To start, an item from Consortium News that may or may not be related to the war in Ukraine, concerning PayPal’s cancelation of the Consortium News account just as it was beginning its spring fund drive; readers are invited to visit recent entries in this blog with Consortium News contributions. Next, links to two Associated Press and Reuters reports related to the war, both linked to other Reuters and AP stories. Then, three National Public Readio reports from “Morning Edition.” — MCM

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PayPal Cancels CN Account; May Seize Balance, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News PayPaL has canceled Consortiium News’ account without any prior notice or due process and with virtually no explanation. As Consortium News is today launching its Spring Fund Drive, it has lost one of its most important ways for its viewers and readers to show their support through donations.  Clicking on the yellow PayPal donate button on our home page now yields this message: “This organization is currently ineligible to receive donations.” PayPal has sent an email to CN that says: “You can’t use PayPal anymore. … We noticed activity in your account . . . READ MORE . . .

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First civilians leave Mariupol steel plant; hundreds remain, by Cara Anna and Inna Varenytsia | The Associated Press ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — People fleeing besieged Mariupol described weeks of bombardments and deprivation as they arrived today in Ukrainian-held territory, where officials and relief workers anxiously awaited the first group of civilians freed from a steel plant that is the last redoubt of Ukrainian fighters in the devastated port city. Video posted online Sunday by Ukrainian forces showed elderly women and mothers with small children climbing over a steep pile of rubble from the sprawling Azovstal steel plant and eventually boarding a bus. . . . The evacuation, if successful, would represent rare progress in easing the human cost of the almost 10-week . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian evacuee recounts terror in the bunkers of Azovstal. From Reuters. BEZIMENNE, Ukraine — Cowering in the labyrinth of Soviet-era bunkers far beneath the vast Azovstal steel works, Natalia Usmanova felt her heart would stop she was so terrified as Russian bombs rained down on Mariupol, sprinkling her with concrete dust. Usmanova, 37, spoke to Reuters on Sunday after being evacuated from the plant, a sprawling complex founded under Josef Stalin and designed with a subterranean network of bunkers and tunnels to withstand attack.”I feared that the bunker would not withstand it . . . READ MORE . . .

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Many ex-Soviet republics do not want Russian troops operating in their country. Reported by Greg Myre | National Public Radio The focus is Ukraine, but Russian troops have been in five former Soviet republics this year — a reflection of Vladimir Putin’s desire to maintain a “sphere of influence” beyond Russia’s borders. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, to read.

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While a hundred people escaped a Ukrainian steel plant, more are still trapped. Reported by Rachel Martin and Tim Mak | NPR Reports say as soon as evacuations started from the plant, Russian shelling resumed. Also, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic lawmakers in Kyiv. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, to read.

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Where is the U.S. military aid heading to Ukraine making the most difference? NPR’s Rachel Martin talks to Barry Pavel of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, about the mechanics of military aid to Ukraine and the prospect of a long conflict. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, to read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to Associated Press and Reuters reports from late morning EDT, both linked to the news services’ other stories. Next, via Consortium News, the beginnings of two pieces that underscore differences in Ukraine before and after the February 2014 coup d’état. — MCM

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Ukrainians plead for Mariupol rescue; Russian advance crawls, by Mstyslav Chernov and Yesica Fisch | The Associated Press KHARKIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces fought today to hold off a Russian advance aimed at capturing an eastern industrial region along with Ukraine’s last holdout in the southern city of Mariupol, where fighters and civilians hiding under a heavily damaged steel mill endure agonizing conditions. The United Nations continued trying to broker an evacuation of civilians from the sprawling Soviet-era plant and other bombed-out ruins of Mariupol . . . . The Russians put the number of Ukrainian soldiers at the plant at about 2,000. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says Russia pounding Donbas, failing to take targets, by Natalia Zinets | Reuters * Russia continues assault on eastern Ukraine * Ukraine says Russians ‘not succeeding’ in taking targets * Russia’s Lavrov: lifting sanctions is part of peace talks * U.S. Congress to pass Ukraine aid and weapons package soon | KYIV — Russian forces pounded Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region today but failed to capture three target areas, Ukraine’s military said, while Moscow said Western sanctions on Russia and arms shipments to Ukraine were impeding peace negotiations. . . . Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in remarks . . . READ MORE . . .

