' attack on Disney "is what post-Trump authoritarianism looks like."

Florida, Where the Sun Don't Shine. Mike DeForest of WKMG Orlando: "In a move criticized by advocates of Florida's open government laws, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ staff intervened in a public records request related to a former appointee who is reportedly connected to a federal sex trafficking investigation, documents obtained by News 6 show. The governor's secondary 'review' of state spending records delayed the release of those documents for more than two months, records confirm. That delay may have violated Florida's public records ['sunshine'] laws, according to some legal experts familiar with the matter. News 6 submitted a public records request last year seeking spending reports from Halsey Beshears, the former head of Florida's business licensing agency. According to Politico, Beshears and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz were named in a grand jury subpoena related to an ongoing federal sex trafficking investigation.... According to Politico, Beshears traveled to the Bahamas with Gaetz in September 2018, just months before Beshears was named DBPR secretary. At the time, Beshears was serving in the Florida legislature. That Bahamas trip has been scrutinized by federal investigators as part of its probe into possible sex trafficking, according to CBS News."

Maryland. Azi Paybarah of the New York Times: "Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland on Monday signed into law a new congressional map drawn by Democrats, a little more than a week after a judge called their previous effort an 'extreme gerrymander' and threw it out. Mr. Hogan, a Republican, agreed to approve the maps after Democrats dropped their appeal of the judge's ruling. He described the deal as 'a tremendous victory for democracy and for free and fair elections in Maryland' and said the new map was 'a huge improvement' over the original one. The new map will most likely result in a congressional delegation that will look a lot like the current one." An AP story is here.

New York. Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "A New York appellate judge on Monday hit the brakes on a sweeping lower-court decision that invalidated newly drawn legislative districts favorable to Democrats and threatened to throw the state's election season into turmoil. Justice Stephen K. Lindley of New York's Fourth Appellate Department in Rochester issued the temporary stay after state Democratic leaders formally contested the lower court's opinion last week that the maps were unconstitutional and, in some cases, gerrymandered for partisan gain. He did not address the merits of the case but indicated that he hoped to expedite his own ruling on whether the lines were constitutional."

Way Beyond

Sudan. Marlise Simons of the New York Times: "A brutal campaign against a rebellion in Western Sudan displaced millions and left the world aghast. Two decades later, the first and only war crimes trial has gotten underway.... On Tuesday..., [a man named Ali Kushayb] went on trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where he is charged with 32 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including persecution, pillaging, murder and rape, all of which he denies. Mr. Kushayb is the first suspect to be tried on charges of playing a major role in the bloody campaign that took more than 200,000 lives and drove more than two million people from their homes. His lawyer has said the court has the wrong Kushayb. But prosecutors say they have evidence that the man on trial is the same one who was indicted in 2007 for his role in more than 300 murders and the expulsion of some 40,000 civilians in 2003 and 2004."

News Lede

Guardian: "Police in the California state capital [Sacramento] have made an arrest in connection with Sunday's mass shooting that left six people dead and at least a dozen others injured. In the hours after the bloodshed, police say they have received more than 100 videos or photos from the scene and executed search warrants on three homes."

April 4, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Mary Jalonick & Kevin Freking of the AP: "The Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked, 11-11, Monday on whether to send Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court nomination to the Senate floor. But President Joe Biden's nominee is still on track to be confirmed this week as the first Black woman on the high court. The committee's tie vote was expected, as there is an even party split on the panel and all of the Republicans are opposing Jackson's nomination to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. But it was still a blow to Democrats who had hoped for robust bipartisan support -- and it was the first time the committee has deadlocked on a Supreme Court nomination in three decades. In order to move forward, Democrats planned a new vote to 'discharge' Jackson's nomination from committee Monday evening and then take a series of procedural steps in the coming days to wind it through the 50-50 Senate. With the support of at least one Republican, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Jackson is on a glidepath toward confirmation by the end of the week."

Allie Malloy of CNN: "President Joe Biden on Monday called the atrocities allegedly committed by Russian forces in Bucha, Ukraine, a 'war crime' and called for a trial to take place against ... Vladimir Putin.... [Biden] said he was looking into additional sanctions against Russia.... US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the State Department would help document any attacks by Russian troops against Ukrainian civilians. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the deaths of civilians in Bucha a 'brutality' and said 'I strongly welcome' an investigation by International Criminal Court, which has opened an investigation into war crimes in Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed the extensive footage of dead civilians in Bucha was 'fake' and that 'not a single local resident suffered from any violent actions' during Russia's occupation of the town." MB: Second only to the atrocities themselves is the audacity of the Defense Ministry to mock its victims by declaring their dead bodies "fake."

