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U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed support for Ukraine's territorial integrity in a letter to the president of Lithuania, which has often backed Ukraine in its disputes with Russia.

Trump made the remarks in a letter to President Dalia Grybauskaite that was dated February 8 and posted on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania.

He praised Lithuania's "support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as your efforts to increase energy diversification [and] advance our shared goal to enhance European and regional security."

Lithuania and fellow Baltic states Latvia and Estonia have felt vulnerable since Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and its backing of separatists in fighting in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 9,750 people since April 2014.

Trump's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his expressed desire for warmer relations with Moscow have added to the Baltic states' concerns.

On February 9, Grybauskaite said the Baltic states will seek additional security measures from the United States and NATO ahead of a large annual Russian military exercise, called Zapad (West), that is due to be held in September.

In a move ordered by the Obama administration in 2014 to show support for U.S. allies, about 3,500 U.S. soldiers have been sent to eastern NATO members as part of a NATO deployment.

In his letter, Trump also praised Lithuania's efforts increase defense spending "to achieve NATO's agreed benchmark."

Trump has spoken often of the need for NATO members to contribute more financially to the alliance, raising concerns by some countries about the level of his commitment to common security needs.

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Trump Expresses Support For Ukraine In Letter To Lithuanian Leader - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

CARLTON WILKINSON, CORRESPONDENT 10:11 a.m. ET Feb. 10, 2017

The annual Asbury Park Music and Film Festival will be taking over the city April 20th through April 23rd. Ryan Ross

At the State Theatre, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine will perform Antonin Dvoraks Carnival Overture, Sergei Prokofievs Piano Concerto No. 3, and Dmitri Shostakovichs Symphony No. 5.(Photo: COURTESY OF NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF UKRAINE)

An Eastern European ensemble founded a century ago will be performing Feb. 19 at the State Theatre in New Brunswick in a program of early-20th century masterpieces from Russia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic.

Led by the American conductor Theodore Kuchar, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine will perform Antonin Dvoraks Carnival Overture, Sergei Prokofievs Piano Concerto No. 3, and Dmitri Shostakovichs Symphony No. 5.

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Born in New York City, Kuchar is of Ukrainian descent and previously held the post of artistic director of the NSOU; he is currently conductor laureate. He returns to the podium regularly to lead the ensemble.

Kuchar also served as the director of the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra (formerly the Czech Radio Orchestra) and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Venezuela. He has more than 100 recordings on Naxos and other labels to his credit, and recently concluded a 20-city tour of the U.S. with the Czech Symphony Orchestra.

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The soloist for the Prokofiev Piano Concerto will be Alexei Grynyuk, a native of Kiev, Ukraine, who has recently performed as soloist with the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra, Brighton Philharmonic and Krakow Philharmonic. He also performed Liszts B-minor Sonata and piano concertos as part of the composers bicentennial in Kiev.

The program features three composers who were internationally famous in their own lifetimes and who have become so entrenched in global orchestral repertoire that they appear to us somewhat disassociated from their national roots.

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While technically Russian, Prokofiev was born in the Ukraine part of the Russian Empire at the time.

Both he and Shostakovich lived and worked during the Soviet era, both of them struggling in their own ways to maintain careers under the capricious cruelty and censorship of Stalin. Though apolitical for the most part, Prokofievs career, personal life and legacy have seemed inextricably linked to the rule of the Soviet dictator. He even died the same day in the same hour in fact as Stalin.

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The composers funeral was small and absent of flowers because the dictator, even in death, dominated. All the winter flowers had been scooped up as part of the required mourning.

Shostakovich is probably the most famous of the Soviet-era composers now, but his work was purposely ignored in the West during the height of the Cold War, as he was seen as a Stalinist.

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Much of this stems from the misunderstanding of the Symphony No. 5, which he wrote as a reaction to Stalins severe criticism of his music, which caused Shostakovich to fear he would be arrested or worse.

As a result, the composer withdrew his newly completed Symphony No. 4 before it could be premiered. The next work, the Symphony No. 5, was in a simpler style with broad melodies and a clear emotional language.

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The piece bears the inscription intended to appease the authorities (and hopefully save his life): A Soviet artists reply to just criticism. Privately however, the composer is reported to have said that the music was an emotional response to Stalin and the finale, especially, should be heard as a satire, the forced rejoicing of a slave under the suffering and forced allegiance that Stalin exacted.

