First, links to Reuters, Associated Press and National Public Radio reports; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. Then, via Popular Resistance, a link to an analysis by Moon of Alabama. Linked next, from Global Research, a look at Ukraine government policy and shipments of wheat. Finally, a midday update from AP on the stock market. — MCM

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What next? Ukraine’s allies divided over Russia endgame, by John Irish, Andreas Rinke and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters PARIS/BERLIN/WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) – Is it better to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine or to isolate him? Should Kyiv make concessions to end the war, or would that embolden the Kremlin? Are ramped up sanctions on Russia worth the collateral damage? These are some of the questions testing the international alliance that swiftly rallied around Ukraine in the days after the Russian invasion but that, three months into the war . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russians control 80% of contested city in eastern Ukraine, by Yuras Karmanau | The Associated Press LVIV — Sievierodonetsk, the main focus of the fighting in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, isn’t yet blocked off by Russian troops even though they control about 80% of the city and have destroyed all three bridges leading out of it, an official said today. “There is still an opportunity for the evacuation of the wounded, communication with the Ukrainian military and local residents,” Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says corpses of thousands of Russian soldiers are piling up in morgues. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | National Public Radio A Russian soldier’s forgotten body is discovered in a liberated village north of Kyiv, setting off emotions and an inquest — as Russia refuses to acknowledge its war dead. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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Washington Starts Blame Game over Defeat in Ukraine, by Moon of Alabama | Educate!  I do not believe for one moment that U.S. intelligence services do not know what is going on in Ukraine and in Kiev. They know that the Ukraine has lost the war and will have to sue for peace as soon as possible. They also have told the White House [this] and that the whole idea of setting up the Ukraine to tickle the Russian bear was idiotic from the get go. The question now is . . . READ MORE . . .

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Global Food Crisis: Ukraine Is Demanding Weapons in Exchange for Resuming Wheat Exports, by Andrew Korybko | Global Research The so-called “deadlock” over resolving the global food crisis is just as artificially manufactured as its origins since Kiev has now officially declared that it won’t resume wheat exports by sea to the Global South unless it receives anti-ship missiles first. Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasily Bodnar officially demanded weapons in exchange for resuming wheat exports by sea in what amounts to the blatant blackmailing of the Global South in the midst of the artificially manufactured food crisis. He said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Wall Street tumbles day after wobbling into bear market, by Stan Choe | AP NEW YORK — Wall Street is wobbling today in its first trading after tumbling into a bear market on worries that high inflation will push central banks to clamp the brakes too hard on the economy. The S&P 500 was 0.2% lower in midday trading as investors brace for the Federal Reserve’s announcement Wednesday about what it will do with interest rates. It was an unsteady move, though, and . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

Hello readers. Sometime soon, please take in the 16-minute interview in the first segment below. In it, two career firefighters — one of them the author of an authoritative manual now in its fourth edition — talk about the collapse of the Building 7 skyscraper at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Thanks to members of Boston 9/11 Truth for their diligence and persistence over the years, and to Richard Gage of RichardGage911.org for alerting people about the PAPA conference held last week in Boston, and then attending it. The second segment below will take longer. — MCM

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Protecting All Protectors Alliance Takes a Stand in Boston. Written by Administrator2 | Boston 9/11 Truth PAPA (Protecting All Protectors Alliance) hosted a booth at the National Fire Protection Association Conference (www.nfpa.org) in Boston, MA (6/6/22-6/8/22). Our message was very well received. Visit www.ProtectingAll.org for more information. In the interview HERE, Al Magaletta of Boston 9/11 Truth speaks with Seattle firefighter Erik Lawyer and Capt. Raul Angulo of the Seattle Fire Department, author of Engine Company Fireground Operations, now in its fourth edition. Their subject is the mysterious collapse of a skyscraper at the World Trade Center not struck by any plane on Sept. 11, 2002, and the lack of government interest in dealing with it in a forthright manner, and what that means for the firefighting profession and for all Americans. 

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PAPA Reveals Building 7 Collapse to Thousands of Fire Professionals at Boston NFPA Convention. By Richard Gage | richardgage911.org The incredible volunteers at Boston 9/11 Truth made it all possible. They just want to get it done! They never stop. And they don’t show any signs of doing so. For almost 20 years they have been brainstorming, speaking, tabling, and moving mountains in order to educate their fellow New Englanders. Well… they discovered in April that the annual convention of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) was happening—on their turf, and they weren’t going to miss the opportunity this time to teach thousands about the “Salomon Brothers Building” that collapsed mysteriously, in 7-seconds — due to a “fire-induced progressive collapse” according to NIST, the National Institute of Standards & Technology. Click HERE to read more and watch and listen to several videos about the truth effort at the convention.

First, reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others accessible by clicking on their names below. — MCM

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What next? Ukraine’s allies divided over Russia endgame, by John Irish, Andreas Rinke and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters PARIS/BERLIN/WASHINGTON — Is it better to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine or to isolate him? Should Kyiv make concessions to end the war, or would that embolden the Kremlin? Are ramped up sanctions on Russia worth the collateral damage? These are some of the questions testing the international alliance that swiftly rallied around Ukraine in the days after the Russian invasion but that, three months into the war . . . READ MORE . . .

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The battle of Donbas could prove decisive in Ukraine war. From the Associated Press Day after day, Russia is pounding the Donbas region of Ukraine with relentless artillery and air raids, making slow but steady progress to seize the industrial heartland of its neighbor. With the conflict now in its fourth month, it’s a high-stakes campaign that could dictate the course of the entire war. If Russia prevails in the battle of Donbas, it will mean that Ukraine loses not only land but perhaps the bulk of its most capable military forces, opening the way . . . READ MORE . . .

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The White House is considering a presidential visit to Saudi Arabia. Reported by Jackie Northam | National Public Radio Despite its concerns over human rights, the Biden administration is changing its stance toward Saudi Arabia in a bid to lower global oil prices and tame gas costs at the pump. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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Russia continues to make violent, grinding gains in eastern Ukraine. Reported by A Martínez and Nathan Rott | NPR Ukrainian officials are warning that the next few days could be critical to a key city in the region. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

On Sunday, June 12, mostly gray-haired David Grover fans in a nearly packed Colonial Theater on South Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, got together one last time to, for nearly four hours, salute the troubadour and bathe joyously in his music as performed by some of his friends and listen to their stories about him. Words from them that kept on coming up were vulnerable, generous, creative, inspirational, loving. A Berkshire Eagle news story about his life and death is HERE. A brief obituary is HERE. A photo on the cover of Sunday’s program is HERE. Just below is the letter on page 2 of it. — MCM

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Dear Friends,

My husband, David Grover, connected with many generations of music lovers. The folk songs he learned with his family in his earliest musical years, he continued to play his whole life. The list of his influences go on and on: he was fascinated with Elvis and, in fact, shared a birthday with him; the awakening of the Beatles; and the deep study of Brian Wilson’s exacting layers. He was deeply in love with “West Side Story” and equally enamored with “Man of La Mancha.” Leonard Cohen, Randy Newman, Chet Atkins, Stan Rogers, there was no genre he didn’t embrace and find the “sweet spots” in, as he would say.

Dave kept thousands of songs in his head. Songs from every era of history. Songs in many languages. Songs that brought back people’s happiest memories and songs that brought tears to your eyes because they were so perfect for the moment. This was one of my husband’s greatest gifts. We know he was incredibly talented and he was sincere and vulnerable. He never tried to be anyone other than himself. Often, though, when I think of all of the music I saw him perform over the years, one of the most amazing things I experienced was that he always managed to read the audience and somehow knew exactly where to go next. He knew somehow what they wanted in every room. Even when it took a hard left from the original set list.

This was also true of his songwriting. He wrote what he knew and understood about people; what he lived through and how he loved. He never shied away from deep pain or great joy. We were all Dave’s kids. He wanted to give us things we loved and the things we needed. He wanted to speak to the problems and the challenges we faced as a society and as individuals. But sometimes he just wanted to make us laugh and be joyous.

For me, today is about celebrating the music and the kinship he found with so many musicians here in the Berkshires and beyond; to take a journey through Dave’s musical history with his friends and fans. Dave played with everyone. He never judged anyone’s skill level. His only expectation was to sit and share music together because he knew it was a healing and comforting process. Who and what he was to each of us individually is between us and Dave, but the music is for all of us. I am grateful for all of those who have joined us today on stage and in the audience to share the song.

