Mr. Putin, “PLEASE STOP THE WAR IN UKRAINE” May Peace, Love & Kindness be in your Heart always

Mr. Putin, “PLEASE STOP THE WAR IN UKRAINE” May Peace, Love & Kindness be in your Heart always

   A woman arrives at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland. Photo: Visar Kryeziu/AP

Are this lady and baby doing any harm to you?

You destroyed her home, her community and her country

You killed her family, her friends, and her beloved country, Ukraine.

“PLEASE STOP THE WAR!!!”

Your young Russian men, are only teenagers, just starting their lives, were killed in thousands.

“PLEASE STOP THE WAR!!!”

Millions of Ukrainians are homeless, with no place to stay, no food to eat.

Once you told people that your mother had no food to eat and she fainted, people thought that she was dead.

But now you put the Ukrainian people in a worse situation than your mother.

“PLEASE STOP THE WAR!!!”

If you want your Ukraine brothers to be with you, you have to give them Peace, Love and Kindness

 You said that Ukraine is the brother of Russia. You should not kill your brother, but that is what you are doing.   

“PLEASE STOP THE WAR!!!”

 You will never conquer Ukraine or the world.  If you use nuclear weapons, it will be suicide, because you and all your Russia people will also die.

“PLEASE STOP THE WAR!!!”

If you want the world to respect and honor you, you need to use kindness and love, which in turn will bring peace.

Imagine that you stand proudly at the highest podium, with love, kindness and open arms, offering Peace to the world. This you can do though your wealth and power.

You will be honored as a man of Peace, Love and Kindness. For this you will be remembered and recorded in history forever.

 “PLEASE STOP THE WAR IN UKRAINE!!!”

“What does Peace mean to you?”

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Sunday, March 13, 2022, 3:38 PM

   AXIOS AM: Mar 13, 2022

Mike Allen mike@axios.com

By Mike Allen ·Mar 13, 2022
 Good morning … It’s March Madness Selection SundaySmart Brevity™ count: 1,150 words … 4½ mins. Edited by Fadel Allassan.

 Bulletin: National security adviser Jake Sullivan, warning Russia could be preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine, told Margaret Brennan on CBS’ “Face the Nation”

“[T]here is an escalating level of rhetoric on the Russian side trying to accuse the Ukrainians and the United States of potentially using chemical or biological weapons. And that’s …. an indicator that in fact, the Russians are getting ready to do it and try and pin the blame elsewhere.”

 2. U.S. journalist killed in Ukraine

An elderly resident hides in a basement with no electricity, water or food, in the center of the Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, on Friday. Photo: Efrem Lukatsky/AP

A freelancer who formerly worked on New York Times projects was killed covering the war in Ukraine, The Times said today.

  • “We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renaud’s death. Brent was a talented filmmaker who had contributedto The New York Times over the years,” The Times said in a statement emailed to Axios.
  • “Though he had contributed to The Times in the past (most recently in 2015), he was not on assignment for any desk at The Times in Ukraine. Early reports that he worked for Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago.”
  • Renaud, 50was a writer, filmmaker, and photojournalist from Little Rock, according to his Nieman bio.

 NATO’s doorstep: Waves of Russian missiles pounded a military training base near Ukraine’s western border with NATO member Poland, killing 35 people, Ukrainian authorities told AP.

  • More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targetedthe sprawling facility, less than 15 miles from the closest border point with Poland, according to the governor of Ukraine’s western Lviv region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of using blackmail and bribery in an attempt to force local officials in the southern Kherson region to form a “pseudo-republic.”

Axios Ukraine dashboard  Axios explainers.

  1. 1,000 words

Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Lviv preps for potential Russian invasion: Statues are wrapped yesterday at Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church in Lviv, western Ukraine.

The church was dedicated in 1630 — 392 years ago.

  1. Split-screen America: 2 years of pandemic
Photos: David Dee Delgado and Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

At left, a lone police officer in Times Square in March 2020.

At right, supporters of the Ukrainian community in Times Square in March 2022.

See 3 more split screens, from Axios senior visual journalist Aïda Amer.

6.  Poll of the day

Graphic: CBS News

A CBS News poll out today finds “overwhelming support for sanctions on Russia’s oil and gas, and the willingness to pay more as a result.”

·  Why it matters: This is “the kind of widespread sentiment we don’t always see in public opinion these days: bipartisan, cutting across race, region, and even income,” CBS pollsters note.

Go deeper.

AXIOS AM: Mar 12, 2022

Mike Allen mike@axios.com

 Breaking: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of “a new stage of terror” in a video posted to Telegram last night, referring to the abduction of the mayor of Melitopol by Russian forces.

  • Zelensky accused Russiaof “a war of annihilation” as devastation intensified across Ukraine, including in Kyiv, The New York Times reported.

Russian forces pounding the port city of Mariupol shelled a mosque sheltering 80+ people, including children, the Ukrainian government said. Get the latest.

1 big thing: Dems ask Americans to sacrifice

Speaker Pelosi and House Democratic leaders at their issues conference in Philadelphia yesterday. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Facing a bleak midterm outlook, Democrats see a potential reset with voters based on President Biden’s handling of the Ukraine crisis, Axios’ Sophia Cai reports from Philadelphia:

  • Why it matters:S. sanctions on Russia are worsening inflation and increasing gas prices — adding misery for Democrats, who are bracing for the possible loss of the House and even the Senate in November.

At a conference for House Democrats in Philadelphia this week, lawmakers made the case for Americans’ shared sacrifice — including paying more for gas.

  • House Foreign Affairs Chairman Gregory Meeks(D-N.Y.) said: “I’m asking the people of the United States to also make that kind of sacrifice because in the long run, democracy is at stake.”

Between the lines: The war is giving Biden a chance to showcase attributes that appealed to Americans who backed him for president —foreign-policy experience, empathy and respect for institutions.

Reality check: Some House Dems tell Axios they’re skeptical voters will embrace surging gas prices — and reward or forgive Biden and Democrats just because they find Vladimir Putin repugnant, or value democracy over oppression.

  • “It’s not enough for us to say, ‘It’s a tough time and it’s because of the war in Russia,'” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told Axios. He and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) introduced legislation to tax the largest oil companies, and assist individuals earning less than $75,000 or couples earning less than $150,000.
  • “We’ve got to figure out something to reduce prices, and we need to be getting more money into the hands of working families.”

 What we’re watching: A Wall Street Journal poll out yesterda(subscription) found that “57% of voters remained unhappy with Biden’s job performance, “despite favorable marks for the president’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a recent State of the Union speech.”

  • Democratic advantagesover Republicans narrowed on education, COVID response and protecting middle-class families, the poll found.

 What they’re hoping: DCCC Chair Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) advised Biden: “Be the man you saw on Tuesday night — who crushed it at the State of the Union, who right now is leading the world standing up to Russian aggression.”

  • “The next chapteris going to be where the American people rediscover they elected a strong, decent man who is fighting for very important things.”

Go deeper: See Wall Street Journal poll results (not paywalled).

Axios Ukraine dashboard  Axios explainers.

  1. Quote of the week: We won’t fight WW III in Ukraine

President Biden holds a drawing by Mia Parrilla as he visits Hon. Luis Muñoz-Marín Elementary School in Philadelphia yesterday. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

President Biden in the Roosevelt Room yesterday, on Day 16 of the Ukraine invasion, as he announced revocation of Russia’s most-favored-nation status:

We will not fight a war against Russia in Ukraine. Direct confrontation between NATO and Russia is World War Three, something we must strive to prevent.

But we already know Putin’s war against Ukraine will never be a victory. 

Explainer on “most favored nation” … Full remarks.

AXIOS AM: Mar 11, 2022

  Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

1 big thing: Chemical weapons threat

A Ukrainian serviceman photographs a damaged church yesterday, after shelling hit a residential district in Mariupol, Ukraine. Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

The White House is sounding the alarm over a new Russian propaganda campaign that officials fear is a pretext for an appalling new phase of the war:

  • The use of biological or chemical weapons, Axios’ Zachary Basu reports.

Why it matters: Vladimir Putin has a history of deploying illegal nerve agents against enemies, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny and former double agent Sergei Skripal. In Syria, Russia helped Bashar al-Assad cover up the use of chemical weapons against his own people.

What’s happening: Kremlin propagandists have been frenetically spreading baseless claims that the Pentagon is funding dangerous bioweapons labs in Ukraine.

  • Chinese diplomats and state-controlled media have joined in on the conspiracy theories, raising fears about a level of coordination between the two powers not seen during the conflict thus far.
  • Data: Institute for the Study of War. Map: Jared Whalen/Axios

Reality check: The U.S. and Ukraine have vigorously denied the presence of any U.S.-backed bioweapons program, saying the only labs the U.S. supports in Ukraine are standard research facilities that focus on “diagnostics, therapeutics, treatment, prevention and vaccines.”

  • The Biden administration has issued statements calling the Russian claims “preposterous” and “total nonsense,” and urging the world to “be on the lookout” for Russia to use chemical weapons itself or attempt a “false flag” operation in Ukraine.
  • “Allegedly, we are preparing a chemical attack,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a new video address. “This makes me really worried because we’ve been repeatedly convinced: if you want to know Russia’s plans, look at what Russia accuses others of.”

Between the lines: The U.S. has repeatedly sought to debunk Russia’s narratives about Ukraine by declassifying intelligence about Putin’s plans ahead of time, a novel approach that undermines his element of surprise.

Go deeper: Axios Ukraine dashboard  Axios explainers.

  1. Social media’s new ethical minefield
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

War intensifies the impulse to share powerful images, but leaves users with uncomfortable choices and pitfalls in the social media wilderness, Axios’ Ina Fried writes in her weekly “Signal Boost” tech column.

  • Why it matters: Platform moderators face complex ethical and legal calls over photos of dead soldiers, images of teens taking up arms and videos of prisoners of war criticizing the conflict.

A video went viral of a Russian soldier denouncing the invasion after being captured in Ukraine.

  • It wasn’t long before observers pointed outthat such footage, if produced by a government, might well violate the Geneva Conventions.
  • Detainees“must be treated with dignity, and not exposed to public curiosity — like circulating images on social media,” the International Red Cross said as part of a Twitter thread explaining those rules.

Keep reading.

  1. 1,000 words

Photo: Robert Hanashiro/USA Today

Spotted yesterday on Manchester Boulevard in Inglewood, near LAX

  1. Banks reveal billions in potential Russia losses
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

With Russia’s economy collapsing, its stock market cryogenically frozen and its bonds near default, global investors are set to endure major losses, Axios Markets co-author Matt Phillips reports.

Why it matters: For decades, Russian investments were a cornerstone of “emerging market” investing — the financial world’s marketing rubric encouraging the free-flowing global investments that helped define the post-Cold War era.

Russia was a star of the “BRICS” — a rubric coined by Goldman Sachs analysts that stood for the fast-growing emerging market economies that were investor favorites over the last two decades.

BRICS = Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa.

What we’re watching: Russia is considering seizing and potentially nationalizing assets of companies that quit the country.

Share this story.

AXIOS PM: Mar 10, 2022

  Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

  1. Double-digit inflation risk
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The commodity price spike caused by the war in Ukraine has increased the risks of a recession, sustained high inflation, or both, reports Axios Capital author Neil Irwin.

The big picture: It’s pretty much a mathematical certainty that inflation rates will be higher in the months ahead rather than lower.

  • Will year-over-year headline inflationhit double digits? Quite plausibly. That leaves the Fed between a rock and a hard place.

Share this story.

AXIOS AM: Mar 10, 2022

  Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

  1. Putin-Zelensky meeting raised at peace talks

A woman outside a maternity hospital that was shelled yesterday in Mariupol, Ukraine. Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba met in Turkey this morning for the highest-level peace talks since the war began, Axios’ Zachary Basu reports.

  • The two sides discussed the possibilityof a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but otherwise failed to come to any agreement on a ceasefire.

The big picture: As Putin’s frustration builds, Russian forces have increasingly turned to targeting civilians with indiscriminate shelling. (Photo above.)

  • The meeting came just one day after Russia bombed a maternity ward and children’s hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol, killing three people in an attack that Zelensky calledproof of genocide.
  • Lavrov falsely claimedat his press conference in Turkey that Ukraine was the aggressor, at one point telling reporters: “We are not planning to attack other countries. We didn’t attack Ukraine in the first place.”

Breaking: The U.K. this morning froze the assets of seven Russian oligarchs, including Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich — who was in the midst of attempting to sell the storied London soccer team.

Go deeper: Axios Ukraine dashboard … Axios explainers.

  1. 1,000 words

Photo: Attila Kisbendek/AFP via Getty Images

Protesters form a human peace sign in Heroes’ Square in Budapest, Hungary, yesterday.

  1. Fear in Europe: Who’s next?

Photo: Richard B. Levine/Sipa USA via Reuters

Some European countries, watching Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine, fear they could be next, AP reports.

  • Why it matters: Vladimir Putin “has said right from the start that this is not only about Ukraine,” said Michal Baranowski, director of the German Marshall Fund’s Warsaw office, but also “about the eastern flank of NATO and the rest of Eastern Europe.”

Western officials say the most vulnerable could be those who aren’t members of NATO or the European Union, and thus alone and unprotected — including Ukraine’s neighbor Moldova and Russia’s neighbor Georgia, both of them formerly part of the Soviet Union — along with the Balkan states of Bosnia and Kosovo.

  • Analysts warn that even NATO members could be at risk, including Estonia, Latviaand Lithuania on Russia’s doorstep, as well as Montenegro, either from Moscow’s direct military intervention or attempts at political destabilization.

Go deeper.

