If you value what we do, please support our work with a donation. As part of its secret “autopsy” report on how former Vice President Kamala Harris lost the 2024 presidential election to President Donald Trump, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) now seems to concede that the Biden administration's support for Israel amid its continued genocide against Palestinians in Gaza played a large role in her losing votes, sources with knowledge of the report's contents say. According to reporting from Axios, members of the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) Policy Project, who were given access to the autopsy report, claim that the DNC's own data indicated that Harris's backing of the Biden administration's pro-Israel policies led voters (particularly younger ones) to withhold support for her as a candidate for president. Polling conducted by Data for Progress shortly after the 2024 election confirmed that a significant portion of voters withheld support for Harris. That survey demonstrated 36 percent of voters knew at least one individual in their personal lives who didn't vote for her because of her support for Israel. Last year, DNC chair Ken Martin initially promised to make the party's autopsy report public. Harris has expressed slight remorse over not differentiating her campaign from the Biden administration's actions relating to support for Israel's genocide in Gaza. During a recent tour stop promoting her new book, she said the administration “should have spoken publicly about our criticism” of Israel, and said she had privately “pleaded” with former President Joe Biden to become more empathetic to Palestinians. However, during her own campaign — which she had complete control and management of, without administration interference — Harris also refused to express those disagreements out loud, stating in one interview there was “not a thing that comes to mind” over what she would have done differently than him while serving as vice president. “As one of Kentucky's uncommitted delegates, I am sad to report that 32,908 Democratic Kentuckians' voices were not upheld at last night's roll call at the DNC,” said Victoria Olds, an uncommitted delegate from that state who spoke to Truthout at the time. Georgia House of Representatives member and Palestinian American Ruwa Romman, for example, had submitted a draft speech to the DNC that aimed to emphasize Trump's racist comments toward Palestinians and omitted any judgment against either Biden or Harris. Party leaders refused requests by uncommitted delegates to have Romman speak. Around 30,000 demonstrators took part in those protests, with some stating that Harris's refusal to oppose genocide would lead them to not vote for her. “Our votes are no longer free or a given just for the sake that we are Democrats,” a demonstrator named Inan said. “[Harris] has to earn our votes by ending genocide today, tonight.” The need for truthful, grassroots reporting is urgent at this cataclysmic historical moment. We refuse to let Trump's blatant propaganda machine go unchecked. Untethered to corporate ownership or advertisers, Truthout remains fearless in our reporting and our determination to use journalism as a tool for justice. But we need your help just to fund our basic expenses. This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), and you are free to share and republish under the following terms: Chris Walker is a news writer at Truthout, based in Madison, Wisconsin. He can be found on most social media platforms under the handle @thatchriswalker. Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day. As we rise to confront Trump's fascism, Truthout appeals for your support. Any contribution you can make is a tangible act of resistance.

The owner of Wegovy and Ozempic has suffered a significant setback, as its highly anticipated new weight-loss treatment was labelled “obsolete” after disappointing clinical trials. This means CagriSema leads to greater weight loss than Wegovy. The study was designed to show that CagriSema was at least as good as the Novo rival Eli Lilly's leading anti-obesity drug Zepbound, which contains tirzepatide. Against initial expectations of 25% weight loss, CagriSema disappointed in a late-state study involving 809 people. It led to average weight loss of 23% after 84 weeks, compared with 25.5% for tirzepatide. The new Novo treatment “did not achieve its primary endpoint of demonstrating non-inferiority on weight loss for CagriSema compared to tirzepatide after 84 weeks”, the company said on Monday. Søren Løntoft Hansen, a senior analyst at Denmark's AL Sydbank, said: “This is something of a swing and a miss.” He added: “It is difficult to assess whether this data will influence Novo Nordisk's decision to launch CagriSema on the market.” Novo's share price plunged 16.5% in Copenhagen to the lowest level since June 2021, when Wegovy was launched, taking its losses over the past year to almost 60%, while Lilly's stock rose 4.3% on Wall Street. Novo, which had recorded booming sales of weight-loss and diabetes medications, turning it into Europe's most valuable company in recent years, has slashed its profit and sales estimates several times, as it lost ground to Lilly. Novo hopes another study of a higher CagriSema dose will show better results.

