Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In Ukraine: “Avdiivka fell to the Russians on Saturday, after some of the most horrific and destructive fighting of the two-year-old war. In the end, Russia’s superior firepower and manpower overwhelmed Ukrainian forces over many months, even as Russia incurred a staggering number of casualties.”
* In related news: “The Biden administration said Saturday that the Ukrainian military withdrawal from Avdiivka was the result of Congress failing to provide additional money to support Kyiv’s war effort. … ‘This is the cost of congressional inaction,’ said Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council. ‘The Ukrainians continue to fight bravely, but they are running low on supplies.’”
* Ukrainian troops: “On Ukraine’s front lines, soldiers have their eyes on the enemy slowly advancing across the country’s muddy fields — and on Washington, where an ally’s inaction is doing as much to dent their morale. ‘The situation on the battlefield is getting worse every week,’ one soldier serving in the southern Zaporizhzhia region told NBC News.”
* In Russia: “Ahead of the third day of mourning for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died suddenly in an Arctic prison, activists sent out safety tips for Russians wishing to lay flowers at memorials that have sprung up across the country, from St. Petersburg in the northwest to Magadan in the Far East; in the capital, Moscow, that was Navalny’s beloved home — and even in the Russian-occupied city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.”
* In Austin: “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton remains on track to be tried for felony fraud this spring after the presiding judge shot down his attempts to have the charges thrown out. During a Friday court hearing in Houston, Harris County District Court Judge Andrea Beall rejected Paxton’s arguments that his right to a speedy trial had been violated. Beall’s decision means that, barring another unexpected delay, Paxton’s securities fraud trial will kick off on April 15.”
* Sinclair Broadcast Group: “Sinclair’s local network of 185 stations across the country makes it an influential player in shaping the views of millions of Americans, especially at a time when local newspapers are rapidly being gutted — or closed altogether. As Sinclair increasingly fills the void, it offers its viewers a perspective that aligns with Trump’s oft-stated opinion that America’s cities, especially those run by Democratic politicians, are dangerous and dysfunctional.”
* In Tennessee: “Tennessee law prohibits women from having abortions in nearly all circumstances. But once the babies are here, the state provides little help. [ProPublica] followed one family as they struggled to make it.”
See you tomorrow.
