Yesterday, I explained why Volodymyr Zelenskyy had to visit DC now, right before the powershift in the House. As inspiring as Zelenskyy’s speech was, there were plenty of reasons for concern. “Reps. Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert spent part of the speech glued to their phones and barely paying attention. Several others remained seated for many of the portions of the speech where Zelenskyy received standing ovations, and more didn’t attend the speech at all … In all, roughly 90 House Republicans out of 213—fewer than half—bothered to attend the speech.” Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie summed up the disturbing, wrong-headed vibe expressed by those who didn’t attend. “I’m in DC but I will not be attending the speech of the Ukrainian lobbyist.” (Believe me, he’ll be in the room when they investigate Hunter Biden’s laptop.)

+ “‘We have artillery, yes,’ Zelensky said. ‘Thank you. We have it. Is it enough? Honestly, not really. To insure Bakhmut is not just a stronghold that holds back the Russian Army, but for the Russian Army to completely pull out, more cannons and shells are needed.’ To avoid sounding ungrateful, Zelensky framed this question as pertaining only to Bakhmut, but what he was really talking about is the fact that the United States could enable Ukraine to achieve a complete victory, yet aid has been slow and incomplete, and even the current consensus underpinning aid is fragile—this was why Zelensky was addressing Congress in the first place.” Masha Gessen in The New Yorker: Volodymyr Zelensky’s Critical Visit to Washington, DC.

+ Meanwhile, back at the front: “Every day around 8 a.m., Mr. Shved drives from the neighboring town of Chasiv Yar to Bakhmut, a roughly 25-minute journey that involves passing through at least one Ukrainian military checkpoint. His routine and face have become familiar enough that the soldiers have ceased asking, for the most part, why he is driving into one of the most heavily shelled cities in Ukraine.” NYT: Frontline City’s Final Food Stand Finds a Way to Keep the Pizza Coming.