Fifa acutely aware of security concerns surrounding Guadalajara games, say insiders In four months, throngs of football fans are set to descend on Guadalajara, having paid hefty sums for World Cup tickets. This weekend, the city was rocked by unrest after a US-backed operation against a cartel boss prompted widespread retaliatory violence across Mexico. Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, nicknamed “El Mencho,” was killed when an arrest attempt by Mexican forces on Sunday turned into a shoot-out in rural Jalisco. Members of the 59-year-old's violent cartel, Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), quickly struck back, attacking roads and airports in a show of force that left locals fearful and tourists confined to their hotels. Guadalajara, in the state of Jalisco – CJNG's birthplace – is set to host four World Cup matches, including Mexico's second group game on June 18. However, experts believe the cartels are unlikely to attack tourist events that provide a useful revenue stream. There is a “realistic possibility” that this will deter people from attending the Mexican leg of the World Cup, Mr Galvin said. “But the CJNG don't really have an appetite to go after a major sporting event. Instead, he predicts the next wave of violence will be in the form of attacks on infrastructure and military bases and personnel. The Joint Interagency Task Force Counter-Cartel (JITCC), a newly formed group, provided an intelligence package that allowed Mexico, which planned and carried out the operation, to locate him. The taskforce is led by Maurizio Calabrese, a US brigadier-general, who told Reuters that the US military is channelling its experience battling groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State to map out Mexican cartel networks. The group is likely to have sweeping surveillance powers, particularly after cartels including CJNG were designated terrorist organisations by Washington last year. El Mencho was likely located through signals intelligence, including intercepting communications, or from a tip-off by an informant in CJNG either lured by Washington's $15m (£12m) bounty or the prospect of a reduced prison sentence. This would not have been easy, considering CJNG is the largest and most sophisticated cartel in Latin America with operations reaching as far as Asia. It has the highest cocaine, heroin and meth trafficking capacity in Mexico, according to Washington. Under Cervantes's leadership, it has been responsible for murders of rivals and Mexican law enforcement, as well as assassination attempts of Mexican government officials. While Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the former Mexican president, favoured a “hugs not bullets” approach by addressing the root causes of violence, Claudia Sheinbaum, his successor, implemented a focus on intelligence-driven operations and attacking the revenue streams of cartels. Mr Glantz said: “It tore the country to pieces. “We looked at massive increases in violence and contestation between groups along key trafficking routes. “I suspect the US gave everything the Mexicans could possibly need to get El Mencho, which probably would have put Mexico in a sticky situation if they hadn't acted on it. I think we're going to see a continued intensification of Mexican operations targeting cartels.” While unlikely to extinguish CJNG, Sunday's operation was welcomed by Mr Trump, who has threatened to launch strikes on Mexico targeting cartels, something Ms Sheinbaum has rejected. Mr Glantz said: “It's unlikely to calm down, at least in the near term. “It's an act of war where they are trying to coerce the government into backing off and demonstrating that there are consequences for the government, creating enforcement measures and going after leaders. Ms Sheinbaum is insisting the authorities have things under control, but as cartel members continue torching businesses and burning cars on their wave of retaliatory attacks, it remains to be seen whether the destruction can be quelled before one of the world's largest sporting events.