[signature]

Kathy Jo Grover

First, links to Associated Press, Reuters and National Public Radio reports; click on their names below to access others. Next, via ScheerPost, a link to a look at new weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Then, from Global Research, a link to a consideration of transforming lawns into food-growing spaces. Linked next, via Popular Resistance, violence in the United States connected to violence abroad. Finally, via raymcgovern.com, a link to an appeal to put Americans’ interests over the Ukraine government’s. — MCM

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Ukraine’s leader says his troops keep defying predictions, by David Keyton and John Leicester | The Associated Press KYIV (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said no one knows how long the war in his country will last but that Ukrainian forces are defying expectations by preventing Russian troops from overrunning eastern Ukraine, where the fighting has been fiercest for weeks. In his nightly . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says it destroyed depot in Ukraine with Western weapons, by Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk | Reuters * Russia targets Sievierodonetsk in eastern advance * Shelling causes fire at chemical plant, governor says * Ukraine urges West to deliver more heavy arms swiftly | KYIV — Russian forces fired cruise missiles to destroy a large depot containing U.S. and European weapons in western Ukraine’s Ternopil region, Interfax reported today, as street fighting raged in the eastern . . . READ MORE . . .

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People who drive for a living question profitability with the surge in gas prices. Ayesha Rascoe of National Public Radio asks Dennis Briggs how inflationary pressures such as higher gas prices are affecting his Pittsburgh transportation business. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, listen.

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Russia has achieved at least one of its war goals: return Ukrainian water to Crimea. Reported by Jason Beaubien | NPR Access to water for the Crimean peninsula was one of the issues that led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, listen.

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Faced With Donbass Defeat, U.S. & UK Up the Ante in Ukraine, by Christopher Nineham | Consortium News / scheerpost.com The British government, as ever following the U.S.  lead, is sending longer range missile systems to Ukraine for the first time. The government described the M270 weapon system they are despatching as a “cutting edge” military asset which can strike targets up to 80 kilometres away “with pinpoint accuracy.” Ukrainian soldiers are due to be brought to Britain for training in how to use the missiles. As even some of the mainstream media point out, on top of the four precision-guided, medium-range rocket systems sent by the U.S. last week, this decision . . . READ MORE . . .

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The Food Shortage Solution in Your Own Backyard, by Ellen Brown | Global Research While the global food systems we depend on come under increasing strain, there’s a solution to the growing crisis that most Americans can find in their own backyards — or front lawns. A confluence of crises — lockdowns and business closures, mandates and worker shortages, supply chain disruptions and inflation, sanctions and war — have compounded to trigger food shortages; and we have been warned that they may last longer than the food stored in our pantries. What to do? Jim Gale, founder of Food Forest Abundance, pointed out in a recent interview with Del Bigtree that in the United States there are 40 million acres of lawn. Lawns are the most destructive monoculture on the planet, absorbing . . . READ MORE . . .

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When America No Longer Exports Carnage as a Business Model, Maybe We’ll Stop Seeing It in the Streets Here, by Jacqueline Luqman | Black Agenda Report / Educate! Here is Joseph Biden and the Congress he leads repeatedly approving hundreds of millions of dollars of weapons to be sent to Ukraine in a war that the U.S. and their white supremacist international army NATO started with the sole purpose of provoking Russia. The Biden Administration and everyone in Congress has approved military support to Ukraine repeatedly since February, seven times to be exact, on Feb. 25, March 12, March 16, April 5, April 13, April 21, and April 24. The earlier . . . READ MORE . . .

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Who Does Joe Biden Represent? Americans, Not Ukraine, Should Decide U.S. Policy, by Doug Bandow | The Cato Institute / raymcgovern.com Americans increasingly wonder where U.S. involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war is heading. Although this nation is not officially in the fight, it is a belligerent in all but name. U.S. officials have essentially declared war on the Russian Federation and its president, Vladimir Putin. In an apparent attempt to assuage . . . READ MORE . . .

A short entry today, with links to Reuters, Associated Press and National Public Radio reports. Click on their names below to access others. — MCM

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Ukraine says it will prevail over Russia as eastern battle grinds on, by Natalia Zinets and Max Hunder | Reuters * Russia targets Sievierodonetsk in eastern advance * Ukraine urges West to deliver more heavy arms swiftly * War blocks vital Ukraine grain exports from Black Sea * Separatists say they will put South Korean fighter on trial | KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelenskiy insisted today that Ukraine would prevail in its almost four-month-long war with Russia that has become focussed on a grinding artillery slugging match over an eastern Ukrainian city. Russian forces have been . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia said to be using more deadly weapons in war, by David Keyton and John Leicester | The Associated Press KYIV — Ukrainian and British officials warned today that Russian forces are relying on weapons able to cause mass casualties as they try to make headway in capturing eastern Ukraine and fierce, prolonged fighting depletes resources on both sides. Russian bombers have likely been launching heavy 1960s-era anti-ship missiles in Ukraine, the U.K. Defense Ministry said. The Kh-22 missiles were primarily . . . READ MORE . . .

