The Full Belmonte, 3/21/2022
Civilians trapped in Mariupol, Ukraine, are being evacuated in groups under the control of pro-Russian separatists.
“LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials defiantly rejected a Russian demand that their forces in Mariupol lay down arms and raise white flags Monday in exchange for safe passage out of the besieged strategic port city.
Even as Russia intensified its attempt to bombard Mariupol into surrender, its offensive in other parts of Ukraine has floundered. Western governments and analysts see the broader conflict grinding into a war of attrition, with Russia continuing to barrage cities.
In the capital Kyiv, Russian shelling devastated a shopping center near the city center killing at least eight people.
The encircled southern city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov has seen some of the worst horrors of the war, under Russian pounding for more than three weeks. Strikes hit an art school sheltering some 400 people only hours before Russia’s offer to open two corridors out of the city in return for the capitulation of its defenders, according to Ukrainian officials.” Read more at AP News
Data: Source: UN Satellite Center, U.S. State Department. Map: AP
Data: UNHCR; Map: Jared Whalen and Will Chase/Axios
“‘The war in Ukraine is so devastating that 10 million have fled — either displaced inside the country, or as refugees abroad,’ Filippo Grandil, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, tweeted yesterday.
That's nearly one-quarter of Ukraine's prewar population of 44 million, The Wall Street Journal points out.
3.4 million people have left Ukraine since Russia invaded Feb. 24 (25 days ago) — mostly women and children bound for Poland.
‘The flow of people has eased in recent days, but still tops 50,000 refugees a day, according to the latest U.N. figures,’ per The Journal.
Zoom out: The UN calls it ‘the largest humanitarian crisis Europe has seen since World War 2.’” Read more at Axios
“WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Judiciary Committee is beginning historic confirmation hearings Monday for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who would be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.
Barring a significant misstep by the 51-year-old Jackson, a federal judge for the past nine years, Democrats who control the Senate by the slimmest of margins intend to wrap up her confirmation before Easter.
Jackson is expected to present an opening statement Monday afternoon, then answer questions from the committee’s 11 Democrats and 11 Republicans over the next two days. She will be introduced by Thomas B. Griffith, a retired judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and Lisa M. Fairfax, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.
Jackson appeared before the same committee last year, after President Joe Biden chose her to fill an opening on the federal appeals court in Washington, just down the hill from the Supreme Court.” Read more at AP News
“WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has added a stop in Poland to his trip this week to Europe for urgent talks with NATO and European allies, as Russian forces concentrate their fire upon cities and trapped civilians in a nearly month-old invasion of Ukraine.
Biden will first travel to Brussels and then to Poland to meet with leaders there, press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Sunday night.
Poland is a crucial ally in the Ukraine crisis. It is hosting thousands of American troops and is taking in more people fleeing the war in Ukraine — more than 2 million — than any other nation in the midst of the largest European refugee crisis in decades.
Biden will head to Warsaw for a bilateral meeting with President Andrzej Duda scheduled for Saturday. Biden will discuss how the U.S., along with its allies and partners, is responding to ‘the humanitarian and human rights crisis that Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war on Ukraine has created,’ Psaki said.” Read more at AP News
“A new study found that the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine remains durable and effective, even through the surge of cases caused by the Delta variant. The research, outlined in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, found that the J&J shot was 76% effective in preventing Covid-19 infections and 81% effective in preventing Covid-related hospitalizations. The study also showed that it provided lasting immunity at least six months after the shots. A CNN analysis of information collected by the CDC showed the J&J vaccine also had the lowest breakthrough infection rate of all the vaccines since the week ending December 25, 2021. On the other hand, breakthrough infections during the Omicron surge were highest among those who received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, followed by those who got the Moderna vaccine, the same study shows.” Read more at CNN
“As many Americans struggle to deal with the swift and sudden rise in gas prices, some states are temporarily suspending their gas tax to help drivers save several dollars at the pump. Lawmakers in California, which has the highest gas tax in the country at 51-cents-per-gallon, are proposing a $400 gas tax rebate, after state Democrats previously shot down a gas tax pause. Lawmakers say the rebate will cover the cost of the current gas tax for a full year for most drivers. Two states have already enacted laws suspending the gas tax and more states are expected to follow. Georgia announced a suspension of its $0.29 cent tax per gallon on regular fuel. In Maryland, lawmakers passed a gas tax holiday for 30 days starting Friday, ending April 16. The national average gas price currently stands at $4.25 per gallon.” Read more at CNN
“Justice Clarence Thomas, the longest-serving member of the U.S. Supreme Court, was hospitalized with an infection on Friday after experiencing flulike symptoms, the court said in a statement on Sunday.
Justice Thomas was being treated with intravenous antibiotics at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, the statement said.
‘His symptoms are abating, he is resting comfortably, and he expects to be released from the hospital in a day or two,’ it said.