If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size. Last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) hung a new banner outside its headquarters featuring President Donald Trump's face, a startling move that critics say provides the starkest evidence yet that the department is not being run as independently, despite the administration's claims. Trump has had similar banners hung at federal buildings throughout Washington D.C., an unusual action that has no match in modern American history. Ahead of his second term, Trump baselessly claimed that investigations into him and his allies were intentional and politically motivated — particularly, the inquiries into his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential race and his removal of classified documents from the White House after he left office following the end of his first term. One of his first actions back in office was to sign an executive order purporting to bring an end to “the weaponization of the federal government,” including at the DOJ. In practice, however, the Trump administration has weaponized the DOJ, frequently targeting Trump's political opponents, oftentimes doing so following his targeting of his political opponents on social media. In recent testimony she gave to Congress, Bondi flattered Trump multiple times, calling him “the greatest president in American history” while demanding lawmakers present at the hearing apologize for their past criticisms of him. “How many dictatorship-style monuments, building name changes, and fake awards do Americans have to endure?” California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) pondered following the banner's unveiling. “There was once a time when a president couldn't boss the Attorney General around like his own personal lapdog,” Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-California) wrote on X. “This is a stunning confirmation of the grim reality, which is that Donald Trump has seized control of the once independent Justice Department and is using it to pursue his political objectives — including trying to punish his perceived enemies,” MS Now Justice and Intelligence correspondent Ken Dilanian wrote. This banner symbolizes a disgusting betrayal of our values,” McQuade wrote. Stacey Young, founder of Justice Connection — an organization of former DOJ employees that describes itself as “mobilizing to support DOJ's apolitical workforce” — and a former DOJ lawyer herself under both Republican and Democratic administrations, also criticized the new decor. “Hanging that banner should put to rest any doubt that Donald Trump has hijacked the independence of the Justice Department,” Young said. The need for truthful, grassroots reporting is urgent at this cataclysmic historical moment. We refuse to let Trump's blatant propaganda machine go unchecked. Untethered to corporate ownership or advertisers, Truthout remains fearless in our reporting and our determination to use journalism as a tool for justice. But we need your help just to fund our basic expenses. Truthout has launched a fundraiser, and we have a goal to add 280 new monthly donors in the next 72 hours. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger one-time gift, Truthout only works with your support. This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), and you are free to share and republish under the following terms: Chris Walker is a news writer at Truthout, based in Madison, Wisconsin. He can be found on most social media platforms under the handle @thatchriswalker. Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day. As we rise to confront Trump's fascism, Truthout appeals for your support. Any contribution you can make is a tangible act of resistance.

In the days after the extraordinary arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the former prince has faced a slew of allegations about his time as a trade envoy for Britain and his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He has previously denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and said that he never witnessed or suspected any of the behavior of which the sex offender was accused. Over the weekend, Gordon Brown, Britain's prime minister from 2007 to 2010, demanded a police investigation into whether Mountbatten-Windsor used taxpayer-funded jets and Royal Air Force (RAF) bases to meet Epstein – according to The Telegraph. Brown, who has taken a leading role in demanding accountability for Britons with ties to Epstein, sent letters to six police forces suggesting that civil servants be questioned about Mountbatten-Windsor's decade as a trade envoy, before he was forced to step down in 2011. In the letters, reported by The Telegraph, Brown expressed his concern that the then-Duke of York may have used chartered RAF flights to shuttle him to personal engagements that may have involved Epstein, calling the trips a “wholly unacceptable” use of public money. The Telegraph reports that Brown would only say that the letters contained “new and additional information.” Brown's spokesman confirmed to CNN that the letters were sent to police but did not address any of the new information Brown claims was sent. Emails released by the US Department of Justice also appeared to show that taxpayer-funded officers from London's Metropolitan Police were instructed to provide security for a dinner party at Epstein's New York townhouse. Several emails discuss arrangements for the former prince to stay with the disgraced sex offender in December 2010 – more than a year after Epstein was released from jail having served 13 months of an 18-month sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor. UK government considers removing Andrew from line of succession. In one exchange from November that year, Andrew's then-private secretary asks an individual, whose name was redacted, to confirm Epstein's address and “whether there is room for both of his Protection Officers at =he (sic) house?” What followed appeared to be an internal discussion among Epstein's staff, with one unknown individual confirming that “there will be room for both andrew's bodyguards.. one on the 4th floor =nd (sic) one on the 5th floor.” An email sent to Epstein on December 1 by a redacted member of his staff reads: “The Duke's 2 protection officers along with state security will all be here for tomorrow's dinner party. Rich has given them instruction on the door.” On Friday, the Metropolitan Police said it had not at this time identified any wrongdoing by any protection officers. It also said it was “identifying and contacting former and serving officers” and asking them “to consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard during that period of service,” as it continues to assess information following the release of the Epstein files. The force also said it was aware that the DOJ disclosures suggested that London airports may have been used to facilitate human trafficking and sexual exploitation. “We are assessing this information and are actively seeking further detail from law enforcement partners, including those in the United States,” the force said, adding that “no new criminal allegations” had been made regarding sexual offences within its jurisdiction, and it is working with the UK national coordination group which has come together to work the cases. The Met said it had nothing further to add following its most recent statement when contacted by CNN on Monday. Essex Police previously said it was looking into claims Epstein trafficked women on flights that traveled through London's Stansted Airport. Similar inquiries are being conducted “in relation to private flights in and out of London Luton Airport,” according to Bedfordshire Police.

