Author: J.P. Knowles

Lev Gudkov says that the opinion poll he conducted in March, which gave Russian President Vladimir Putin high marks, is accurate. People want to know whether Russians tell pollsters the truth or if they hide their feelings for fear of repercussions, he says, and he gets questions about it every day.

He is confident, though, that his respondents have not lied about Putin or the war. Gudkov, the director of the Levada Center, Russia’s sole independent polling organization, believes that the perception that Russians are frightened to tell the truth about politics is mostly disseminated by dissidents, who are aware of the high cost of speaking out and are sensitive to it.

Gudkov claims that the rest of Russia is merely under the grip of official television propaganda, which has been continuously poured into their heads for several years, parroting Kremlin statements.

According to the latest Levada poll from March, 83 percent of Russians approve of President Putin’s conduct, a figure that has been steadily rising since the summer. It was 61 percent at the time, and it has since risen to 65 percent in January, 71 percent in February, and 83 percent now that the war has started. Approximately 81 percent of people support the war in general.

The high ratings — what many would call surprisingly high — for the Ukraine invasion reflected the effectiveness of Kremlin propaganda, according to Gudkov, due to Russia’s censorship and the extreme paucity of alternative news channels.

Gudkov explained that views varied from village to village according to size or population. In bigger cities, he stated, the overall mood was “shame, despair, depression, anxiety and discouragement” about the war.

“Where people are more educated, more informed, I would say the atmosphere is more one of panic. Large metropolitan areas have been the first to feel the effect of sanctions and understand the catastrophic situation this will lead to in a few months,” Gudkov added.

He did admit, though, that anti-Americanism is on the upswing. The United States was seen negatively by 73 percent of Russians. Gudkov claimed that attitudes toward America fluctuated in direct proportion to the amount and tone of state-run propaganda. It was most intense during NATO bombings of Belgrade, the Georgian conflict, and the annexation of Crimea — and as a result, anti-Americanism spiked at those times.

A Virginia woman won $110,000 in the state lottery back in February but had already thrown the ticket in the trash when she found out.

Mary Elliot, who lives in Buckingham County, Virginia, “panicked” after she realized she’d won the lottery, but had thrown the ticket out in the trash. Elliot immediately began digging through her trash until she found the Cash 5 EZ Match ticket, which had been drenched in coffee and the barcode wouldn’t scan.

Elliot purchased the ticket at her local Food Lion supermarket in Dillwyn, according to a press release from the Virginia Lottery. Her winning numbers were 6-13-18-21-25, which she chose based on important birthdays in her life.

“When I saw I’d won, I couldn’t stop shaking to save my life,” Elliot told Virginia Lottery officials. The lucky winner was able to confirm her win after she took the ticket to lottery officials at Virginia’s Lottery Prize Zone in Henrico.

Elliot’s odds of winning with all five numbers on the Cash 5 EZ Match game were one in 749,393 according to the Virginia lottery.

President Joe Biden has called for a war crimes trial against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Biden told reporters in Washington, D.C. Monday that he stands by his declaration that Putin is “a war criminal.” The president initially made the comment on March 16, just days before the U.S. would announce its assessment “that members of Russia’s forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine.”

“You may remember I got criticized for calling Putin a war criminal. Well, the truth of the matter – we saw it happen in Bucha – this warrants him – he is a war criminal,” Biden said Monday morning.

Biden said that the administration has to “gather the information” in order to move ahead with a war crimes trial. He cited recent reports from areas of Ukraine that included mass graves in Bucha.

“But we have to gather the information. We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue to fight, and we have to get all the detail so this could be – actual have a war crimes trial. This guy is brutal, and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous and everyone’s seen it,” Biden said.

Over the weekend, the Russian army retreated from the suburbs of Kyiv and other areas of Ukraine, but the retreat came with reports of massacres, and hundreds left dead.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday called the aftermath a “genocide.”

“This is about the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities. We are the citizens of Ukraine, and we don’t want to be subdued to the policy of the Russian Federation. This is the reason we are being destroyed and exterminated, and this is happening in the Europe of the 21st century. So this is the torture of the whole nation,” Zelenskyy said.

Biden said he didn’t believe the actions were “genocide” when pressed on the issue Monday morning.

“No, I think it is a war crime,” Biden said.

Six people are dead and 12 others injured after a shooting early Sunday morning in downtown Sacramento.

Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said that officers patrolling the area around 2 a.m.heard gunfire and upon investigation, found a large crowd with six people dead in the street.

Twelve other people were shot and wounded and were taken to a hospital with at least four suffering from critical injuries.

This is “a very complex and complicated scene,” Lester said as she made a plea to the public, asking for witnesses or anyone with recordings of the incident to contact the police.

Authorities recovered “at least one firearm” from the scene, according to a police statement said.