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Curfew for Anniversary of Odessa Massacre That Sparked Rebellion, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News Authorities in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa have set a 24-hour curfew from May 1-3 to prevent protests commemorating the burning alive on May 2, 2014, of 48 people who had rejected the U.S.-backed coup in Kiev earlier that year. The city, which is  “[under the control of Ukrainian troops], announced the introduction of a ‘curfew’ in the city from 22-00 on May 1 to 5-00 on May 3. For the duration of the ‘curfew’ Odessans are not allowed to leave their homes,” said the group Repression of the Left and Dissenters in Ukraine in a Telegram post. “Obviously, this decision of the authorities is due to the fact that May 2 is a very important date for the inhabitants of Odessa.” On that day eight years ago . . . READ MORE . . .

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The Real Zelensky, by Natylie Baldwin | The Grayzone A comedic actor who rose to Ukraine’s highest office in 2019, Volodymyr Zelensky was virtually unknown to the average American, except perhaps as a bit player in former U.S. President Donald Trump’s impeachment theater. American news consumers were bombarded with images of a man who appeared overcome by the tragic events, possibly in over his head, but ultimately sympathetic.  It didn’t take long for that image to evolve into the khaki-clad, tireless hero governing over a scrappy little democracy and single-handedly staving off the barbarians of autocracy from the east. . . . Ukrainian academic Olga Baysha, author of Democracy, Populism, and Neoliberalism in Ukraine: On the Fringes of the Virtual and the Real, has studied Zelensky’s rise to power and how he has wielded that power . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

I’m happy to pass along some important good news from Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth that arrived today by email. Excerpted below, it includes an appeal for donations, which are especially welcome because, as Ted Walter puts it, the group “is struggling for survival because two major donors have had to scale back and fundraising has been very low since January — as it usually is in the first half of the year. Plus . . . our costs have been rising.” Click HERE for more about the development. And click HERE to make a donation. — MCM

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Major Journal Agrees to Review Censored 9/11 Article!

Last week, following a four-year ethics complaint process, the American Society of Civil Engineers agreed to conduct a new review of an important article that was unfairly rejected by the Journal of Engineering Mechanics in 2013.

This article refutes a highly influential paper by engineer Zdeněk Bažant that purports to explain how the top of the [World Trade Center’s] North Tower could crush through the lower structure due to gravity alone. Bažant’s papers are the foundation of the official story, and getting this article published will be a death blow to his theory.

This could prove to be a turning point in how the engineering community views the WTC collapses. But victory is by no means guaranteed. We are now working vigilantly to ensure that the article is reviewed fairly so that it finally gets published.

More breakthroughs are on the horizon, and we are not that far from creating a sudden groundswell of support for a new investigation if things go right.

Ted Walter

Director of Strategy / Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth

First, links to Associated Press and Reuters stories related to the war. (Several others are available on the two news services’ websites.) Then, links to three National Public Radio stories from “Morning Edition.” Next, via the Greanville Post, the beginning of an essay by Patrick Lawrence in which, among other things, he reworks some points he has made before; and, via Consortium News, the beginning of Lawrence Davidson’s reflection on heroism using Madeline Albright and Julian Assange as examples. — MCM

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Ukraine slams Kyiv attack amid new Mariupol rescue effort, by David Keyton and Inna Varenytsia | The Associated Press KYIV — Ukraine’s leader accused Russia of trying to humiliate the United Nations by raining missiles on Kyiv during a visit by Secretary-General António Guterres, an attack that shattered the capital’s tentative return to normality as the focus of the war moved east. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s forces were holding off Russia’s attempted advance in the south and east, as efforts continued to secure safe passage for residents trapped in Mariupol, which has been largely reduced to rubble in a 2-month-long siege. An official in the president’s office did not rule out an evacuation as soon as today. Russia pounded targets all over Ukraine on Thursday . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘It was a massacre’: Mariupol residents recall battle for Ukrainian city. From Reuters. MARIUPOL, Ukraine — Residents of Mariupol recounted the horrors of the battle for their now devastated city this week as they sifted through the rubble for belongings, cooked meals by the roadside or just stared at the charred shells of buildings all around them. “It was terrible . . . like films that show the last days of the planet – the same thing happened here,” said Viktoria Nikolayeva, 54, who like many residents stayed with her family in a basement as Russian and Ukrainian forces battled overhead. “We were hungry, the child was crying when the Grad [multiple rocket launcher] shells were striking near the house. We were thinking, this is it, the end. It can’t be described . . . I can’t put it into words,” she tearfully told Reuters. Emergency . . . READ MORE . . .

