Ukraine's operating nuclear power reactors could melt down and spew radiation if they shut down and lose grid power with which to keep the fuel cool.

War could force them to shut down even if no army intends to do so. But Russian attacks towards the plant could kill the staff or drive them away. If Russian troops seize te plants, and try to force the staff to work as prisoners, there is no telling what might happen.

It is ominous that Russian troops have seized Chernobyl and imprisoned the staff that work there. The wrecked reactors are not a weapon, and provide no service to Ukraine that Putin might threaten to shut off. It would have been easy and safe to ignore the place and leave the staff alone.

I can only imagine that he plans to use the wrecked reactors to do something vicious, such as poison Ukraine with radioactive waste. But that doesn't make sense either; I can't see that it would gain him anything.

Progressive politicians are endorsing Biden's nominee for the Supreme Court.

I had read she was associated with harsh policies in criminal justice, but if these politicians don't see them as a grave problem, I'm satisfied.

*Western powers have realised Russia is largely immune to sanctions.*

In effect, the warnings of disaster that we heard coming from Biden were more exaggeration than I guess they were. Rather than a standard-issue paper tiger, they were more like a tissue-paper tiger.

The chance we had to prevent this war were months ago. Starting then, we could have provided Ukraine with the military strength to deter the attack.

*[Putin] has hardly kept his worldview secret – and now Ukraine is paying the price for western leaders who looked the other way.*

President Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian high officials say they will stay in Kyiv to boost morale for the fight to defend the city.

I hope that the vice president and some other officials are safe in another country where they can constitute the government in exile if Kyiv falls. That will be important to deny Putin control over Ukraine's foreign assets and its embassies.

Prominent Russians are denouncing Putin's war, though they know they may be blacklisted or fired, while ordinary citizens protest on the street knowing they will immediately be dragged away.

In these photos of protests around the world, I was moved especially by the Russians who condemn Putin's war. Please let's not blame Russians for what Putin does -- under his contemptuous tyranny, which crushes dissent and cites absurd reasons, they have no say in what Russia does.