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Monday, April 29, 2024

4.29 WAKE-UP CALL: Russians Gaining Ground In Ukraine


Ukraine's top commander said on Sunday Kyiv's outnumbered troops had fallen back to new positions west of three villages on the eastern front where Russia has concentrated significant forces in several locations. The statement by Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi reflected Ukraine's deteriorating position in the east that Kyiv hopes it can stabilize once it takes delivery of U.S. weapons under a $61 billion aid package approved this week.

"The situation at the front has worsened," Syrskyi wrote on the Telegram app, describing the "most difficult" areas as west of occupied Maryinka and northwest of Avdiivka, the town captured by Russian forces in February. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a fresh plea to international partners to speed arms deliveries so Kyiv could maintain its positions and disrupt Russian plans. He said he spoke on Sunday with U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and "underscored that Patriot systems are needed, and as soon as possible."

HAMAS SUPPORT SPREADS: Pro-Palestinian protests at U.S. universities showed no sign of slowing as they spread coast-to-coast over the weekend and police crackdowns and arrests continued into another week while students vowed to stay in tent encampments until their demands are met. The students' demands range from a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas to calls for universities to stop investing in Israeli enterprises involved with the country's military to an end for U.S. military assistance for Israel.

Pro-Palestinian protests have spread to college campuses across the U.S., stoked by the mass arrest of over 100 people on Columbia University's campus more than a week ago. The Columbia campus was peaceful on Saturday and there were no reports of arrests of disturbances overnight. But crackdowns continued at a handful of campuses on Saturday including a lockdown at the University of Southern California (USC) and a heavy police presence. More than 200 people were arrested at a handful of schools including 80 late on Saturday at Washington University in St. Louis. Among those arrested at Washington University was 2024 Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.

➤TWISTERS POUND MIDWEST: At least five people died, including a four-month-old baby, and scores were injured in Oklahoma this weekend after dozens of twisters swept the U.S. Southern Plains, while weather alerts on Sunday put more than 7 million Americans under tornado warnings.

Storm warnings for high winds, heavy rain and hail also were issued by the National Weather Service on Sunday for more than 47 million people stretching from East Texas all the way up through Illinois and Wisconsin. The unsettled weather is forecast to continue across the mid-section of the country into Monday, the weather service said. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt on Sunday declared a "disaster emergency" for the state, freeing up more money for first responders and recovery operations. Stitt said in a video message posted on social media that he planned to tour the storm damage on Sunday and asked for prayers for those suffering.


➤TRIAL INDIGNITIES GET TO TRUMP:  He’s freezing. He has no Diet Coke. Donald Trump is miserable in court. The billionaire and former president accustomed to jet-setting between adoring campaign rallies and his Florida estate has spent two weeks—with as many as six to go—sitting unhappily at the defense table in the city where he built his real-estate empire and his 2016 White House campaign. Though he fumes daily about the 34 New York felony charges he’s facing, the small indignities of being on trial are what appear to bother him most.

➤INTEL INDICATES PUTIN DID NOT DIRECTLY ORDER NAVALNY DEATH: Putin didn’t directly order Alexei Navalny’s February death, U.S. spy agencies say. U.S. intelligence agencies have determined that the Russian president likely didn’t order Navalny to be killed at a notoriously brutal prison camp in February, people familiar with the matter said, a finding that deepens the mystery about the circumstances of the Russian dissident's death. The assessment doesn’t dispute Putin’s culpability for Navalny’s death, but rather finds he probably didn’t order it at that moment. Certain countries are skeptical of that view, according to security officials from several European capitals. Navalny’s allies insist that his death was orchestrated by the Kremlin.