AXIOS PM: Mar 9, 2022

  Mike Allen mike@axios.com

Why gas is so high
 A bunch of you asked: Why are gas prices going up if the U.S. barely relies on Russian oil?
The answer: You’ll pay a lot more for gas for three big reasons, Axios energy experts Ben Geman and Andrew Freedman tell us.

1.      Supply: Less oil sloshing around in an already-tight market, thanks to Russia.

2.     Demand: Driving and energy use is surging back post-COVID.

3.     Risk: War.

Be prepared: It‘s hard to see any of these trends getting better fast. Expect high gas prices for at least the next few months.

Be aware: Oil makes up about 45% of gas prices, which is why President Biden is playing footsie with the Iranians, Saudis and Venezuelans.  They have oil. Biden wants cheaper gas.

Be savvy: We only get 3% of our oil from Russia. BUT Europe gets 27% … and we all tap the same global oil pool. Hence, your pain at the pump.

·  Go deeper with our explainer.

 4. Catch up quick

Aftermath of Mariupol Hospital after a Russian attack severely damaged the children’s hospital and maternity ward. Photo: Mariupol City Council via AP

  1. Russian shelling in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupolhas killed at least 1,170 people and destroyed a children’s hospital that also housed a maternity ward, Deputy Mayor Sergiy Orlov said today. Go deeper.
  2. The Chernobyl nuclear power plantthat’s now controlled by Russian forces no longer has electricity, threatening efforts to safely store radioactive material, the Ukrainian government warned. Go deeper.
  3. A grand jury indicted Colorado election official Tina Peters on seven felony counts as part of an investigation into tampering with the results of the 2020 election. Peters is a Republican candidate for secretary of state. Go deeper.

Volkswagen is reviving the microbus as an electric vehicle, scheduled to release in the U.S. in 2024.

AXIOS AM: Mar 9, 2022

  Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

 Breaking: Congressional leaders reached a bipartisan deal early today to provide $13.6 billion to help Ukraine, as part of a $1.5 trillion measure funding the government. Party leaders hoped to whip the 2,741-page measure through the House today and the Senate (perhaps) by week’s end. AP

1 big thing: Putin’s failure

A charred Russian tank is seen Monday in Ukraine’s Sumy region. Photo: Irina Rybakova for the press service of the Ukrainian Ground Forces via Reuters

Vladimir Putin’s plan to seize Ukraine’s capital in the first two days of Russia’s invasion has been a complete failure, Axios’ Zachary Basu writes.

  • It’s been thrown off courseby a fierce Ukrainian resistance, poor planning and a series of profound miscalculations, top U.S. intelligence officials say.

Why it matters: An isolated and angry Putin is expected to double down on his brutality as the war in Ukraine drags on for weeks, months or even years. It could be his undoing.

 Reality check: A devastating punch that levels Ukrainian cities is more likely than ever. It’ll be less targeted … more indiscriminate.

State of play: CIA Director Bill Burns testified at a House hearing yesterday that Putin “has no sustainable political end game in the face of what’s going to continue to be fierce resistance from the Ukrainians.”

  • Even if Russia eventually captures Kyiv, the U.S. intelligence community doesn’t see a way that a pro-Russian puppet regime can stay in power given the Ukrainian people’s absolute refusal to capitulate.
  • Ukraine’s Armed Forces say this is a downed Russian jet crashing in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sunday. Image from video released by Ukrainian Ground Forces via Reuters

The U.S. estimates between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian troops have already been killed, “far in excess” of what Putin anticipated or has admitted, Burns said.

  • Putin was readyfor sanctions, but not the speed and unity with which the Western world brought the hammer down — especially private companies. McDonald’s, Starbucks and Coca-Cola all halted Russian sales yesterday.

 What we’re watching: Despite the setbacks, Putin is “unlikely to be deterred,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testified.

  • The people who will suffer most are Ukrainian civilians, who are already beginning to see the vicious tactics Putin adopted to achieve his military aims in Syria and Chechnya.
  • The upside is that what Putin “might be willing to accept as a victory may change over time, given the significant costs he is incurring,” Haines predicted.

Share this story … Axios Ukraine dashboard.

  1. Cascading crises swamp globe

Data: UNHCR; Map: Jared Whalen and Will Chase/Axios

 Stunning stat: At the end of 2021, before the invasion of Ukraine, 1 in 29 people worldwide needed humanitarian assistance, according to the U.N.

After a pandemic, multiple food shortages, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan — and now an exodus of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian military — global aid groups tell Axios’ Stef Kight they can barely keep up.

  • Why it matters: “The world’s humanitarian funding machine just doesn’t have enough money to face all of the people in need this year,” Bob Kitchen, the International Rescue Committee’s director of emergencies, tells Axios.

What’s happening: Aid groups are scrambling to help Ukraine, as well as the surrounding nations welcoming 2 million+ refugees — the world’s fastest population movement since at least World War II, experts say.

  • Many of the same agencies sprang into action as refugees poured out of Afghanistan last year.

At the same time, West Africa is headed toward devastating drought and food insecurity: Over 38 million people will likely experience a severe food emergency this summer.

  • Separately, the Horn of Africa is facing what could be the worst food crisis in 30 years .
  • Conflict and other disasterscontinue in Yemen, Syria, Myanmar and elsewhere.

 How you can help: International Rescue Committee … Save the Children … Mercy Corps.

In photos: Ukraine’s growing humanitarian crisis … Share this story.

AXIOS PM: Mar 8, 2022

  Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

  • Helping Ukraine

 “I would love to know the top 3 or 5 ways that I can help Ukraine besides donating money to charity,” Stephanie Worthington, a Finish Line reader and tech marketer in Shingle Springs, California, emailed last night.

  • “I’ve given to charity, but there must be more ways to help that I just don’t know about.”

Here ya go:

  1. Give critical supplies: Meest, a Ukrainian logistics company with warehouses in several states, is accepting humanitarian aid packages for Ukraine. The urgent needis for medical and tactical supplies, including backpacks, Tylenol and bandages. Here’s how to drop off or ship packages to a Meest warehouse.
  2. Give your time: You can sign upto volunteer with Nova Ukraine, and help organize fundraisers and spread awareness.
  3. Attend a peaceful protest: Here’s a live logof upcoming demonstrations, including events all over the U.S. (h/t The Guardian)
  4. Support on-the-ground journalism: The Kyiv Independent, an English language news site that has been reporting the facts in real time, is raising money via GoFundMe.

Share this story.

AXIOS AM: Mar 8, 2022

Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

1 big thing: China censors Ukraine

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
The Chinese government is scrubbing the country’s internet of sympathetic or accurate coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and systematically amplifying pro-Putin talking points, Axios China author Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian writes.

·  Why it matters: China’s use of its propaganda and censorship muscle helps insulate Beijing from domestic backlash against its support for Putin — and leaves its citizens with an airbrushed, false version of events, similar to what’s seen in Putin’s state-controlled Russia.

What’s happening: Chinese media outlets were told to avoid posting “anything unfavorable to Russia or pro-Western” on their social media accounts, and to only use hashtags started by Chinese state media outlets, according to a leaked censorship directive.

·  Online comments expressing sympathy for Ukraine have been deleted — even the anti-war speech given by the Paralympic Committee president during the opening ceremony was censored on Chinese TV.

·  Pro-Putin social media posts on Chinese social media were allowed to proliferate, as were posts blaming the U.S. and NATO for the conflict.

·  Chinese state media have widely aggregated content from Russian outlets.

Keep reading.

  1. Zelensky: “I’m not hiding”

Photo from Ukrainian Presidency video

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video of himself in his presidential office in Kyiv last night, declaring in the face of multiple alleged assassination attempts: “I’m not hiding. And I’m not afraid of anyone.”

  • Why it matters: Zelensky’s nightly addresses, in which he details Russian attacks and honors fallen heroes, have become appointment viewing for news and inspiration, Axios’ Zachary Basu writes.

“You know, we used to say: Monday is a hard day,” Zelensky said as he filmed out his window on Bankova Street on the 12th day of the invasion.

  • “Now there is a war in the country, so every day is Monday.”
  • Zelensky entered selfie-style, then sat at his desk. Photo from Ukrainian Presidency video

More than 2 million refugeehave now fled Ukraine.

  • Russia claimsit is allowing “humanitarian corridors” for the safe passage of civilians, but Ukrainian officials have reported multiple instances of shelling along those routes in the last 24 hours.
  • Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said the country has sufferedabout $10 billion in damage since Russia’s invasion began.
  • Zelensky pledgedto continue peace talks until the war ends — and to rebuild Ukraine until there is “no trace” of the “hatred that the enemy brought to our cities with shelling and bombing.”

Axios Ukraine dashboard.

AXIOS PM: Mar 7, 2022

Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

1 big thing: Food supply alarm

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is threatening the global food supply.

The big picture: The two countries combine for nearly 1/3 of global wheat and barley exports, AP reports. Ukraine is a major exporter of corn.

  • Lebanon, Egypt and Syria are among the countries most dependent on affordable wheat. “Any [price] hikes will be catastrophic not only for me, but for the majority of the people,” Ahmed Salah, an Egyptian father of seven, told AP.
  • Supplies were already tight because of droughts hitting the wheat belts of North America, NPR notes.

 European livestock farmers are heavily reliant on Ukraine for corn and other grain additives for animal feed.

Between the lines: This also threatens efforts to help famine-stricken countries like Afghanistan, Yemen and Ethiopia, the Financial Times reports (paywall).

The bottom line: Ukraine and Russia “account for about 12% of the calories the world trades,” NPR reports.

Go deeper: Tomorrow’s Axios Markets will dive into what the war means for global wheat markets.

  1. Russia “nearly 100%” deployed

A woman arrives at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland. Photo: Visar Kryeziu/AP

Russia has now deployed “nearly 100%” of the combat power that it had massed on Ukraine’s borders, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters today.

The World Health Organization confirmed at least 14 attacks on Ukrainian health facilities since the start of Russia’s invasion, reports Axios’ Oriana Gonzalez.

?The U.S. is deploying another 500 troops to Europe in response to the invasion, a senior defense official said today, “pushing the total number of American forces in the region to 100,000.”  The Wall Street Journal

AXIOS AM: Mar 7, 2022

Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

  1. 15 Running for their lives

Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters

Above, residents flee the town of Irpin, outside Kyiv, after heavy shelling landed on the only escape route used by locals, with Russian troops advancing towards the capital.

At least four civilians killed: The top of the front page of today’s New York Times includes a photo of a family lying on the ground in Irpin after being hit by a Russian mortar shell. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said they were killed.

“When the family — a mother, her teenage son and a daughter who appeared to be about 8 — was spotted sprawled on the ground, soldiers rushed to help, but could do little for them or a man described as a family friend who had been helping them escape,” Addario reports.

  • Read the story(subscription). Caution: Graphic photo.
  • Photo: Emilio Morenatti/AP

A factory and a store burn after being bombarded in Irpin.

AXIOS AM: Mar 6, 2022

Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

1 big thing: Blinken sees evidence of war crimes

Screenshot: CNN

Secretary of State Tony Blinken told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” from Moldova this morning: “[W]e’ve seen very credible reports of deliberate attacks on civilians, which would constitute a war crime.”

  • “And what we’re doingright now is documenting all of this, putting it all together, looking at it, and making sure that as people and the appropriate organizations and institutions investigate whether war crimes have been or are being committed, that we can support whatever they’re doing,” Blinken added.
  • “They’re very credible. And we’re documenting everything.”
  • Video.

 Breaking: The Ukraine exodus is the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, topping 1.5 million in 10 days, the UN refugee agency said today.

  • “In the coming days,millions more lives will be uprooted, unless there is an immediate end to this senseless conflict,” the UNHCR said. Go deeper.

Pope Francis said today in his weekly address to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square: “In Ukraine, rivers of blood and tears are flowing. This is not just a military operation [as Putin described it], but a war which sows death, destruction and misery.” (Reuters)

Axios Ukraine dashboard.

  1. 1,000 words

Photo: Emilio Morenatti/AP

Ukrainians crowd under a bridge destroyed by a Russian airstrike, as they wait to flee across the Irpin River on the outskirts of Kyiv yesterday.

Photo: Emilio Morenatti/AP

Assisted by Ukrainian soldiers, they lugged pets, infants, purses and flimsy bags stuffed with minimal possessions, AP reports.

Photo: Vadim Ghirda/AP

Some of the weak and elderly were carried along the makeshift path in blankets, carts — and even a wheelbarrow.

 AXIOS AM: Mar 5, 2022

  Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

1 big thing: Zelensky’s Zoom plea

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Ukraine leaders appreciate the worldwide solidarity, but are frustrated by how far the talk exceeds the action, Axios’ Sophia Cai writes.

  • Why it matters:The survival of some cities could come down to hours or days. While missiles are arriving in Ukraine and crushing sanctions are being felt in Moscow, neither is stopping the invasion.

 This morning, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said after senators held a Zoom call with President Volodymyr Zelensky that the Ukrainian leader “made a desperate plea for Eastern European countries to provide Russian-made planes to Ukraine.”

  • “These planesare very much needed,” Schumer said. “I will do all I can to help the administration to facilitate their transfer.”

Andriy Yermak, a longtime top aide to Zelensky, wrote in a New York Times op-ed under the headline, “I’m Writing From a Bunker With President Zelensky Beside Me. We Will Fight to the Last Breath”:

We need more — and, please, stop telling us military aid is on the way. … We need antitank and antiaircraft weapons and other ammunition delivered to our brave soldiers right now.

Many countries promised aid to Ukraine to help repel the invasion. But the strongest declarations from the West and elsewhere haven’t fully materialized.

