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"My cats eyes were so wide, he was also very afraid," Diana tells us matter of factly. The 10-year-old is explaining what happened during a recent day of intense shelling in Avdiivka, her hometown on the frontline of east Ukraine's more than three-year-old conflict.

This is where you hear first-hand the violence that continues unabated, and see its impact, mostly out of the media spotlight.

Apartment blocks with the misfortune of facing the wrong direction now have gaping holes revealing what once were homes. Damaged school windows and signs directing children to safer areas. Numerous military checkpoints. Regular water and power cuts. The persistent sounds of conflict.

UNICEF/UN058434/Makhniboroda A woman walks past a heavily damaged apartment block in Avdiivka, Donetsk region, in eastern Ukraine. The town has been severely affected by renewed heavy fighting around the area since January 2017.

For residents, this is everyday life. Some families living closest to the 'contact line' - separating Government and non-Government controlled areas - rarely seek safety in bomb shelters anymore. The normality of conflict is increasing people's thresholds and as a result, the physical and mental dangers they face.

Diana seems to epitomise this sentiment. In the tiny one-room apartment she shares with her mother, Diana describes in intricate detail how she forgot to take the keys with her when the fighting intensified. The painful decision to leave her cat behind in the apartment.

The psychological stress of living in constant fear and uncertainty is taking its toll, particularly for the 200,000 girls and boys like Diana who live around the 'contact line'.

The good news is that Diana and many of her peers continue to go to school. UNICEF is advising and training teachers and other school staff on how to better cope themselves and how to provide the necessary support for children dealing with the impact of conflict and displacement. The new skills help children now and will do so in the future.

Services on the brink

Driving from UNICEF Ukraine's field office in Kramatorsk, closest to Avdiivka, the trip south to the port city of Mariupol takes time. The winter ice has melted and with it cracked open the tarmac.

Passing the coal mines and heavy industry that mark east Ukraine's landscape reminds you of what's at stake. While children and families come under attack, so does critical infrastructure that provides essential services for people across the region and further afield.

Water pumping stations and electricity lines that cross the 'contact line' are frequently damaged by the fighting. When water is cut in one area, it reduces access in another, and alternative sources such as small reservoirs are used up.

UNICEF is providing emergency water transport, distribution, and treatment for water purification. Critical repairs and upgrades are also being carried out to improve an already fragile water network and provide more efficient and effective service for years to come.

When we finally reach Mariupol, it's nearly dark and most of the lights are off. Tonight, there is not enough electricity to power the whole town.

Surviving day by day

At daylight, we meet 35-year-old Andrii and his three children in a crammed apartment they share with another family. A coal miner from Horlivka, Andrii fled home with his children when their neighbour's house was hit by shelling. "It was impossible to stay there anymore," he explains. "Besides, there was no job."

UNICEF/UN058266/Kozalov Andrii leaves his apartment block in Mariupol for the local playground with two of his, and one of his relatives, children. The 35-year old fled with his children from their hometown of Horlivka when a shell destroyed the neighbor's house. While Mariupol provides some relative safety and the children are at school, the job concerns have followed. Andrii found work at a local coal plant but struggles to make ends meet. "The salary is very low. It's very hard to support my family," he says.

The conflict in the east has reduced the purchasing power of families, many of whom have lost incomes, property, and land. "We are sitting on a powder keg. I have two kids whom I have to put on their feet," Andrii says with a sense of desperation.

Return to Hranitne

The next day we drive out of town to Hranitne, a small village that literally sits between the two sides in the conflict. I was here with a UNICEF Ukraine team 18-months ago and spent time with now 17-year-old Dasha and her mother. We've come back to see how they are.

UNICEF/UN058458/Kozalov 17-year old Dasha studies hard at home in Hranitne, a village on the 'contact line' in east Ukraine's conflict. With her final school year exams approaching, she is determined to do well and to get a place in University.

The house and environment look very much the same, though the sand bags protecting the kitchen windows have been removed. I ask why and Dasha explains that one of them was leaking so they were removed.

The cellar is still ready to function as a bomb shelter. In the dark, cold and damp room Dasha reflects, "when you are sitting here, you don't know if you are ever going to get out." It's the stress of conflict. Children and young people across the area live with day in and out. But there is also extraordinary resilience and Dasha is focused on her final school year exams. "I want a good education and to get into college because I want a good future for my family and for myself," she says.