Bethan McKernan of the Guardian: "Women across Ukraine are grappling with the threat of rape as a weapon of war as growing evidence of sexual violence emerges from areas retaken from retreating Russian forces.... As Russian troops have withdrawn from towns and suburbs around the capital in order to refocus the war effort on Ukraine's east, women and girls have come forward to tell the police, media and human rights organisations of atrocities they have suffered at the hands of Russian soldiers. Gang-rapes, assaults taking place at gunpoint, and rapes committed in front of children are among the grim testimonies collected by investigators.... Rape and sexual assault are considered war crimes and a breach of international humanitarian law, and both Ukraine's prosecutor general and the international Criminal Court have said they will open investigations into reported sexual violence."

Francisco Ubilla, et al., of the AP: "The U.S. government on Monday seized a 254-foot yacht in Spain owned by an oligarch with close ties to ... Vladimir Putin, a first by the Biden administration under sanctions imposed after the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine and targeting pricey assets of Russian elites. Spain's Civil Guard and U.S. federal agents descended on the Tango at the Marina Real in the port of Palma de Mallorca, the capital of Spain's Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Associated Press reporters at the scene saw police going in and out of the boat.... The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close Putin ally who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to U.S. Treasury Department documents." MB: Gosh, I hope all us taxpayer-owners get to go yachting on our new luxury vessel.

Ha Ha. Meridith McGraw & Emily Birnbaum of Politico: "Top executives from ... Donald Trump's social media venture, Truth Social, have departed the company as the site has struggled to gain traction with users. Three top executives quit Truth Social, including chief technology officer, Josh Adams and Billy Boozer, the head of the company's product development, and chief legal officer, Lori Heyer-Bednar, according to two people familiar with the matter.... Trump launched the Truth Social app as a way to take on 'Big Tech.' He and his allies argued it would rival major social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, which both removed the former president from their platforms following the Jan. 6 riots on Capitol Hill.... Trump himself has only posted once on the app. He had 827,000 followers as of Monday morning. Former Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) quit his job in Congress in order to serve as CEO of Truth Social." ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE, Over at the Competition. Michelle Chapman & Tom Krisher of the AP: "Tesla CEO Elon Musk acquired a 9% stake in Twitter to become its largest shareholder at a time when he is questioning the social media platform's dedication to free speech and the First Amendment. The ultimate aim of Musk's 73.5 million share purchase, worth about $3 billion, is not known. Yet in late March Musk, who has 80 million Twitter followers and is very active on the site, questioned free speech on Twitter and whether the platform is undermining democracy. It's unclear just when Musk bought the stake."

Josh Margolin, et al., of ABC News: "Hunter Biden is apparently spending his father's presidency living in luxury in Malibu -- and so is his taxpayer-funded security detail. The Secret Service detail protecting the president's controversial son has been paying more than $30,000 a month to rent out a swanky Malibu, California, mansion for nearly a year, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News. The agency ... selected the property in order to be located as close as possible to Biden's own rented mansion where he is paying about $20,000 a month according to property listings, sources told ABC News.... The Spanish-style estate that the Secret Service has rented sits on a 0.7-acre lot above the Malibu coast and also features 'gorgeous ocean views,' according to its listing.... Hunter Biden's California lifestyle is coming into focus just as the federal probe into his tax affairs has intensified, as sources familiar with the matter recently told ABC News." MB: Gosh, you wouldn't expect Secret Service agents to stay in more humble digs back in the Malibu hills, would you?

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Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Moscow is facing calls for international investigations and harsher sanctions -- even a ban on its gas industry -- because of growing evidence that Russian forces committed atrocities against civilians in Ukraine. Cutting off the supply of Russian gas would be a remarkable step for the European Union, which relies heavily on Russian fuel and has so far rebuffed mounting calls, including from President Biden, to impose energy-related penalties against them.... President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and Poland's prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, each described Russia's actions as genocide.... In what would mark a significant shift in her country's position, Germany's defense minister, Christine Lambrecht, said that because of what happened in Bucha, the bloc should consider banning Russian gas imports. Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, said on Twitter that more sanctions against Russia 'are on their way.'... Even as Moscow's troops pulled away from Kyiv, Russia continued to batter Ukraine's southern coastline with airstrikes on infrastructure Sunday. It has described the withdrawal as a tactical move to regroup its forces for a major push in the Donbas region in the east and south." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here: "The Washington Post has lifted its paywall for readers in Russia and Ukraine. Telegram users can subscribe to our channel for updates." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Monday are here: "Ukrainian prosecutors said they found 410 bodies in towns near Kyiv, and 140 bodies had been examined on Sunday. Satellite images from Bucha appear to show an approximately 45ft-long trench dug into the grounds of a church where a mass grave has been identified.... The Kremlin said it categorically denied any accusations related to the murder of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha and said Ukrainian allegations on the matter should be treated with doubt. Russia's foreign ministry said that footage of dead civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha had been 'ordered' by the United States as part of a plot to blame Russia. Russia's foreign ministry said it would reiterate its request for the UN Security Council to meet over what Moscow called the 'criminal provocations by Ukrainian soldiers and radicals' in the town of Bucha. Britain's mission to the United Nations, which holds the presidency of the 15-member council for April, had said the Council would hold a scheduled discussion on Ukraine on Tuesday, and not meet on Monday as requested by Russia. Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Russian Investigative Committee, ordered that an inquiry be opened on the basis that Ukraine had spread 'deliberately false information'.... Poland's prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has aimed some very strong words at the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, and German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, over economic sanctions."