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At the time, however, the official censors and leading critical thinkers including those in the West found it a convincing testament of loyalty to the Soviet leadership.

The performance will be 3 p.m. Feb. 19 at the State Theatre, 15 Livingston Ave. Tickets start at $35 and are available through http://www.statetheatrenj.org or by calling 732-246-7469.

Carlton Wilkinson, a composer, music professor, writer and editor, has a doctorate in music. Follow him on Twitter @CarltonTSC, email him at carlton.j.wilkinson@verizon.net or write him c/o Entertainment, Asbury Park Press, 3600 Highway 66, Neptune, NJ 07754-1551.

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Ukraine orchestra coming to New Brunswick - Asbury Park Press

(Kyiv) Russianlesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activist and another person have been missing since January 31, 2017, in the separatist-controlled area of the Donetsk region in easternUkraine, and are feared to be victims of enforced disappearances, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch is concerned that the de facto authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic (DNR) have detained them and are refusing to acknowledge their detention.

Grey Violet, a Russian transgender person (also known as Oleg Vasilyev and Maria Shtern), and Victoria Miroshnichenko arrived in the DNR on January 31. They had planned to stage a public performance in Donetsk in support of the LGBT community and record it on video.

It is distressing that no one has been able to find out where Grey Violet and Miroshnichenko are since they arrived in the DNR 10 days ago, saidTanya Cooper, Ukraine researcher at Human Rights Watch. Their sudden disappearance requires prompt and effective investigation.

Grey Violet, LGBT activist feared disappeared in eastern Ukraine. Facebook.

One of the activists friends in Kyiv told Human Rights Watch that Grey Violet was last in contact with her at about 11 a.m. on January 31. Other friends confirmed that it was the last day any of them had heard from Grey Violet and that the activist had stopped answering phone and online messages.

The friends said they received information that Grey Violet and Miroshnichenko were detained shortly after their arrival in the region, presumably by DNR security officials. A Russian mediareportmentioned that one of Grey Violets friends reached out to the DNR authorities to inquire about the activists whereabouts, but that an assistant to the DNR peoples council chairman said that neither the security services nor the police were holding them.

Human Rights Watch has not been able to get information about why the activists may have been detained, or whether they face any charges.

A 2016 report by Anti-Discrimination Center Memorial, a Russian rights group based in Saint Petersburg, says that the situation for the LGBT community in the separatist-held Luhansk and Donetsk regions hasdrastically deterioratedsince the beginning of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014. In September 2014, the de facto authorities of the separatist-held Luhansk region said they were considering a death sentence for homosexuality.

Human Rights Watch research found thatlocal security servicesin both separatist-held regions operate withoutany adherence to the rule of law, and are not subject to checks and balances. Anyone they detain is fully at their mercy, and the victims relatives have no one to turn to.

If Grey Violet and Miroshnichenko are in custody, the de facto DNR authorities should immediately reveal their whereabouts, Human Rights Watch said.

The longer Grey Violet and Miroshnichenko are held without revealing their whereabouts, the more they are vulnerable to abuse, Cooper said. The de facto DNR authorities should immediately find out where they are and ensure their safety. If there are lawful grounds for holding them, guarantee their due process rights, including unimpeded access to legal counsel of their choice.

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Ukraine: Activists 'Disappeared' in Separatist Territory | Human ... - Human Rights Watch

As Federal Way High School point guard Marcus Stephens dribbled the ball up the floor with a minute left, and his Eagles down by six in the 4A league title game against Kentwood, Feb. 4, he desperately looked to coach Jerome Collins for an answer, some sort of explanation.

Collins couldnt give him one, however. In fact, Collins couldnt say anything at all.

With just 6.6 seconds left on the clock, the Conquerors were up by 10, and the Eagles, and their fans, knew the game, and the teams 63-game winning streak, the longest in the nation, was over. Behind a boisterous Kentwood crowd, the Conks achieved the upset of the year, downing Federal Way 69-59 and claiming the 4A North Puget Sound League title at Auburn Riverside High School.

It was the Eagles first defeat since their non-league loss to Bellevue back on Jan. 19, 2015.

