Trump’s plan to help Putin: Hungarian dictator Viktor Orban, in an interview on Hungarian television, reveals that when he was visiting Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday Trump gave him details of Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine. Trump keeps telling people at his campaign rallies that he can quickly end the war. Orban said that Trump told him his plan is to cut off all U.S. aid to Ukraine so that it can no longer resist Russia’s military. Trump plans to cause the defeat of Ukraine on the battlefield, allowing Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to take over Ukraine, ending the war he started by invading two years ago. Already, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson under orders from Trump has blocked the House from voting on additional aid for Ukraine.
Russian nukes: CNN reports today that two senior administration officials report that the U.S. was preparing for Russia to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine shortly after Putin began the war two years ago. One of the administration officials said that the U.S. had picked up intelligence information that Russia was planning to use nuclear weapons. The other senior administration official said Ukrainian forces were making progress against the Russian military and had the Ukrainian forces been able to surround and cut-off the Russian troops Putin would have ordered nuclear weapons to be used.
Academy Awards: “Oppenheimer” was the big winner at last night’s Academy Awards ceremony, winning seven Oscars. The feature about J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led the Manhattan Project that created the atomic bomb, won Best Picture, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Director for Christopher Nolan and Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr. The Best Actress award went to Emma Stone for her performance in “Poor Things.” “American Fiction” won for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Oscar for Ukrainian film: A Ukrainian citizen who covers the war for the Associated Press accepted Ukraine’s first Oscar last night at the Academy Awards Ceremony. The award for best feature documentary was accepted by filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov for the production “20 Days in Mariupol,” which tells the story of the Russian assault on that city. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said he is grateful for the award and it is important for the entire country.
Arkansas mass shooting: Three people were killed an five wounded in a mass shooting yesterday in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Local police said that there apparently had been a previous domestic argument that erupted again at a private gathering. Police said that the gathering was taking place in a building that was not approved for holding a large number of people because it does not have adequate exits. Officials cut off power to the building and it was sealed to prevent future use. Jonesboro police continue their investigation. Â
In-flight problem: A Boeing 787 Dreamliner being operated by the Chilean airline LATAM today experienced an in-flight upset that resulted in approximately 60 passengers and crewmembers being injured. The airplane was en route from Australia to Auckland, New Zealand. It landed safely at Auckland International Airport. The airline did not immediately disclose details of what happened, including whether the problem was related to turbulence, a problem with the aircraft or pilot error.