Patricia McCabe, a spokeswoman for the Supreme Court, said that Justice Thomas’s illness was not Covid-19 or related to the coronavirus.” Read more at New York Times
“DUMAS, Ark. — A community event and car show in a small Arkansas farming community became a scene of horror on Saturday night, as two people engaged in a gunfight and sprayed the crowd with bullets, killing one bystander and injuring 27 other people, including six children.” Read more at New York Times
“A Louisiana man was convicted on Wednesday of defrauding the federal student loan system of more than $1.4 million in an elaborate scheme that involved posing as students and hiring impersonators to get financial aid he then pocketed.
The man, Elliott Sterling, of Baton Rouge, obtained grants and loans intended for 180 students by using their personal information to fill out federal financial aid applications and enroll them in classes at Baton Rouge Community College from September 2017 to November 2019, prosecutors said.
Mr. Sterling, who was 32 when he was charged in September 2020, took most of the financial aid money for himself and spent more than $253,000 of it at casinos in Louisiana, Nevada and Pennsylvania, prosecutors said.” Read more at New York Times
“BEIJING–A Boeing 737 passenger plane operated by China Eastern Airlines Corp. carrying more than 130 people crashed in southern China, the country’s state media reported.
The plane crashed in the southern province of Guangxi on Monday, state media including Xinhua News Agency reported. There were no immediate reports on the number of casualties, and rescue teams have been sent to the area, the reports said.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“BEIJING (AP) — Shanghai Disneyland closed Monday as China’s most populous city tried to contain its biggest coronavirus flareup in two years, while the southern business center of Shenzhen allowed shops and offices to reopen after a weeklong closure.
Meanwhile, the cities of Changchun and Jilin in the northeast began another round of citywide virus testing following a surge in infections. Jilin tightened anti-disease curbs, ordering its 2 million residents to stay home.
China’s case numbers in its latest infection wave are low compared with other major countries, but authorities are enforcing a ‘zero tolerance’ strategy that has suspended access to some major cities.
The government reported 2,027 new cases on the Chinese mainland on Sunday, up from the previous day’s 1,737. That included 1,542 infections in Jilin province, where Changchun and Jilin are located.
Shanghai, which has a population of 24 million, has avoided a citywide shutdown but appealed to the public to stay home. Bus service into the city has been suspended and visitors are required to show a negative virus test.” Read more at AP News
Chinese buildings could be seen yesterday on the man-made island on Johnson Reef, in the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea. Photo: Aaron Favila/AP
“China has fully militarized at least three islands it built in the disputed South China Sea, a top U.S. military commander tells AP.
Why it matters: China is arming the islands with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment, and fighter jets in an increasingly aggressive move that threatens all nations operating nearby.
U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Adm. John C. Aquilino said the hostile actions were in stark contrast to Chinese President Xi Jinping's past assurances that Beijing wouldn't transform the artificial islands in contested waters into military bases.
Chinese buildings could be seen yesterday on the man-made island on Mischief Reef, in the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea. Photo: Aaron Favila/AP
The buildings — which include missile arsenals, aircraft hangars and radar systems and other military facilities — are part of China's flexing military muscle, Aquilino said.
‘[O]ver the past 20 years we've witnessed the largest military buildup since World War II,’ Aquilino said, calling China's weaponization ‘destabilizing to the region.’” Read more at Axios
“The impact of China’s increased reliance on coal to combat an energy shortage is already evident from space. A plume of methane, which traps over 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide in its first two decades in the atmosphere, was detected by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5P satellite near a remote coal mine in Inner Mongolia on March 1 — the first time it spotted the powerful greenhouse gas in that location.” Read more at Bloomberg
A plume of methane observed by satellite near the Manglai Surface Mine in Inner Mongolia, China. Source: Kayrros SAS
“Khan in trouble. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan faces a vote of no-confidence in parliament this Friday as the opposition coalition presses its advantage following a string of defections from the ruling PTI party. Khan called for those wayward lawmakers to return to his party in a rally on Sunday, and called for a ‘million-man’ rally on March 27 to back his leadership.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Difficult ties | India has stood out as one major democracy reluctant to censure Russia, and billions of dollars in weapons deals mean that’s unlikely to change soon. As Sudhi Ranjan Sen reports, New Delhi plans to push back by arguing the purchases are needed to counter China’s growing military assertiveness and its other neighbor, Pakistan, with whom it has a history of tense relations.
India is under pressure from its Quad alliance partners to take a stronger position against Russia. Australia raised the issue at a bilateral meeting, days after Japan did the same.” Read more at Bloomberg
“WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration intends to declare that Myanmar’s years-long repression of the Rohingya Muslim population is a ‘genocide,’ U.S. officials said Sunday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to make the long-anticipated designation on Monday at an event at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been publicly announced.
