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Monday, April 4, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Zelenskyy Accuses Russia Of Genocide

NY Post 4/4/22

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of genocide Sunday following reports of civilians found executed, some with their hands tied, and the bodies of civilians found with signs of torture in areas Russian forces pulled out of in recent days. Ukrainian officials said the bodies of 410 civilians were found in towns around the capital of Kyiv that were recaptured by Ukraine, including in the town of Bucha. Residents also gave harrowing accounts of civilians being executed.

When asked in an interview on CBS's Face the Nation yesterday, "Is this genocide?," Zelenskyy said, "Indeed. This is genocide," adding that Ukraine is being, quote, "destroyed and exterminated" by Russian forces. In a separate video address posted online, he said the Russian soldiers who it's claimed killed and tortured civilians were responsible for, quote, "concentrated evil." Russia's Defense Ministry denied the accusation, charging that the photos and videos of dead bodies were, quote, "stage managed by the Kyiv regime for the Western media."


Western leaders condemned the reports of atrocities. The U.S. has previously said it believes Russia has committed war crimes, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on CNN Sunday called the images of what was found in the areas near Kyiv a "punch to the gut." Germany's defense minister said the reports are bad enough that European officials must consider "halting" getting gas supplies from Russia, a step they've been reluctant to take as Europe gets 40 percent of its gas and 25 percent of its oil from Russia.



Zelenskyy Message Shown at Grammys: A pre-recorded message by Zelenskyy was shown at the Grammy Awards last night in Las Vegas. Speaking in English, Zelenskyy said, "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." Before the ceremony, the Recording Academy, in partnership with Global Citizen, highlighted a social media campaign called "Stand Up For Ukraine" to raise money and humanitarian support.

➤POLICE LOOKING FOR AT LEAST TWO SUSPECTS IN SACRAMENTO SHOOTING THAT KILLED SIX: Police in Sacramento are looking for at least two suspects after a shooting early Sunday morning on the outskirts of the California capital's downtown entertainment district, leaving six people dead and 12 wounded, four of them critically. Crowds were in the streets around 2 a.m. as bars and nightclubs were closing when rapid gunfire rang out and they went running. The gunfire erupted just after a fight broke out in the street, but police don't know if it was connected to the shooting. During a news conference yesterday, Police Chief Kathy Lester urged the public to share videos and other evidence that could lead to the shooters.

➤SENATE COMMITEE TO VOTE TODAY ON JACKSON'S SUPREME COURT NOMINATION: The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote today on whether to send Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate for a vote. Jackson's confirmation is virtually assured in the split 50-50 Senate, with at least one Republican, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, having said she will vote yes. Democrats are looking to have Jackson confirmed as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court by the end of the week. She would be replacing Justice Stephen Breyer, who is retiring this summer.



🎵JON BATISTE WINS 5 BIG ONES AND SILK SONIC SWEEPS AT GRAMMY AWARDS:  Jon Batiste had a great evening on music’s biggest night, the Grammy Awards. Going into the show as the most nominated artist with 11 nods, he walked out with 5. Honored with one of the most coveted of the night, Album of The Year, plus he picked up Best American Roots Performance, American Roots Song, Best Music Video and he tied with Carlos Rafael Rivera for Best Song Written For Visual Media.

Silk Sonic grooved their way to the stage when announced winners of Record of The Year for “Leave The Door Open.” Alongside Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak said “In the industry, we call that a clean sweep. Drinks are on Silk Sonic tonight.” They also won, Best R&B Performance and Song of The Year.

For 19 year old, Olivia Rodrigo, she went home with 3 Grammy’s… Best Pop Vocal Album, Best New Artist, and Best Pop Solo performance.


As the audience wondered if there would be an Oscar moment, host Trevor Noah said, “We’re gonna be keeping people’s names out of our mouths.”

What is sure to be a talked about moment… SZA, while on crutches, got to the stage before Doja Cat when they won for Best Pop Duo Group Performance. Doja admitted she had been in the bathroom.

One of the most talked about subjects online during the show was for categories that didn’t even air. Just nine days after drummer Taylor Hawkins died, Foo Fighters swept with 3 wins…Best Rock Performance ("Making a Fire"), Best Rock Song ("Waiting On a War") and Best Rock Album (Medicine at Midnight). The band did not attend.

Following a pre-recorded speech by Ukraine’s President Zelensky, John Legend sang about freedom for the people of Ukraine.

For a night that boasts 86 categories, a few standouts included… Best Traditional R&B Performance, it went to H.E.R. for “Fight For You.”

Country music’s Chris Stapleton, won 3. Best album, solo performance and Country Song.


Lady Gaga and Tony Bennet won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Love for Sale. In a sentimental Grammy moment, She performed and dedicated the song to him after he introduced her from a pre-recorded video.

And Baby Keem won Best Rap Performance for "Family Ties," a song that features Kendrick Lamar.

