The War Room:  As Russia adds to its list of target cities, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of attempting to break the will of the population in what he called “A war of annihilation.”

  Bombs or missiles hit airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk, far from the main battle fields as well as residential buildings in the strategically important city of Dnipro, which sits on the Dnieper River. In hitting the air fields, the Russians evidently are trying to cut off the supply of weapons coming from the West.

  Russia warned the US that convoys carrying weapons  to Ukraine would be “legitimate targets.” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Russian television that Moscow had warned Washington that the “thoughtless transfer of such types of weapons as portable anti-aircraft and anti-tank missile systems” to Ukraine could lead to serious consequences.

  The US dances on the edge of involvement, but refuses to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine that would bring Western aircraft in direct confrontation with Russian jets. President Joe Biden said yesterday  in Philadelphia, “We will not fight the third world war in Ukraine.” 

  But also yesterday, on the subject of Russia possibly using chemical/biological weapons, Biden said, “I’m not going to speak about the intelligence, but Russia would pay a severe price if they use chemical weapons.” What that price might be, he didn’t say.

  Russian troops are still slowly pressing in on the capitol city of Kyiv, now only about 15 miles away. Intense artillery duels are reported today in the suburbs just outside the city. 

 The Ukrainians are bravely resisting, even with unarmed citizens facing the enemy in the streets. In the city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine, hundreds of people poured out into the streets in outrage over the kidnapping of their mayor, who is reported to have had a hood thrown over his head before being dragged by Russian forces from a government office building.  Video show the populace shouting “Return the mayor!” and “Free the mayor!”

Economic War:  In the hunt for Russian assets to seize, US officials are investigating who owns a 459-foot, $700 million superyacht named Scheherazade  that’s in dry dock at an Italian seacoast town. The NY Times reports that a member of the crew told Italian authorities that Vladimir Putin is the owner. 

  Putin is believed to keep his name off his possessions, instead putting everything in the name of shell companies.

  Several other superyachts have already been seized. While the Russian oligarchs are good at hiding their money, their yachts are out there in plain sight.

Anchors Away: The NY Post reports that CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell may not be long for the anchor chair as the third place broadcast struggles to become profitable. O’Donnell, who reads copy like a robot, makes six to eight million dollars a year and has a hefty clothing allowance,

  The Post reports  that O’Donnell can be abusive to the staff around her, particularly the hair and makeup people. And in the midst of the Ukraine war, one of the biggest stories in decades, O’Donnell is the only network anchor  who has not been reporting from the front. The Post quotes a source saying, said a source. “Either she didn’t want to go or leadership didn’t want her to go. It’s bad either way.”

The Spin Rack: The pregnant woman photographed being evacuated from a bombed maternity  hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, has given birth to a girl. — The Texas Supreme Court yesterday ended a federal challenge to the state’s law that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, allowing to stand the most restrictive abortion law in the country. — The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples in that state can obtain emergency restraining orders in cases of domestic conflict, throwing out the law that made North Carolina the only state in the nation that lacked such protections. The now-nullified law says same-sex couples may receive domestic violence protection orders only if they’re married or divorced. — Also yesterday in the social-law wars, a Texas judge issued a temporary injunction blocking Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to treat gender-affirming care for trans sexual children as child abuse. — Six West Point cadets on spring break in Fort Lauderdale landed in the hospital after overdosing on a powdery substance laced with the drug fentanyl, police said. At least one person was arrested.

Dining Alone: Former President Donald Trump’s political group has been raising money by offering a randomly selected donor to have dinner with the Donald.

  One pitch said, “We’ll cover your flight. We’ll cover your very nice hotel. We’ll cover your dinner.” Another said, “He REALLY wants to meet you, Friend, which is why he’s holding (1) spot on the entry list for YOU only.” 

  Second prize is two dinners with Donald Trump.

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