The War Room: Germany is still resisting pressure to give Leopard tanks to Ukraine unless the US also sends its M-1 main battle tanks.  Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania issued a joint appeal, urging the Berlin government to provide tanks “now,” saying “Germany as the leading European power has special responsibility in this regard.”

  US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, “This is a crucial moment. Russia is regrouping, recruiting, and trying to re-equip. This is not a moment to slow down.” He said, the Ukrainian people are watching us, the Kremlin is watching us, and history is watching us.” 

  Here at home, The Treasury Department is designating  Russia’s Wagner Group mercenary army as a  “transnational criminal organization,” making it a target for further sanctions aimed at cutting off its money and weapon supplies.

  The Wagner Group has been at the front of some of the most brutal fighting in Ukraine. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wagner has about 10,000 “contract” soldiers and about 40,000 prison inmates who volunteered to be fodder in exchange for freedom. Ukraine soldiers at the front in recent days have reported being confronted by “waves” of drug-addled convicts running into direct fire.

  The White House also released images of Russian rails cars loading up with  an arms shipment from North Korea that it said was intended to supply the Wagner forces fighting side-by-side with Russian troops in Ukraine. “These actions recognize the transcontinental threat that Wagner poses, including through its ongoing pattern of serious criminal activity,” Kirby said.

The Few, The Proud: Three active duty US Marines assigned to intelligence-related jobs, including one at the National Security Agency headquarters in Maryland, have been charged with being part of the crowd that breached the Capitol in the January 6^th insurrection.

  Cpl. Micah Coomer, Sgt. Joshua Abate, and Sgt. Dodge Dale Hellonen were arrested this week near Marine bases in California, Maryland, and North Carolina. 

  The FBI said Abate admitted his involvement during an interview for a security clearance. The charging documents say Abate “admitted he heard how the event was being portrayed negatively and decided that he should not tell anybody about going into the U.S. Capitol Building.”

Trump World: A Florida Judge has ordered Donald Trump and his lawyer to pay nearly $1 million for filing what he said was a “frivolous” lawsuit against Trump’s 2016 rival Hillary Clinton and others.

  In a blistering decision, US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks accused Trump of filing frivolous lawsuits for political purposes, which “undermines the rule of law.” 

  Trump loves to sue people. Citing Trump’s recent legal action against the Pulitzer Prize board, New York Attorney General Letitia James, big tech companies, and CNN, Middlebrooks described Trump as “a prolific and sophisticated litigant” who uses the courts “to seek revenge on political adversaries.”

  The ruling requires Trump and his lawyer, Alina Habba, to pay nearly $938,000 to the defendants in the case that included former FBI Director James Comey and other FBI officials involved in the investigation of whether Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign had coordinated with Russia to influence the election outcome.

  A week ago the Trump Organization was fined $1.6 million for evading taxes.

The Spin Rack: Tech layoffs keep rolling. Google’s parent company Alphabet says it is cutting 12,000 employees. — The Justice Department refused the request by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan for information about politically sensitive investigations, in particular the matter of the secret documents found in President Biden’s home and former office. — Five Memphis police officers were fired yesterday for their handling of Tyre Nichols, the Black motorist who died in a hospital three days after being taken into custody. He’s been badly beaten. — The bankrupt Regal Cinemas is closing 39 more theaters across the country. They’ll still have 500 theaters. — The Supreme Court marshal yesterday clarified that she did interview the nine justice in her unsuccessful investigation to find who leaked the decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Below the Fold: Park Rangers in Australia found a big toad. A big freakin’ toad.

  But here’s the background. Cane toads native to South and Central America were introduced to the wild in Australia to control the population of cane beetles. But then the toads got out of control and there may be 200 million of them now in Australia. They eat everything from insects to small reptiles and usually weigh up to about a pound.

  But the cane toad the park rangers found was 5.95 pounds, more than a foot long with a head the size of a baseball. They nicknamed it “Toadzilla.”

   Unfortunately, Toadzilla was too big, and too voracious. The rangers euthanized it and sent its body to a museum.

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