10 things you need to know today: April 3, 2022

Body bag containing dead Ukrainian civilian

(Image credit: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

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1. Streets found strewn with corpses as Ukrainian troops reclaim Kyiv suburbs
2. Trump stumps for candidates who accept his stolen election claims at Michigan rally
3. Hungarians head to polls as opposition alliance seeks to unseat Orbán
4. Sarah Palin announced run for Congress after meeting with Trump
5. Pakistani prime minister calls early elections after deputy speaker blocks no-confidence vote
6. Russia threatens to pull out of International Space Station unless 'illegal sanctions' are lifted
7. McConnell pressuring GOP senators to oppose Jackson confirmation
8. Withdrawing Russian troops left mines near homes and corpses, Zelensky says
9. UNC and Kansas advance to NCAA championship as Coach K ends storied career
10. 'Ginni Thomas' calls herself 'the Yoko Ono of the Supreme Court' in new SNL cold open

published 3 April 2022

1. Streets found strewn with corpses as Ukrainian troops reclaim Kyiv suburbs

Ukrainian troops re-occupying the Kyiv region after Russian forces pulled back during the weekend found the streets strewn with the bodies of civilians, 280 of whom were buried in a mass grave in the suburb of Bucha. One photo circulating online shows the body of a man with his hands bound and an open Ukrainian passport on the ground beside him. The Russian Defense Ministry dismissed the photos and videos as "fake" while also attempting to blame the civilian deaths on Ukrainian air strikes. Ukrainian government sources have accused Russia of war crimes.

Former President Donald Trump hosted a rally outside Detroit on Saturday in which he endorsed Republican candidates for attorney general and secretary of state who accept his claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him. For attorney general, Trump endorsed political neophyte Matt DePerno, who pushed for an audit of the 2020 vote in Michigan's Antrim County. For secretary of state, Trump backed Kristina Karamo, who also lacks political experience and who claimed to have witnessed ballot fraud on election night. Trump said his endorsements were "about making sure Michigan is not rigged and stolen in 2024."

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Hungarian voters cast their ballots on Sunday to determine whether controversial leader Viktor Orban will serve a fourth consecutive term as prime minister. Ahead of the election, Orban's Fidesz party held a slight lead in the polls over United for Hungary, a six-party coalition created to oppose Fidesz that includes liberals, greens, and even the far-right Jobbik party. Orban has centralized power in the hands of his government, refused to join in European Union sanctions against Russia, and pursued a socially conservative nationalist agenda.

Before announcing her bid for Alaska's sole seat in the House of Representatives, former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin reportedly met with former President Donald Trump, who encouraged her to run. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) called for the special election after Rep. Don Young (R), who had held Alaska's at-large House seat since 1973, died last month. Palin barely filed her paperwork in time for the Friday deadline, joining a field of more than 40 candidates competing in the June nonpartisan primary. The top four vote getters will advance to the general election, which will be held on Aug. 16.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan narrowly survived an attempt to remove him from power on Sunday after the deputy speaker of Pakistan's parliament blocked a no-confidence vote, declaring it unconstitutional. Khan said Saturday, when his ouster seemed like a foregone conclusion, that he would not accept the results of vote. He also told reporters the vote was an American attempt to implement "regime change" in Pakistan. After the vote was blocked, Khan called for early elections in an attempt to shore up his power. No Pakistani prime minister has completed a full five-year term since the country gained independence in 1947.

Dmitry Rogozin, the director of Russian space agency Roscosmos, tweeted Saturday that Russian cosmonauts cannot cooperate in operating the International Space Station until sanctions against Russia are removed. "I believe that the restoration of normal relations between partners in the International Space Station and other joint projects is possible only with the complete and unconditional lifting of illegal sanctions," Rogozin wrote. The ISS is a joint project of Roscosmos, NASA, and the space agencies of Japan, Canada, and the European Union. Russia operates one section of the station, while the remaining partners operate the other. The station cannot function without the cooperation of both sections.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is urging his fellow Senate Republicans to vote against confirming Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. According to a report published Saturday, McConnell said his opposition is not based on "race or gender," but on concerns about Jackson's judicial philosophy and her history of being soft on crime. Despite McConnell's vote whipping, it is unlikely Republicans will be able to block Jackson's confirmation. Even if all 50 Republican senators vote against Jackson, Vice President Kamala Harris can still break the tie in the nominee's favor.

Russian forces placed land mines around homes, abandoned equipment, and even corpses as they pulled back from around Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday. Zelensky said these mines are creating a "catastrophic" situation for civilians who might want to return to their homes. "There are a lot of trip wires, a lot of other dangers," he added. Russia is a signatory to the international Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, which prohibits placing mines or booby traps on or near "sick, wounded, or dead persons."

The University of North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Duke Blue Devils 81-77 on Saturday. Duke's loss marked the end of the 47-year career of beloved Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, also known as "Coach K." In a press conference after the game, Krzyzewski congratulated UNC on their victory and said his own players were "crying on the court" as they realized the game would be his last. Also on Saturday, the Kansas Jayhawks beat the Villanova Wildcats 81-65. The championship game between college basketball powerhouses Kansas and UNC will take place Monday night in New Orleans.

Saturday Night Live began its latest episode with another Fox News parody, this time featuring Fox & Friends hosts Steve Doocy (Alex Moffat), Ainsley Earhardt (Heidi Gardner) and Brian Kilmeade (Mikey Day) interviewing Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (Kenan Thompson) and his wife, Ginni Thomas (Kate McKinnon). In response to questions about her involvement in the campaign to overturn the 2020 election, McKinnon-as-Ginni said, "I take my duty as the Yoko Ono of the Supreme Court very seriously. All I want is a tidal wave of biblical vengeance to wash away the Biden crime family all the way to Gitmo, and then we release the Kraken."

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Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.