SOLDIERS and Airmen conduct deployment activities at Aviano Air Base, Italy, Feb. 24, 2022. Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, departed Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy, for Latvia to assure our Allies and partners and deter aggression. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Meleesa Gutierrez)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created an exodus of as many as one million refugees while the attackers pressed missile and artillery attacks on its western neighbor.

The news on Wednesday from the war produced a wide variety of developments.

As reported by major news agencies, they include:

• Russian missiles hammered the capital city of Kyiv and the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
• A convoy of Russian military vehicles north of Kyiv has stalled, slowed and been stopped by supply and fuel shortages and fierce resistance from Ukrainian military forces and civilian volunteers.
• The port city of Kherson is reported to have fallen to Russian troops.
• By the lopsided margin of 141-5, the United Nations General Assembly voted to condemn the Russian attack and call for the attacks to end. Thirty-five nations abstained.
• The International Criminal Court has opened a war crimes investigation into the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia in the war.
• The U.S. is sending more troops into NATO-allied nations in eastern Europe to deter possible expansion of the war in Ukraine.

Was Trump part of “criminal conspiracy?”

FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP (Gage Skidmore/Flickr).

Evidence being gathered by the House of Representative’s committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol suggest that President Donald Trump and some members of Congress “engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States,” according to that panel.

The Select Committee does not have the power to press criminal charges, but those allegations are without precedent in U.S. history, according to the Associated Press.

The report created by the panel alleges that Trump and other attempted to illegally manipulate the election results to prevent losing the presidency.

Sports: Russia banned from more sports

The blowback from Russia’s widely-condemned invasion of Ukraine is resulting in Russia being kicked out of international sports competitions each day.

So far, Russian athletes and teams are banned from ice skating, ice hockey, soccer, skiing, basketball, track and some tennis events, according to USA Today. Also hit is Belarus, an ally of Russia.

Weather: Hang on, rain is on the way

RAIN is expected on Friday (Shutterstock)..

The warm weather which may have contributed to the “Jim” fire in Orange County will soon give way to cool temperatures and rain. The forecast for the West Orange County area calls for a high of 70 on Thursday, with an overnight low of 52.

Clouds on Friday will bring a 76 percent chance of rain and a high of 62 (48). Winds will increase to 19 miles an hour on Saturday, with an 11 percent chance of rain and an expected high of 59 (42).

Business: Fed planning an interest rate hike

In an effort to cool inflation, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told members of the Financial Services Committee of the House of Representatives that an increase of one-quarter point in the prime rate is in the offing.

According to The New York Times, Powell also noted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may have unexpected effects on the global economy.

The stock market reacted favorably to Powell’s remarks.