The former UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson was arrested Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, according to London's Metropolitan Police. Mandelson, a veteran Labour Party politician, has been accused of passing market-sensitive information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when he was business secretary in the UK government. He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, February 23, and has been taken to a London police station for interview.” “This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.” The former politician was fired from his ambassador role in September by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer following a previous release of Epstein files which showed that he had called the financier “my best pal” in a handwritten note for his 50th birthday. British MPs have been told the first tranche of documents related to Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador is expected “very shortly in early March.” Mandelson, widely known in political circles as the “Prince of Darkness” for his Machiavellian skills, became Labour's director of communications in the 1980s. He helped transform the party into a globalist, capital-friendly project known as “New Labour,” that eventually won a landslide election in 1997 under Tony Blair. His arrest comes after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of Britain's King Charles III, was arrested on his 66th birthday last week following further revelations about the former prince's relationship with Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor became the first member of the UK royal family to be arrested in modern history following an early morning raid at his home on the Sandringham estate, also on suspicion of misconduct in public office. While police did not say what led to Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest, they had previously said they were assessing whether he shared confidential information with Epstein during his decade as a UK trade envoy. The offense of misconduct in public office is a notoriously difficult-to-prosecute law that experts have criticized for lacking clarity. Prosecution guidance says the person accused must be deemed a public officer, and there has to be a direct link between the misconduct and abuse of their responsibilities. It must also be committed “without reasonable excuse or justification.” The offense must be shown to have been willfully committed, meaning the public official must be found to have deliberately done something wrong “knowing it to be wrong or with reckless indifference.”

Austin Tucker Martin, 21, was killed by Secret Service after entering Trump's Florida resort with a shotgun on Sunday The 21-year-old man who was shot and killed after having entered Donald Trump's Florida resort on Sunday – while carrying a shotgun – came from a North Carolina family of the president's supporters and had reportedly become increasingly fixated on the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files. Martin was confronted by Secret Service agents and a local sheriff's deputy inside the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago and killed after he had raised a shotgun into the shooting position at about 1.30am on Sunday, law enforcement said. Martin was a recent high school graduate who is believed to have driven down to Florida from his home in North Carolina on Saturday afternoon, obtaining the weapon en route. The New York Times reported that last year he set up his own company, Fresh Sky Illustrations, trading in original drawings of golf courses that were sold through golf course gift shops and on commission. TMZ reported that Martin had grown increasingly obsessed with Epstein – a former friend of Trump and many other powerful people – after the recent release of files connected to the prosecution of the sex offender and disgraced financier. The illustrator came from Cameron, North Carolina, where his relatives described him as quiet and generally opposed to guns. “We are big Trump supporters, all of us,” Braeden Fields said. “Everybody.” He added, though, that Marin tended not to talk about politics. Fields said Martin would regularly send a portion of his monthly paycheck to charity – and he had difficulty fathoming what authorities say his cousin had done on Sunday. Martin's family appear to have become alarmed by his disappearance over the weekend, posting on Facebook that he was missing. She wrote in part: “In the middle of the night while most Americans were asleep, the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person … who intruded President Trump's home.”