  • The UN General Assemblyvoted 141-5 to demand Vladimir Putin withdraw forces, but there’s no mechanism for enforcement.
  • The European Union promised to send fighter jets. But that never happened, after three nations with Russian-made aircraft refused.
  • About 20 countries— mostly NATO and EU members — pledged to send weapons. But the arms have been slow to reach Ukraine, and it’s unclear whether they’ll arrive in time to make a difference.
  • TIME’s new coverfeatures President Zelensky’s words to the European Parliament on March 1: “Life will win over death, and light will win over darkness.” Cover stor

The U.S. has also been heavy on symbolism over substance:

  • First lady Jill Bidenhosted Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S. at the State of the Union address. Many senators and representatives wore Ukrainian blue and yellow.
  • Congress left for the weekend,though, without passing a multibillion-dollar aid package.
  • Schumer told Zelensky today, according to a source on the call: “Senator McConnell and I — along with the other members on this Zoom — are working very hard in a bipartisan fashion to get all the assistance the administration has requested for the Ukrainian people. Together we will get that assistance of over $10 billion in economic, humanitarian, and security assistance to the Ukrainian people quickly.”

Alexander Vindman, the Ukraine-born, retired Army officer and former National Security Council director for Europe, called for $35 billion in reconstruction aid — what’s been dubbed a “Marshall Plan for Ukraine.”

 Go deeper … Axios explains: Why Ukraine isn’t getting a no-fly zone.

  1. White House open to cutting Russian oil

Cecilia Rouse, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, joins Jen Psaki’s briefing yesterday. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

The White House signaled openness yesterday to reducing imports of Russian oil — without saying exactly how, Axios’ Hans Nichols reports.

  • Why it matters:A ban could translate to higher prices at the pump in parts of the U.S. and increase inflation, a key concern for Biden.

Michael McFaul, U.S. ambassador to Russia under President Barack Obama, said yesterday that he expects the practice of importing Russian oil to “change soon.”

  • “The United States should not be importing Russian oil. Period,” McFaul said during an onlinepanel discussion about the Russian invasion of Ukraine moderated by Axios’ Jonathan Swan.
  • “I understand inflation.I understand the arguments. But there’s no ethical or moral reason that we should be doing that, and I expect that to change soon.”

The context: Oil from Russia accounted for roughly 3% of U.S. crude imports in 2021.

  • It’s mostly importedin Hawaii and the coasts, where refiners don’t have access to the pipelines connecting the big domestic oil fields in places like the Southwest’s Permian Basin.
  • Energy analysts and economists disagree about how much of a price spike an import ban would generate.

State of play: Cecilia Rouse, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, told reporters yesterday: “[W]e are looking at options that we can take right now if we were to cut the U.S. consumption of Russian energy. But what’s really most important is we — that we maintain a steady supply of global energy.”

Between the lines: That appears to be a shift from the White House’s initial dismissal of the congressional effort to effectively impose an embargo on Russian oil for U.S. refiners.

  • Speaker Pelositold reporters on Thursday about a ban: “I’m all for that. Ban it. … Ban the oil coming from Russia. Yeah.”

Drill deeper: Hans’ behind-the-scenes reporting.

  1. Russia’s war on information
CNN’s Matthew Chance on Monday. Screenshot: CNN

New efforts by the Kremlin to bully the press and silence dissent are forcing independent media and social networks out of the country, Axios’ Sara Fischer writes:

  • The BBC and Bloomberg said they’re suspending operationsin Russia, and CNN will stop broadcasting there, following a new law threatening to imprison journalists for up to 15 years if they publish what Moscow deems to be “fake” information about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
  • ABC and CBS saidthey’ll temporarily stop broadcasting from Russia.

Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor (Russianyesterday blocked the websites of several outlets, including U.S. government-funded VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, for spreading what it called fake news on the “special operation in Ukraine.”

  • High-quality Russian independent news agenciesare being yanked off the air, forcing journalists to flee the country.

Russia also blocked Facebook entirely yesterday, after partially restricting the social network last week.

Zoom out: Putin’s propaganda push has intensified as protests erupt at home. The Kremlin is relying on state media to sell the war as a success domestically.

Share this story.

  1. 1,000 words

Photo: Sergei Chuzavkov/AFP via Getty Images

A traumatic farewell at an evacuation train at Kyiv’s central train station yesterday.

Ukrainian women and children by the hundreds of thousands are saying goodbye to men staying to fight.

AXIOS PM: Mar 4, 2022

Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

  1. Russian slowdown

Davide Martello, 40, an Italian man living in Germany, plays the piano at the border checkpoint in Medyka, Poland. Photo: Yara Nardi/Reuters

Russia has failed to gain air superiority despite launching an estimated 500 missiles over the past nine days, the Pentagon told reporters today.

  • A large Russian forceis about 15 miles from Kyiv but has not advanced significantly in the past few days, reports Axios’ Zachary Basu.
  • Ukraine and Russia planto hold a third round of peace talks this weekend.
  • Russia has now blocked accessto Facebook.

What they’re saying: Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked NATO allies for their support but called on them to do more.

  • “Russia tries to turn Ukraine into Syria, and the tactics they deploy are very similar to the ones they excelled at in Syria.”

Go deeper.

AXIOS AM: Mar 4, 2022

Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

1 big thing: Russia seizes reactor

This image, made from a video released by the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, shows a bright, flaring object landing at the plant in Enerhodar, Ukraine, today. Photo via AP

As the Ukraine invasion enters Week 2, Russian shelling ignited a fire at Europe’s biggest nuclear plant. That led to global alarm about a meltdown, as the world watched ghostly nighttime video of the complex.

  • But the fire is out.Russian forces took control of the site.

Why it matters: Ukraine’s state nuclear regulator said losing the ability to cool nuclear fuel at the plant could lead to an accident even worse than the 1986 Chernobyl accident — the world’s worst nuclear disaster — or the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns in Japan, AP reports.

The assault led to a phone call between President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The U.S. Energy Department activated its nuclear incident response team as a precaution.

  • Ukraine saidno changes in radiation levels have been recorded.

In an emotional speech in the middle of the night, Zelensky accused Russia of “nuclear terrorism” and said he feared an explosion that would be “the end for everyone. The end for Europe. The evacuation of Europe.”

Photo: Maksim Levin/Reuters

This is a drone’s-eye view of a residential building destroyed by shelling, in the settlement of Borodyanka, about 35 miles outside

Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

A family of Ukrainian refugees in Lonya, Hungary, yesterday after walking across the border. Long queues are forming at border crossings.

·  Axios Ukraine dashboard.

   2. Putin faces danger at home

Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting yesterday at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow. Photo: Andrei Gorshkov/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Thousands of Russians are rushing to flee the country ahead of this weekend, as rumors swirl that Vladimir Putin could soon declare martial law, close the borders and crack down even harder on domestic dissent, Axios’ Zachary Basu reports.

  • Why it matters: For as devastating as the humanitarian situation in Ukraine has become, widespread suffering is rapidly arriving at Russia’s own doorstep.

More than 8,000 people have already been detained at anti-war protests since Feb. 24, according to the independent monitor OVD-Info.

  • Russia’s Duma has passeda law making the spread of “fake news” about the Russian military punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
  • The last pillarsof Russia’s already-limited independent press were forced to close under pressure from the Kremlin this week.
  • Russia’s state communications watchdog blocked the websitesof the BBC, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Deutsche Welle and other foreign media outlets for spreading “fake” information.

 What to watch: Russia’s second-largest airline announced it will cease all international flights from tomorrow, as Russia’s upper house of parliament meets for an emergency session that many fear could mark the descent of a new Iron Curtain.

  1. Invasion’s economic dominoes
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Ripping Russia, the world’s 11th largest economy, out of the global financial system is already causing collateral damage around the world, Axios Markets author Emily Peck writes.

Oil and gas prices have skyrocketed, even though energy was purposefully carved out of sanctions.

Internal conflicts could erupt elsewhere due to food insecurity.

Catch up quick: Since Russia invaded Ukraine last week, the U.S. and its European allies moved fast to levy some of the harshest sanctions ever imposed.

The strikes were targeted. The West tried to keep the energy sector — a massive part of the Russian economy — out of the most severe penalties, so European countries could continue to buy oil and gas.

Reality check: Russia will start to operate in different ways, carving out an alternate financial system — much like Iran has done after being cut off from SWIFT by the Trump administration.

·  Keep reading.

  1. Axios explains: Why Ukraine isn’t getting a no-fly zone
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly urged Western leaders to impose a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine. But establishing one appears unlikely any time soon, Axios’ Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath writes.

  • Why it matters:Imposing a no-fly zone (NFZ) would mark a significant escalation in the war — potentially bringing NATO directly into a conventional conflict with a nuclear power.

A no-fly zone is airspace where certain aircraft aren’t allowed to enter.

  • In a war, no-fly zones must be enforced militarily — which can include shooting down banned aircraft.
  • The U.S. and other major powers have so far ruled out establishing a NFZ over Ukraine.
  • Keep reading.

New on Axios: Ukraine explainers.

 AXIOS PM: Mar 3, 2022

  Mike Allen mike@axios.com

1 big thing: Biden to sign landmark #MeToo bill

Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson joins Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at a press conference today following the passage of the Ending Forced Arbitration Act. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
President Biden today will sign landmark workplace legislation that forbids companies from forcing sexual harassment and assault claims into arbitration, Axios’ Emily Peck reports.

Why it matters: The law, the Ending Forced Arbitration Act, is the first major piece of legislation to come out of the upheaval of the #MeToo era.

·  Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) told Axios it was “the most significant piece of labor legislation passed in this century.”

·  It’s a huge win for former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson, credited with bringing together diverse supporters, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

Workers will no longer be forced to take claims of sexual harassment or assault to private arbitration.

·  But employers can still force workers to take all kinds of other complaints to private dispute resolution — including pay inequality and civil rights claims over race.

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   2. Photo of the day: Refugees expected

Photo: Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images

Spotted today at the Frankfurt (Oder) rail station.

  • Why it matters:Trains from Poland with war refugees are expected at the station.

Context: 1 million people have fled Ukraine in seven days, UN high commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi said today.

  1. Catch up quick
The 190-foot Amore Vero (True Love), linked to a close ally of Vladimir Putin, was seized today in a French Riviera port. Photo: Nicholas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images
  1. France seized a mega yacht belonging to a Russian oligarch, CNN reports.
  2. The Sackler family reacheda deal to pay as much as $6 billion to end litigation against the OxyContin Go deeper.
  3. Ukrainian and Russian delegationsagreed to organize humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee, but made no other progress.

Russian businesses in the U.S. are facing threats and vandalism, Axios’ Erin Doherty reports.

AXIOS AM: Mar 3, 2022

Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

1 big thing: Putin’s CEO crisis

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Giant global businesses in every sector are abandoning Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

  • Why it matters:In addition to condemning the invasion, the companies see an impossible environment — from worker safety … to the logistics of getting supplies … financial and sales disruption … and the complexity of complying with sanctions, Axios’ Hope King writes.

State of play: Financial sanctions have isolated Russia from the rest of the world. Businesses operating in Russia have an increasingly limited ability to collect revenue or pay workers and suppliers.

  • Economic sanctions, including export controls, have curtailed imports.
  • Some workers are being moved out of Russia.
  • Restricted airspace and travelare preventing companies from getting the equipment they need to continue to operate.

Between the lines: Some companies that have very little physical presence in Russia — including many in techretail and media — are limiting how products are used in the country or have pulled them.

Flashback: Since the Soviet Union’s collapse three decades ago, Russia had been seen as an emerging market with long-term growth potential.

In the seven days since the invasion began:

  • Boeingsuspended major operations in Moscow, as well as maintenance and technical support for Russian airlines.
  • Shellwill sever ties with Russian gas giant Gazprom and end its roughly $1 billion financing of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
  • Exxon Mobil saysit will exit Russia oil and gas operations valued at more than $4 billion and cease new investment.
  • GM, which sells only about 3,000 cars a year in Russia, saysit will suspend exporting vehicles.
  • Fordsuspended
  • BMW stoppedshipments and will stop production in Russia.
  • VWpaused delivery of Audis already in Russia so it can adjust car prices to reflect the decline in value of the ruble.
  • Harley-Davidson suspendedshipments to Russia.
  • Adidassuspended its partnership with the Russian Football Union.
  • Nikeceased online sales because it can’t guarantee delivery.
  • FedEx and UPS suspended shipments.
  • Yoox Net-A-Porter Groupand Farfetch, luxury e-commerce platforms, are suspending deliveries in Russia.
  • Applepaused product sales and limited services (including Apple Pay), on top of ceasing exports to Russia and restricting features in Apple Maps in Ukraine to safeguard civilian safety.
  • Dell stopped selling products.
  • Walt Disney is pausingfilm debuts in Russia. Warner Bros., Sony, Paramount and Universal say they won’t release films in the country.
  1. Invasion forces 1 million from homes

A woman cries outside houses damaged by a Russian airstrike, according to locals, in Gorenka, outside Kyiv yesterday. Photo: Vadim Ghirda/AP

Bulletin: Russia’s foreign minister says Moscow is ready for peace talks but will continue destroying Ukraine’s military infrastructure.

  • Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia has no thoughts of nuclear war, Reuters reports.

More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, the UN refugee agency told AP.

  • That amountsto more than 2% of Ukraine’s population being forced out of the country in less than a week.

Go deeper: Axios Ukraine dashboard.

AXIOS PM: Mar 2, 2022

  Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

1 big thing: The anti-Putin coalition

Data: United Nations; Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

Only four countries — Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria — joined Russia today in voting against a non-binding UN resolution that condemned the invasion of Ukraine.

Another 35 abstained, including India and China, Axios’ Ivana Saric and Zachary Basu report.

