President Joe Biden paid an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Monday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky in a defiant display of Western solidarity with a country still fighting what he called “a brutal and unjust war.” The surprise visit comes days before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.  

Speaking at Mariinsky palace in Kyiv, Biden announced plans for an additional half-billion dollars in U.S. assistance to Ukraine. 

“I thought it was critical that there not be any doubt, none whatsoever, about U.S. support for Ukraine in the war,” Biden said. 

A shooting during a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans killed one person, wounded four and sent panicked families running for cover.

The New Orleans Police Department says one suspect was taken into custody shortly after the shooting Sunday night.

The victims were three males and two females, including one child. Police said all five were taken to the hospital, where one of the male victims was pronounced dead. The four other victims were hospitalized but stable Monday. 

A storm could dump up to 20 inches of snow on the southern half of Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro area by the time it wraps up Thursday. That could make it the largest snowfall from a single storm in more than 30 years. 

Behind the storms, temperatures will drop to 7 below zero by Thursday night and highs will be in the teens Friday rising to near 30 degrees by Sunday. 

Rhynn Paulsen can be reached at rhynn.paulsen@stthomas.edu.