Jeff Stein & John Hudson of the New York Times: "Biden administration officials have discussed intensifying their sanctions campaign against Russia as evidence emerges of the apparent execution of civilians in a suburb near Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, according to two people familiar with the matter.... The scope of the potential U.S. retaliatory measures was not exactly clear, but senior Biden officials have previously discussed potentially devastating 'secondary sanctions' that would target countries that continue to trade with Russia. The Biden administration could also impose sanctions on sectors of the Russian economy that it has not hit so far, including mining, transportation and additional areas of the Russian financial sector.... Officials stressed that planning was preliminary and no decisions had been made about potential responses." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Oleksandr Stashevskyi of the AP: "Bodies with bound hands, close-range gunshot wounds and signs of torture lay scattered in [Bucha,] a city on the outskirts of Kyiv after Russian soldiers withdrew from the area. Ukrainian authorities on Sunday accused the departing forces of committing war crimes and leaving behind a 'scene from a horror movie.' As images of the bodies -- of people whom residents said were killed indiscriminately -- began to emerge from Bucha, a slew of European leaders condemned the atrocities and called for tougher sanctions against Moscow.... Russia's Defense Ministry rejected the accusations as 'provocation.'" The New York Times story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Annabelle Timsit & Jennifer Hassan of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian officials said they have asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to visit the mass graves seen in Bucha, a suburb northwest of Kyiv, so experts can gather evidence of possible Russian war crimes. The request comes as Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said the discovery of the graves -- made as Ukrainian troops recaptured territory and Russian forces pulled back from towns they had seized in the war's earliest days -- could 'only be described as genocide.'... Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, in a tweet Sunday accusing Russia of carrying out a 'massacre,' requested that the ICC visit the scene 'to collect all the evidence of these war crimes' and use it to prosecute those responsible.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Sam Sokol & Jonathan Lis of Haaretz: "Israel's ambassador to Ukraine denounced the killing of civilians in a Kyiv suburb as a 'war crime' on Sunday, in a break from the more restrained rhetoric exhibited by Israeli officials since Russia invaded the former Soviet republic just over a month ago. 'Deeply shocked by the photos from #Bucha. Killing of civilians is a war crime and cannot be justified,' Ambassador Michael Brodsky tweeted on Sunday morning, using the hashtag #UkraineRussiaWar." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Siobhán O'Grady & Max Bearak of the Washington Post: In the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, a battlefield for weeks, "the wasteland of destruction that has replaced the neighborhoods they once called home. Most houses are destroyed or badly damaged. Piles of rubble litter what were once pleasant gardens. Abandoned dogs wander from house to house. The streets are pocked with craters from shelling.... Outside of town, the roads connecting the small enclaves that bore the brunt of the failed Russian advance on Kyiv are marked with abandoned cars, including one that was badly damaged and had the word 'children' taped to its windows. Remnants of weapons litter residents' yards. Many homes and apartment buildings were hit badly by shelling, breaking windows and walls. Russian armored vehicles are still scattered about -- abandoned or destroyed."