  • Between the lines:India has military ties with Russia from the Soviet era, causing headaches for the U.S. as it seeks to integrate India into an alliance to counter China in the Indo-Pacific.

141 countries voted in favor of the resolution.

AXIOS AM: Mar 2, 2022

Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

1 big thing: Ukraine splinters internet

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Moves to restrict Kremlin disinformation after the Ukraine invasion are further splintering the global internet.

  • Why it matters:A universal internet — where everyone can access the same messages and services — is slipping out of reach as democracies falter and governments limit usage, Axios’ Ashley Gold writes.

Zoom out: Social media execs have warned against the dangers of a Balkanized internet for years as many nations — including Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ethiopia and Turkey — limited access.

  • In China, American apps like Facebook and Twitter are blocked.

Between the lines: Cutting countries off can help dictators win.

  • In democracies, including the U.S., it’s easy to focus on the harms of Big Tech and look to the government for answers, Kate Klonick, an assistant law professor at St. John’s University, told Axios.
  • But “what we’re seeing with Russia and Ukraine is a return to some of the formative ideas around the power that the internet brings to individuals.”

Reality check: Authoritarian countries plow ahead with their own visions for the internet as the U.S. and Europe search for alignment on privacy, AI, competition, content moderation and cybersecurity regulations.

  1. Biden: “I get it”

What President Biden sees. Photo: Shawn Thew/EPA/Pool via AP

President Biden said in his State of the Union address that getting inflation under control is his “top priority,” while warning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could lead to higher costs for American consumers.

  • Why it matters:The White House knows the country is frustrated with price hikes. But officials also want credit for strong GDP growth, job creation and low unemployment, Axios’ Hans Nichols writes.

“With all the bright spots in our economy, record job growth and higher wages, too many families are struggling to keep up with the bills,” the president said.

  • “Inflation is robbing themof the gains they might otherwise feel. I get it.”
  • Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Above: An old-fashioned scrum greets President Biden after the speech.

  • Secretary of State Tony Blinkentalked with House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.).

Go deeper: Read Biden’s vow to seize yachts and jets of Russian oligarchs, from the Axios AM Thought Bubble that dropped in your inbox late last night ET.

  1. Zelensky: “The best people on Earth”
Cover: The Times of London

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video on Facebook today in which he praised Ukrainians as “a symbol of invincibility,” as the Russian invasion entered a seventh day.

  • “Another night of Russia’s full-scale war against us, against the people, has passed,” Zelensky said. “We’ve hardly slept for seven nights.”

Zelensky said invading forces “know nothing about our capital,” Kyiv, or Ukrainian history: “But they have an order to erase our history … Erase our country. Erase us all.”

  • “Today you,Ukrainians, are the symbol of invincibility, a symbol that people in any country can become the best people on Earth at any moment.”
  • A member of the Ukrainian Emergency Service beholds Kharkiv City Hall following shelling yesterday. Photo: Pavel Dorogoy/AP

Explosions rang out in Kyiv and Kharkiv as Russian forces intensified their bombing campaign on Ukraine today.

Axios Ukraine dashboard.

AXIOS PM: Mar 1, 2022

Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

1 big thing: Holocaust site hit

Photo: CNN

A Russian missile hit the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial site in Kyiv today, killing at least five people, Ukrainian officials said.

  • President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted:“[W]hat is the point of saying ‘never again’ for 80 years, if the world stays silent when a bomb drops on the same site of Babyn Yar?”
  • “Between 1941 and 1943,the Nazis shot between 70,000 and 100,000 people at Babyn Yar, including almost the entire Jewish population of Kyiv,” according to the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center.
  • The Russians were targetingthe nearby Kyiv TV tower, saying it was among the infrastructure used for “information attacks” from Ukraine’s security services.

A blast is seen in the TV tower, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, today. Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters

The bottom line: A senior U.S. defense official told reporters that Russia’s advance on Kyiv had stalled and that there were signs of flagging Russian morale, Axios’ Zachary Basu and Dave Lawler report.

  1. State of the Union spoiler

The House chamber yesterday. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Look for President Biden to be very tough on Vladimir Putin in tonight’s State of the Union address (9 p.m. ET).

Why it matters: The White House has scrambled to be sure he meets the moment.

  • The president will point to the U.S. role in protecting democracy, before moving on to Americans’ pocketbooks — how to grow the economy from the “bottom up and the middle out,” as he puts it.

The speech is built around four buckets:

  1. World stage:Biden will say “democracy will prevail” in Ukraine.
  2. Economy:He’ll call for lowering costs for working families.
  3. COVID:He’ll stress the U.S. is “in a new moment” of the pandemic and has the tools to contain the virus.
  4. The future of America:He’ll point to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, his nominee for the Supreme Court, and vow to make inroads on immigration and climate.
  5. Catch up quick

Photo: Emilio Morenatti/AP

  1. Above: Animal keeper Kirilo Trantin comforts an elephant at the Kyiv Zoo.
  2. “Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century”:About 677,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in neighboring countries. Go deeper.
  3. The U.S. will release 30 million barrelsfrom the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as part of international plans to release 60 million barrels. Go deeper.
  4. The ACLU is suing to block aTexas directive that would have a state agency investigate parents for child abuse if they seek gender-affirming care for their children. Go deeper.

Exclusive: A small group of Latino U.S. House members recently expressed “extreme concern” about a plan to potentially dispatch robot dogs along the U.S.-Mexico border, Axios’ Russell Contreras reports.

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AXIOS AM: Mar 1, 2022

Mike Allen <mike@axios.com>

1 big thing: Biden’s new targets

Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

President Biden set his sights on Russian oligarchs, COVID fraudsters, social media platforms and even defund-the-police efforts tonight — populist targets in a broader speech about national and global unity.

  • Biden’s anti-Russia,pro-Ukraine passages inspired the only real partisan unity in the chamber:

The U.S. Department of Justice is assembling a dedicated task force to go after the crimes of Russian oligarchs.

We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets. We are coming for your ill-begotten gains.

On Vladimir Putin, Biden ad-libbed: “He has no idea what’s coming.”

Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova is applauded by first lady Jill Biden. Photo: ABC News

 Twitter erupted when Biden accidentally said Putin would never gain the hearts and souls of the “Iranian” people, instead of Ukrainian.

Biden’s other targets:

  • He announced that the Justice Department will appoint a chief prosecutor to go after pandemic fraud.
  • He bluntly distanced himselffrom the defund-the-police movement: “The answer is not to defund the police. The answer is to fund the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities.”

With Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen in the audience, Biden framed social media as part of a larger mental health crisis and urged Congress to “strengthen privacy protections” and ban targeted advertising to children.

  • Reality check:Privacy legislation has been stalled for years, notes Axios managing editor Scott Rosenberg.
  • Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) sat with Republican senators. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

What we were watching, from Axios’ Sophia Cai, in the House chamber:

  • Fellow Supreme Court justicesstanding to applaud retiring Stephen Breyer — but careful to avoid politics by sitting when Biden mentioned his nominee to replace Breyer, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
  • Joe Manchin(D-W.Va.) sitting with Republicans — but rising for most of the Democrats’ applause lines.
  • Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) shouting “13 of them!” as Biden spoke, referring to Americans killed at Kabul airport during the frantic evacuation from Afghanistan. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shouted: “Stay out of women’s sports!”

 Axios.com has the latest reaction, including the Republican response.

1 big thing — Biden’s dilemma: Putin off-ramp

Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on economic issues at the Kremlin yesterday. Photo: Alexey Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

With Ukraine holding Russia off longer than many U.S. officials had expected, President Biden now faces a great unanswered question — how to give Vladimir Putin an off-ramp to avoid even greater calamity.

  • Why it matters: A cornered, humiliated Putin could unleash untold pain on the world, from cyberattacks to nuclear threats. After enacting brutal sanctions, the White House now must consider how the invasion can end without a new catastrophe, Axios’ Jonathan Swan and Zachary Basu report.

Between the lines: Nobody knows what Putin would accept.

  • Many officials fear that we are heading into a very dangerous period — the punishing Western sanctions pushing an autocrat into a corner.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), vice chair of the Senate intelligence committee, has hinted Putin could be addled.

  • “This is the most dangerous moment in 60 years,” Rubio tweetedSunday night. Putin, he said, “is facing a humiliating military fiasco & he has triggered extraordinary consequences on #Russia’s economy & people that will not be easy to reverse … And his only options to reset this imbalance are catastrophic ones.”

A European diplomat told reporters at a briefing yesterday: “It’s like the Sun Tzu thing of giving someone a golden bridge to retreat across. How do you get him to go in a different direction?”

  • “I think the door to diplomacy remains open,” the diplomat continued. “Putin … doesn’t normally back down. But he also controls the information environment in his own country to such an extent that if he does, he can cover his tracks. … So I think there is room for him to de-escalate — and that’s certainly what we’re pressing for.”

The diplomat pointed to yesterday’s Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Belarus as the most viable off-ramp in a sea of bad options, noting that negotiations lasted for four hours and appear headed for a second round.

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskysaid before the talks that he was willing to discuss “neutral status” for Ukraine — one of Putin’s three demands.
  • But the other two— demilitarization and “denazification” of Ukraine, and recognition of Russia’s claim to Crimea — suggest Putin will never accept a deal in which Zelensky remains in power.

The bottom line: The West’s response to Putin — for so long, uncertain and halting — has moved at astonishing speed and ferocity over the past week. How Putin will respond — and whether de-escalation is even possible — is keeping national-security leaders up at night.

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  1. West squeezes oligarchs
Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg, Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images
 
The West is ratcheting up economic pressure on Russia’s oligarchs — known for splashy yachts and piles of dark money squirreled away around the globe, Axios Markets co-author Emily Peck writes.

·  Why it matters: Some of these wealthy Russians may have a measure of influence over Vladimir Putin. The U.S. and Europe are hoping that if they squeeze the oligarchs, the oligarchs may pressure Putin. In the longer term, going after hidden Russian wealth could curtail the power of Putin and his circle.

The EU yesterday banned travel and froze assets of 26 businessmen, government officials and even journalists with longstanding ties to Putin, the Financial Times first reported (subscription).

·  On the list: Igor Sechin, CEO of Rosneft, Russia’s state oil company, “considered to be one of the most powerful members of the Russian Political elite,” the EU said in its statement.

·  Nikolay Tokarev, CEO of Transneft, a major oil and gas company, is also among the West’s specific targets. He served with Putin in the KGB in the 1980s and is one of the oligarchs who took control of state assets in the 2000s, the EU said.

Reality check: There’s a lot of Russian money hidden around the globe, including in the U.S. and U.K. — and it’s not always clear where it is.

·  Recent laws passed in the U.S. and EU are intensifying efforts to untangle this dark web, but they’re just at the start.

  1. Uglier phase: 40 miles of tanks

Satellite image: ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Maxar Technologies says the Russian convoy converging on Kyiv stretches 40 miles — up from the 17 miles we told you about in Axios PM.

  • The tanks, self-propelled artillery and armored vehiclesare spaced fairly far apart in some stretches. In others, the military equipment is traveling two or three vehicles abreast, Maxar says.

“The Russian advance on Kyiv has made little progress over the past 24 hours probably as a result of continuing logistical difficulties,” the British defense ministry said in a military intelligence update quoted by Reuters.

  • But the war entered a new, uglier phase:70 Ukrainian servicemen were killed by a Russian rocket attack, and dozens of civilians have died in “barbaric” shelling, Ukrainian officials said.

Axios Ukraine dashboard.

PBS NewsHour Weekend Full Episode, March 13, 2022

Mar 13, 2022  PBS NewsHour

On this edition for Sunday, March 13, Russian forces attack a military training center in western Ukraine. American journalist and documentarian Brent Renaud, who reported for PBS in the past, is killed outside of Kyiv. And in our signature segment, the challenges of tackling drug smuggling in Antwerp, Belgium, a key entry point into Europe. Hari Sreenivasan anchors from New York. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

Ukraine Russia conflict: Russia threatens Western weapons supplies as missiles hit near Nato border

Mar 13, 2022  Channel 4 News

It’s day 18 of the war in Ukraine and there has been no let up in the fighting. (Subscribe: https://bit.ly/C4_News_Subscribe) Russian forces have continued their operation all over the country. There was more heavy shelling of Chernihiv and an American journalist was shot dead near Irpin. The attack on the Yavoriv base near the Polish border is the furthest west the Russians have attacked since the invasion started. Ukrainians have also been protesting against the Russian occupation in Kherson. But there have been hopeful messages from both sides over negotiations, although it is too early to tell whether that will lead to anything. ——- Watch more of our explainer series here – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list… Get more news at our site – https://www.channel4.com/news/ Follow us: Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Channel4News/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/Channel4News

#NBCNews #Russia #Ukraine

Nightly News Full Broadcast – March 13

Mar 13, 2022  NBC News

35 killed after Russian attack on Ukrainian military base, Ukrainian refugees begin to spread into neighboring countries, and new wrestling champion breaking down barriers. » Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC » Watch more NBC video: http://bit.ly/MoreNBCNews NBC News Digital is a collection of innovative and powerful news brands that deliver compelling, diverse and engaging news stories. NBC News Digital features NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, TODAY.com, Nightly News, Meet the Press, Dateline, and the existing apps and digital extensions of these respective properties. We deliver the best in breaking news, live video coverage, original journalism and segments from your favorite NBC News Shows. Connect with NBC News Online! NBC News App: https://smart.link/5d0cd9df61b80 Breaking News Alerts: https://link.nbcnews.com/join/5cj/bre… Visit NBCNews.Com: http://nbcnews.to/ReadNBC Find NBC News on Facebook: http://nbcnews.to/LikeNBC Follow NBC News on Twitter: http://nbcnews.to/FollowNBC #NBCNews #Russia #Ukraine

Ukraine War: Sky News Special Programme

Mar 12, 2022  Sky News

Sky’s Jonathan Samuels presents a special programme about the changing situation in Ukraine – as the country’s president Volodymr Zelenskyy said the conflict has reached a strategic turning point. Including reports from Kyiv, Odesa and Lviv in Ukraine, Warsaw, Moscow, Washington and London. For the latest developments: https://qrcode.skynews.com/skynews/uk… SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skynews Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skynews For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps: Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-n… Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/de… Sky News videos are now available in Spanish here/Los video de Sky News están disponibles en español aquí https://www.youtube.com/channel/skyne… Sky News videos are also available in German here/Hier können Sie außerdem Sky News-Videos auf Deutsch finden: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHYg… To enquire about licensing Sky News content, you can find more information here: https://news.sky.com/info/library-sales

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Remembering Ing & John’s Street Art 2019 before the COVID-19 arrived, New York Times, AXIOS, PBS News, and NBC News

Remembering Ing & John’s Street Art 2019 before the COVID-19 arrived, New York Times, AXIOS, PBS News, and NBC News

Remembering Ing & John’s Street Art 2019 before the COVID-19 arrived

Ing & John’s Street Art 2019, Downtown Newark, New Jersey, USA

Kai, The Artist, and Ing and John’s Artwork

July – December, 2019

Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

My first day of Street art was on Friday, July 26, 2019.  I took some plants from our backyard garden to display in front of our shop.  I started my first display of artwork with “Elephants at the Water Lily Pond” I produced in 1999.  There are always people walking by our place, but more during lunch time.  Most of them are the office workers.  Also, in the evening, people walk by going home from work.  Some people are interested in the artwork, and ask questions, while others are oblivious to the artwork that I display.

