Thursday morning news - March 3, 2022

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

More than 800k Ukrainians are now refugees amid invasion » More than 800,000 Ukrainians are now refugees, fleeing their homes amid the Russian invasion. And Ukraine says more than 2,000 civilians have died.

But President Biden said Russia and Vladimir Putin are paying a heavy price.

BIDEN: Putin is now isolated from the world more than ever. When the history of this era is written, Ukraine will have left Russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger.

The United Nations General Assembly voted 141-5 to condemn the invasion and demand Russia’s withdrawal. That is a symbolic measure, but the ongoing sanctions from the United States and the West are not.

Still, Moscow is undeterred. Russian forces laid siege to two strategic Ukrainian seaports Wednesday and continued to bombard the city of Kharkiv.

A massive armored convoy appeared stalled outside of the capital of Kyiv. Some military experts say they’re likely regrouping and awaiting orders.

And the Russians have reportedly encircled the large port city of Mariupol.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters:

KIRBY: We knew that they were advancing on Mariupol, a major population center in the south. We do believe that that advance is ongoing. We don’t believe that they are in the city center, and we do have every indication that Mariupol will be defended.

Putin's forces claimed to have taken complete control of the port city of Kherson. It would be the biggest city to fall yet in the invasion. But a senior U.S. defense official disputed that.

A second round of talks aimed at ending the fighting was expected today between Ukraine and Russia. But Moscow has yet to show any real interest in negotiating a peace.

Powell expects a quarter-point Fed rate hike this month » The Federal Reserve will likely raise interest rates later this month. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters Wednesday:

POWELL: With inflation well above 2 percent and a strong labor market, we expect it will be appropriate to raise the target range for the federal funds rate at our meeting later this month.

Powell said he supports a traditional quarter-point rate hike, rather than the larger increase that some of its policymakers have proposed.

Most other Fed officials have in recent weeks supported a similarly modest rise, while a few have said they back a half-point hike. Higher Fed rates typically lead, in turn, to higher borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, including for homes and auto loans and credit cards.

Powell explained how a rate increase may help to curb inflation.

POWELL: So what will happen then over time is demand will moderate as interest rates get into the economy over time, and these annual price increases in everything where prices are going up will moderate as well.

He did leave the door open to a bigger hike in the event that inflation doesn't noticeably decline this year, as the Fed expects it to.

White House unveils new pandemic response plan » The White House unveiled its updated COVID-19 response plan on Wednesday. Officials say they are outlining a path back to normal routines, while also protecting against possible future variants.

President Biden’s top medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said vaccine advances mean vaccine makers could produce a new shot to target any future variant fairly quickly.

FAUCI: These expedited plans and processes will help us reach our goal that updated vaccines can be developed, approved, and manufactured in approximately 100 days.

And a “test to treat” program would allow people to test for COVID at a local pharmacy or other sites and if they test positive, receive Pfizer’s antiviral pills right there on the spot. White House Virus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients:

ZIENTS: Hundreds of one-stop sites will open across the country this month located at local pharmacy clinics, community health centers, long-term care facilities, and veterans health centers.

President Biden on Tuesday announced that Americans can request four more free COVID-19 tests through the administration’s website.

Fires break out in New Zealand protest camps » Thick black smoke billowed across the grounds of New Zealand's Parliament as fires broke out at the site of protests against COVID-19 vaccine mandates. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Retreating protesters set fire to tents, mattresses and chairs as authorities in riot gear moved in on the camp, deploying pepper spray.

Video showed protesters setting tents and other objects ablaze and throwing objects at police as they ran into surrounding streets.

Authorities said violent conspiracy theorists had replaced the original demonstrators. Police reportedly made about 60 arrests.

Hundreds of demonstrators arrived in Wellington in February to protest pandemic restrictions and vaccine mandates for workers in health, education, and public service sectors.

Leaders said they only chose to camp out in front of Parliament after dialogue options failed. The organized group set up tents, brought in portable toilets, dug out a vegetable garden, and even created a daycare tent.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

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

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