Cora Engelbrecht of the New York Times: "A Lithuanian documentary filmmaker has been killed in the besieged southern city of Mariupol, according to his colleagues and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's information agency. The agency said on Sunday that the award-winning filmmaker, Mantas Kvedaravicius, had been killed in an attack by Russia 'while trying to leave Mariupol.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Justin Gomez of ABC News: "White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain is warning that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is 'far from over,' despite the claim by Moscow that they are retreating from Kyiv and surrounding areas. 'I think there's a lot of evidence that Putin is simply taking his troops out of the northern part of the country to redeploy them to the eastern part of the country to relaunch a battle there,' Klain said during an ... interview with ABC 'This Week' anchor George Stephanopoulos." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Tom Friedman of the New York Times has a thought that's actually worth passing through your brain even if you reject it as another instance of Friedman Oversimplification: "... I'm beginning to wonder if this conflict isn't our first true world war -- much more than World War I or World War II ever were. In this war, which I think of as 'World War Wired,' virtually everyone on the planet can either observe the fighting at a granular level, participate in some way or be affected economically -- no matter where they live.... Though this war is far from over, and Vladimir Putin may still find a way to prevail and come out stronger, if he doesn't, it could be a watershed in the conflict between democratic and undemocratic systems. It is worth recalling that World War II put an end to fascism, and that the Cold War put an end to orthodox communism, eventually even in China. So, what happens on the streets of Kyiv, Mariupol and the Donbas region could influence political systems far beyond Ukraine and far into the future." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Grammys Show Oscars Producers How It's Done. AP: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared in a video message at the Grammy Awards to ask for support in telling the story of Ukraine's invasion by Russia.... 'Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals, even to those who can't hear them,' he said in English. 'But the music will break through anyway.'... 'Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today to tell our story. Tell the truth about the war on your social networks, on TV, support us in any way you can any, but not silence. And then peace will come to all our cities,' Zelenskyy said.... The Recording Academy, with its partner Global Citizen, prior to the ceremony highlighted a social media campaign called 'Stand Up For Ukraine' to raise money and support during the humanitarian crisis.... Following Zelenskyy's message, John Legend performed his song 'Free' with Ukrainian musicians Siuzanna Iglidan and Mika Newton, and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk, as images from the war were shown on screens behind them." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The Oscars managed a whole 30 seconds of silence for Ukraine, during which time a video appeared which read, "We ask you to support Ukraine in any way you are able. #StandWithUkraine."

Oh, Somewhere TuKKKer's Laughing. Andrew Higgins & Benjamin Novak of the New York Times: "Overshadowed by the war in Ukraine, elections on Sunday in Hungary and Serbia appear to have extended the tenures of Europe's two most Kremlin-friendly leaders, both populist strongmen fortified by their overwhelming control of the media and cheap energy from Russia. With more than 60 percent of the votes counted in Hungary, preliminary results indicated that Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister since 2010, and already Europe's longest serving leader, had won a fourth consecutive term despite accusations by the opposition that he has enabled Russia's military onslaught by cozying up for years to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.... President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia, also Moscow-friendly, has governed Serbia since 2012, and was expected to win re-election after rallying his nationalist and pro-Russian base by refusing to join the European Union in imposing sanctions on Russia. Serbia hopes to become a member of the European bloc, but its application has stalled." ~~~

     ~~~ Rob Picheta & Balint Bardi of CNN: "Hungary's authoritarian leader and longtime Russian ally, Viktor Orban, has declared victory in the country's parliamentary elections, clinching a fourth consecutive term in power.... In his victory speech, Orban called Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky one of the 'opponents' he had to overcome during the campaign.... Despite opinion polls forecasting a tighter race, Orban's Fidesz party won comfortably across much of the country. Opposition leader Peter Marki-Zay even failed to win in his own district, where he had served as mayor." ~~~

     ~~~ Justin Spike of the AP: "As Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban prepares to continue his autocratic governance of Hungary for another four years, he faces a shattered opposition at home but an increasingly isolated position abroad, where his flouting of democratic standards and approach to the war in Ukraine has riled the European Union and other nations."

Mary Jalonick of the AP: "Democrats are launching a whirlwind of votes and Senate floor action Monday with the goal of confirming Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court by the end of the week. The Senate Judiciary Committee kicks off Monday morning with a vote on whether to move Jackson's nomination to the Senate floor. Democrats will then wind the nomination through the 50-50 Senate, with a final vote in sight for President Joe Biden's pick to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer."

Washington Post Editors: "Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden's Supreme Court nominee, seems to be getting rave reviews from Republicans.... Yet ... Judiciary Committee Republicans are vowing to oppose advancing her nomination when the panel meets on Monday. The reasons they have concocted are not credible.... By heaping praise on Judge Jackson while opposing her nomination, Republicans seek to obscure the unattractive image of their almost entirely White caucus rejecting the first Black woman ever nominated to the high court.... Republican senators' hypocrisy peaks when they complain that Democrats mistreated past GOP nominees, such as Justice [Amy] Barrett and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. It was Republicans who obliterated the last shreds of goodwill in the judicial confirmation process when they blocked then-Judge Merrick Garland....