The designation does not in and of itself portend drastic new measures against Myanmar’s military-led government, which has already been hit with multiple layers of U.S. sanctions since the campaign against the Rohingya ethnic minority began in the country’s western Rakhine state in 2017.
But it could lead to additional international pressure on the government, which is already facing accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Human rights groups and lawmakers have been pressing both the Trump and Biden administrations to make the designation.” Read more at AP News
“Former President Donald Trump’s political action committee ended February with $110 million in the bank, but for a second month didn’t donate any of it to other Republicans.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Prolonged high gas prices could lower resistance to electric vehicles, Axios Generate co-author Ben Geman writes.
Edmunds, the car-shopping site, says interest in plug-in hybrids and traditional hybrids rose 39% for the week ending March 13 — and was 84% higher than in mid-February.
Why it matters: The last time gasoline prices were this high, electric cars were barely a blip in the market.
Now sales are climbing fast, to about 4.5% of the U.S. new car market last year. Automakers are bringing lots of snazzy new models to market.
The new choices feature a variety of electric SUVs and pickups, which are at the heart of the U.S. consumer market.
Automakers are also pouring more money into advertising EVs, including a bonanza of Super Bowl spots.
By the numbers: Regular gas averaged $4.26/gallon yesterday, per AAA — down 7¢ from a week earlier, but still roughly $1.40 higher than a year ago.
Reality check: Gas prices have spiked before — but never enough to reverse the long-term growth in popularity of pickups and SUVs.
“Top seeds Gonzaga, Kansas and Arizona are in. So is little Saint Peter’s, the giant killer and only the third No. 15 seed to make it this far in the NCAA Tournament.
And Coach K’s farewell tour continues as he and his Duke Blue Devils made it to the Sweet 16, too.
All eight of the regional semifinal matchups are set after a wild opening weekend that saw seven double-digit seeds win in the first round and four of them move on.
This is the second year in a row a No. 15 seed has captured the imagination of basketball fans.
Last year, it was Oral Roberts, which came within a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer from beating Arkansas and going to the Elite Eight. This time, it’s those lovable Saint Peter’s Peacocks, who knocked off Kentucky and Murray State and don’t have a single player that made the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference first team.
EAST REGION
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
Friday-Sunday
The Peacocks (21-11) will face No. 3 seed Purdue (29-7), and this group of New Jersey toughs won’t be intimidated by the Boilermakers’ considerable size advantage.
‘Everybody keeps saying we can’t do that, we can’t do that, we don’t have this and we don’t have that,’ coach Shaheen Holloway said. ‘We got heart. That’s what matters.’
Two of the college game’s biggest brands, No. 8 North Carolina (26-9) and No. 4 UCLA (27-7), will square off in the other semifinal.
First-year coach Hubert Davis’ Tar Heels are the hottest team in the tournament, having won eight of nine after their rout of Marquette and overtime win over defending champion Baylor.UCLA turned back Akron’s upset bid and rolled past Saint Mary’s.
WEST
Chase Center, San Francisco
Thursday-Saturday
No. 1 Gonzaga (28-3) plays No. 4 Arkansas (27-8) after overcoming slow starts against Georgia State and Memphis. The Zags had to erase a 12-point deficit early in the second half to get past ninth-seeded Memphis and advance to the Sweet 16 for a seventh straight time.
‘From here on out, they’re all tough,’ coach Mark Few said.
Arkansas was pushed to the limit by double-digit seeds Vermont and New Mexico State. The Razorbacks struggled offensively in both games but their defense has been nails.
The other West game pits second-seeded Duke (30-6) against No. 3 Texas Tech (27-9). A hard-earned 85-76 win over Tom Izzo and Michigan State sends Mike Krzyzewski west to his record 26th Sweet 16. The Red Raiders, with first-year coach Mark Adams, made it past the second round for the first time since their run to the 2019 national championship game.
SOUTH
AT&T Center, San Antonio
Thursday-Saturday
No. 11 Michigan (19-14) will face second-seeded Villanova (28-7) in a rematch of the 2018 national championship game won by the Wildcats. Like Saint Peter’s, the Wolverines are a pretty good story, too.
They underperformed in the regular season, coach Juwan Howard was suspended five games for a postgame dust-up with Ohio State and going one-and-done at the Big Ten Tournament made for a nervous Selection Sunday.
Here they are in a fifth straight Sweet 16 after rallying to beat Colorado State and then revving up in the second half to knock out third-seeded Tennessee.
No. 5 Houston (31-5), despite having been bitten hard by the injury bug this season, just keeps rolling along under Kelvin Sampson and will play Arizona (33-3). It’s the Cougars’ 14th Sweet 16, and third since 2019.