FBI director filmed partying with players in changing room following their victory over Canada Kash Patel was filmed chugging beer with the American men's hockey team despite insisting he was not flying to Italy to “hang out at the Olympics”. Mr Williamson wrote on X that American media had “purposefully misled” the public into thinking “Kash was flying to Italy to hang out at the Olympics”. Mr Trump told the players they could “have some fun at the White House” and joked that he would also “have to bring the women's team” because he would be “impeached” if he did not. Mr Patel's liberal use of government jets, including to visit his country music singer girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, in Nashville, in November, has attracted controversy. Democrats rounded on Mr Patel after the display, with Jason Crow, a Colorado representative, accusing him of “grift and corruption”. “Your taxpayer dollars funding the FBI director's Italian vacation,” he said. Criticising Mr Patel, Sean Casten said Mr Trump's administration should be less focused on sports and instead complete the full release of the Epstein files. The Illinois representative said: “Three million pages of evidence of a massive child sex trafficking ring and this is what the FBI director is doing right now.” In December, it was reported that Mr Patel ordered the FBI to give his girlfriend's drunk friend a lift home after a night of partying in Nashville. “This is made up and did not happen,” Mr Williamson said.

Check out our new weekly Work Life newsletter. When my small leadership learning group met early in the year to address the changes we would individually make to be more effective in 2026 – with the focus on subtracting things we could live without – I was surprised when three or four members referred to sustaining ideas they had taken away from Oliver Burkeman's Meditations for Mortals. I had not read the book when it first appeared in 2024 but was intrigued and, when I noticed a paperback edition had recently come out, I decided to catch up. In a sense, that reflected one of the 28 short essays in the book that had come up in our discussion: Viewing the information flow deluging us as a river rather than a bucket. We tend to view that backlog as a bucket, a container that fills up and we must empty. Instead, he suggests considering it a river that flows past you, from which you get to pick a few choice items, without feeling guilty for letting all the others float by. In this case, the book had conveniently floated back again, another reason not to fret so much about emptying the bucket initially. Mr. Burkeman's essays revolve around embracing our limitations and making time for what counts. “The most liberating and empowering and productive step you can take, if you want to spend more of your time on the planet doing what matters to you,” he begins the first essay, “is to grasp the sense in which life as a finite human being – with limited time and limited control over that time – is really much worse than you think. To do everything demanded of you is impossible. So get on with life and accept the limitations. Stop viewing your limitations as an obstacle to fulfillment and free yourself to build a life of meaning and accomplishment that hums with vitality. In doing so, be willing to pay the price for your decisions. You can jettison a lot of the things that plague you – from answering that next email immediately to attending an awful meeting to working at your current job – but, he stresses, “freedom isn't a matter of somehow wriggling free of the costs of your choice.” Just weigh the trade-offs, without exaggerating them, as often is the temptation. One lesson helpful to managers – indeed, my own peer group spent the next session focusing on it – is to develop a taste for problems. It begins with this essential question that neuroscientist and podcaster Sam Harris posed to a friend moaning about the various challenges at work: “Were you really expecting to have no more problems at some point in your life?” You have been hired to grapple with them. “Beyond the mountains, there are always more mountains, at least until you reach the final mountain before your time on earth comes to an end. In the meantime, few things are more exhilarating than mountaineering,” he says. He also challenges us to embrace the upside of unpredictability. Not being able to guarantee your plans will bear fruition in a mysterious way makes life worth living, he argues. For many people a major life milestone occurred in some mundane moment, such as attending a party where they met a spouse or found someone with an irresistible idea they agreed to collaborate on. Events that you think shouldn't be happening are often where great things happen. But when interrupted, by your kid or a colleague or an anxious thought, give it your full attention (even if you need to postpone when you will do so). But in some cases, we need to accept those limitations and work more capably and enthusiastically within them. Harvey Schachter is a Kingston-based writer specializing in management issues. He, along with Sheelagh Whittaker, former CEO of both EDS Canada and Cancom, are the authors of When Harvey Didn't Meet Sheelagh: Emails on Leadership. Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following. © Copyright 2026 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday warned countries against backing away from recently negotiated trade deals with the U.S. after the Supreme Court struck down his emergency tariffs, saying that he would hit them with much higher duties under different trade laws. Trump, in a series of social-media posts, said he also may impose license fees on trading partners as uncertainty over his next tariff moves gripped the global economy and sent stocks lower. “Any Country that wants to 'play games' with the ridiculous supreme court decision, especially those that have 'Ripped Off' the U.S.A. for years, and even decades, will be met with a much higher Tariff, and worse, than that which they just recently agreed to. Trump said that despite the court's decision to invalidate his tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, its decision affirmed his ability to use tariffs under other legal authorities “in a much more powerful and obnoxious way, with legal certainty, than the Tariffs as initially used.” He suggested that the U.S. could impose new license fees on trading partners, but did not provide any details. How Trump plans to continue his trade war with Canada without IEEPA In Brussels, the European Parliament decided on Monday to postpone a vote on the European Union's trade deal with the U.S. after Trump imposed a new temporary import duty of 15 per cent on imports from all countries. EU goods under the deal would face a 15 per cent U.S. tariff, with exemptions for hundreds of food items, aircraft parts, critical minerals, pharmaceutical ingredients and other goods, while the EU would remove duties on many imports from the U.S., including industrial goods. Wall Street stocks fell in early trade on Monday, as renewed tariff uncertainty in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling unnerved investors. The U.S. dollar index fell 0.2 per cent against major currencies. The path forward for Trump's foreign trade deals remained uncertain, with China urging Washington to scrap tariff measures, the EU freeze on its approval and India delaying planned talks. Trump used his social media post to again lash out against the justices who ruled against him, which included two who he had appointed during his first term in the White House. The president also expressed concern that the top court could rule against his administration's bid to restrict birthright citizenship in its forthcoming decision in that case. Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

MOSCOW, February 23. /TASS/. Russian troops in the special military operation zone are acting in a coordinated and efficient way, firmly standing for their country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the presentation of state awards to Heroes of Russia in the Kremlin. "You stand firmly behind Russia, for Russia, acting in a coordinated and efficient way," he said. He also added that competent and courageous actions by the heroes of the special military operation made it possible to plan and carry out offensive operations in the most intense sectors. "Among those present are representatives of the command, officers of special and operational units. Your competent and courageous actions, your personal bravery and determination helped to carefully plan and brilliantly execute offensive operations by our troops in the most intense sectors and directions," the head of state said. Russia is fighting for its future and independence, for truth and justice, Putin said. "Russia is fighting for its future, for independence, for truth, and justice," the head of state said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 23 in an interview with the BBC that Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively triggered a de facto World War III, warning that only sustained military and economic pressure can prevent further escalation. "I believe that Putin has already started (World War III). The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him," Zelensky said, arguing that Ukraine's resistance is currently preventing the war from expanding into a wider global phase. He warned that if Ukraine withdrew its forces from parts of Donetsk or accepted Russia's proposed pause, Moscow would likely resume aggression within a few years, framing territorial concessions as both strategically dangerous and socially destabilizing. Honestly, nothing," he added, emphasizing that Ukraine's victory ultimately means preserving independence, while the restoration of the country's 1991 borders remains "a matter of time," despite current military constraints. Russia continues to demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw entirely from the region as a precondition for any peace deal. Ukraine has rejected that demand, insisting that freezing the current front line offers the most realistic basis for a ceasefire. The president stressed that Ukraine's most urgent need remains stronger air defense and called on partners to allow licensed production of U.S. weapons, particularly Patriot missiles, while insisting that long-term security guarantees must be approved by the U.S. Congress because "presidents change, but institutions remain." Addressing political questions, Zelensky said elections could technically be held during wartime but only after credible security guarantees are in place, adding that he has not yet decided whether he would seek another term. In mid-December, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that any territorial concessions to end Russia's full-scale invasion, mentioned in a U.S.-backed peace plan, should be decided by the Ukrainian people, potentially through a referendum. Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC. "This is a setback and a message we didn't want to send today," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. "The same thing (Vladimir) Putin is doing: he pays each person money for a contract. A woman has been arrested in connection to a suspected terrorist attack that killed a police officer and injured 25 others in the Western city of Lviv in the early hours of Sunday morning, Ukrainian authorities said. Russia launched 126 drones and an Iskander-M ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. The Kyiv Independent's separate analytical unit, KI Insights, is excited to announce the launch of its podcast, Ukraine Insights — a show dedicated to unpacking Ukraine's politics, security, economy, and international relations through in-depth, expert-driven conversations. Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 1,000 supports us financially. One membership might not seem like much, but to us, it makes a real difference. If you value our reporting, consider becoming a member — your support makes us stronger.

