Monday morning news - April 4, 2022

Russia strikes fuel facilities in port city as Ukraine retakes Kyiv» Explosions rocked the port city of Odessa in southern Ukraine. That as Russia launched missiles from sea and air on Sunday … striking oil and fuel facilities that supply Ukraine's military.

Farther north, Ukraine’s government says it is retaking the entire Kyiv area … as Russia’s military shifts its focus to other parts of Ukraine, at least for now.

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken told NBC …

BLINKEN: I think this is evidence that Russia’s original plans to take over the country, including Kyiv, have been dealt a devastating setback. They are regrouping. They may be focusing on the East.

But he added that the threat of missile attacks in the capital city remains.

And there may be another threat around Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that departing Russian troops were leaving explosives behind. He said they are planting mines in abandoned equipment, around homes, and—quote—“even the bodies of those killed.”

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Russia accused of genocide, civilian massacre » That has not been verified. But the killing of many Ukrainian civilians is undeniable. And Zelenskyy said the right word to use here is “genocide.”

Through an interpreter, he told CBS’ Face the Nation that Ukraine is a country of more than 100 nationalities.

ZELENSKYY: This is about the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities

And just a warning here for young ears: The following may be disturbing.

Gruesome new discoveries suggest some Russian troops are guilty of unthinkable atrocities.

After Russian soldiers withdrew from the ouskirts of Kyiv … Ukraine's troops found brutalized bodies with bound hands, gunshot wounds to the head and signs of torture.

One suburban Kyiv resident said … it’s hard to believe this is reality.

MOS: There were women raped, children raped, there were man civilians who were just tied and killed and tortured too. And it’s inhuman.

A reporter with the Associated Press saw the bodies of at least nine people in civilian clothes who appeared to have been killed at close range. At least two had their hands tied behind their backs.

The AP also saw two bodies wrapped in plastic, bound with tape and thrown into a ditch.

Officials described it as a “scene from a horror movie.”

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California mass shooting: 6 dead, 10 injured in Sacramento»  In California, flying bullets killed six people and wounded 10 others … in a mass shooting very early Sunday morning.

The shots rang out as bars and nightclubs were closing in downtown Sacramento.

Mayor Darrell Steinberg:

STEINBERG: Our city has a broken heart. This is a senseless and unacceptable tragedy.

Police on Sunday said they were searching for at least one suspect.

Chief Kathy Lester told reporters …

LESTER: We are asking for the public’s help in helping us to identify the suspects in this and provide any information you can to help us solve this.

She said police were patrolling the area two blocks from the Capitol at about 2 a.m. when they heard gunfire and rushed to the scene. They found a large crowd gathered and six people dead in the street.

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Palin running for Congress»  Sarah Palin is running for U.S. Congress in Alaska. The former governor and Republican vice presidential nominee made the announcement over the weekend.

Her entry shakes up an already unpredictable race for Alaska's only U.S. House seat. She joins a field of 50 other candidates hoping to fill the seat held for decades by the late Congressman Don Young, who died last month.

In a statement, Palin said “Public service is a calling, and I would be honored to represent the men and women of Alaska in Congress, just as Rep. Young did for 49 years.”

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Morbius tops weekend box office» SOUND (Morbius trailer)»

At the weekend box office … Sony and Marvel’s Morbius took the top spot.

SOUND (Morbius trailer): I don’t want to see you get hurt more than you already have. … This would be a cure. 

The latest comic book flick took in an estimated $39 million domestically in its opening weekend … despite rough reviews from critics.

The action-comedy The Lost City finished second with $15 million. And The Batman finished third with another $11 million.

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