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Opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murray and other dissidents detained in Russia. Scott Simon of National Public Radio  speaks with Evgenia Kara-Murza, wife of jailed Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, about her efforts to free him. Click HERE to listen and, another day, read.

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio and teleSUR; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. Next, from Global Research, a link to a perspective on maritime considerations. Then, an opinion column that appeared this week in the New York Times. — MCM

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Ukraine fears a long war might cause West to lose interest, by Colleen Barry and Yuras Karmanau | The Associated Press KYIV — As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grinds into its fourth month, officials in Kyiv have expressed fears that the specter of “war fatigue” could erode the West’s resolve to help the country push back Moscow’s aggression. The U.S. and its allies have given billions of dollars in weaponry to Ukraine. Europe has taken in millions of people displaced by the war. And there has been unprecedented unity in post-World War II Europe in imposing sanctions on President Vladimir Putin and his country. But as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Goodbye Golden Arches: rebranded McDonald’s to reopen in Russia. From Reuters. * McDonald’s has been hugely popular in Russia since early 1990s * It is among Western firms exiting Russia over Ukraine * Company had operated nearly 850 restaurants across Russia * McDonald’s restaurants to reopen on Sunday under new ownership | Sunday marks a new dawn for Russia’s fast-food lovers as former McDonald’s Corp (MCD.N) restaurants reopen under new branding and ownership, more than three decades after the arrival of the hugely popular Western fast . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hailing Peter the Great, Putin draws parallel with mission to ‘return’ Russian lands. From Reuters. Russian President Vladimir Putin paid tribute on Thursday to Tsar Peter the Great on the 350th anniversary of his birth, drawing a parallel between what he portrayed as their twin historic quests to win back Russian lands. “Peter the Great waged the Great Northern War for 21 years. It would seem that he was at war with Sweden, he took something from them. He did not take anything from them, he returned [what was Russia’s],” Putin said after a visiting an exhibition dedicated to the tsar. READ MORE . . .

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Russian blockade in Odessa disrupts Ukrainian farmers’ grain exports. Peter Granitz of National Public Radio talks about the impact Russia’s blockade of the port of Odessa will have on grains sales in Odessa and possible food shortages in places in the Middle East and Africa. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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Despite help from the U.S., Ukraine says it’s outgunned by Russia. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR. The U.S. is supplying billions of dollars of weapons to Ukraine. Yet getting armament to the battlefield is challenging and Ukraine says it needs even more firepower to fight Russian forces. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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Russia Destroys Mercenary Training Center in Ukraine – Defense Ministry.  From teleSUR. Russian Defense Ministry Spokesperson Gen. Igor Konashenkov announced on Thursday that his country’s armed forces destroyed a training center for foreign mercenaries in Zhitomir. “Air-to-surface precision missiles . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine Crisis Should Raise Africa’s Food Independence Awareness. From teleSUR. African communities are going hungry as food prices continue to escalate, exacerbating an already worse situation compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Africa relies on grain imports from Russia and Ukraine, but with the ongoing crisis, which closed ports in Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia, the supply chain is disrupted. Humanitarian agencies are arguing . . . READ MORE . . .

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Black Sea Geopolitics and Russia’s Control of Strategic Waterways: The Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov, by Michel Chossudovsky | Global Research Historically, the Kerch strait in Eastern Crimea has played a strategic role. It constitutes a narrow maritime gateway which links the Black Sea via the Sea of Azov to Russia’s major waterways including the Don and the Volga. It also ensures maritime . . . READ MORE . . .

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We can’t be Ukraine hawks forever, by Ross Douthat | The New York Times “Sure, it works in practice, but does it work in theory?” Over the years, I’ve heard this parody of academic pomposity put in the lips of various targets, from French intellectuals to University of Chicago economists. Lately, though, I’ve begun thinking . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and teleSUR; some of their other stories can be accessed by clicking on their names below. — MCM

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Three sentenced to death for fighting on Ukraine’s side, by Bernat Armangué and Yuras Karmanau | The Associated Press BAKHMUT, Ukraine — Two British citizens and a Moroccan were sentenced to death today by pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine for fighting on Ukraine’s side. A court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic found the three men guilty of working toward a violent overthrow of power, an offense punishable by death in the unrecognized republic. They were also convicted of mercenary activities and terrorism. Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti reported that the three — Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Saaudun Brahim — are set to face a firing squad. They have a month to appeal. The separatists had claimed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine needs assurances on ports to ship grains, Italy’s Draghi says. From Reuters. Global efforts to avoid a food crisis start at Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and Kyiv needs assurances that they will not be attacked to resume grain shipments, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said today. Grain shipments from Ukraine, a major exporter, have fallen sharply since Russia’s invasion, sparking fears of food shortages in the most vulnerable . . . READ MORE . . .