I love plants and flowers.  It makes me happy when I see the freshness of green leaves and beautiful flowers blooming.   Our shop is closed temporally, and the window gate is down. I thought that if I display our artwork and some of the plants from our backyard garden in front of the shop gate, it would make it more pleasant for the people who pass by.  I am happy to do it, and I hope the artwork and the plants will help the downtown office workers or others feel fresh and lively.    

I love street art for many reasons. First of all, the artwork is there for the public.  It is for everyone who passes to their destination.  Without spending time visiting art galleries or museums, they can see art while they are going to work or getting lunch.  Some may pay attention to the artwork and some may not.  Some may ask questions about the artwork.  I hope, at least the artwork will activate the thought process of those passing by.

This artwork of mine titled, “I Have A Dream – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr”, I displayed from, Wednesday, August 14, 2019, to August 21, 2019.  I produced this work in 2010.  I also added more plants to fill the front of shop space.

My Thai classical artwork was displayed on Thursday, August 22, 2019.  I produced this artwork in1994.

For more photos and information, please visit the following link:

Ing & John’s Street Art and International Street Art-Part 1

https://ingpeaceproject.com/ing-and-johns-street-art-and-international-street-art/ing-and-johns-street-art-and-international-street-art-part-1/

On Monday, August 28, 2019 John added his work to the display.  John’s artwork is on the far left, “Impossible Dreamer”.  “Gandhi Man of Peace”, in the middle is my artwork, which I produced in 2010.  The far right is John’s artwork “Beneath the Lake”.  Thanks to John Watts, my husband, for helping to display the artwork in a better presentation.

I am happy to display our artworks in public.  There seems to be a positive reaction from the people who view them.  People comment about the beautiful plants and unique artwork.

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts and John Watts, Monday, October 7, 2019

I am very happy to have an opportunity to display our artworks in public.  There were people asking some questions about our artwork.  Some people took pictures of our artwork.   It seems to be a positive reaction from the people who view them.  People comment about the beautiful plants and unique artwork.

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts and John Watts, Tuesday, October 22, 2019

For more photos and information, please visit the following link:

Ing & John’s Street Art and International Street Art-Part 3

https://ingpeaceproject.com/ing-and-johns-street-art-and-international-street-art/ing-johns-street-art-and-international-street-art-part-3/

Kai, our grandson, who love to do painting.  He volunteers to do artwork in front our shop.

This is the nature of life.  One minute we are here and the second minute we are gone.  What remains’ is what we did with the minutes before, while we are still alive on earth.

On Tuesday, September 24, 2019, while we were taking our artwork down at night time, a homeless man asked me, “Do you sell the paintings?”.  “No, I said, we put our artwork up for people to see, and it makes the sidewalk more pleasant to walk by.”   Then he pointed to my Gandhi artwork and asked “Who is this man?” I explained to him that “His name is Gandhi.  He helped his country of India to gain independence from the 200-hundred-year rule by the British Empire.  He achieved this by non-violent mean.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who fought for human rights in this country, USA, followed Gandhi’s non-violent philosophy.  I felt very glad that the homeless man asked me the questions. 

I do not think that homeless people or working-class people will have a much of an opportunity to visit art galleries or museums. This is one of the reasons that I love Street Art.  The artwork is in public view.  Some might like the artwork or some might not, but it can create inter action and activate the viewers to think.  This thinking process helps create learning and reasoning about what others show or tell you to believe. 

There are some people asking us about our artwork that we display in front of our building.  So, we decided to post a sign to let people know who did the artwork along with my Peace Poem.

Little one on mother’s bosoms

Happy to hang along

Where ever she goes

Ride, ride, ride

Happy mother and happy child

I am a lucky one

Ride, ride, ride

Mommy, Daddy I love you

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Sunday, November 10, 2019

I wish some of the homeless children that I saw in the parks or the public library will have comfort and be as well provided for as this child.

This past summer I took our grandson, Kai to Newark Museum, I found out that it is free admissions for Newark residents, for others it cost $15.00 for an adult and $7.00 for a child.  I took Kai to Military Park to play.  I met a woman who has seven children and is not a Newark resident, so she can only bring the children to the park and cannot afford to pay for the Museum entrance tickets.  I think the working-class, poor, and homeless children, need as much as education as they can possibly have.  Museums and libraries are good places for children to learn.  They can form good habits of learning and be able to do well in school and have ambition to get higher education, such as college or university.  Education can help people get out of poverty. The cities nearby Newark, such as Irvington, Jersey City, and others cities have poor and working-class children.  These youngsters will be left out of the experience and enjoyment of seeing the fantastic artwork collections that Newark Museum offers to Newark residents, and well to do families out of town that can afford the price of admission.

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Thursday, November 14, 2019

For more photos and information, please visit the following link:

Ing & John’s Street Art and International Street Art-Part 5

https://ingpeaceproject.com/ing-and-johns-street-art-and-international-street-art/ing-johns-street-art-and-international-street-art-part-5/

Left:        Midnight – John Watts’ Artwork

Middle: Vincent van Gogh and his letters to his brother – Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts’ Artwork

Right:    Homage to the Dragon – John Watts’ Artwork

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts and John Watts, Saturday, November 30, 2019

Kai, The Artist our grandson, who just turned four years old.

It was time for the four-year-old artist to relax and play.

I have a better chance to learn human behavior and development from our grandson than our only daughter when she was young.  This was because we were so busy with working and now, we have more time to observe our grandson’s interaction with other children, including his behavior as a baby and his progress up to now.

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts and John Watts, Saturday, November 30, 2019

For more photos and information, please visit the following link:

Ing & John’s Street Art and International Street Art-Part 7

https://ingpeaceproject.com/ing-and-johns-street-art-and-international-street-art/ing-johns-street-art-and-international-street-art-part-7/

I am done, Grandma!

Time to run

And have fun

Catch me

If you can

Run Grandma run

Fun, fun, fun

You can’t catch me!

It’s great fun to

Run, run, run

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Emerging Cinderella from pink flower    

Modified Artwork by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

Vincent van Gogh admiring flowers

Artwork by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

Hi! Mr. Kai!

How are you?

Hello Mr. Snake!

I am fine

Thank you

How are you, Mr. Snake?

I miss you Kai

I was alone in the box last night!

Can I kiss you?

No! You might bite me!

I am not going to bite you

See! I have no teeth

I only have long tongue to smell you

OK! You can kiss me

And you are going to sleep with me tonight

Can I hug you, Kai?

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Kai was talking to his mother about the Magic Dragon.

Now, the Magic dragon has appeared.  Trick or treat anybody???

For more photos and information, please visit the following link:

Ing & John’s Street Art and International Street Art-Part 9

https://ingpeaceproject.com/ing-and-johns-street-art-and-international-street-art/ing-johns-street-art-and-international-street-art-part-9/

Left:        Midnight – John Watts’ Artwork

Middle: Vincent van Gogh’s Broken Frames– Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts’ Artwork

Right:    Homage to the Dragon – John Watts’ Artwork

John Watts’ Sculptures

Kai’s Painting on Friday, September 13, 2019

After working very hard with his painting, the artist spends time to exam the flowers.

For more photos and information, please visit the following link:

Ing & John’s Street Art and International Street Art-Part 11

https://ingpeaceproject.com/ing-and-johns-street-art-and-international-street-art/ing-johns-street-art-and-the-international-street-art-part-11/

The reason I am re-posting some parts of, Ing & John’s Street Art of 2019, is because I miss our life and activities before COVID-19 arrived.  I enjoyed posting our artwork on our shop window shutter.  I had a chance to see people outside the house.  Especially, when I had conversations with people who were interested in our artwork.  We usually went to do our shopping, especially for food in different places.  We went to obtain our Chinese food at China Town in New York City.  After we had some food from China Town, we would head to Central Park, Washington Park.  John had some of his readings, and plays performed in NYC, which was his best opportunity to meet friends involved in theater. 

On March 10, 2020, I went to a hospital to support our daughter when she gave birth to our second grandson, Bodhi.  That is the last day I step outside our house until now.  It will be two years next month since that event.  Thanks to my husband, John Watts for doing all the grocery shopping and other necessary activities outside of the house.  When the weather is warm, I would go to the backyard and tend my garden, enjoying and seeing the flowers bloom.  Some butterflies and bees came to drink nectar from the butterfly bushes and other kinds of flowers.  Roses were blooming beautifully in Spring and Fall, when the weather was cooler.  Now, the weather is very cold, some plants dormant for the winter and others are completely gone.  On Saturday, December 29, 2021, I looked at my backyard, and I saw snow over the garden.  I took photos of the backyard.  John took photos of the front of our shop and the street, before he had to clean the snow from our sidewalk.    

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Sunday, February 6, 2022

I took photographs from our backyard garden.

John took photos of the front of our shop and the street, before he had to clean the snow from our sidewalk.    

The New York Times on January 30, 2022

By Remy Tumin

Snow removal outside the Federal Courthouse in Boston yesterday. Katherine Taylor for The New York Times
1. The East Coast is digging out from a major winter storm.
After dropping a blanket of snow over parts of New York and New Jersey yesterday — as much as 18 inches on some parts of Long Island — the “bomb cyclone” marched northeast, bringing gusting winds, flooding and near-record snow accumulation in New England. Thousands of flights were canceled up and down the coast.
Nearly 70,000 households were without electricity in Massachusetts, especially on Cape Cod and the nearby islands, where heavy winds made restoring power difficult. As much as 30 inches of snow had fallen in some parts of Massachusetts, while Boston had about two feet. The storm drew comparisons to the nightmarish Blizzard of ’78, which buried the city under more than 27 inches of snow.
Parting shot
Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Manhattan’s Chrysler Building (center), as seen yesterday from the observation deck of Summit One Vanderbilt.

AXIOS AM on January 30, 2022

By Mike Allen

4.  Epic nor’easter

Photo: Nantucket PoliceSeveral streets on Nantucket, the fabled island off Cape Code, “flooded with seawater during high tide … as the powerful nor’easter brought with it storm surges of over 3 feet,” The Boston Globe reports.·  Go deeper: Historic bomb cyclone blizzard slams New England, may break records, Axios’ Andrew Freedman reports.Photo: Andrew Kelly/ReutersA person ski over the Brooklyn Bridge yesterday.Photo: Julio Cortez/APSpotted in Ocean City, Md.

·  Storm latest.

PBS NewsHour Weekend Full Episode January 29, 2022

Jan 29, 2022  PBS NewsHour

On this edition for Saturday, January 29, major winter storm in the Northeast brings blizzard conditions to some areas, Burmese people continue their fight for democracy, and in remembrance of the Holocaust, a message for future generations. Hari Sreenivasan anchors from New York. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

PBS NewsHour Weekend Full Episode January 30, 2022

Jan 30, 2022  PBS NewsHour

On this edition for Sunday, January 30, the Northeast digs out after the first winter storm of the year, President Biden backs NYC Mayor Eric Adams on his crime policy after two police officers were fatally shot, and in our signature segment, singer-songwriter Tori Amos on loss, grief and regeneration. Hari Sreenivasan anchors from New York. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

#NightlyNews #WinterStorm #Covid

Nightly News Full Broadcast – January 30th

Jan 30, 2022  NBC News

Northeast recovers from blizzard aftermath, Covid cases falling nationwide, and the List of Supreme Court Justice candidates grows. » Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC » Watch more NBC video: http://bit.ly/MoreNBCNews NBC News Digital is a collection of innovative and powerful news brands that deliver compelling, diverse and engaging news stories. NBC News Digital features NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, TODAY.com, Nightly News, Meet the Press, Dateline, and the existing apps and digital extensions of these respective properties. We deliver the best in breaking news, live video coverage, original journalism and segments from your favorite NBC News Shows. Connect with NBC News Online! NBC News App: https://smart.link/5d0cd9df61b80 Breaking News Alerts: https://link.nbcnews.com/join/5cj/bre… Visit NBCNews.Com: http://nbcnews.to/ReadNBC Find NBC News on Facebook: http://nbcnews.to/LikeNBC Follow NBC News on Twitter: http://nbcnews.to/FollowNBC #NightlyNews #WinterStorm #Covid #SupremeCourt

Across the U.S., a sprawling winter storm brings snow, ice and tornadoes

Feb 3, 2022  PBS NewsHour

Crews and residents across the Midwest are digging their way out as a sprawling winter storm pushes further across the country. Some places have reported over a foot of snow, creating dangerous driving conditions in several states, while more than 4,000 flights were canceled Thursday alone. Nicole Ellis has our report. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Subscribe: PBS NewsHour podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe

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Happy 4th Of July Everyone, Happy Juneteenth, Happy World, and Keep Peace in Your Heart

 

 🙂 Happy 4th Of July Everyone 🙂

🙂 Happy Juneteenth 🙂

🙂 Happy World 🙂

and

🙂 Keep Peace in Your Heart 🙂

 

Performance on the All Black Lives Matter Mural,

Halsey Street, Newark, New Jersey, USA, Sunday, July 5, 2020

  Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts  

 

 

 

Happy 4th Of July everyone

Happy Independence’s Day everyone

Happy Equality for All

Happy Juneteenth everyone

 

Be joyful to be an Immigrant on this special day

For we are all immigrants

We all come from somewhere else

Even native Americans

 

Who lived in America before humans?