The explosions that killed one police officer and injured 25 other victims in western Ukraine's Lviv on Feb. 22 were part of a terrorist attack planned by Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address. "It was indeed a terrorist attack, cynical and cruel," he said after being briefed by law enforcement and the Interior Affairs Ministry. Two blasts rocked Lviv's historic Old Town in the early hours of Feb. 22, shattering windows in the area. The explosions took place after officers arrived at the scene responding to a reported store intrusion, Ukraine's National Police said in a statement. A second explosion took place after another police crew arrived at the scene, Lviv Oblast's Prosecutor's Office added. Explosions were heard by a Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground at approximately 12:25 a.m. local time. One officer was killed and 25 people were injured in the blasts. Ukraine's national police identified the officer killed as 23-year-old Viktoria Shpylka. A 33-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with committing a terrorist attack, according to the General Prosecutor's Office. Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine's Interior Minister, announced the detention of a suspect on Sunday morning. There is "objective evidence" that the suspect committed a terrorist attack, according to Nazar Markiv, head of the department for monitoring compliance with the law by regional security agencies. The woman had been temporarily residing in Lviv since September 2025. She was arrested in Staryi Sambir, a Lviv Oblast city close to the Polish border. According to Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi, the detainee is a citizen of Ukraine. Zelensky said the attack was still being thoroughly investigated, but that some facts about the case had already been confirmed. "The perpetrators were recruited via Telegram," he said. All necessary resources have been provided to the investigation," Zelensky said. "The suspect's testimony was brief, stating that she had clearly manufactured the homemade explosive device under the guidance of a man whose nickname is Mark," head of the Department for Oversight of Compliance with Laws by Regional Security Authorities of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor's Office, Nazar Markiv, told Suspilne Lviv. The most severe penalty under these articles is life imprisonment. "We have intelligence indicating that the Russians intend to continue carrying out such actions — in effect, attacks on Ukrainians," he said. "We must strengthen protection for our people." As of the evening of Feb. 22, 12 people have been hospitalized due to injuries sustained in the explosions, with two in serious condition. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, citing Lviv's Saint Panteleimon Hospital, reported that as of the morning of Feb. 23, 14 people had been hospitalized, three of them in serious condition and receiving intensive care. "This is a hostile special operation aimed at killing as many law enforcement officers as possible," Sadovyi said. Klymenko echoed this sentiment, pointing out that Russia has previously targeted Ukrainian law enforcement in similar plots. It's not the first time that the enemy has deliberately set up deadly traps for Ukrainian law enforcement officers," Klymenko said. Marco, a 38-year-old Lviv resident walking his dog on the morning of Feb. 22, told a Kyiv Independent journalist at the scene that the attack was "nothing new," recalling terrorist attacks in Lviv in 2014–2015 suspected to be connected to Russia. "Give long-range weapons to Ukraine so that we can finish this war," he said. "This is a setback and a message we didn't want to send today," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. "The same thing (Vladimir) Putin is doing: he pays each person money for a contract. A woman has been arrested in connection to a suspected terrorist attack that killed a police officer and injured 25 others in the Western city of Lviv in the early hours of Sunday morning, Ukrainian authorities said. Russia launched 126 drones and an Iskander-M ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. The Kyiv Independent's separate analytical unit, KI Insights, is excited to announce the launch of its podcast, Ukraine Insights — a show dedicated to unpacking Ukraine's politics, security, economy, and international relations through in-depth, expert-driven conversations. The documentary has received wide acclaim for the fact that it shows how the war against Ukraine is not just "(Russian President Vladimir) Putin's war" but a war sustained by both a climate of fear and open support among the populace within Russia. Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 1,000 supports us financially. One membership might not seem like much, but to us, it makes a real difference. If you value our reporting, consider becoming a member — your support makes us stronger.