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Maine volunteers welcome Ukrainian refugees.Maine volunteers welcome Ukrainian refugees. | National Public Radio. Across the U.S., volunteers are stepping up to resettle Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion. In Maine, one Ukrainian man has taken in 11 people and plans to welcome more. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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Russia Willing to Facilitate Food Exports from Ukraine. From TeleSUR. Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov met Wednesday with Turkey’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara to discuss issues related to the situation in Ukraine and bilateral relations. One of the purposes of his trip is to analyze the establishment of a “safe corridor” that would facilitate the export of up to 20 million tons of Ukrainian wheat in order to avoid a global food crisis. Currently, food shortages in international markets are caused by the blockade of Odessa and other Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea. The discussion of . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. Then, a link to Richard Gage and Ray McGovern talking about a variety of subjects including the original subject of this blog, 9/11. — MCM

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Ukrainian forces could pull back from embattled eastern city, by John Leicester and David Keyton | The Associated Press KYIV — Ukrainian forces battling Russian troops in a key eastern city appeared on the cusp of retreat today, though the regional governor insisted they are still fighting “for every centimeter” of the city. The urban battle for Sievierodonetsk testified to the painstaking, inch-by-inch advance by Russian forces as they close in on control of the entire Luhansk region, one of two that make up the industrial heartland known as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian army base sees scramble for war supplies, locals and soldiers say. From Reuters.  The town of Valuyki in western Russia has become a crucial staging post in the latest phase of Russia’s war over the nearby border in Ukraine. Throughout last month, helicopters buzzed overhead, military vehicles clogged the roads, and soldiers prepared for combat at a huge military base there. It’s also a place where soldiers’ relatives and private citizens are working to provide supplies and equipment for troops based near the town to address shortages, including drones, radios and heat-detecting rifle sights, according to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian’s foreign minister to begin talks with Turkey. Reported by Peter Kenyon | National Public Radio Possible Turkish naval escorts for grain ships coming from Ukraine and going around the world could be under discussion when Russia’s foreign minister visits Turkey. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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These Russian couples didn’t plan to get married. The Ukraine war changed their minds. Reported by Alina Selyukh  | NPR About a year ago, some friends asked Tatyana Neustroyeva and Pyotr Kolyadin that fateful couple question: Would they get married? In unison, they gave their replies: He said yes — and she said no. The two hadn’t discussed it. At 40, they’d known each other half their lives and been together almost two years, living in St. Petersburg . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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The ripple effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine are changing the world. (Put together in early May by Alina Selyukh, Alyson Hurt, Connie Hanzhang Jin and Nick Underwood of NPR from various other news organizations’ reporting.) Far from Russia’s war in Ukraine, stores are running out of cooking oil, people are paying more at the gas pump, farmers are scrambling to buy fertilizer and nations are rethinking alliances. Russia’s invasion . . . has triggered seismic repercussions: a fast-moving refugee crisis, unprecedented sanctions against a major economy and a shakeup of global relationships, including a reinvigorated NATO. Below, we . . . READ MORE . . .

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9/11 to Ukraine: A World in Peril — with Ex-CIA Officer Turned Whistleblower Ray McGovern. Richard Gage hosts McGovern in a two-hour chat. McGovern, who has supported the 9/11 Truth Movement for years and discusses why, also gives an analysis of post-9/11 geopolitics including the lead-up to the Iraq war, for which with others he sought to expose the lies of the Bush Administration, subsequent wars in the Middle East, the Ukrainian “revolution,” the current war, and increasing tensions now with China. Click HERE to watch and listen.