Animals and plants coexist

 

Humans moved to America

Wars have taken place in America

Humans kill for power not just survival

 

But Peace prevails

Humans can and do coexist

People even mix for Peace and Love

 

We are all the same Human race

Togetherness, Kindness

And helping one another

Keeps us Alive

Why be greedy or selfish?

For we are born with nothing

And die with nothing

 

Keeping Peace in your Heart

Frees humanity to explore possibilities

With Happiness and Equality for all

 

Keep Peace in your Heart Always

 

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Sunday, July 4, 2021

 

 On Sunday, April 4th, 2021 I sat under our rose tree in the garden with my work book and sketched some drawings.  The end result was a peace sign that I will use as one of my logos. It is a good opportunity, and the first time for me to launch my peace artwork on the 4th Of July.  By focusing on peace for the US and the world, came the message of, “KEEP PEACE IN YOUR HEART”, “LOVE” and “NATURE”. This concluded my wishes for myself and everyone on our planet.  

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Sunday, July 4, 2021

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Gandhi’s Ing Artwork Display in Public for the First Time in 2021 and Kai, 5-year-old Street Artist on Halsey Street, Newark, New Jersey, USA

Dr. King and Gandhi’s Ing Artwork Display in Public for the First Time in 2021 and Kai, 5-year-old Street Artist

On Halsey Street, Newark, New Jersey, USA

 Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts and Ing’s grandson Kai

My husband, John Watts is helping me put up two of my artworks.

Kai took these Photographs for Grandpa John & Grandma Ing.

Due to the pandemic of COVID-19, Kai has to wear a mask when he is outside of the house.  All concerned citizens all over the world should wear a mask when they are in public if they are concerned about catching COVID-19.  People who have the virus will not spread germs to the other people if they wear masks.

 The United States is very lucky to have Joe Biden as the new president in 2021.  He is concerned about the spread of the virus that will harm and kill more.  He believes in science, and vigorously worked to acquire and distribute the vaccine to all eligible citizens.  The result is a reduction of people getting COVID-19, and the reduction of people dying from the virus.  The previous president, Donald Trump, does not believe in science, and shows this by his example of not wearing a mask.  His followers, most of them Republicans, voted for him, support him, and follow his example, by condemning the use of masks, refusing to wear them, and not practicing social distancing. 

Mr. Trump had, and continues to have, rallies that pack people next to each other by the thousands. Most of the audience are not wearing masks, while, Mr. Trump, speaks at a podium that has a plexiglass screen to prevent the COVID-19 virus droplets reaching him.  Also Mr. Trump and his wife quietly received the COVID-19 vaccine without letting his followers know, and all his children also received the COVID-19 vaccine

By the end of Trump’s administration, over 500,000 (Five hundred thousand) people died as a result of his actions.  The most puzzling aspect of this is that about 70,000,000 (seventy million) people voted for Trump, most of them Republicans, for his second term.  Belief without reason can cause great harm to the believer and if seventy million people or more do so, this can cause the collapse of social order.  If Mr. Trump became the president in a second term, no one could foresee how many more US citizens would die.  The US economy could be far worse with many millions more unemployed, and a dramatic rise in the homeless population in the country. 

I wish to keep my writing as a record on my website for my grandchildren and other generations.  My intention is to make others aware that believing blindly in anything without reasoning and education can destroy all of us.

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Sunday, April 18, 2021     

I wanted to see my grandson’s face so I asked him to pull his mask down.

Two of my artworks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi, are posted on our shop gate for the public.  It is being posted for the first time this year, 2021.

We saw a fire truck passing by.

Kai the Street Artist:

The 5-Year-Old Street Artist on Thursday, March 25, 2021, Halsey Street, Newark, New Jersey, USA

Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

Kai was starting to do his drawing.  He searched for the color markers.  Then with confidence, he drew the line of the object that he had in mind.

Kai quickly drew his first character without any hesitation in a short period of time.

“Is it dinosaur, Kai?” I asked him.  He shook his head.  I asked, “Godzilla?”  Kai said “Yes”

“I will draw The Gigan monster.”  Kai said.

“The story of the monsters – it’s the mighty Godzilla movie”, Kai said.

Kai drew a snake monster between Godzilla and the Gigan monster.

Kai told me that he was drawing The Three Headed King Ghidorah, who is the ultimate nemesis of Godzilla.

While Kai was working on his drawing, this person was walking by and gave a nice comment to the young artist.  I appreciate his comment to encourage Kai and also, he keeps the side walk clean.  All people who do the sanitation work are important.  If the bathroom in the office building is filthy and smells bad, it will make the work place unpleasant.   We should have Sanitation Day to thanks the people who keep the places clean.

Kai drew the Mothra monster in the adult stage, then he drew the Mothra monster as a baby in the caterpillar stage.

Kai looked at grandma and said nothing.  I thought he might be a little tired.  I asked him if he would like a glass of milk, but he said no.

Kai colors the Rodan monster in red and Godzilla in green.

Halsey Street is quiet, the restaurant next door is still closed due to COVID-19.

“It’s very hot!”  Kai said.  “Take your jacket off.”, I recommended.

Kai said, “Grandma, look at these!”  He lifted off the patch that cover the fox eyes on his shirt and I said “Peek A Boo!” He was so proud of his foxy design shirt.

Then Kai went back to drawing the King Kong character on his artwork.

For a while Kai turned sideways.

Then he jumped out of his seat and ran up the steps.  He put up his hands and made some noise.  I asked him what kind of animal is that.  “Chicken!” Kai responded.

He ran back and forth in front of our shop, passed his artwork, to the entrance of the building next door.  He did this a couple times.

 Kai went back to his chair and looked at his artwork for a while, then he jumped up and ran again.  I guess he needed to regenerate some energy before he resumed his artwork. Or he is just a five-year-old kid that want to have some fun, most of the time.

Kai went back to color his artwork after he had his fun of running like a chicken.

The Three headed King Ghidorah is in yellow.  But Kai insisted it is gold.

“King Kong has to be brown”, Kai declared.

This young boy came with his mother.  He stopped to see Kai’s drawing.  Kai got out of his chair and let the boy sit as he gently asked the boy, “Would you like to draw?”  The boy said yes.  His mother told me that he is four years old.

I told Kai to get a mask for him.  The boy and his mother did not wear masks.  Then I went to get drawing paper for the boy.  His mother stood not very far from us talking on the phone to someone.  After finishing her phone call, she said that she is going to take her son for lunch at a restaurant nearby and she will bring him right back.

Kai waited for the boy to come back and do drawing with him.  But the boy and his mother never come back.  Kai went back to color his artwork and said “I wish he is coming back.  I like him.”  I felt sad for my grandson that the boy did not come back.  I guess that Kai was hoping for a new friend.

Kai said “I finished my artwork Grandma.”  I said to him “I like your drawing and your story.  You can show your artwork to your Mommy and Daddy.”  His Grandpa John also loves his artwork.

I asked Kai to pose with his artwork.  He felt good for his achievement.  I am glad that Kai enjoys doing artwork.  As his Grandma, it makes me very happy to see his happiness and playfulness.  We adults have to gently give encouragement to the youngsters in our family and all others as well.  Children today will replace us, and become adults tomorrow.  Loving and kindness to all can form a peaceful and harmonic family and society.

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Sunday, April 18, 2021 

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Have A Happy Holiday Everyone, Adventure at the Water Lily Pond with Bodhi and Kai

Have A Happy Holiday Everyone

Adventure at the Water Lily Pond with Bodhi and Kai

By Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

Kai is a young lad of five years old who is so proud of himself as the Best Brother Ever!

After Kai and his little nine month – old brother, Bodhi, filled their stomachs with delicious food that grandma Ing fed them, they are going for a ride.  Bodhi is ready to be in his walker.   Kai gets his mini truck out, putting a robe around the back of his truck and tied it on the front of Bodhi’s walker.  Then he starts to drive Bodhi around the house.  Kai and his brother cannot go outside because of the COVID 19 pandemics trouble.

At the end of the trip, Kai stops at the area that Grandma Ing is putting one of her large artworks, “By the Water Lily Pond”, on the hallway wall.  Bodhi touches the face of the girl in the artwork.  He murmurs, a sound, like, “Mom ma, Mom ma”.    

Kai is interested in counting the number of butterflies in the artwork.

Then Kai turns to his grandma Ing and asks “How many Butterflies in your artwork, Grandma?”

Grandma Ing says “One big Swallowtail Butterfly in front of you, four small butterflies on your right-hand side and another big brown one above the girl’s head.

Grandma Ing continues, “One plus four, plus one, what is the total of number of butterflies?”

Kai cries out load “Grandma—–ma—–ma, It’s not time for learning.  It’s time for play.”

Then he opens his mouth wide and makes many funny faces.

Bodhi is really interested in the girl.  He keeps looking at her for a while.

Then he turns to grandma with a confused face as if to ask Grandma “Who is she?”.   He is too young to talk.  He only can make sounds like Ma – Ma or Da – Da.  The next word he probably says is Kai – Kai.

Bodhi shows his expression as though he wants to do something.

Then suddenly he appears next to the girl in the Water Lilly Pond with a Flower in his mouth.

Then he calls his brother “Kai, Kai come in the pond.”

Bodhi comes out of the pond and sits in front of the girl and watching her arrange the Water Lily Flowers.  Kai jumps into the pond and yells, “Bodhi, Bodhi, here I am in the pond.”

Bodhi moves closer to the girl and plays with and pats the cat, saying, “Hi Kitty cat, you are so cute.”

“Bodhi, Bodhi, I am up here!  There’s a big bee on the Water Lily Flower.  Bodhi!  Say hello to the Thai girl and boy.” 

“Lady!  Can I have one of your flowers?”  Bodhi Takes one of the Water Lily Flowers from the tray.

“Bodhi!  Look!  I have some of Water Lily Flowers for you.”  Kai gets a big bunch of Water Lily Flowers from the pond.  “I am going to give one each to Mommy, and Daddy.  How about we give two flowers to Papa?  I’ll give one to Nana, one to Pa, one to Grandma Ing and one to Grandpa John.  I think I have enough for everyone.” 

Bodhi tries to have a conversation with the girl.  “How are you lady?  I like sitting here.  The weather is very nice by the Pond.  Do you like it, Lady?” 

“Hay!  Bodhi!  Come in the water!  It’s fun to swim.  You can see fish, crabs, frogs and other fun things.”  Kai wants Bodhi to join him.

“Kai! I see the mother duck, and baby duck.  Do you see the parrot flying this way?  I love this Pond.  We can see all kind of animals.  They’re so beautiful.  I love them all.”  Bodhi is happy to be outside of the house in nature.

“Bodhi!  I am very close to the ducks.  The duckling is so cute.  Yes, I see the parrot flying my way.”  Kai is happy to be in the water.

“I love to play with these Flowers.   Kai! From here I see a lot of butterflies.  Hey Kai, look at the beautiful swallowtail Butterfly!”  Bodhi is very interested in the butterfly. 

Come on Bodhi!  Jump in the water!  You’ll like it.  I ‘ll teach you how to swim”.  Kai is having a very good time.  “Thank you, Brother Kai, but I love to sit up here seeing all the Water Lilies and animals around the pond.”  Bodhi smiles happily.

Grandma Ing has woken up from day dream and wishes that her two grandsons can go to the park or someplace outdoors rather than staying in the house all the time.  Hopefully, the vaccine for COVID 19 will help improve the situation, and prevent people from getting the virus. Then we can go out to enjoy nature and people can come together again.  Especially, in spring we love to celebrate the cherry blossoms and have lunch together with the family and friends at Branch brook park, in Newark, New Jersey, USA.

I produced “By the Water Lily Pond” in 1998.”

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Thursday, December 24, 2020

Have A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year Bodhi, Kai, Mali, Jim, Nana, Pa, Papa and all the Aunties, Uncles and Cousins

Love, from Ing & John

Thursday, December 24, 2020

For more information and photos of cherry blossoms at Branch brook park, Newark, New Jersey, USA please visit the following links:

Cherry Blossoms at Branch Brook Park, Newark, New Jersey

Cherry Blossoms at Branch Brook Park, Newark, New Jersey

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Remembering Cherry Blossoms at Branch Brook Park, Newark, NJ on Earth Day of 2020

Cherry Blossoms at Branch Brook Park, Newark, New Jersey

Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

Cherry Blossoms at Branch Brook Park, Newark, New Jersey will give pleasure to a lot of people who have a chance to visit the park again this year, 2016 and the years to come.  We still remember the good times we had in the previous years and the Cherry Blossoms of 2011.