David Marchese interviews Thomas Piketty for the New York Times Magazine: "In 2013, the French economist Thomas Piketty, in his best seller 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century,' ... put forth the notion that returns on capital historically outstrip economic growth.... The upshot? The rich get richer, while the rest of us stay stuck in the mud. Now, nearly a decade later, Piketty is set to publish 'A Brief History of Equality,' in which he argues that we're on a trajectory of greater, not less, equality and lays out his prescriptions for remedying our current corrosive wealth disparities. (In short: Tax the rich.)" Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

This guy's head is stuffed with more crap than his pillows. And by the way, I was told not to say this, but I will: His stuff is crap. I mean, it's absolute crap. You only find that kind of stuff in the Trump Hotel. -- Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.) on Mike Lindell ~~~

I was especially stunned that Madison Cawthorn and Matt Gaetz weren't here, because nobody loves a good party more than those guys do. And so, I called Madison up to say, 'What's up, dude?' And it turns out, it was a simple scheduling conflict: The Republicans have their own formal black-tie and white-powder orgy taking place tonight in the Capitol. -- Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)

~~~ Rachel Bade of Politico reports on some of the jokes delivered at the annual Gridiron Club dinner after a pandemic hiatus. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The Washington Post's story is here.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Margaret Sullivan of the Washington Post is disgusted by CBS "News"' hiring Mick Mulvaney: "... Mulvaney has been on the wrong side -- the deeply, undemocratically wrong side -- of America's most important political issues in recent years. The larger issue here, though, is the news media's blind and relentless pandering to the outdated notion that both sides of the aisle are pretty much equal these days -- that they're similar, just with different governing philosophies. That's simply not the case. 'We have a two-party system and one of the two is anti-democratic,' as NYU professor and press critic Jay Rosen put it. This basic asymmetry, he noted, 'fries the circuits' of the mainstream media, which largely refuses to recognize it or do anything about it in their coverage."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here.

Way Beyond the Beltway

Hong Kong. Zen Soo & Vincent Yu of the AP: "Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Monday she wouldn't seek a second term after a rocky five years marked by huge protests calling for her resignation, a security crackdown that has quashed dissent and most recently a COVID-19 wave that overwhelmed the health system. Her successor will be picked in May and the city's security chief during the 2019 protests is among the possible choices."

April 3, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Jeff Stein & John Hudson of the New York Times: "Biden administration officials have discussed intensifying their sanctions campaign against Russia as evidence emerges of the apparent execution of civilians in a suburb near Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, according to two people familiar with the matter.... The scope of the potential U.S. retaliatory measures was not exactly clear, but senior Biden officials have previously discussed potentially devastating 'secondary sanctions' that would target countries that continue to trade with Russia. The Biden administration could also impose sanctions on sectors of the Russian economy that it has not hit so far, including mining, transportation and additional areas of the Russian financial sector.... Officials stressed that planning was preliminary and no decisions had been made about potential responses."

Oleksandr Stashevskyi of the AP: "Bodies with bound hands, close-range gunshot wounds and signs of torture lay scattered in [Bucha,] a city on the outskirts of Kyiv after Russian soldiers withdrew from the area. Ukrainian authorities on Sunday accused the departing forces of committing war crimes and leaving behind a 'scene from a horror movie.' As images of the bodies -- of people whom residents said were killed indiscriminately -- began to emerge from Bucha, a slew of European leaders condemned the atrocities and called for tougher sanctions against Moscow.... Russia's Defense Ministry rejected the accusations as 'provocation.'" The New York Times story, from its live updates, is here. ~~~

