News Wrap: Ukraine claims it sank another Russian warship

In our news wrap Tuesday, Ukraine claimed it sank a Russian warship in the Black Sea, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two top Russian commanders, China sets an ambitious economic growth target, the Dartmouth men’s basketball team voted to form the first labor union for college athletes and the Biden administration proposes a new ceiling for credit card late fees.
Geoff Bennett:
In the day’s other headlines: Ukraine claimed it sank a Russian warship, the third in recent weeks, with a high-tech sea drone. Kyiv’s military intelligence agency said it happened in the Kerch Strait linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula.
Ukrainian video purportedly showed an explosion tearing into a Russian patrol ship. The vessel was part of Russian defenses against drone attacks.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two top Russian commanders today for their actions in Ukraine. The warrants charged Sergei Kobylash and Viktor Sokolov with directing attacks on electric power sites and with crimes against humanity. Ukrainian officials welcomed the move.
Andriy Kostin, Prosecutor General of Ukraine: It’s not only about war crime. It’s about crimes against humanity, because these crimes were committed on massive scale, and these attacks were committed far beyond the front line, with no any potential even military — military reason.
Geoff Bennett:
Moscow does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction and is expected to not hand over the generals for trial.
China has set an ambitious economic growth target of 5 percent this year. It comes despite lagging demand, deflation and a real estate debt crisis. The National People’s Congress — that’s the country’s rubber stamp legislature — listened today as the Chinese premier laid out the spending plan and acknowledged the difficulties ahead.
Li Qiang, Chinese Premier (through interpreter):
The complexities, severity and uncertainty of the external environment are increasing. The foundation for China’s sustained economic recovery is not yet stable, with insufficient effective demand, overcapacity in some industries, weak social expectations and still many risks and hidden dangers.
Geoff Bennett:
The budget also includes a 7 percent hike in defense spending. China’s overall military budget has more than doubled in the last decade.
Back in this country, Liberty University will pay a $14 million federal fine for not reporting data about crimes on its Lynchburg, Virginia, campus. It’s the largest fine ever under a law that mandates collecting crime information and alerting students. Liberty is one of the world’s largest Christian schools with more than 15,000 students.
The men’s basketball team at Dartmouth voted today to form the first labor union for college athletes. Players said the age of amateurism is over. The school said academics, not athletics, are paramount for Ivy League students, so there’s no cause to unionize. Dartmouth could file a legal challenge to the move.
The Biden administration is proposing a new ceiling for credit card late fees. The president announced it today as he met with his so-called Competition Council. Fees would be topped at $8 per transaction. Currently, they average $32. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it will sue to block the rule.
And on Wall Street, weak economic data and a slide in big tech stocks drove the market downward. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 404 points to close at 38585. The Nasdaq fell 268 points. The S&P 500 dropped 52.
Still to come on the “NewsHour”: journalist Kara Swisher discusses her new book on her life and her complicated relationship with the tech industry; and a theater company in Texas that’s promoting and preserving Latin American culture and history.