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to Associated Press, Reuters, and TelerSUR reports; links to some of their other stories are accessible by clicking on their names below. Then, links to stories for subscribers to the Berkshire Eagle and the Springfield Republican; the first, beginning on page 1 of today’s Eagle, is about a Ukrainian family that has resettled the Berkshire County town of Washington; the second, which began on page 1 of yesterday’s Springfield Republican, is about a local Sister of St. Joseph being named ambassador of peace by Corpus Cristi USA. Linked next, from CounterPunch, an extensive debate in print stemming from a letter four Ukrainian economists critical of Noam Chomsky’s statements on the war and how best to end it. — MCM

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Russia claims advances in Ukraine amid barrages, troop boost, by John Leicester and Hanna Arhirova | The Associated Press KYIV — Russia claimed today it has occupied large swaths of eastern Ukraine after a relentless, weekslong barrage and the recent deployment of more troops. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow’s forces have control of 97% of the Luhansk region. Russia has declared that fully capturing the entire Donbas . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine will fight for all territory, stalemate ‘not an option’, Zelenskiy says, by Pavel Polityuk and Abdelaziz Boumzar | Reuters * Fierce street fighting for key eastern industrial city * Ukraine troops outnumbered, will not surrender-Zelenskiy * Eastern front under constant shelling * Russian-held ports ready to resume grain exports – Moscow | KYIV/DRUZHKIVKA, Ukraine — Ukraine will fight to recover all its territory occupied by Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said today, as his troops battled street-to-street in Sievierodonetsk in one of the bloodiest land battles of the war. “We have already lost too many people to simply cede . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine Is Not in Talks with Third Parties over Peace Plan. From TeleSUR. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday he is not holding talks with third parties over a peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “I do not have any negotiations about any plans. Such negotiations are at zero level today,” Zelensky said, while commenting on media reports* that the European Union (EU), the United States, and Britain allegedly discussed a peace plan for Ukraine. The international community is having growing fatigue with the conflict, Zelensky said, adding that some countries are trying to convince Ukraine to make unfavorable concessions. READ MORE . . .

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Chinese Envoy Warns Against Providing Weapons to Ukraine. From TeleSUR. Dai Bing, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, warned Monday against constantly providing weapons to Ukraine or imposing sanctions on Russia. “The international community should work together to promote peace talks, and encourage Russia and Ukraine to come back to the negotiation track,” Dai told a Security Council meeting on sexual violence and human trafficking in the context of the Ukraine conflict. “Constantly providing weapons or imposing sanctions and pressure . . . READ MORE . . .

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After multiple tries to cross the U.S. border, and a lot of bureaucracy, this Ukrainian family who fled war is resettling in the Berkshires, by Greta Jochem | The Berkshire Eagle WASHINGTON, Massachusetts — Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, Yana Nepliuieva and Ruslan Nepliuiev left their home in Dnipro, Ukraine, with three of their children and Yana’s mother. Each carried a bag with their most important items and documents. Their end destination: the Berkshires. “It was a difficult decision leaving everything . . . Subscribers to the Eagle or berkshireeagle.com can click HERE to read whole story.

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Sister of St. Joseph Jane Morrissey named ambassador of peace. Report by Anne-Gerard Flynn on Sister Jane Morrissey, 81, of Springfield, MA, being named ambassador of peace for Corpus Christi USA includes this quote: “I learned to face life as it is, underneath all the guile and noise. I learned to be real. When life and death are at stake, you can’t fool around with the tangential. I learned to use time well, to look at life and its meaning from another side. I learned the Gospel, especially the Sermon on the Mount, the way of nonviolent love.” It ends with with a paragraph including: “The support for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and for the Back from the Brink campaign . . . assure me that finding an alternative to the arms race and the perennial dangers of nuclear weapons and waste disposal remain real and relevant. . . . Through Pax Christi and these campaigns, we can work together to create options for nonviolent conflict resolution in countries like the Ukraine. We need to build the spiritual and religious will to do so. The time is now.” Subscribers to the Republican or masslive.com can click HERE to read whole story.

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The Ukraine War: Chomsky Responds. Introduced by Jeffrey Sommers | CounterPunch In May of this year, four economists from Ukraine (Bohdan Kukharskyy, Anastassia Fedyk, Yuriy Gorodnichenko, and Ilona Sologoub) working in the United States took umbrage with [Noam] Chomsky’s comments on the war, or at least what they assumed were the ideas (and “patterns”) he expressed. They held some of his statements to be either inaccurate, or even when true, irrelevant to the conflict and/or giving succor to Russia’s war effort. The Ukrainian economists invited Dr. Chomsky to respond. READ MORE . . .

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* The TeleSUR report did not indicate which news media organizations were reporting that the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom were discussing a possible peace plan.