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A family in Kharkiv refuses to leave, even as the Russians shell their city. Reported by Eyder Peralta | NPR Millions have fled the war in Ukraine and left the country, but some refuse to leave. For one family in Kharkiv, their fight to simply staying alive has become their biggest act of resistance. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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Russian missile hits Kyiv just after the head of the U.N. spoke there. Reported by A Martinez and Frank Langfitt | NPR Attacks on Ukraine’s capital had mostly stopped until Thursday’s missile strike. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was in Kyiv trying to negotiate humanitarian corridors for civilians. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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With an increase in funds to Ukraine, the U.S. aims to help it hold off Russia. NPR’s A Martinez talks to deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer about the largest single funding proposal for the war after the White House sent a $33 billion request to Congress for Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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The ‘defactualization’ of America: Ukraine as mirror, by Patrick Lawrence | The Greanville Post It is perfectly obvious by now, to anyone who cares to look, that mainstream media in America and the other Western powers are not reporting the Ukraine crisis accurately. Let me try that another way: The government-supervised New York Times and the rest of the corporate-owned media on both sides of the Atlantic lie routinely to their readers and viewers as to why Russia intervened in Ukraine, the progress of its military operation, the conduct of Ukrainian forces, and America’s role in purposely provoking and prolonging this crisis. So far as I know, this is the first war in modern history with no objective, principled coverage in mainstream media of day-to-day events and their context. None. It is morn-to-night propaganda, disinformation and lies of omission—most of it fashioned by the Nazi-infested Zelensky regime in Kiev and repeated uncritically as fact. READ MORE . . .

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Who is the hero? Albright vs. Assange, by Lawrence Davidson | Consortium News Our image of a hero has two aspects. The first consists of generic, stereotypical traits: bravery, determination in the face of adversity, achievement against heavy odds — the kind of person who saves the day. The second aspect is more culturally specific, describing and contextualizing the circumstances of bravery and determination, and the nature of achievement in terms that are narrowly defined. In other words, cultural descriptions of bravery are most often expressed in terms compatible with the social and political conditions of the hero’s society. Heroes are ubiquitous. For instance, there are American heroes, Russian heroes, Israeli heroes, Arab heroes, Ukrainian heroes, and so on. Where does good and bad come into it? Well, that too becomes a cultural judgment. Below are two examples of “heroes.” READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, a link to an April 12 Summit News report, relayed today by the Centre for Research on Globalization. Second and third, links to Associated Press and Reuters reports from this morning EDT, linked to others. Then, links to several segments heard on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.” Finally, from the Greanville Post, an independent journalist’s analysis originally posted in early March.  MCM

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Americans Are ‘In Charge’ of the War Says French Journalist Who Returned From Ukraine, by Paul Joseph Watson | Summit News A French journalist who returned from Ukraine after arriving with volunteer fighters told broadcaster CNews that Americans are directly “in charge” of the war on the ground. The assertion was made by Le Figaro senior international correspondent Georges Malbrunot. Malbrunot said he had accompanied French volunteer fighters, two of whom had previously fought against ISIS. “I had the surprise, and so did they, to discover that to be able to enter the Ukrainian army, well it’s the Americans who are in charge,” said Malbrunot. Click HERE for full article, which includes video of Malbrunot interviewed on C News TV.

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First and second, links to Associated Press and Reuters reports, both linked to others. (Note: the news services’ stories are constantly updated so headlines and texts may differ from what appears below.) Third, a talk on YouTube by Ray McGovern, a cofounder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. Then, Washington Post columnist Henry Olsen writes on long-term challenges to Western dominance. Finally, links to four segments heard on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.” — MCM

