Mystery Jet: Two objects spotted by satellite in the Indian Ocean 1,500 miles Southwest of Perth might be pieces of the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, according to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. He said several aircraft were sent to the area for a closer look and cautioned that the objects could also be unrelated to the missing passenger jet. The siting is thousands of miles in the opposite direction of Flight 370’s original path.

Ukraine: Citing the buildup of Russian troops on the Ukraine border, President Obama said this morning that if Russia invades the US is prepared to level economic sanctions that could be disruptive to the world economy. The President said, “Nations do not simply redraw borders or make decisions at the expense of their neighbors simply because they are larger or more powerful.”

But the government in Kiev announced it will give up without a fight and pull out as many as 25,000 military personnel stationed in Russian-annexed Crimea. Some troops have already defected to the new Crimean state.

In an editorial acceptance of the situation, the Associated Press has removed “Ukraine” from its datelines on stories originating from Crimea. So now it’s “Sevastopol, Crimea” rather than “Sevastopol, Ukraine.”

No Jail for General: The Army general convicted of sexual misconduct was ordered to forfeit $20,000 and was given no time in prison. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair will be allowed to keep his position. Originally Sinclair was accused of assaulting a captain with whom he’d had a long term affair and faced a possibility of life in prison.

Nation: The stock market dipped yesterday as the Federal Reserve announced it is cutting back economic stimulus by another $10 billion a month. But the Fed said interest rates will remain near zero “for a considerable time.”  Low interest rates are a bigger spur to the economy than monthly injection of money known by it’s technical name, “quantitative easing.”

Words With Osama: Osama Bin Laden’s son in law Sulaiman Abu Ghaith testified yesterday in federal court about a conversation he had in an Afghan cave only a few hours after the 9/11 attacks. Abu Ghaith said he told Bin Laden, “America, if it was proven that you were the one who did this, will not settle until it accomplishes two things: to kill you and topple the state of Taliban.”

Ghaith went on, “He said, ‘You are being too pessimistic.’ I said, ‘You asked my opinion, and this is my opinion.’ ”

Abu Ghaith is the most senior Bin Laden lieutenant to be tried on charges of plotting to kill Americans and providing support to terrorists. He admits knowing the players and heard talk of “something big”, but denies direct involvement.

The Obit Page: Former Democratic Party chairman and all-around political operative Robert Strauss has died at age 95. He managed Jimmy Carter’s two presidential campaigns, but also worked the other side, advising Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He was Ambassador to the Soviet Union in the early 90s when the evil empire broke up. Strauss used to say,  “It ain’t braggin’ if you’ve done it.”

Chicken Soup: Scientists say they’ve discovered a new dinosaur that was 11 feet long, weighing 500 pounds. It had a beak, no teeth, a bony crest on its head, and feathers. An artistic rendering shows the birdlike creature standing on its hind legs with a long lizard-like tail. Evidence of the odd animal was found in the Hell Creek Formation in three locations in North and South Dakota. Officially it’s in the class of dinosaurs known as oviraptorosaurs, but around the coffee pot they’re calling it “the chicken from Hell.”

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