As we leave Hranitne the sound of shelling can be heard again. I think of the sandbags and wish they were back in place.

Among the havoc and uncertainty that the conflict breeds, there is hope. Diana and her peers are determined to continue their education and play a role in building a more stable future. Andrii is focussed on doing whatever he can so his children, "... live happy and prosper in life." Dasha is studying hard to realise her dream of going to University.

But what happens next is never certain. As Andrii says, "The future? Well, that's an enigma. You can't predict it."

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Life On The Edge In Eastern Ukraine - HuffPost UK

Obama's remarks, which he gave upon receiving the 2017 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, are his first since the House voted to repeal and replace Obamacare on Thursday. They mark a rare post-presidency appeal on a policy matter for Obama, who has steered clear of discussing political issues since leaving office.

Obama called on lawmakers to have the courage to "champion the vulnerable and the sick and the infirm." He said he hopes they understand that "courage does not always mean doing what is politically expedient, but what they believe deep in their hearts is right."

The former President also said there was a reason why health care reform had not been accomplished earlier: "It was hard."

In his acceptance speech, Obama talked about the need for courage in times when politics "remains filled with division and discord, and everywhere we see the risk of falling into the refuge of tribe and clan."

The former President also spoke about challenging the status quo and "fighting the good fight." Although Obama did not explicitly mention the health care vote from last week, he focused on the need for health care for all Americans. He spoke of the courage of the men and women who were in Congress when he was President, who risked their political futures to pass the Affordable Care Act.

"They had a chance to insure millions," Obama recalled. "This same vote would likely cost them their new seats and perhaps end their political careers. And these men and women did the right thing, the hard thing, and theirs was a profile in courage."

Obama's speech came together over the past week, "so the courage part of the 2010 health care vote given current events wasn't really a stretch," a source familiar with the former president's speech told CNN.

"For him, it's the perfect example of leaders doing the right thing even though it may not be politically advantageous. That's the crux of Kennedy's whole point," the source said. "When those guys lost their seats in the midterms, Obama called them individually -- he knew how tough of a vote that was, but also how important it was to the country."

Obama alluded to the coming legislative fight when he said of the current crop of lawmakers: "This great debate is not settled, but continues, and it is my fervent hope and hope of millions that regardless of party, such courage is still possible."

The award Obama received Sunday is given to a public official or group of public servants "whose actions demonstrate the qualities of politically courageous leadership," according to the John F. Kennedy library's website.

Songwriter James Taylor was also at the ceremony and said it is a "great relief" to be in the presence of the Obamas again.

Taylor said there were similarities between the Kennedy and Obama administrations in that "both summoned the very best of our spirit and generosity."

Obama was introduced by former Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and her son and grandson of President Kennedy, Jack Schlossberg.

Former Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush have also received the Profile in Courage Award.

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation said Obama received the award for "expanding health security for millions of Americans, restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba and leading a landmark international accord to combat climate change."

CNN's Brianna Keilar contributed to this report.

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Obama calls for 'courage' to oppose Obamacare repeal ...

New York Times

Obama Warned Trump About Hiring Flynn, Officials Say New York Times WASHINGTON President Barack Obama warned Donald J. Trump against hiring Michael T. Flynn to be part of his national security team when Mr. Obama met with his successor in the Oval Office two days after the November election, two former Obama ... Obama warned Trump about hiring FlynnCNN Trump's favorite fall guy: Barack ObamaPolitico Trump Tries to Blame Obama for the Flynn ScandalThe Atlantic Reuters -BBC News -Washington Post all 1,115 news articles »

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Obama Warned Trump About Hiring Flynn, Officials Say - New York Times

President Obama criticized congressional Republicans and their proposed health-care bill, the American Health Care Act, during a speech at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library on May 7 in Boston. (JFK Library)

President Barack Obama signaled when he left office that he'd largely stay out of U.S. politics, as former presidents traditionally do, but would break his silence to weigh in on issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake.

And aside from a few short statements released through aides, Obama has largely stayed out of the political fray in the months since President Trump's inauguration. But that all changed Sunday, when Obama went directly after Republicans attempting to overturn his signature piece of legislation, the Affordable Care Act.

Obama, accepting a Profile in Courage award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, gave a half-hour speech in which he discussed broad ideas about leadership and the role of public servants in American politics. Then he got a lot more specific, attacking congressional Republicans and their proposed health care bill, the American Health Care Act.