Cherry Blossoms at Branch Brook Park, Newark, New Jersey, USA

This year Earth Day is Wednesday, April 22, 2020 and  was Friday, April 22, 2011 but my “Earth day” is every day of my life.  I love nature, I am part of nature.  Here is some of nature that I enjoy, captured to share with all of us.  The photographs are the walking steps that I treasured and captured of the Cherry Blossoms at Branch Brook Park in Newark, New Jersey, USA in my memory and my camera.  I am not a photographer but I love to take pictures to record history as I go through my life. I enjoy the beautiful flowers of Cherry Blossom trees and I also enjoy the tall trees that are absent of leaves, having only the limbs of branches spread out just like our blood veins.  The gorgeous Cherry Blossoms will be so lonely without little children running around under the trees.  The parents took snapshots to keep forever with love.  Young couple with children and without children came out to enjoy the Cherry Blossoms.  Some young couples took pictures in different possess of his or her admirer.  The young girl who dresses in a pink kimono is posing for her young man to capture her moods and movements as if she is part of the Cherry Blossoms herself, announcing to her lover to come closer, as if to say, “I am a nature, I am beautiful, enjoy me and love me”, as the young man comes closer to snap the photos with a heart beating faster and faster with every step that he takes toward her.  One can make up all kind of love stories when we walk into Cherry Blossoms land.  Now please enjoy more than one thousand pictures that I have captured from the most beautiful Cherry Blossoms that Newark offers to everyone.  I captured these pictures on Saturday, Sunday and Friday, April 16, 17 and 22, 2011 and previous years.

Branch Brook Park is a county park of Essex County, New Jersey in the United States, located in the North Ward of Newark, between the neighborhoods of Forest Hill and Rose ville. At 360 acres (1.5 km²), Branch Brook Park is the largest public park in the city of Newark. The park is noted for having over 4,000 cherry blossom trees in more than fourteen different varieties,[1] collectively called Cherry blossom land, as well as its spectacular Cherry Blossom Festival each April.

Branch Brook Park is currently in the midst of $25 million, ten-year, restoration program. In 2004, the Park Avenue bridge was repaired, as were the ball fields in the center of the park. By 2010, there will be more than 5,000 cherry trees in the park due to a $650,000 grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund in 2006 and private donations.[2]

In memory of my mother, father, my mother-in-law, and father-in-law.

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Wednesday, April 22, 2020

For more photographs and information please visit the following link:

Cherry Blossoms at Branch Brook Park, Newark, New Jersey

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Cherry Blossoms at Branch Brook Park, Newark, New Jersey, USA

Cherry Blossoms at Branch Brook Park, Newark, New Jersey, USA

Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

I miss visiting the Cherry Blossoms at Branch Brook Park, Newark, New Jersey in Spring time. We usually started our trips from the beginning of the month of April, almost every year for more than forty years. We enjoyed strolling under the cherry blossom trees, and seeing children running around with parents watching, while wearing their best dresses and suits to welcome the cherry blossoms in spring.  Some Cherry trees often have just started to open the little buds of flowers and some are in full bloom with white, light pink, dark pink and red of little flowers in clusters on every branches of the cherry trees. It is so beautiful!!

I was in awe when I saw the cherry blossoms the first time, and I promised myself that I would visit this magic and beautiful land of cherry blossoms every year.  It was such a happy time that we looked forward to with our family.  There was always a special lunch, on a blanket under the cherry trees with the comfort of spring temperature, and baking the warm sun in the afternoon. We enjoyed seeing other families and people that came to admire the Cherry Blossoms.  Even though we did not know them, there was the feeling of community, we smiled at each other and said hello to the people who passed by us.  It was a time of happiness, harmony, and peace as humanity celebrated nature that provided us peace and comfort in the spring time.


 

John with Hunter, our neighbor’s son who came to see me every Saturday to study beginning math lessons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we know that most of the country is locked down, we can go out only to get food and in emergency situation.  I have been in our apartment since March 12.  On March 10, I went to the hospital for our second grandson’s birth.  Then I stayed two nights with our four-year-old, first grandson.  Since then I did not go out anywhere.  My husband, John Watts are my provider, he went out to get food and necessity items that we need for during this lockdown of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.  The whole world is in the same situation as US.  From the end of December 2019, the coronavirus took place in Wuhan, China and the coronavirus has been spread out all over the world, up to today, Saturday, April 4, 2020, 2:08 P.M.

 [LIVE] Coronavirus Pandemic: Real Time Counter, World Map, News                          Started streaming on Jan 29, 2020   Roylab Stats

 COVID-19 LIVE WORLD MAP/COUNT

 TOTLE CASES: 1,180,725

 TOTLE DEATHS: 63,951

 TOTLE RECOVERIED:  245,344

 TERRITORIES:  208

 I went to view my Cherry Blossom posts in my website and in the photograph files of the Cherry Blossoms that we took for many years.  I enjoy viewing the photographs.  They remind me of happy times we had together with family and the community.  I decided to select some of the photographs to post on my website.  I hope that it will give the viewers some smiles or pleasant feeling that Cherry Blossom in Newark, New Jersey faithfully give pleasure to the community every year in Spring.

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Saturday, April 4, 2020

For more photographs and information please visit the following link:

https://ingpeaceproject.com/?page_id=124

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Ing & John’s Street Art & The International Street Art Part 17 & 18

Ing & John’s Street Art & The International Street Art Part 17

The Halsey Street Festival, Part 3, Thursday, September 19, 2019,

On Halsey Street between Bleaker Street and New Street, Downtown Newark, New Jersey, USA

John Watts demonstrated pottery,

Ing’s Peace Project, Ing & Johns Artwork,

A lot of Merchants, Food, Music and Fashion Show

Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

More people came to enjoy the activities that The Halsey Street Festival presented.  I brought my Peace Poster offering to the participants of the festival to express their thought on “What does Peace mean to You?” or to them.

I brought Kai’s books for the boy to look at in case he got tired of adult business.

I was very glad to see more people were willing to record their thoughts on Peace.

People were lined up to see john throwing a large pot.

I was glad to see the group of young women who are studying at NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology) where I graduated with a master’s degree in Polymer Chemistry in 1980.

This artwork is my – Finished “Peace” artwork 8

Shadow of Peace and  La Asociación de Barranquiteños de NJ Inc., Puerto Rican Festival in Newark on August 6, 2011, organized by Carlos Maldonado Pastrana, President of La Asociación de Barranquiteños de NJ.  Finished artwork, after the written comments by  Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

Link to Peace Comes to 5th Annual Arts Music Fair Elwood Park Page:

“Miss. Newark, New Jersey”, & Other people were watching John demonstrate pottery.

I brought Kai, our grandson’s desk chair, and an Alphabet spelling board to the boy and offered him some drink.  He seemed to enjoy playing with the Alphabet spelling board.

Please continue to view The Halsey Street Festival Part 4

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts and John Watts, Thursday, February 16, 2020

Link to Ing & John’s Street Art & The International Street Art Part 17

Ing & Johns Street Art & International Street Art Part 18

International Street Art Part 18

TOP 100 Urban Art 2019 – Best artworks and street artists of the year

Published on : January 2, 2020 Published by : laurent jacquet

TOP 100 Urban Art 2019 – Best artworks and street artists of the year

TOP 100 Urban Art 2019 – Best artworks and street artists of the year P 3, 4 & 5

We’re at the beginning of 2020 and its time for the Streetart360 team to do a retrospective on the most beautiful urban art murals painted in 2019. We’ve selected 100 murals from around the world, some by renown artists and others by new talents. We based our selection on the number of likes and shares they have received on the StreetArt360 social network pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest) Please use the comment section to give us your feed back and remember to visit the artists social networks or websites. Thanks for sharing this Top 100. We wish you all the best for 2020.

41. Den Extralargos aka Eva Mena in Puerto Del Rosario, Canary Islands, Spain

Eva Mena links: Website | Instagram | Facebook  page

Den Extralargos aka Eva Mena in Puerto Del Rosario, Canary Islands, Spain

Eva Mena

42. Leticia Mandragora in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Leticia Mandragora links: Instagram | Facebook page

Leticia Mandragora in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Best urban art 2019

Leticia Mandragora

45. GÔMEZ in Naples, Italy

Gomez links: Instagram | Facebook page

GÔMEZ in Naples, Italy

GÔMEZ

46. Murales Lian in Leitza, Spain

Murales Lian links: Blog | Instagram | Facebook page

Murales Lian in Leitza, Spain

Murales Lian

47. Ozmo in Rieti, Italy

Ozmo links: Website | Instagram | Facebook page

Ozmo in Rieti, Italy

Ozmo in Rieti, Italy

54. Ella & Pitr in Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Ella et Pitr links: Tumblr | Instagram | Facebook page

urban artwork by Ella & Pitr in Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Ella & Pitr

55. DEIH in Casablanca, Morocco

photo: M3ayzo.

Deih links: Website | Instagram | Facebook page

DEIH in Casablanca, Morocco

DEIH

56. Iljin in Decazeville, France

photo: m.arya.lv.

Iljin links: Website | Instagram | Facebook

best urban artists 2019 Iljin in Decazeville, France

Iljin

59. Herakut and Nuno Viegas in Berlin, Germany

Links Herakut: Website | Instagram | Facebook page

street art masterpiece by Herakut and Nuno Viegas in Berlin, Germany

Herakut and Nuno Viegas

62. Jacoba Niepoort in Halifax, Canada

photo: Stoo Metz

Jacoba Niepoort links: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Jacoba Niepoort

Jacoba Niepoort

63. Bikismo in Odintsovo, Russia

photo: Maria Shkineva

Bikismo links: Instagram | Facebook page

Bikismo in Odintsovo, Russia

Bikismo in Odintsovo, Russia

67. Wasp Elder in Olomouc, Czech Republic

Wasp Elder links: Tumblr | Instagram | Facebook page

Wasp Elder in Olomouc, Czech Republic

Wasp Elder

69. Dourone in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Dourone links: Website | Instagram | Facebook page

Dourone in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Dourone

70. Carlos Callizo in Istanbul, Turkey

photo: Michael Larsson

Carlos Callizo links: Website | Instagram | Facebook page

Carlos Callizo in Istanbul, Turkey

Carlos Callizo in Istanbul, Turkey

71. Miramar Moh’d & Dalal Mitwally  in Amman, Jordan

Links  Miramar Moh’d:
Instagram | Facebook
Links dalal Mitwally:
Instagram | Facebook

Photo: Emad

urban art best of 2019

Miramar Moh’d & Dalal Mitwally

73. KAY2 in “Korean Demilitarized Zone”, South Korea

KAY2 links:  Website | Instagram | Facebook page

best street art in Korea

Kay2

74. Case Maclaim in Cancun, Mexico

Case Maclaim links: Instagram | Facebook  – Photo: Instagrafite

Case Maclaim in Cancun, Mexico

Case Maclaim

75. Dmitry Levochkin in Odintsovo, Russia

Dmitry Levochkin links:  Instagram | Facebook page

urban art mural by Dmitry Levochkin in Odintsovo, Russia

Dmitry Levochkin

77. Henri Lamy in Boulogne Billancourt, France

Henry Lamy links: Website | Youtube | Instagram | Facebook page

Henri Lamy in Boulogne Billancourt, France

Henri Lamy

78. Cee Pil in Bexhill-on-Sea, UK

Cee Pil links: Instagram | Facebook

best of street art in England Cee Pil in Bexhill-on-Sea, UK

Cee Pil

79. Lula Goce in New Rochelle, New York, USA

Lula Goce links: Website | Instagram | Facebook page

Credits photo: just_a_spectator

Lula Goce in New Rochelle, New York, USA

Lula Goce

80. Piet Rodriguez  in Kramatorsk, Ukraine

Piet Rodriguez links: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook page

Photo: Artem Getman

Piet Rodriguez  in Kramatorsk, Ukraine

Piet Rodriguez

81. Inti  in Santiago, Chile

INTI links: Website | Instagram | Facebook page

Inti  in Santiago, Chile

Inti

82. Mabel Vicentef in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Mabel Vicentef links: Website | Youtube | Tumblr | Instagram | Facebook

Mabel Vicentef in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Mabel Vicentef

83. L7matrix in Sao Paulo, Brazil

L7M links: Website | Tumblr | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook page

L7matrix in Sao Paulo, Brazil

L7matrix

84. Evgeni Sosiura aka Mutus in Minsk, Belarus

Mutus links: Instagram | Facebook page

Evgeni Sosiura aka Mutus in Minsk, Belarus

Mutus

85. Daniel Eime in Nazaré, Portugal

Daniel Eime links: Website | Vimeo | Instagram | Facebook page

Photo: Nelson

Daniel Eime in Nazaré, Portugal

Daniel Eime

86. Case Maclaim in Tbilisi, Georgia

Case Maclaim links: Instagram | Facebook page

Case Maclaim in Tbilisi, Georgia

Case Maclaim

87. Telmo Miel in Ghent, Belgium

Telmo Miel links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook page

Photo: M_FRENCHI

Telmo Miel in Ghent, Belgium

Telmo Miel

89. Swed Oner in Nouméa, New Caledonia, France

Guido Van Helten links: Website | Instagram | Facebook page

Guido Van Helten in Leiria, Portugal

Guido Van Helten

93. Paola Delfin in Tampere, Finland

Paola Delfin links: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook page

Paola Delfin in Tampere, Finland

Paola Delfin

94. Andres Cobre aka NDC media in Modesto, California, USA

photo: Ricardo Ontiveros

Andres Cobre Links: Instagram | Facebook page

Andres Cobre aka NDC media in Modesto, California, USA

Andres Cobre

95. Pichi & Avo in Boras, Sweden

Pichi & Avo links: : Website | Youtube | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook page

Pichi & Avo in Boras, Sweden

Pichi & Avo in Boras, Sweden

97. Rogue One in Glasgow, UK

Rogue One links: Instagram | Facebook page

Rogue One in Glasgow, UK

Rogue One

98. Smates in Geel, Belgium

Smates links: Website | Instagram | Facebook page

street art mural by Smates in Geel, Belgium

Smates

100. Manomatic in Patos, Albania

Manomatic links : WebsiteInstagram |  Facebook page

Festival Internaciona de Street Art Albania I.S.A.F.A. Mural Proyect by Urbanact.gr & VIZart

Manomatic mural artwork in albania

Manomatic

8th Annual Light Festival Illuminates Amsterdam with Glowing Sculptural Installations

December 10, 2019  Laura Staugaitis

“Butterfly Effect” by Masamichi Shimada. All photographs, unless noted, © Janus van den Eijnden

This year’s Amsterdam Light Festival, running November 28, 2019, to January 19, 2020, lights up the European city with illuminated art installations. The festival, now in its eighth year, attracts tourists and engages locals at a time when the city is cloaked in darkness for about sixteen hours each day. Visitors to the Light Festival use a phone app to guide themselves through Amsterdam’s city center, perusing twenty light works by artists from around the world. This year’s show theme was “DISRUPT!” and artists reflected the concept in pieces that ruminate on climate change, national history, technology, and more. See some of our favorites here, by Masamichi Shimada, UxU StudioSergey Kim and others. You can explore the full line-up and programming on the Amsterdam Light Festival website.