~~~ Annabelle Timsit & Jennifer Hassan of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian officials said they have asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to visit the mass graves seen in Bucha, a suburb northwest of Kyiv, so experts can gather evidence of possible Russian war crimes. The request comes as Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said the discovery of the graves -- made as Ukrainian troops recaptured territory and Russian forces pulled back from towns they had seized in the war's earliest days -- could 'only be described as genocide.'... Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, in a tweet Sunday accusing Russia of carrying out a 'massacre,' requested that the ICC visit the scene 'to collect all the evidence of these war crimes' and use it to prosecute those responsible.'" ~~~

~~~ Sam Sokol & Jonathan Lis of Haaretz: "Israel's ambassador to Ukraine denounced the killing of civilians in a Kyiv suburb as a 'war crime' on Sunday, in a break from the more restrained rhetoric exhibited by Israeli officials since Russia invaded the former Soviet republic just over a month ago. 'Deeply shocked by the photos from #Bucha. Killing of civilians is a war crime and cannot be justified,' Ambassador Michael Brodsky tweeted on Sunday morning, using the hashtag #UkraineRussiaWar."

Eddy Wax of Politico: "Ninety years ago, Joseph Stalin's Soviet regime inflicted a devastating famine on Ukraine, killing 3.9 million people in what became known as the Holodomor, or genocide by hunger. Now Vladimir Putin, whose invasion has stalled on the battlefield, is trying to starve Ukraine into submission again. Russian troops have laid waste to farmland, destroying agricultural equipment and planting landmines in the rich soil where crops should grow. Ukraine's traditional supply routes have been wrecked, its ports now under Russian control. In the besieged city of Mariupol -- where 170,000 people are still struggling to survive -- food had virtually run out by March 13. Aid convoys have not made it through."

Justin Gomez of ABC News: "White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain is warning that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is 'far from over,' despite the claim by Moscow that they are retreating from Kyiv and surrounding areas. 'I think there's a lot of evidence that Putin is simply taking his troops out of the northern part of the country to redeploy them to the eastern part of the country to relaunch a battle there,' Klain said during an ... interview with ABC 'This Week' anchor George Stephanopoulos."

Cora Engelbrecht of the New York Times: "A Lithuanian documentary filmmaker has been killed in the besieged southern city of Mariupol, according to his colleagues and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's information agency. The agency said on Sunday that the award-winning filmmaker, Mantas Kvedaravicius, had been killed in an attack by Russia 'while trying to leave Mariupol."

Tom Friedman of the New York Times has a thought that's actually worth passing through your brain: "... I'm beginning to wonder if this conflict isn't our first true world war -- much more than World War I or World War II ever were. In this war, which I think of as 'World War Wired,' virtually everyone on the planet can either observe the fighting at a granular level, participate in some way or be affected economically -- no matter where they live.... Though this war is far from over, and Vladimir Putin may still find a way to prevail and come out stronger, if he doesn't, it could be a watershed in the conflict between democratic and undemocratic systems. It is worth recalling that World War II put an end to fascism, and that the Cold War put an end to orthodox communism, eventually even in China. So, what happens on the streets of Kyiv, Mariupol and the Donbas region could influence political systems far beyond Ukraine and far into the future."

This guy's head is stuffed with more crap than his pillows. And by the way, I was told not to say this, but I will: His stuff is crap. I mean, it's absolute crap. You only find that kind of stuff in the Trump Hotel. -- Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.) on Mike Lindell ~~~

I was especially stunned that Madison Cawthorn and Matt Gaetz weren't here, because nobody loves a good party more than those guys do. And so, I called Madison up to say, 'What's up, dude?" And it turns out, it was a simple scheduling conflict: The Republicans have their own formal black-tie and white-powder orgy taking place tonight in the Capitol. -- Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)

~~~ Rachel Bade of Politico reports on some of the jokes delivered at the annual Gridiron Club dinner after a pandemic hiatus.

~~~~~~~~~~

Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "As Russian troops retreated from areas outside Kyiv..., they left behind devastation that is only now becoming clear. Civilians have emerged from basement shelters to clamor for bread distributed by the Ukrainian soldiers retaking territory. The husks of destroyed tanks clutter roads. Mines and booby traps have been hidden amid the wreckage. Bodies lay uncollected in streets littered with debris. The dead include civilians, some of whom Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of executing.... Russia's chief negotiator in peace talks, Vladimir Medinsky, rejected a Ukrainian counterpart's suggestion that Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and Vladimir V. Putin of Russia could soon hold direct talks.... Lithuania has stopped importing natural gas from Russia.... The head of Russia's space agency said that he would submit a proposal to the Russian government to end cooperation on the International Space Station program.... Zelensky ... called out Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, in a video address for being the 'only leader in Europe who openly supports Mr. Putin.' Orban is up for reelection on Sunday." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Sunday are here: "A series of explosions rocked Odessa early Sunday as Russia said its missiles struck an oil refinery and fuel storage facilities -- the first strike on the strategic Black Sea city's downtown as the war in Ukraine grinds into its 39th day.... An adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukrainians to prepare for 'difficult fights' ahead in the besieged port city of Mariupol -- where Moscow has been concentrating its firepower, vying for a strategic victory that would free up thousands of troops to fight elsewhere. Britain's Ministry of Defense said Sunday that Russia's navy is strategically blockading the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov to prevent Ukraine from rearming. Meanwhile, as Ukrainian troops recapture territory around Kyiv, the scope of destruction left by Russian forces has been revealed. Burned-out vehicles and bodies line the streets of nearby towns such as Bucha, which had been at the forefront of Moscow's unsuccessful attempt to encircle the capital and overthrow the government." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates are here.

Andrew Kramer & Neil MacFarquhar of the New York Times: "The Russian forces that were intent on overwhelming Kyiv at the war's start with tanks and artillery retreated under fire across a broad front on Saturday, leaving behind them dead soldiers and burned vehicles, according to witnesses, Ukrainian officials, satellite images and military analysts. The withdrawal suggested the possibility of a major turn in the six-week war -- the collapse, at least for now, of Russia's initial attempt to seize Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and the end of its hopes for the quick subjugation of the nation. Moscow has described the withdrawal as a tactical move to regroup and reposition its forces for a major push in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. While there are early indications that the military is following through on that plan, analysts say it cannot obscure the magnitude of the defeat.... Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian attacks continued unabated, and the Pentagon has cautioned that the formations near Kyiv could be repositioning for renewed assaults.... Ukraine's military on Saturday moved into Bucha, a key town on the west bank of the Dnipro River -- which divides Kyiv -- days after Russian forces had sacked it on their way out.... As photos of casualties in Bucha emerged, a senior adviser to Ukraine's president said on Saturday that some of the dead wearing civilian clothes appeared to have been bound and executed." ~~~