The Wildcats nearly got tripped up on their way to the Sweet 16 in coach Tommy Lloyd’s first season. Thanks to a combined 58 points from Bennedict Mathurin and Christian Koloko in an 85-80 overtime win over ninth-seeded TCU, Arizona will be playing on the tournament’s second weekend for the first time since 2016.
MIDWEST
United Center, Chicago
Friday-Sunday
No. 1 seed Kansas (30-6) will face a physical challenge against No. 4 Providence (27-5), which took care of business against South Dakota State and blew out Richmond. Kansas got all it could handle from ninth-seeded Creighton in the second round and is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018.
The game features an intriguing matchup of big men in the Jayhawks’ David McCormack and the Friars’ Nate Watson.
The other Midwest semifinal pits two double-digit seeds: No. 11 Iowa State (22-12) against No. 10 Miami (25-10).
The Cyclones, who won just two games last season, are in for the first time since 2016 under first-year coach T.J. Otzelberger. They’ve given up just 103 points in two games — 49 in their upset of Wisconsin, the Badgers’ lowest total since 2018.
Miami’s 79-61 takedown of No. 2 Auburn puts the Hurricanes in a regional semifinal for the third time under Jim Larrañaga, who would love to recapture the magic of his 2006 George Mason team’s run to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed.” Read more at AP News
Creighton held Iowa to just 35.7 percent from the field in its win.Credit...Ron Johnson/Associated Press
“The Round of 32 in the women's NCAA tournament wraps up Monday, with No. 1 seed N.C. State and No. 2 seed UConn among teams hoping to punch tickets to the Sweet 16. The top-seeded Wolfpack will face off against No. 9 seed Kansas State at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN. N.C. State cruised to a victory in its previous game against Longwood, while Kansas State earned a 10-point win against Washington State. Later Monday, UConn will take on No. 7 seed UCF at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Huskies will try to avoid becoming the third No. 2 seed in the Round of 32, with Baylor and Iowa both losing on Sunday.” Read more at USA Today
“LOS ANGELES (AP) — ‘CODA’ won the top prize at Saturday night’s Producers Guild Awards, giving momentum to the possibility that the small film could have a big night at next week’s Oscars.
The story of three adult family members who are deaf and a fourth who is not and seeks a singing career beat out bigger contenders including ‘The Power of the Dog,’ ‘Dune’ and ‘West Side Story’ to take an award that — more often than not — goes on to win the Academy Award for best picture.
‘This movie has been an amazing ride, it was such a special one to make, there was so much love and so much heart put into it,’ said Fabrice Gianfermi as he accepted the award with his ‘CODA’ co-producers Philippe Rousselet and Patrick Wachsberger at the 33rd PGA Awards.
An American Sign Language translator, who had been off to one side of the stage throughout the night’s speeches, stood front and center during the ‘CODA’ acceptance and another stood in front of the stage to translate for the three actors from the film who are deaf: Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin and Daniel Durant.
‘CODA,’ an acronym for “children of deaf adults,” is nominated for three Oscars at the March 27 ceremony, including best adapted screenplay for writer-director Sian Heder and best supporting actor for Kotsur, who is expected by most to become the first actor who is deaf since Matlin in 1987 to win an Oscar.
After it won best ensemble at last month’s Screen Actors Guild Awards it began to appear ‘CODA’ could get real consideration for best picture. The odds may be getting better. The top PGA award winner has gone on to win the top Oscar in three of the past four years and 10 of the past 13. Academy Award voting closes Tuesday.” Read more at AP News
“Lives Lived: When Janet MacPherson took up surfing in the 1950s, men threw rocks at her. That didn’t discourage her; she continued to surf into her 80s. She died at 84.” Read more at New York Times
“Maren Morris defends her Playboy photo shoot: The country music star hit back at critics of the 2019 photos, saying she ‘showed country female sexuality in its (realest) form here.’” Read more at USA Today
Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year and Van Winkle Special Reserve Bourbon 12 Year are this year's lottery selection. Photo: Virginia ABC
“Virginia’s annual bourbon lottery returns Wednesday with two types of Pappy Van Winkle, reports Karri Peifer of Axios Richmond (launching soon; sign up here).
Why it matters: Kentucky’s celebrated Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery releases its stock only once a year, and there isn't much to go around. So bourbon drinkers across the country snap up the bottles, often to resell at a huge markup.
Since Virginia’s booze sales are regulated by the state, it sells Pappy for the manufacturer’s sales price — often hundreds or thousands dollars less on the open market. This year’s selections:
Van Winkle Special Reserve Bourbon 12 Year, $89.99(Virginia ABC has 966 bottles available for residents and 241 for restaurants).
Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year, $79.99 (289 bottles for Virginia residents and 72 for restaurants).
How it works: Anyone 21 and over with a Virginia driver’s license can enter the lottery this Wednesday through Sunday.
Last year had the largest number of entries since the lottery began in 2016 ... 302,884.” Read more at Axios