“Neighborhood” by Sergey Kim. Photograph courtesy of the artist

“Nacht Tekening” by Krijn de Koning 

“Atlantis” by Utskottet

“Surface Tension” by Tom Biddulph and Barbara Ryan

Link to Ing & John’s Street Art & The International Street Art Part 18

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Ing & John’s Street Art & The International Street Art Part 15 & 16

Ing & John’s Street Art & The International Street Art Part 15

The Halsey Street Festival, Part 2, Thursday, September 19, 2019,

On Halsey Street between Bleaker Street and New Street, Downtown Newark, New Jersey, USA

John Watts demonstrated pottery,

Ing’s Peace Project, Ing & Johns Artwork,

A lot of Merchants, Food, Music and Fashion Show

Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

More people came to enjoy the activities that The Halsey Street Festival presented.  I brought my Peace Poster offering to the participants of the festival to express their thought on “What does Peace mean to You?” or to them.

Thanks to this person who was willingly to record her thoughts on Peace.

John started his performance with a pottery demonstration.

People love to take John’s pictures as he is making his magic pottery.

I love the way John produced his pottery or anybody who can have control and discipline enough to achieve making beautiful objects.  I love to work with clay making my sculptures where I do not have to follow the rule and be well disciplined.  One of these days I am going to ask Master John to teach me how to throw on the wheel and produce the controlled pottery.

More people were interested in recording their Peace comments on my Peace Poster.

People seemed to enjoy taking pictures and watching John demonstrate pottery.

It is so lovely to see a mother holding her child, who shows the happiness and comfort of being embraced by his mother with joy.

“Miss. Newark, New Jersey”, stopped her tour to write her comments about Peace.

Beautiful flowers and beautiful people made the atmosphere of the festival vibrant and Peaceful.  This is the kind of harmony we need when people get together to celebrate life.  (No Fighting, No Conflict and No More Wars)

Please continue to view The Halsey Street Festival Part 3

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts and John Watts, Sunday, February 2, 2020

Link to Ing & John’s Street Art & The International Street Art Part 15

Streetart360, TOP 100 Urban Art 2019, Toronto Light Festival,

Ing & John’s Street Art & International Street Art Part 16

International Street Art Part 16

Published on : January 2, 2020 Published by : laurent jacquet

TOP 100 Urban Art 2019 – Best artworks and street artists of the year P 1 & 2

We’re at the beginning of 2020 and its time for the Streetart360 team to do a retrospective on the most beautiful urban art murals painted in 2019. We’ve selected 100 murals from around the world, some by renown artists and others by new talents. We based our selection on the number of likes and shares they have received on the StreetArt360 social network pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest) Please use the comment section to give us your feed back and remember to visit the artists social networks or websites. Thanks for sharing this Top 100. We wish you all the best for 2020.

2. SimpleG in Athens, Greece

SimpleG links: Website | Behance | Youtube | Instagram | Facebook page – Photo: John Spinoulas

best of Urban art

SimpleG

3. Nick Napoletano in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

photo: Dave Lee

Nick Napoletano links: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Nick Napoletano urban artwork

Nick Napoletano

4. Owen Dippie in Los Angeles, CA, USA

photo: Impermanent Art.

Owen Dippie links: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Owen Dippie in Los Angeles, CA, USA

Owen Dippie

7. Saype in Decazeville, France

Saype links: Website | Instagram | Facebook page

Saype in Decazeville, France

Saype

9. JEKS in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

JEKS links: Instagram

best street art in USA - Nasa and street art

Jeks

10. Federico Zenobi aka Kor1 in Marotta, Italy

Kor1 links: Website | Instagram | Facebook page

Federico Zenobi aka Kor1 in Marotta, Italy

Federico Zenobi aka Kor1

14. Noe Two in Havana, Cuba

Noe Two links: Website | Instagram | Facebook page

Noe Two in Havana, Cuba

Noe Two

15. Sef in Buenos Aires, Argentina

photo: Agustin Silva.

Sef links: Instagram

Sef in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Sef

19. El Mac in Los Angeles, CA, USA

El Mac links: Instagram | Facebook page

El Mac in Los Angeles, CA, USA

El Mac

26. Xi de Sign aka Die Dixons in Berlin, Germany

photo: Jörn Reiners.

Die Dixons links: Website | Instagram | Facebook page

Xi de Sign aka Die Dixons in Berlin, Germany

Die Dixons

28. Sonny Sundancer in Johannesburg, South Africa

Sonny Sundancer links: Youtube | Instagram | Facebook page

Sonny Sundancer in Johannesburg, South Africa

Sonny Sundancer

31. Fanakapan in Berlin, Germany

photo: Nika Kramer

Fanakapan links: Instagram | Facebook page

Fanakapan in Berlin, Germany

Fanakapan

40. Chisme in Benaguasil, Valencia

Asier: Instagram | Facebook page

MUS: Instagram | Facebook page

Chisme in Valencia

Chisme in Valencia

Local and International Artists Produce 21 Light Installations For the Inaugural Toronto Light Festival

February 10, 2017  Kate Sierzputowski

Images via Thane Lucas/Toronto Light Festival

Set within a district of Victorian industrial buildings, the Toronto Light Festival is a free 45-day festival occurring during this year’s winter months as a way to creatively draw the city’s inhabitants out of their homes. Featuring 21 diverse light installations built by local and international artists and thousands of glowing bulbs, the festival covers a total of 13 acres in the city’s Distillery District. Installations range from a series of lit figures appearing to jump from the roof of one of the historic buildings to two red, geometric cats prowling an included alleyway, with several multi-colored works in-between.

You can catch Toronto’s first ever light art festival until March 12, or follow the festival on Instagram to catch snapshots of the glowing installations.

 Link to Ing & John’s Street Art & The International Street Art Part 16

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Ing & John’s Street Art & The International Street Art Part 13 & 14

Ing & John’s Street Art & The International Street Art Part 13

The Halsey Street Festival, Part 1, Thursday, September 19, 2019

On Halsey Street between Bleaker Street and New Street, Downtown Newark, New Jersey, USA

John Watts demonstrated pottery,

Ing’s Peace Project, Ing & Johns Artwork,

A lot of Merchants, Food, Music and Fashion Show

Photographs by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts

Thursday, September 19, 2019 the music stand came in the early afternoon to begin decorating The Halsey Street Festival with, logo, and music equipment for the event.

John put up my large artwork on our alleyway door with a helping hand from our neighbors.

We were very lucky to have the festival right in front of our shop.  We joined in by adding more artwork and activities to celebrate The Halsey Street Festival.

Some merchants started displaying their merchandise.

John displayed his two tall sculptures and large hand build pottery.  I posted my artwork, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have A Dream.

Left: Impossible Dreamer – John Watts Artwork

Middle: Two of John Watts Sculptures

Right-Inside: Birth of a dragon – John Watts Artwork

I displayed one of my finished Peace Project Artworks and Peace Project Poster for people to write theirs comments on, “What does Peace mean to you?”.

This lady was the first person who wrote her comment on, “What does Peace mean to you?” on the Peace Project Poster.

By the early evening people started to arrive.

Merchants offered a variety of merchandise.

Please continue to view The Halsey Street Festival Part 2

Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts and John Watts, Thursday, January 18, 2020

Link to Ing & John’s Street Art & The International Street Art Part 13

Ing & Johns Street Art & International Street Art Part 14

International Street Art Part 14

street art, graffiti and contemporary art in Russia

I discovered the Russian street art scene a few years ago, when some murals by P183 were becoming popular on social network sites More recently I met Zmogk in Vitry sur Seine while he was busy painting an amazing mural for a small urban art event.

I have also had the pleasure of interviewing both Yulia Vanifatieva and Julia Volchkova, two up-and-coming Russian street artists. They impressed me with their creativity and originality which was so different to anything I had seen before.

Russia is currently one of the most creative urban art hotspots in Europe. It is such a shame that so little is known about many of these artists outside of Russia. I have therefore decided to publish a list of the most interesting and creative artists. I Hope it will help you discover and fall in love with their art, follow their social networks and promote their work around the world. They deserve it!

Pavel P183

Pavel or Paul (P183) was born in Moscow in 1983 and died aged 29 on 1 April 2013. P183 is probably the best known Russian street artist and has been dubbed as the ‘Russian Banksy’ by the British press. This artist was one of the creators of the street art movement in Europe and his untimely death was a major loss to the urban art scene.

RIP P183 you wrote some amazing letters on the wall of Street Art and graffiti history. True art lovers will never forget you.

P183 artwork in Russia Moscow

street art in Russia by P183

Marat “Morik  Danilyan

Marat ‘Morik’ Danilyan is a street artist, graphic designer and illustrator from Russia. He went to art school but then went on to complete degrees in philology and economics from the Novosibirsk State University. With the rise of the Internet in the late 90’s, Morik developed a passion for graffiti through Hip-hop culture. He started to develop spray-painting skills and a love for experimenting with letter forms.

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Morik street artist from russia. portraits

Morik

Petro

Piotr Gerasimenko (Petro) was born in Zhukovsky in 1984 and is a member of the crew called Aesthetics. He’s been painting on walls for more than a decade and, while developing his style, has gone through many different stages to become one of the most prominent and respected artists on the Russian graffiti scene.

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building painted by Petro Aesthetics

Petro

Dmitry Aske

Dmitri Aske is a versatile artist from Moscow. He started his artistic career in 2000 as a graffiti writer and later moved on to graphic design, typography, illustration, murals and contemporary art.

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building painted by famous russian urban artist dmitri aske

Dmitry Aske

Alexey Luka

Alexey Luka was born in 1983. He graduated from Moscow Architectural Institute in 2006 and lives and works in Moscow.

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graffiti masterpiece in russia by alexey luka . moscow urban art scene

Alexey Luka

VITALY TSARENKOV aka SY

Vitaly Tsarenkov (SY) was born in 1987 and lives and works in St. Petersburg. With a background in street art, he focuses on creating large-scale paintings, murals, and sculptures.

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abstract geometrical graffit art . Russian contemporary art

SY

Ivan Ninety

Ivan Ninety was born in Protvino. He was initially interested in street art and gradually developed his interest in large-format painting, collage, sculpture or photography, grew.

In his works, a mix of geometric abstraction and figurative realism can be seen. The technique he uses most often is collage.

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russian mural artwork by ivan ninety

Ivan Ninety

Nikita Nomerz

Nikita Nomerz lives in Nizhny Novgorod. The Media started getting excited about this young artist, after seeing just two of his murals in 2011.

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street art masterpiece by nikita nomerz

Nikita Nomerz

Sergey Akramov

Sergey is a Russian graffiti artist from Ekaterinburg, who specialises in abstract lettering. He paints complex murals showcasing many techniques. He loves to paint vegetation combined with abstract lettering and typography.

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huge murals in Russia .

Sergey Akramov

Vova Nootk

Vova Nootk started out as a graffiti writer 20 years ago and has now developed his work into large scale murals.

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moscow murals street art

Vova Nootk

Vitae Viazi

Vitae Viazi are a street art crew (art-collective) from Moscow. The name “Vitae Viazi” comes from the Latin word “vitae” (“of life”) and “viazi,” which is the name of a special ornamental Cyrillic (old slavonic) script. This decorative script was their initial source of inspiration. The name of the crew should be written with characters of two keyboard layouts “VITAE ????” but it is too tricky to google, so they choose – “Vitae Viazi”.

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modern art and urban art in Russia

Vitae Viazi

Julia Volchkova

Discover Julia Volchkova’s artwork in the article I published a few month ago:Artist of the week: Julia Volchkova” 

street art masterpiece by julia volchkova

Julia Volchkova

MalenkieLydi

Ivan Simonov. Artist from Russia

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street art in street of moscow

MalenkieLydi

Ilya Slak

Urban artist from Russia

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huge mural by russian urban art

Ilya Slak

Link to Ing & John’s Street Art & The International Street Art Part 14

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