To begin, the top reports from the Associated Press and Reuters websites at about 9 a.m. EDT. Then, an AP report featured this morning in many U.S. dailies. Next, four segments from National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.” Then, via Global Research and the Center for Action and Contemplation, considerations from Pope Francis and a less-known Roman Catholic leader. — MCM
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The AP Interview: Belarus admits Russia’s war ‘drugs on,’ by Ian Phillips | The Associated Press MINSK, Belarus — Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko defended Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in an interview today with The Associated Press, but he said he didn’t expect the 10-week-old conflict to “drag on this way.” He also spoke out against the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine but wouldn’t say if Russian President Vladimir Putin had plans to launch such a strike. Lukashenko said Moscow . . . READ MORE . . .
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Love letter, ID card point to Russian units that terrorize Bucha, by Mari Saito | Reuters BUCHA, Ukraine — At the end of March, when Russian troops retreated from Bucha, a leafy suburb near Ukraine’s capital, they left reminders of their deadly occupation for all the world to see. Bodies were strewn in the streets. Quaint houses were reduced to rubble. A field near the town’s church had become a mass grave. Now, as Ukrainian and international prosecutors begin the work of identifying those responsible for the alleged atrocities, Reuters has examined the aftermath of Russia’s hasty retreat – and found vital clues to the identities of individual Russian soldiers and military units present . . . . Reuters journalists spent three weeks in Bucha interviewing more than 90 residents, reviewing photographic and video evidence . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine: Russia using ‘missile terrorism’ in wide attacks, by Jon Gambrell and Cara Anna | AP LVIV, UKRAINE Complaining that the West is “stuffing Ukraine with weapons,” Russia bombarded railroad stations and other supply-line targets across the country, as the European Union moved to further punish Moscow for the war Wednesday by proposing a ban on oil imports. Heavy fighting also raged at the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol that represented the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in the ruined southern port city, according to the mayor. A Russian official denied that Moscow’s troops were storming the plant, but the commander of the main Ukrainian military unit inside said Russian troops had broken into the mill’s territory. The Russian military also said it used sea- and air-launched missiles to destroy electric . . . READ MORE . . .
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Attacks persist on Ukrainian steel plant, where some people managed to flee. NPR’s Leila Fadel speaks with Chris Hanger of the International Committee of the Red Cross about efforts to escort civilians out of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Logistics plays an important role in Ukraine getting weapons from the U.S. Reported by Tom Bowman | NPR The United States continues to send weapons and machinery to Ukraine to help in its war against Russia. The increase in shipments includes much needed howitzers from a U.S. base in Delaware. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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A complex operation is involved as the U.S. sends weapons to Ukraine. NPR’s Leila Fadel talks to Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, head of the U.S. Transportation Command, about the massive task of shipping weapons to Ukraine to help in the fight against Russia. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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The Russia-Ukraine war is taking a dramatic toll on children. Reported by Brian Mann | NPR Children in Ukraine are among the most at risk as Russia’s army continues to attack with ground troops and artillery. We hear from young people living near the front lines. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Pope Francis Suggests that NATO’s ‘Barking’ Provoked Russia’s Military Op in Ukraine, by Paul Antonopoulos | Global Research Pope Francis has suggested to Italian daily Corriere Della Sera that the “barking of NATO at the door of Russia” provoked the military operation in Ukraine and alluded that countries should not supply Ukraine with more arms. Specifically, the Pope said that Russia has “an anger that I don’t know whether it was provoked but was perhaps facilitated” by NATO’s unrelenting expansion towards the Eurasian Giant. Although Pope Francis denounced . . . READ MORE . . .
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War Is a Spiritual Problem, by Father Richard Rohr | Center for Action and Contemplation The nuclear myth, with its false promises of deterrence and security, gets us off almost all the hooks that the Divine Fisherman uses to draw us to deeper levels of spirituality and consciousness: our powerlessness, our essential insecurity, the desire to give one’s life for something bigger than oneself, our fear of death, our capacity for faith, trust, and forgiveness, our restless hearts that long to be united. Once we squelch spiritual energy in the name of hard-headed intellect and will, three not-so-obvious demons will move in to take the place of Spirit: expedience, law, and propriety. I see many . . . READ MORE . . .
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TO BE CONTINUED