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Russia pounds eastern Ukraine as West promises Kyiv new arms, by Yesica Fisch and Jon Gambrell | The Associated Press TORETSK, Ukraine — Russia pounded eastern Ukraine today as the U.S. defense secretary promised to “keep moving heaven and earth” to get Kyiv the weapons it needs to repel the new offensive even as Moscow warned such support risked widening the war.  . . . U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that more help was on the way, as he convened a meeting of officials from around 40 countries at the United States’ Ramstein Air Base in Germany to pledge more weapons. Germany announced it cleared the way for delivery of Gepard anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine. “This gathering reflects the galvanized world,” Austin said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Moscow cites risk of nuclear war as U.S., allies pledge heavier arms for Ukraine, by Phil Stewart and Pavel Polityuk | Reuters * Russia warns U.S. against arming Ukraine * U.S. eyes ammunition for howitzers, tanks, grenade launchers * UK to send ambulances, fire engines and medical supplies | RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany / KYIV — Russia accused NATO of creating a serious risk of nuclear war by arming Ukraine in a proxy battle as Washington and its allies met today to pledge the heavy weapons Kyiv needs to achieve victory. U.S. officials have shifted emphasis this week from speaking mainly about helping Ukraine defend itself to bolder talk of a Ukrainian victory delivering a blow to Russia’s ability to threaten its neighbours.  . . . In a marked escalation of Russian rhetoric, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was asked on state TV about the prospect of World War Three and whether the current situation was comparable to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis that nearly caused nuclear war. “The danger is serious, real. And we must not underestimate it,” Lavrov said, according to the ministry’s transcript of the interview. “NATO, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy. War means war.” READ MORE . . .

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Ray McGovern on Ukraine: It’s not what they’re telling you. Via YouTube. In an hour and a half talk including questions and answers, the retired intelligence analyst puts the war in a six-decades context. Click HERE to watch and listen (no transcript available).

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Is this the Western alliance’s last hurrah? by Henry Olsen | The Washington Post The unity of Western democracies in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is marvelous and long overdue. But these nations’ fading economic power might mean this is the old order’s last hurrah. . . . The liberal, rules-based international order that arose in the latter part of the 20th century rested on those nations’ continued global economic dominance. Other nations . . . READ MORE . . .

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NATO defense officials meet in Germany to decide the next steps for Ukraine. NPR’s Leila Fadel talks with former U.S. Ambassador Ivo Daalder about what options NATO has left as Washington wants to weaken Russia to the point where it can’t wage a war like this again. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, to read.

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As the Russia-Ukraine war drags on, what is the endgame for sanctions? Reported by Asma Khalid | NPR Before Russia invaded Ukraine, the threat of harsh economic sanctions was wielded as a deterrent. But the White House message has evolved. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, to read.

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Deep scars remain after Russian troops pulled out of Trostyanets. Reported by Franco Ordoñez | NPR A small Ukrainian town near the Russian border was the first to be liberated after a four-week Russian occupation. Its challenges provide a window into the tough road ahead for similar communities. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, to read.

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Investigating the timing and implications of Brittney Griner’s arrest in Russia. NPR’s Rachel Martin talks with Yahoo Sports writer Jeff Eisenberg about suspicions surrounding the case of WNBA all-star Brittney Griner, still being held in a Russian prison months after her arrest. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, to read.

First and second, links to Associated Press and Reuters reports, both linked to others. Third, from Popular Resistance, a look at how a 1997 book by Zbigniew Brzezinski offers clues to U.S. policy and actions in the third decade of the 21st century. — MCM

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Russia hits rail, fuel facilities in attacks deep in Ukraine, by David Keyton | The Associated Press KYIV — Russia unleashed a string of attacks against Ukrainian rail and fuel facilities today, striking crucial infrastructure far from the front line of its eastern offensive, which Britain said has yet to achieve a significant breakthrough. Meanwhile, two fires were reported at oil facilities in western Russia. It was not clear what caused the blazes. . . . [T]op American officials pledged more help to [Ukraine]. In meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday, the American secretaries of state and defense said Washington had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition . . .  along with more than $300 million in foreign military financing. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. to reopen Kyiv embassy soon, says Russia has failed in war aims, by Pavel Polityuk and Natalia Zinets | Reuters * Washington pledges $713 mln in military aid * Russia demands Washington stop sending arms * U.S. diplomats to return to Ukraine in sign of support * Huge fire hits Russian fuel depot near border | KYIV — The United States will reopen its embassy in Ukraine soon, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today after he and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Kyiv, promising more military aid and hailing the fight against Russia’s invasion. Both men said the fact they were able to come to Kyiv was proof of Ukraine’s tenacity in forcing Moscow to abandon an assault on the capital last month. “What you’ve done in repelling the Russians in the battle of Kyiv is extraordinary and  . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine is a pawn on the grand chessboard, by Rick Sterling | Popular Resistance / Educate! Zbigniew Brzezinski’s book The Grand Chessboard was published 25 years ago. . . . As the conflict in Ukraine evolves, with the potential of escalating into world war, we can see where this policy leads and how crucial it is to re-evaluate. . . . The basic premise of The Grand Chessboard is outlined in the introduction: * With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States is the sole global power * Europe and Asia (Eurasia) together have the largest land area, population and economy * U.S. must control Eurasia and prevent another country from challenging U.S. dominance. Brzezinski sums up the situation: “America is now the only global superpower, and Eurasia is the globe’s central arena.” He adds . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

