Zelensky: Russian strikes near chemical plants 'just madness'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said that Russia’s airstrikes near chemical plants in his country are “no longer surprising” but “just madness.” “Given the presence of large-scale chemical production in Severodonetsk, the Russian army's strikes there, including blind air bombing, are just madness,” Zelensky said. “But on the 97th day of such a war, it is no longer surprising that for the Russian military, for Russian commanders, for Russ

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Mr. President: Keep your focus on tax fairness

With conflict abroad and midterms ticking closer, the president has a very narrow window to right both his political fortunes and legislative agenda. President Biden’s budget proposal landed with a familiar thud on Capitol Hill this spring. In and of itself, this was not altogether that surprising. Most presidential budgets are aspirational in nature and face the Congressional meat-grinder before ever becoming law. But it was still surprising to see the administration use the budget introduction to default back to a series of stale tax proposals — chief among them a sizeable hike

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Our changing energy landscape will stretch beyond Europe

In the early 2000s, the European Union commissioned a war game from my political risk firm to look at whether its then-current distribution of energy imports made strategic sense. The “Big Three” for European natural gas production were then Russia, Algeria and Norway, in decreasing order of political risk. Unsurprisingly, the outcome of the game led to the conclusion that overreliance on Moscow for oil and natural gas imports was strategically fraught with peril, since dependence on the Kremlin for energy would bleed into geostrategic considerations. Simply put, it is hard to be

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Texas police: School door shut but didn't lock before attack

An exterior door at Robb Elementary School did not lock when it was closed by a teacher shortly before a gunman used it to get inside and kill 19 students and two teachers, leaving investigators searching to determine why, state police said Tuesday. State police initially said a teacher had propped the door open shortly before 

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The Hill's Morning Report — Biden touts inflation plan as costs rise

President Biden has five months before voters fill out their midterm ballots. His job approval numbers keep dropping. The war in Ukraine is costing Americans. COVID-19 is surging (although less deadly). Congress is reacting tentatively to mass killings, abortion rights, high drug costs and just about everything else. Families are still searching for infant formula. Financial markets vaporized a year’s worth of gains. And some economists predict a recession ahead

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