Normally held in Los Angeles, The 64th Grammy Awards took place on Sunday evening (4-3) in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

WINNERS
  • Record of the Year "Leave The Door Open" — Silk Sonic
  • Album Of The Year We Are — Jon Batiste
  • Song of the Year "Leave The Door Open" — Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic)
  • Best New Artist Olivia Rodrigo
  • Best Pop Vocal Album Sour — Olivia Rodrigo
  • Best Pop Solo Performance "Drivers license" — Olivia Rodrigo
  • Best Pop Duo/Group Performance "Kiss Me More" — Doja Cat featuring SZA
  • Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Love for Sale — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
  • Best Dance/Electronic Recording "Alive" — Rüfüs Du Sol
  • Best Alternative Music Album Daddy's Home — St. Vincent
  • Best R&B Performance 2 Winners "Leave the Door Open" — Silk Sonic "Pick Up Your Feelings" — Jazmine Sullivan
  • Best Progressive R&B Album Table For Two — Lucky Daye
  • Best Traditional R&B Performance "Fight for You" — H.E.R.
  • Best R&B Song "Leave the Door Open" — Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic)
  • Best R&B Album Heaux Tales — Jazmine Sullivan
  • Best Rap Performance "Family Ties" — Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar
  • Best Rap Album Call Me If You Get Lost — Tyler, The Creator
  • Best Melodic Rap Performance "Hurricane" — Kanye West featuring The Weeknd & Lil Baby
  • Best Rap Song "Jail" — Dwayne Abernathy, Jr., Shawn Carter, Raul Cubina, Michael Dean, Charles M. Njapa, Sean Solymar, Brian Hugh Warner, Kanye West & Mark Williams, songwriters (Kanye West featuring JAY-Z)
  • Best Country Song "Cold" — Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Chris Stapleton)
  • Best Country Solo Performance "You Should Probably Leave" — Chris Stapleton
  • Best Country Duo/Group Performance "Younger Me" — Brothers Osborne
  • Best Country Album Starting Over — Chris Stapleton
  • Best Rock Performance "Making a Fire" — Foo Fighters
  • Best Metal Performance "The Alien" — Dream Theater
  • Best Rock Song "Waiting on a War" — Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Rami Jaffee, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett & Pat Smear, songwriters (Foo Fighters)
  • Best Rock Album Medicine At Midnight — Foo Fighters
  • Best Jazz Vocal Album Songwrights Apothecary Lab — Esperanza Spalding
  • Best Gospel Album Believe For It — CeCe Winans
  • Best Latin Pop Album Mendó — Alex Cuba
  • Best Music Video "Freedom" — Jon Batiste
  • Best Music Film Summer of Soul — Various Artists

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s Silk Sonic opened the show following an introduction by Trevor Noah.
  • Lenny Kravitz announced Album of The Year.
  • Olivia Rodrigo started her performance of “Drivers License” while sitting in a white Mercedes on stage.
  • Billie Eilish performed while wearing a (Foo Fighters) Taylor Hawkins t-shirt.
  • BTS started their performance of “Butter” while sitting in the audience and then made their way to the stage.
  • Lady Gaga and Keith Urban were seated at the same table… not the first time this has happened.
  • Legends, Joni Mitchell and Bonnie Raitt together introducing Brandi Carlile.
  • Justin Bieber, Daniel Caesar & Giveon delivered a laid-back jam session with “Peaches.”
  • Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion presented for Best New Artist and came on stage in the same outfits and their wardrobe stylist walked up and changed them.

➤ESTELLE HARRIS DIES AT 93: Beloved Seinfeld star Estelle Harris passed away on Saturday in Palm Desert, California. She died of natural causes weeks before her 94th birthday. Her son, Glen Harris, told the publication, “Her kindness, passion, sensitivity, humor, empathy and love were practically unrivaled, and she will be terribly missed by all those who knew her.” In addition to playing Estelle Costanza on Seinfeld, Harris was also known for playing the voice of Mrs. Potato Head in the Toy Story franchise. She was featured on many shows as well, including Futurama, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Looney Tunes Show, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.


🏀SOUTH CAROLINA DEFEATS UCONN 64-49 FOR WOMEN'S NCAA TITLE: South Carolina, the overall top seed in the women's NCAA basketball tournament, defeated Number 2 University of Connecticut 64-49 last night for the championship at the Target Center in Minneapolis. This is the second title for South Carolina, which also won in 2017, and their victory gave UConn their first loss in 12 NCAA championship games. Destanni Henderson scored a career-high 26 points for South Carolina and Aliyah Boston added 11 points and 16 rebounds. UConn's star sophomore Paige Bueckers scored 14 points. [Look in "Last Night's TV" audio for sound from the game.]

🏀KANSAS AND UNC TO FACE OFF TONIGHT FOR MEN'S NCAA TITLE: Number 1 seed Kansas and Number 8 North Carolina will face off tonight (April 4th) at the Superdome in New Orleans for the men's NCAA basketball championship. Kansas is a four-point favorite according to FanDuel sportsbook, but if North Carolina wins, they'd be only the second Number 8 seed to win the NCAA title after Villanova did it in 1985. Kansas is looking for their fourth championship, having last won in 2008, and North Carolina is looking for its seventh, with its last title in 2017.

🌃APRIL TO END METEOR SHOWER DROUGHT, BRING RETURN OF ‘PINK’ MOON:  April brings the first meteor shower since January, and other astronomy events. Venus, Mars and Saturn are still visible in the early morning sky through the first full week of April, and Mars and Saturn will come together, appearing very close to each other, about an hour before sunrise tomorrow. The Full Pink Moon will rise on Saturday, April 16th, though it won’t actually appear pink—that’s just a nickname that derives from the wild ground phlox, a pink flower that typically blooms in April. Also, the Lyrid meteor shower will peak on the night of Thursday, April 21st, into the early hours of Friday, April 22nd. It’s a typical shower with around 15 to 20 meteors per hour, but it’s the first of its kind to grace the skies since January 2nd. Then on April 30th the second new moon of the calendar month will be happening, which is known as a black moon. The last time a black moon occurred was in July 2019, and it won’t happen again until December 2024.



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