First and second, links to Associated Press and Reuters summaries related to the war, both linked to other stories from the two news services. Then, added this afternoon, a New York Times report from yesterday carried in a number of dailies including the Seattle Times. Next, a link to a piece of commentary from Off-Guardian concerning rationing of energy in Italy and its connection with the war and global warming. Finally, via anti-war.com, one writer’s context for Russia’s “criminal invasion” of Ukraine. — MCM

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Ukraine leader pushes for more arms: U.S. officials to visit, by David Keyton | The Associated Press KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed the West for more powerful weapons as he prepared to meet with top U.S. officials in the war-torn country’s capital today, while Russian forces concentrated their attacks on the east, including trying to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port of Mariupol. Zelenskyy announced the planned visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a news conference Saturday night in a Kyiv subway station. . . . Zelenskyy said he was looking for the Americans to produce results, both in arms and security guarantees. “You can’t come to us empty-handed today, and we are expecting not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons,″ . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine to call for heavy arms when top U.S. officials visit Kyiv, by Pavel Polityuk and Natalia Zinets | Reuters  * West has been sending more powerful arms to Ukraine * Ukrainians mark Orthodox Easter across Europe * Ukraine says destruction of churches disrupt celebrations * Moscow says military sites hit, Kyiv says children killed | KYIV — Ukraine will ask U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin for more powerful weapons during an expected visit by the officials to Kyiv on today, seeking to build the country’s defences against the Russian invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country would overcome “dark times,” in an emotional address at Kyiv’s 1,000-year-old Saint Sophia Cathedral to mark Orthodox Easter as fighting in the east overshadowed the religious celebrations. The trip by Blinken and Austin . . . would be . . . READ MORE . . .

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As Western arms pour into Ukraine, Zelenskyy promises victory, by Marc Santora, Michael Schwartz and Michael Levenson | The New York Times President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, bolstered by an influx of heavy weapons from Western nations, expressed increasing confidence Saturday that Ukraine was prepared to defeat Russian forces in what is expected to be a long and brutal battle for control of the eastern industrial heartland.“We will be able to show the occupiers that the day when they will be forced to leave Ukraine is approaching,” Zelenskyy said in an overnight address to the nation. The statement seemed to mark a decisive shift for Zelenskyy, who has spent months begging and shaming allies to provide Ukraine with longer-range, heavy weapons to repel Russian forces as they assault the east in the latest offensive in . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Operation Thermostat’: Energy rationing & the pivot from Ukraine to climate? by Kit Knightly | Off-Guardian Italy is officially becoming the first country to start rationing energy after cutting their supply of Russian gas and oil. From next month, until at least March 2023, public buildings across the nation will be banned from running air conditioning at lower than 25 degrees, or heating higher than 19 degrees [Celsius]. The plan, termed “Operation Thermostat” in the press, is being sold as a way for ordinary people to show “solidarity” with the people of Ukraine, with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi saying: “Do we want to have peace or do we want to have the air conditioning on?” . . . READ MORE . . .

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Minsk II: Two Words You’ll Never Hear on Mainstream News, by Walt Zlotow | Heartland Progressive Ask a hundred Americans and you’ll be lucky to find even one who’s ever heard of Minsk II. But ask those same Americans how the Ukraine war started, and you’ll likely get “Russian President Putin woke up one day and decided to re-establish the Soviet empire, starting with Ukraine.” That is because our government and its slavishly loyal media have created a false narrative for maximum propaganda to support pouring billions in weaponry into the Ukraine war zone, ensuring that death and destruction will proceed endlessly. Minsk II was the 2015 agreement hammered out by Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany to end the . . . READ MORE . . .