United States

Reuters reports: President Joe Biden pledged $800 million in more weaponry for Ukraine on Thursday and said he would ask Congress for more money to help bolster support for the Ukrainian military as it faces a fresh onslaught by Russia on its eastern flank. The Pentagon said that the new package would include 75 155mm long-range howitzers, 72 tactical vehicles …

Mediaite reports: “Do you want President Biden to come here?” Tapper asked. “Yes,” Zelensky replied — speaking in English as he did for lengthy portions of the interview. Zelensky further posited that not only does he want the American president to travel to Ukraine, he believes that it will actually happen. “Are there any plans for him to come?” Tapper …

Columbia’s ABC News affiliate reports: The Columbia Police Department confirmed that around 2:03 p.m. they were called to the scene of a shooting inside of Columbiana Centre. This triggered a response from the Columbia Police Department, amd the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. Chief Skip Holbrook said no one was killed in the shooting but 12 people were injured. Ten of …

NBC News reports: Ukrainian President Zelenksyy has asked the Biden administration to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, two sources familiar with the discussions told NBC News. Zelenskyy made the request in a recent phone conversation with President Joe Biden, the sources said. A source familiar with the discussion about designating Russia a state sponsor of Terrorism says …

The Washington Post reports: Russia this week sent a formal diplomatic note to the United States warning that U.S. and NATO shipments of the “most sensitive” weapons systems to Ukraine were “adding fuel” to the conflict there and could bring “unpredictable consequences.” The diplomatic démarche, a copy of which was reviewed by The Washington Post, came as President Biden approved …

Via press release from the White House: I just spoke with President Zelenskyy and shared with him that my Administration is authorizing an additional $800 million in weapons, ammunition, and other security assistance to Ukraine. The Ukrainian military has used the weapons we are providing to devastating effect. As Russia prepares to intensify its attack in the Donbas region, the …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The Senate voted 100-0 on separate bills Thursday stripping Russia of its most-favored-nation trade status and approving a ban on Russian oil imports to punish Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, several weeks after the House cleared both pieces of legislation. The Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act and the Suspending Energy …

CNN reports: The US announced new sanctions Wednesday on Russian financial institutions and individuals, including Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters, as it aims to increase economic pressure on Russia and Putin himself following horrific images from the Ukrainian city of Bucha. The US is targeting Putin’s two adult daughters because they believe the Russian President may be hiding …

CNBC reports: President Joe Biden said Monday that evidence needs to be gathered to put Russian leader Vladimir Putin on trial for war crimes related to his nation’s invasion of Ukraine. “He is a war criminal,” Biden said of Putin, on the heels of reports of mass killings of civilians by Russian troops in the town of Bucha, northwest of …

The Associated Press reports: The U.S. government seized a mega yacht in Spain owned by an oligarch with close ties to the Russian president on Monday, the first in the government’s sanctions enforcement initiative to “seize and freeze” giant boats and other pricey assets of Russian elites. Spain’s Civil Guard and U.S. federal agents descended on the yacht at the …

Reuters reports: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said images of dead Ukrainian civilians found in the town of Bucha after Russian troops left were a “punch in the gut” and those responsible for any war crimes must be held accountable. Blinken’s comments in a CNN interview on Sunday came a day after Ukrainian forces moved into the town near …

The Verge reports: Russia says it will end cooperation with other nations on the International Space Station until the sanctions put on the country are lifted. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, announced in a thread on Twitter that the “restoration of normal relations between partners” on the ISS and other projects is only possible with the …

NBC News reports: A Navy fuel ship will be named for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in recognition of her efforts to advance women’s rights and gender equality, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said Thursday. The future John Lewis-class replenishment oiler — a ship that transfers fuel to the Navy’s operating carrier strike groups — will be …

The Associated Press reports: As the United States prepares to accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees following Russia’s invasion of their country, existing communities in cities like Sacramento and Seattle are already mobilizing to provide food, shelter and support to those fleeing the war. “No refugee is waiting for you to be ready for them,” said Eduard Kislyanka, senior pastor …

The New York Times reports: President Biden delivered a forceful denunciation of Vladimir V. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, declaring “for God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power” and casting the military clash as the “test of all time” in a decades-long battle to defend democracy. In a speech from a castle that served for centuries as a home for …

The Washington Post reports: President Biden, who is holding emergency talks with NATO leaders in Brussels, is expected to announce plans for the United States to accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and others fleeing Russia’s invasion, according to two senior administrations official briefed on the plan, who said exact numbers could change. The conflict has now displaced half of Ukraine’s children, …

Via press release from the State Department: Many of the sites Russia’s forces have hit have been clearly identifiable as in-use by civilians. This includes the Mariupol maternity hospital, as the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressly noted in a March 11 report. It also includes a strike that hit a Mariupol theater, clearly marked with …

Bloomberg News reports: People living in NATO nations reported sharply higher confidence in U.S. global leadership during President Joe Biden’s first year in office than during the last year of Donald Trump’s presidency, according to newly released findings from Gallup, signaling support that Biden will draw on this week in pushing for renewed pressure on Russia. Polling from more than …

Bloomberg News reports: The omicron subvariant BA.2 is continuing to gain ground in the U.S., according to Covid-19 tests sequenced over the last two weeks. Helix, a San Diego-based genomics firm, has been watching the BA.2 variant since it first popped up in the U.S. in early January. Although it was initially slow to take hold, Helix now estimates that …

NBC News reports: The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected U.S. warnings that it may be preparing to conduct cyberattacks in response to Western sanctions, and said it did not engage in “banditry.” U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday told businesses to do more to protect themselves against possible cyberattacks by Russia, warning there was “evolving intelligence” that Moscow was exploring options …