~~~ Nebi Qena & Yuras Karmanau of the AP: "Ukrainian troops moved cautiously to retake territory north of the country's capital on Saturday, using cables to pull the bodies of civilians off streets of one town out of fear that Russian forces may have left them booby-trapped. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that departing Russian troops were creating a 'catastrophic' situation for civilians by leaving mines around homes, abandoned equipment and 'even the bodies of those killed.' His claims could not be independently verified. Associated Press journalists in Bucha, a suburb northwest of Kyiv, watched as Ukrainian soldiers backed by a column of tanks and other armored vehicles used cables to drag bodies off of a street from a distance. Locals said the dead -- the AP counted at least six -- were civilians killed without provocation by departing Russian soldiers.... In his nightly video address Saturday, the Ukrainian leader said the country's troops were not allowing the Russians to retreat without a fight: 'They are shelling them. They are destroying everyone they can.'"

Daniel Boffey of the Guardian: "Russia has been accused by Ukraine of using children as 'human shields' while regrouping its forces, as the first horrifying witness accounts from the newly liberated town of Bucha, near Kyiv, emerge. Ukraine's attorney general is gathering a dossier of claims about the Russian use of local children to avoid fire when in retreat from around Ukraine's capital and elsewhere. Coaches of children were said to have been placed in front of tanks in the village of Novyi Bykiv, close to the encircled city of Chernihiv, 100 miles north of Kyiv. It was further alleged that children had been taken as hostages in a number of conflict hot spots around the country to ensure locals would not give the coordinates of the enemy's movements to the Ukrainian forces."

Daniel Boffey & Martin Farrer of the Guardian: "The retreat of Russian forces around Kyiv has left horrifying evidence of atrocities against civilians littered across the region's suburbs and towns, turned into hellish war zones by Vladimir Putin's invasion. As Ukrainian armoured columns rolled into Bucha, a town north-west of the capital, they found streets blocked by burned-out Russian tanks and military vehicles, and strewn with the bodies of civilians whom locals said had been killed by the invading forces without provocation. Photographs from the town showed a scene of devastation, with hunks of charred and destroyed tanks and armoured vehicles lined up along one street, along with dead bodies."

Anjali Singhvi, et al., of the New York Times on how Ukraine held Kyiv: "Russia vastly underestimated Ukrainians' resolve to defend their homeland. And a Russian military trained for open spaces has also struggled with basic realities of urban warfare. Even a finely orchestrated military would be challenged by the block-to-block fighting required to secure Kyiv. The Russian army has failed to even surround it. The campaign went wrong on Day 1, when Russian helicopters assaulted the Hostomel airfield on the outskirts of Kyiv and were met with stiff resistance. Because the military failed to hold the airport, it couldn't quickly build up the airborne forces needed to invade the capital."

The Little Town That Could. Carlotta Gall of the New York Times: "Hyperboles aside, the people of [Vasylkiv, the] quiet provincial town of tree-lined streets and low-rise buildings dating back to the Russian empire managed to fight off Russian troops in the critical opening days of the war, preventing Russian forces from capturing strategic bases that could have allowed the nation's capital, Kyiv, to be encircled.... Accounts from residents, government officials, armed forces personnel and civilians who have enlisted territorial defense units described how Ukraine rebuffed the Russian assault and helped prevent Russia's wider aims to seize control of the country."

Thomas Gibbons-Neff & Natalia Yermak of the New York Times: "A monthlong Russian occupation ... [of] Trostyanets, a strategically located town in the country's northeast..., reduced much of the town to rubble, a decimated landscape of mangled tank hulks, snapped trees and rattled but resilient survivors.... The Ukrainian victory in Trostyanets came on March 26 -- what residents call 'Liberation Day' -- and is an example of how disadvantaged and smaller Ukrainian units have launched successful counterattacks. It also shows how the Russian military's inability to win a quick victory -- in which they would 'liberate' a friendly population -- left their soldiers in a position that they were vastly unprepared for: holding an occupied town with an unwelcoming local populace.... The unrelenting violence from both Ukrainian and Russian forces fighting to retake and hold the town raged for weeks and drove people into basements or anywhere they could find shelter. On Friday, dazed residents walked through the destroyed town, sorting through the debris as some power was restored for the first time in weeks."