➤NEW GAZA CEASE-FIRE PLAN EMERGES:  A new Gaza cease-fire proposal has been put forward. The proposal, pitched by Egypt and formulated jointly with Israel, would see the release of 20 Israeli hostages over an initial three-week cease-fire. It's a bid to stave off a military offensive in the southern Gazan city of Rafah—and to revive truce negotiations that have dragged on for about five months without an agreement. A Hamas delegation is expected in Cairo tomorrow. Meanwhile, American colleges are navigating turbulent final weeks of the school year at campuses riven by differing views on the Israel-Hamas war. We went inside Columbia’s Manhattan campus, the epicenter of the intensifying student protests, at universities from New York to Texas to California, over Israel’s invasion of Gaza after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

TRUMP, DeSANTIS MEET: Trump met privately with his former rival DeSantis, who agreed to help with campaign fundraising, people familiar say Former president Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met privately Sunday morning in Miami, breaking a years-long chill between the presumptive Republican nominee and his onetime chief primary rival. The meeting was friendly, according to a person with direct knowledge.

➤GOVERNOR FACING BACKLASH OVER KILLING DOG:  A defiant Kristi Noem hit back at critics following outrage over her upcoming memoir that reveals she once killed a dog.  "I can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch, in my upcoming book — No Going Back. The book is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned," South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem began in a social media post published Sunday on X.  "The fact is, South Dakota law states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down. Given that Cricket had shown aggressive behavior toward people by biting them, I decided what I did," Noem continued. 

➤TESLA RECALL: US regulators launch new probe of Tesla after 2 million cars recalled. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is reviewing a December recall on Tesla's autopilot feature, focusing on whether the electric vehicle company adequately remedied the issue. The probe comes after at least 20 crashes have occurred involving cars that received Tesla's autopilot software update.  

👑KING CHARLES BACK ON DUTY:  King Charles to resume public duties after cancer diagnosis. The 75-year-old king was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer in February (see previous write-up) and has made limited appearances since then. Buckingham Palace said Friday King Charles' medical team was pleased with his progress so far under current treatments.   


⚾YANKEES POUND BREWERS: Aaron Judge homered early and then triggered a seven-run sixth inning with a handy slide, propelling the visiting New York Yankees to a 15-5 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday to clinch the three-game series win. With the game tied 4-4, Judge walked to open the sixth against reliever Abner Uribe (2-2). Alex Verdugo hit a tailor-made double-play bouncer to second, but Willy Adames' relay throw hit Judge's upraised hand, allowing Verdugo to reach.

Crew chief Andy Fletcher later told a pool reporter that they should have called interference on Judge. "After looking at it on replay, it appears that the call was missed," Fletcher said. "It was an unnatural part of his slide." Anthony Rizzo walked with two outs and Gleyber Torres singled in Verdugo to make it 5-4. Oswaldo Cabrera walked and Jose Trevino followed with a two-run single. Elvis Peguero relieved Uribe and uncorked a run-scoring wild pitch for an 8-4 Yankees lead. Juan Soto added an RBI single and Judge capped the 11-batter inning with a two-run single.

⚾MLB SCORES;

  • Phillies 8 Padres 6
  • White Sox 4 Rays 2
  • Yankees 15 Brewers 5
  • Red Sox 5 Cubs 4
  • D-Backs 3 Marines 2
  • Twins 11 Angels 5
  • Giants 3 Pirates 2
  • Astros 8 Rockies 2
  • Rangers 4 Reds 3
  • Tigers 4 Royals 1
  • Mets 4 Cardinals 2
  • Nationals 12 Marlins 9
  • Blues Jays 3 Dodgers 1
  • Athletics 7 Orioles 6
  • Braces 4 Guardians 3

🏀NBA SCORES:

  • Timberlwolves 122 Suns 116
  • Pacers 126 Bucks 113
  • Clippers 116 Mavericks 111
  • Knicks 97 76ers 92

🏒NHL SCORES

  • Oilers 1 Kings 0
  • Rangers 4 Capitols 2 (Rangers Advance)
  • Canucks 4 Predators 3
  • Avalanche 5 Jets 1

➤MONDAY'S WEATHER:



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