Friday morning news: March 3, 2023

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Up next, Kent Covington with today’s news.

Blinken on Ukraine-Russia and China » Secretary of State Tony Blinken spoke face to face with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday … in the highest-level in-person talks between the two countries since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Blinken said he delivered a message:

BLINKEN: End this war of aggression. Engage in meaninful diplomacy that can produce a just and durable peace.

Blinken and Lavrov chatted for roughly 10 minutes on the sidelines of the G-20 conference of foreign ministers in New Delhi. But there was no sign of any progress.

The secretary said United Staeskraine has put forward a peace plan …

BLINKEN: President Putin, however, has demonstrated zero interest in engaging, saying there is zero to even talk about, unless and until Ukraine accepts, and I quote, ‘the new territorial realities.’

Blinken said he told Lavrov that the U.S. would continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes and would push for the war to end through diplomatic terms that Kyiv agrees to.

DoJ Trump » The Justice Department is urging a Washington, D.C. appeals court to allow several lawsuits against former President Donald Trump to move forward.

Congressman Eric Swalwell and two police officers injured in the Capitol riot … allege that Trump incited violence.

Many Republican lawmakers, though, say the Department of Justice has been turned into a political weapon. Republican Senator John Cornyn.

CORNYN - We don't have an attorney general who has the strength of character and the will to stand up to the politics that are coming obviously from the White House.

The lawsuits seek damages for physical and emotional injuries.

Greece train update »Protesters took to the streets of Thessaloniki, Greece last night … voicing anger … and demanding answers after at least 57 people were killed in a train crash earlier this week.

Greece’s transport minister resigned after the crash. He called it a “basic indication of respect for the memory of the people who died so unfairly.”

A local stationmaster was arrested and charged with manslaughter.

East Palestine » Meantime, at a town hall meeting in East Palestine, Ohio last night.

Residents let loose on representatives from the Norfolk Southern, the owner of a rail line where a train crashed spilling toxic chemicals last month.

MOS: This has touched me on every level. This has touched my family. This has touched my farm. This has touched my animals.

Many were upset that, as in a previous town hall, Norfolk Southern’s CEO, Alan Shaw, was a no show. Some shouted, “Where’s Alan?!”

The EPA says tests have shown that the air and water in East Palestine are safe, but many at last night’s meeting said thy’re not at all convinced. They’re demanding answers and accountability.

Jobs numbers » Jobless claims continue to drop. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: New claims fell for the third week in a row… for the week ending on Feb. 25.

For seven straight weeks now, Less fewer than 200,000 people have filed for unemployment benefits.

The number of unemployment applications on a moving, four-week average rose slightly, but has remained under 200,000 for six straight weeks.

That’s good news for the job market, but not necessarily for the economy. A tighter job market leads to higher pay, which leads to higher prices, at a time when the Federal Reserve is trying to tame inflation.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

CPAC » Former President Trump will be back in Washington this weekend as the headline speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

TRUMP: And we will make America great again! 

The former president heard there at last year’s conference in Florida. This year, it is back in the nation’s capital for the first time since the pandemic struck.

CPAC has traditionally been who’s who of conservative leaders. But over the past few years, many of those conservatives who are not in Trump’s good graces have stayed away.

This year, two major expected presidential candidates are skipping the event: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Former Ambassador Nikki Haley is attending, however. As is former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Trump rival, Senator Ted Cruz.

I'm Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.