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is putting public and private pressure on his Senate Republican colleagues to oppose President Biden's nominee to the Supreme Court, despite the historic nature of her nomination to be the first Black woman on the court. McConnell has dug in against Biden's nominee, arguing the vote isn't about 'race or gender' but about Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's record, which he says is too soft on crime and indicates she'll likely turn into an activist judge on the bench. McConnell made an impassioned plea at a recent Senate GOP lunch for his colleagues to oppose Biden's choice, according to senators who attended the meeting." MB: Yeah, it's not about race or gender; Mitch just doesn't want a gal with cornrows messing of the Court's class picture.

Jacob Heilbrunn in Politico Magazine: "... as Putin's deadly and unprovoked assault [on Ukraine] drags on, the GOP is also going to war -- against itself. As so often, the battle revolves around the America First doctrine first espoused by ... Donald Trump in April 2016.... Trump did manage to shift conservative thinking about Putin himself, a powerful adversary of the U.S. who wields power with an autocratic strength that Trump and his followers openly admire. Even the invasion of Ukraine has not prompted Trump to alter his fundamentally adoring view of the Russian leader.... Though Trump's view of Putin may be little changed, the Russian invasion has broken open the uneasy marriage between the followers of Trump, who abhor foreign entanglements, and the hawks of the Republican Party, who have rarely seen a war they didn't want to enter." MB: Anti-hawkish though I may be, I can't see why the America First crowd doesn't understand that America First means just the opposite: the U.S. in decline & retreat, its head in the sand, denying the rest of the world exists and therefore weakening itself relative to other powerful nations.

Jodi Kantor & Karen Weise of the New York Times: "In the first dark days of the pandemic, as an Amazon worker named Christian Smalls planned a small, panicked walkout over safety conditions at the retailer's only fulfillment center in New York City, the company quietly mobilized.... In the end, there were more executives -- including 11 vice presidents -- who were alerted about the protest than workers who attended it.... The company fired Mr. Smalls, saying he had violated quarantine rules by attending the walkout. in dismissing and smearing him, the company relied on the hardball tactics that had driven its dominance of the market.... Mr. Smalls and his best friend from the warehouse, Derrick Palmer, had set their sights on unionizing after he was forced out. Along with a growing band of colleagues -- and no affiliation with a national labor organization -- the two men spent the past 11 months going up against Amazon, whose 1.1 million workers in the United States make it the country's second-largest private employer.... The union spent $120,000 overall, raised through GoFundMe, according to Mr. Smalls.... Amazon spent more than $4.3 million just on anti-union consultants nationwide last year, according to federal filings." An NPR story is here.

AP: "An Algerian man imprisoned at the Guantanamo Bay detention center for nearly 20 years has been released and sent back to his homeland. The Department of Defense announced Saturday that Sufyian Barhoumi was repatriated with assurances from the Algerian government that he would be treated humanely there and that security measures would be imposed to reduce the risk that he could pose a threat in the future." A New York Times story is here.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here.

Davey Alba of the New York Times: "Dr. [Robert] Malone spent decades working in academic centers and with start-ups seeking to bring new medical treatments to market and to combat the Zika and Ebola outbreaks. But in recent months, as the coronavirus pandemic has persisted, he has taken up an entirely different role: spreading misinformation about the virus and vaccines on conservative programs. In many of his appearances [on shows like 'The Joe Rogan Experience' and Fox's 'Hannity'], Dr. Malone questions the severity of the coronavirus, which has now killed nearly one million people in the United States, and the safety of the coronavirus vaccines, which have been widely found to be safe and effective at preventing serious illness and death.... Dr. Malone also routinely sells himself on the shows as the inventor of mRNA vaccines, the technology used by Pfizer and Moderna for their Covid-19 shots.... In addition to his regular appearances on conservative shows, Dr. Malone has more than 134,000 subscribers to his Substack newsletter. About 8,000 pay the $5 monthly cost, he said, which would amount to at least $31,200 in monthly revenue."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Pakistan. Pamela Constable of the Washington Post: "Pakistan's embattled prime minister, Imran Khan, outmaneuvered his political opponents Sunday as they attempted to oust him from power through a vote of no confidence. Within two hours, Parliament had been dissolved at Khan's request so the country can prepare for new elections. Khan orchestrated an abrupt suspension of the expected no-confidence vote by the legislature's acting speaker, a member of his party, then immediately announced on live TV that new elections would be held."

News Lede

Another Saturday Night in the U.S. AP: "Six people were killed and 10 injured in a mass shooting early Sunday as bars and nightclubs were closing in downtown Sacramento and police in California's state capital were searching for at least one suspect.... No arrests have been made and no information about a suspect has been released. Authorities urged witnesses or anyone with recordings of the shooting to contact police. They said they don't know whether one or more suspects were involved."