'CODA' and Will Smith take home awards in very memorable Oscars

Chris Rock, left, reacts after Will Smith, right, hits him on stage at the Oscars.

By Liza Hearon

Monday, March 28

WILL SMITH HITS CHRIS ROCK ON STAGE AT OSCARS, THEN WINS BEST ACTOR In a stunning moment censored on American TV, Will Smith walked on stage and hit Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head. Jada Pinkett Smith has alopecia. Will Smith went on to win the Oscar for Best Actor in the film "King Richard," and used his acceptance speech to somewhat apologize. [HuffPost]

CATCH UP ON ALL THE OSCARS NEWS While the Smith-Rock exchange will surely be the most-talked-about moment, so much more happened at the 94th annual Academy Awards. See the complete winners list, check out the best red carpet looks, read about some historic winners and appreciate that Beyoncé graced the Oscars with her presence. [HuffPost]

ZELENSKYY OPEN TO NEUTRAL STANCE TO SECURE PEACE DEAL Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is open to the country adopting a neutral stance as part of any peace deal with Russia to end the ongoing invasion. The comments were part of a 90-minute interview he gave to several Russian journalists, which the Kremlin ordered censored. Details from the call were published by Russian journalists living outside the country. [HuffPost]

CHRIS WALLACE SPEAKS OUT AGAINST FOX NEWS' ELECTION CONSPIRACIES Former Fox News host Chris Wallace opened up about his surprising decision last year to jump ship for rival network CNN. He said the network's post-2020 coverage became "increasingly unsustainable" for him and he disagreed with its airing of political conspiracy theories. [HuffPost]

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SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR DEMANDS CLARENCE THOMAS BE RECUSED FROM ELECTION CASES Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should be recused from any cases related to the 2020 election, arguing that his wife Ginni Thomas texting White House aide Mark Meadows about overturning the election is "a textbook case for removing him." "You have the wife of a Supreme Court justice advocating for an insurrection, advocating for overturning a legal election to the sitting president's chief of staff," she said. [HuffPost]

BIDEN FINDS NO RESPITE AT HOME AFTER EUROPE TRIP The war in Ukraine has consumed much of the White House's messaging bandwidth, but President Joe Biden is looking to turn the spotlight onto some of his domestic priorities this week. Some unscripted words on Russian President Vladimir Putin created a troubling distraction as Biden returned home from a trip to Europe. [AP]

TRUMP TOUTS TURNOUT AT RALLY THAT JOURNALISTS SAY WAS 'SMALLEST' IN YEARS Former President Donald Trump boasted that a "massive" crowd turned out to see him in Georgia over the weekend, even as two experienced journalists on the scene said the rally was the "smallest" they had seen in years. Reporters said the size of the crowd in Commerce, Georgia, was notably underwhelming as the former president showed his support for Republican primary candidates he's backing as revenge on elected GOP officials, including Gov. Brian Kemp. [HuffPost]

ORLANDO PRIDE PLAYERS SLAM 'DON'T SAY GAY' MEASURE WITHOUT SAYING A WORD Players for the Orlando Pride were filmed stepping off their bus in black T-shirts with the word "Gay," in protest over Florida's so-called Don't Say Gay measure, which bans the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third-grade public school classrooms. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is expected to sign it into law. [HuffPost]

DISGRACED GOP REP. JEFF FORTENBERRY RESIGNS Nebraska Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry resigned, effective March 31, after he was convicted of three felonies related to an illegal $30,000 donation he received from a foreign national in 2016. Each of the three felony charges carry a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. [HuffPost]