After seeing the look of uncertainty on the face of his players, the longtime Federal Way coach (20-1) called timeout. After the game, Collins said, given the situation and the deficit the Eagles were facing, it was the only thing he could think to do at the time.

I purposely called timeout, Collins said. There wasnt any time left, but I needed to calm the guys down.

If it had to happen, I guess you want it now but I dont like to lose, I just flat out dont like to lose. But we cant go back and do anything about it now. We need to move forward and look to improve.

The win for Kentwood unfolded like a movie straight out of Hollywood.

The featured stars were Conks guards Koby Huerta and DAngelo Minnis. As Federal Way began to find its way in the third quarter, building a 6-0 run and a 51-46 lead with six minutes left to play, Huerta sat open on the right wing.

Kentwood big man Beau Roggenbach had the ball in the post, looked up, found the open Huerta with a near-perfect pass, and the senior guard knocked down the critical 3-pointer to cut the Eagles lead to 51-49.

Two minutes later it was Minnis turn.

After Kentwood tied Federal Way at 53, Minnis put the Conks on his back and took over the game. Two minutes after Huertas three, Minnis dribbled the ball up the left side of the floor with Stephens right on his hip.

Minnis took one look at the basket, rose up and sank the deep, contested 3-pointer to give Kentwood the 56-53 lead with 3:12 left.

Theyre good. They are physical, Collins said. They are certainly the most physical team weve played, not just on the inside. They lock down on the perimeter, and that was a factor down the stretch.

The Eagles cut their deficit to 58-55 with just over a minute to play, but Minnis put this made-for-TV game into post production when he took another contested 3-pointer, this time from way beyond the line.

Splash.

Game over. Streak over, as Kentwood avenged last years state-championship loss to the Eagles.

After the tough defeat, Collins took a moment to reflect on Federal Ways historic accomplishment.

Looking back on it now, and even before tonight, its a tremendous accomplishment, particularly in the game of basketball, Collins said. Its a game of rhythm. Somebody can be on, and you can be off, and any number of things can occur, so the accomplishment to me, beginning with Vionte (Daniels) team and last years team and the back-to-back titles, its a great accomplishment. Its in the history books.

With both the loss and the history behind them, Collins found the answer to whats next for the Eagles.

Now that part is over, and we have to move on to the next game, he said.

The Federal Way girls also picked up a loss during the sub-district game, falling to Hazen, 48-32, Feb. 3. Despite the loss, the Eagles advanced to a play-in game against Union, Feb. 8. The Titans beat Federal Way 55-22 to advance to the next round.

Todd Beamer

The Todd Beamer Titans girls had a rough league tournament outing, too. The Titans (18-6) fell to Kentridge, 54-48, Feb. 4. Beamer led going into the fourth quarter but was outscored by the Falcons, 11-5, in the final three minutes of the game. Senior point guard Japhera McEachin led the Titans with a team-high 16 points, four rebounds and three steals.

The Todd Beamer boys also lost a tough game, Feb. 3, falling to Kentridge, 69-43. Senior point guard Steffun Singleton poured in 23 points to lead the Titans in the loss. Beamer had little time to recover as it played its one-game knockout playoff game Feb. 8 against Camas at Olympia High School. The Titans fell to the Papermakers 67-50, bringing an end to their season.

Decatur

The Decatur Golden Gator boys played a first-round knockout game against Tahoma, Feb. 3 with the winner advancing to take on Auburn Riverside the next day. The Bears knocked out Decatur, 70-62, ending the Gators season, and Tahoma went on to fall to the Ravens.

Thomas Jefferson

The Thomas Jefferson Raiders boys fell to the Kentwood Conquerors, 39-36, Feb. 2, in their district tournament knockout game, ending their season.

See the article here:
Eagles win streak ends at 63 in loss to Kentwood - Federal Way Mirror

After a long period of withdrawal from the public eye, Organizing for Action, the political group that grew out of Barack Obama's first presidential campaign, is ramping back up for the Trump era with a focus on defending the Affordable Care Act and training grassroots organizers, officials tell NBC News.

Had Hillary Clinton won the presidency, OFA was likely headed for a wind-down. But with Trump in the White House, the relaunched OFA will claim a spot in the increasingly crowded marketplace of groups looking to fight the new president's agenda.