Sacramento police have set up a website for people to submit any photos or videos from the scene. There is a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the shooter.

Video has been posted to social media that shows people running through the street as the sound of gunfire could be heard in the background.

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the following statement regarding Friday’s mass shooting:

“Sadly, we once again mourn the lives lost and for those injured in yet another horrendous act of gun violence. Jennifer and I send our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and to the wider community impacted by this terrible tragedy.

“As it is early in this investigation, my Administration will continue to work closely with local and state law enforcement as we monitor the situation.

“What we do know at this point is that another mass casualty shooting has occurred, leaving families with lost loved ones, multiple individuals injured and a community in grief. The scourge of gun violence continues to be a crisis in our country, and we must resolve to bring an end to this carnage.”

Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said the shooting was a shocking tragedy.

“This is a shocking tragedy in our community. We are in contact with the Sacramento Police Department and monitoring the investigation closely. We will aggressively prosecute those responsible for these horrific crimes.”

Former Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn said the shooting was too familiar and the solution to the problem lies in addressing the root causes of the violence.

“All too familiar tragedy in Sacramento again this morning. Crime scene tape, evidence markers, devastated families, a fearful community and much more. There are many contributing factors to violence, and the all too familiar division is one of them. The answer isn’t huge law enforcement & zero tolerance. The answer isn’t only social services and community organizations. The solutions lay in real collaboration and addressing the immediate safety issues but more importantly- the root causes of this violence.”

Sacramento Mayor Darryl Steinberg released a statement saying, “Words can’t express my shock & sadness this morning. The numbers of dead and wounded are difficult to comprehend. We await more information about exactly what transpired in this tragic incident.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech Friday that he had demoted two of his generals for being “traitors.”

During the speech, Zelenskyy stated that he “does not have time to deal with all the traitors” and will “gradually” punish all of them.

“That is why the ex-chief of the Main Department of Internal Security of the Security Service of Ukraine Naumov Andriy Olehovych and the former head of the Office of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Kherson region Kryvoruchko Serhiy Oleksandrovych are no longer generals,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy cited Article 48 of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Disciplinary Statute, which provides that senior officers will have their ranks stripped if they breach the military oath of allegiance to the country.

“Those servicemen among senior officers who have not decided where their homeland is, who violate the military oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people as regards the protection of our state, its freedom and independence, will inevitably be deprived of senior military ranks,” he said. “Random generals don’t belong here!”

Zelenskyy acknowledged the “real heroes” in the Ukraine Security Service, saying that “absolute gratitude” is given to “each and everyone who sincerely defends” Ukraine.

“There are really a lot of heroes among the servicemen,” he said. “We are grateful to them!”

During his speech, the Ukrainian president described the “extremely difficult” situation in the Donbas region and said that Russian troops are “accumulating the potential for strikes.”

Zelenskyy concluded his speech by commenting on the future of Ukraine.

“This is a war for our future,” Zelenskyy said. “This is a war for our lives, in which we have only one way – to gain peace for Ukraine. To gain Ukraine’s security.”

Several countries that pursued a “zero-COVID” strategy and implemented harsh lockdown restrictions are now facing overwhelming waves of the pandemic.

In the U.S., COVID-19 has been on a steady decline since January in cases and deaths. However, places like China, South Korea and New Zealand, where officials were touted for their highly effective pandemic response are now facing a dramatic surge in cases and deaths.

China implemented severe, harsh measures to fight COVID-19, they even tracked each citizen’s every movement, locked down those exposed to COVID-19 in their homes and shut down entire cities at the first sign of an outbreak.

The country is now facing record outbreaks with nearly one-third of the total cases since the pandemic began occurring in March. Military reserves have been activated to prevent people from leaving cities or even buildings with outbreaks. China’s financial center of Shanghai has been locked down.

Hong Kong faced a devastating wave of the virus in March. As of Feb. 2022, Hong Kong reported a total death count of 213 since the pandemic began. Just two months later, the total death count in the city stands at a devastating 7,825.

South Korea used strict surveillance and tracing tools, that were highly invasive, with infected residents having their phones and credit cards used to track their movements. Contacts of the infected were required to isolate for two weeks with twice-a-day check-ins from government COVID-19 monitors, and the infected were sent to government isolation facilities.

In March 2022, with daily cases peaking at more than 621,000, South Korea’s death count more than doubled in March alone.

New Zealand set a record high for COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday.

South Korea and Hong Kong have had the most per capita deaths in the world during the past seven days.

A Harvard graduate said sex-cult leader Larry Ray forced her to suck on a pacifier, wear a diaper and have sex with strangers.

Felicia Rosario, 39, testified against Ray in federal court Monday, following his arrest in February 2020 for running a sex cult out of his daughter’s dorm at Sarah Lawrence College in New York.