It is my fervent hope that today's members of Congress are willing to look at the facts and speak the truth, even when it bucks party dogmas, Obama said. I hope that current members of Congress recognize it takes little courage to aid those who are already powerful, already comfortable, already influential, but it takes great courage to champion the vulnerable and the sick and the infirm.

Those aren't the words of an ex-president who's trying to stay out of the political fray. In fact, calling the political opposition cowards for their votes is about as public a call-out as an ex-president can utter.

Notably absent from Obama's speech? Trump. Perhaps Obama is trying to stick to the model followed by his predecessor, George W. Bush, who subjected him to almost no direct criticism. But maybe Obama also knows that he doesn't need to mention Trump's name to get his point across. Repealing and replacing Obamacare was one of Trump's core campaign promises and a direct assault on Obama's legacy. He can stay on the high road by not assailing Trump directly but still be free to throw his political weight around by arguing against Trumpism.

It's traditional for ex-presidents to stay out of the political fray. Bush, when Obama was set to take office, explained it succinctly, saying Obama deserves my silence and the chance to enact an agenda without running commentary from predecessors.

But Obama seems to feel that times have changed and that the old norms have been thrown out the window. Does Trump deserve Obama's silence?

Obama clearly doesn't think so.

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President Obama just made it clear: He's now part of the anti-GOP resistance - Washington Post

Ray Locker , USA TODAY 12:16 p.m. EDT May 8, 2017

by David Garrow

(William Morrow)

in Biography

When he gave his speech before the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama seemed to have exploded outof nowhere, and his political career never looked back. Four years later, he was elected president, and polls now show a majority would welcome him back.

But maybenot historian and biographer David J. Garrow. The young Obama he shows in the mammoth Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama (William Morrow, 1,078 pp.,*** out of four stars)is a magnetic but calculating shape shifter who nursed presidential ambitions for far longer than he admitted or wanted anyone to know.

Garrow, who has written well-regarded and deeply researched books on Martin Luther King Jr. and the history of reproductive rights, has a huge challenge with Obama. Few presidents had already written memoirs on their own lives, as Obama had, before becoming president. Dreams From My Father, which Obama wrote after he became the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review, created the template for future books about the president.

Author David Garrow portrays former president Barack Obama as a magnetic but calculating shape shifter who nursed presidential ambitions for far longer than he admitted or wanted anyone to know.(Photo: David Rubin)

Rising Star is Garrow's attempt to crack that template, and he does so with a book as heavy as a paving brick and about as subtle as one heaved through a picture window.

Consider, for example, Obama's comments about the impact his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, had on his life. "He had never spoken so glowingly during Ann's lifetime of her impact on his life, but in the years following her death at age fifty-two, his memories of her became far warmer than they had ever been when she was alive."

Not content with questioning Obama's love for his mother, Garrow goes into great detail about the future president's relationship with his wife, Michelle, and whether his decision to marry her stemmed more from politics than love. Garrow puts great faith in the memoriesof Obama's onetime girlfriend, Oberlin professor Sheila Miyoshi Jager, whose three-year relationship with Obama is treated with as much seriousness as the decision to kill Osama bin Laden. Ultimately, Obama decided that if he wouldpursue a career in politics in black Chicago, he could not be married to a white woman.

While Garrow devotes too much time to that part of Obama's life, he deserves credit for locating Jager. Biography doesn't belong to the subject but to the biographer, and Garrow makes the most of this opportunity.

Each page crackles with the strength of his research, and the footnotes groan with great detail. It's a prodigious work, and one that will provide the foundation for any serious Obama biographer in the future. It shows the depth and richness of Obama's life.

Then-Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama gives the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July 2004.(Photo: Timothy A. Clary, AFP)

For all its length and heft, however,Rising Starlacks the same kind of sense of place and time that other presidential biographers, such as Robert Caro and David McCullough, brought to their books about Lyndon Johnson and Harry Truman. We don't feel the heat and humidity of Indonesia, where Obama spent some of his formative childhood years, the way Caro made us feel about the Texas Hill Country that shaped Johnson.

Instead, Garrow's research criesout for a discerning editor. There's simply too much. Do we really need to know the title of Obama's English textbook at the Punahou School or the catalog number for his physics course at Columbia?Everything, including Obama'sinability to figure out how to use the mouse for his new Macintosh computer, is here. It didn't need to be in the story of such a historic figure.

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New bio questions Obama's motives in marrying Michelle - USA TODAY