OFA has hired 14 field organizers in states home to key senators as part of its campaign to defend Obama's signature healthcare law. To run that campaign, the group hired Saumya Narechania -- the former national field director at Enroll America, which worked to sign people up for Obamacare -- and a deputy campaign manager.

Jennifer Warner is returning to the group as national organizing director after running Democrats' coordinated campaign in Ohio last year. And former Clinton campaign spokesperson Jesse Lehrich has joined OFA as its communication director.

The rest of the group's leadership is largely remaining intact, with former Obama 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina and former White House aide Jon Carson as co-chairmen, Katie Hogan as executive director, Jack Shapiro as director of policy and campaigns and Aaron Buchner promoted to chief of staff.

What role Obama himself will play remains unclear.

OFA is looking to expand into other issue areas as well, like climate change and gun control, and is exploring the possibility of launching a program to recruit and train people to run for office. But it is unlikely to get directly involved in electoral campaigns, according to OFA.

For now, it's focused on planning events ahead of the congressional recess later this month, when members of Congress will hold events in their district. Organizers are hoping to produce more moments like the one at Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz' town hall Thursday night when he was confronted by angry constituents.

OFA has gone through several iterations since it first launched in 2009, all of which faced criticism from Democrats who felt it detracted from other party efforts while accomplishing little.

Those concerns have become more public after an election loss in which many Democrats feel their forces were too fractured and poorly coordinated, and that Obama neglected his duties to maintain and build party infrastructure.

"OFA should fold into the [Democratic National Committee]. Having two organizations is redundant, and dilutes and confuses the mission. Given the urgency of the moment, we need laser-like focus, with clear lanes and cohesion, not duplication," former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm told Politico this week before the new contours of the group were announced.

Defenders say OFA has learned from its experiences and that its activities will not directly compete with other organizations, even though it will continue to raise money from both large and small donors that fund other progressive and Democratic organizations as well.

Instead, OFA says it can fill a niche that will benefit the progressive movement as a whole by nurturing a broad base of grassroots organizers and working with other groups to mobilize voters on specific issues.

"There are important progressive organizations that mobilize supporters around key issues of the day and OFA has great partnerships with many of them," Lehrich said in an email. "OFA fills a unique role by investing in organizing to build a lasting and successful progressive movement. We're bringing in thousands of new people who have never been engaged before, connecting them to a nationwide grassroots network, providing them with cost-free training, and empowering them to apply those skills to make change in their communities."

It's a humbler vision for a group that once, paradoxically, tried to raise a grassroots army it could command at will to push Obama's agenda through Congress.

The narrower focus has, for instance, led OFA to stay out of confirmation battles over Trump's cabinet nominees and the dozen other fights liberal groups are engaged in at any given moment.

OFA says more than 1,800 people have applied to its Spring Community Engagement Fellowship, a six-week training program, two-thirds of whom have not previously been involved with OFA.

And the group has teamed up with Indivisible, a buzzy newcomer to the progressive movement, to offer organizing training that began Thursday night with a video conference. A combined 25,000 people have registered to participate in those trainings, OFA said.

To defend Obamacare, the group says it has planned 400 health care-focused events in 42 states this year with partners that include mainline liberal groups, like the Center for American Progress and Planned Parenthood, as well those from the progressive wing, like MoveOn.org.

OFA says 20,000 people have used their tool to call senators' offices to urge them not to repeal Obamacare and says one million supporters have already taken action with OFA.

The goal is to further hinder the already stalling momentum around repeal the Affordable Care Act.

For instance, OFA helped get Obamacare supporters to flood townhalls for Florida Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis, Illinois GOP Rep. Peter Roskam, and California Rep. Tom McClintock, which lead to national news coverage about anti-repeal backlash.

Obama himself has no legal affiliation with the non-profit organization that for years housed the valuable email list, which it only turned over to the DNC in 2015.

But Obama brand is still strong among Democratic donors and rank-and-file voters alike, and OFA is a natural home for any political activity Obama may wish to take. That affiliation -- it's one of only two groups listed on his post-presidential website -- guarantees OFA toehold in the progressive movement, no matter what criticism it may face.

An Obama spokesperson did not respond to a request for clarification about how the former president plans to engage with the group.

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Obama-Aligned Organizing for Action Relaunches for Trump Era - NBCNews.com