Rosario said she moved into Ray’s apartment after her brother introduced her to him in 2011. She said initially the relationship was “romantic” but Ray became physically and mentally abusive, often beating her, binding her with zip ties and duct tape, and forcing her to sleep naked with him.

“I felt completely humiliated, degraded, debased – like I was nothing. Like I was dumb-looking, worthless,” she said.

Rosario told jurors that the sex-cult leader would have “someone else in the apartment watch over me to make sure I didn’t get up.”

“He punched me in the face. Slapped me. Pulled me by the hair. Punched me in the stomach. Choked me. Punched me in the head,” she said.

Ray also forced her to have sex with strangers while he filmed the encounters, sometimes sending his co-conspirator, Isabella Pollok, to record.

Rosario said Ray would use the recordings to “threaten” her, saying he would distribute them to alumni of Harvard and Columbia University.

The sex-cult leader forced her to wear a diaper and suck on a pacifier, according to Rosario. “I had to use it. Put it in my mouth. Keep it in my mouth,” she said.

Ray is facing charges including sex trafficking, obtaining forced labor, forced labor trafficking, in addition to several other serious offenses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. If convicted, Ray could face life in prison.

The State Department confirmed Thursday that United States citizen Jimmy Hill was killed in Ukraine during a Russian shelling attack in Chernihiv.

“We can confirm the death of a US citizen in Ukraine on March 17,” a State Department spokesman said. “We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss. We have no further comment.”

Local police in Chernihiv reported on their Facebook page that an American was killed during a “heavy artillery attack” by Russian troops targeting civilians in the area. Translated, the Facebook post says, “Today, the occupiers once again carried out a heavy artillery attack on unarmed civilian residents of the city. There are dead and wounded people. Among the dead – a U.S. citizen.”

“Police officers are helping to evacuate affected citizens to medical facilities. Chernihiv police investigators are working at the scene. Law enforcement officers are carefully documenting all the circumstances and consequences of Russian war crimes,” the Facebook post continued.

More than 53 people were killed in the area during the attack.

The latest death of a U.S. citizen is the second since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. President Joe Biden ignored questions Tuesday related to the death of New York Times journalist Brent Renaud, who was killed Sunday after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a major rescue effort after a Boeing 737 carrying 132 people crashed in southern China Monday.

There were 123 passengers and 9 crew members aboard Chinese flight MU5735 when they lost contact with the ground crew over the city of Wuzhou in southern China. The plane was en route from the city of Kunming to the city of Guangzhou, according to China Eastern Airlines and China’s Civil Aviation Administration.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash, but authorities say there were no survivors.

Xi stated he was “shocked” upon hearing the news. He immediately called for an “all-out” rescue mission and rescue workers went to the crash site in the Guangxi region hopeful to find survivors.

When the plane departed Kunming, it was scheduled to arrive in Guangzhou in less than two hours. Data from FlightRadar24 showed the flight falling from approximately 29,000 feet in a matter of minutes less than an hour from its destination.

Boeing stated that it was aware of the crash and that it was “working to gather more information.” Meanwhile, Xi has already has called for his own investigation into the cause of the crash.

Amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the deputy chief of the Russian National Guard was reportedly detained on Thursday amid reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin is cracking down on treachery within his ranks.

According to Christo Grozev, CEO of the Netherlands-based investigative journalism group Bellingcat, Russian Gen. Roman Gavrilov, of Rosgvardia, the Russian Federation’s internal military force that reports directly to the president, was detained by the Russian security and counterintelligence agency, Federal Security Service (FSB).

The reason for Gavrilov’s incarceration was unclear at the time. Gavrilov was detained by the FSB’s military counter-intelligence section, according to one of Grozev’s sources, for “leaks of military info that led to loss of life,” while two other sources stated it was for “wasteful squandering of fuel.”

Alexander Khinshtein, a top United Russia official, claimed in a Telegram message that claims that Gavrilov had been jailed were “absolutely wrong” notwithstanding his resignation.

As Russian troops continue to bombard Ukrainian citizens and push on Kyiv, Putin declared in a speech on Wednesday that his country will experience a “self-purification” of “traitors.”

“The Russian people will always be able to distinguish true patriots from scum and traitors and simply spit them out like a fly that accidentally flew into their mouths,” Putin said on Wednesday. “I am convinced that such a natural and necessary self-purification of society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, cohesion and readiness to respond to any challenges.”

Flight trackers allegedly spotted a major evacuation of private aircraft flying out of Moscow and toward Dubai following the address, implying that Russian oligarchs may have fled ahead of Putin’s crackdown.

According to OVD Info, an independent group that monitors political persecutions, at least 14,980 people have been jailed in Russia since the war in Ukraine began on February 24.