Sunday, February 27th, 2022 

Russian Ground Forces begin targeting gas and oil pipelines outside Kharkiv and Kyiv in hopes of incapacitating their defenses; multiple explosions are reported at an oil depot near Vasylkiv, Kyiv Oblast. (BBC News) 

The Ukraine Army announces that they remain in control of Kyiv. Additionally, regional governor Oleh Sinegubov announces that Ukraine remains in control of Kharkiv. (India Today) (Daily Sabah) 

Russian soldiers reportedly enter the city of Berdiansk. (The Jerusalem Post) 

368,000 refugees have fled Ukraine since the invasion started, according to an estimate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). (Euronews) 

Russian President Vladimir Putin orders Russia’s nuclear forces placed on high alert, in response to what he dubbed “aggressive statements” by NATO members. (Associated Press) 

Ukraine says that they have used Baykar Bayraktar TB2 drones against Moscow‘s forces. (The Wall Street Journal) 

The European Union says it will finance €450 million in procurement and delivery of weapons to Ukraine, the first time the EU does so in its history, as well as €50 million in medical supplies. (Reuters) 

The United States, the European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom freeze all assets of the Russian Central Bank and the Russian National Wealth Fund under their jurisdiction, preventing the usage of 39% of Russia’s $630 billion of foreign exchange reserves. Japan also agrees to do the same. Due to the sanctions already in place (including trade in gold), Russia may have as much as three-quarters of its massive currency reserves unusable. (Rzeczpospolita) (Japan Times) 

The Thailand Public Health Ministry calls for hospitals in Thailand to treat COVID-19 like a endemic instead of a pandemic beginning on March 1. (The Nation) 

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov says that a Russian delegation has arrived in Gomel, Belarus, to hold talks in an effort to end the war. However, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects Belarus as the country is a non-neutral party in the conflict, and calls for the talks to be held instead in Warsaw, Bratislava, Istanbul, Budapest or Baku. Ukraine and Russia eventually agree to hold negotiations, which kicks off on the Belarus–Ukraine border near the Pripyat river. (Belarusian Telegraph Agency) (The Washington Post) (Ukrainska Pravda) 

Ukraine sues Russia in the International Court of Justice, seeking an injunction ordering an immediate end to Russian military activities. (Ukrinform) 

The European Union and Canada close their airspaces for Russian aircraft. (Reuters) 

The European Union imposes sanctions on Belarus, forbidding the import of some commodities, including timber, steel, oil-derived fuels and cement. (Ekonomichna Pravda), (Reuters) 

North Korea says that it has tested a ballistic missile that entered the sea. (Associated Press) 

Belarus holds a constitutional referendum. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) 

The ruling military junta of Burkina Faso, the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration, says it is considering beginning a thirty-month transition to democracy. (Bloomberg) 

The European Union bans Sputnik news agency and RT (formerly known as Russia Today), both state-sponsored outlets which are widely seen to be peddling Russian propaganda. (Reuters) 

Zelensky agrees to peace talks as Russian forces attack Ukraine’s 2nd largest city Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly agreed on Sunday to send a Ukrainian delegation to negotiate with Russia near Ukraine’s border with Belarus. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to use Belarus as a staging ground for his invasion, arranged the meeting. Russian forces pushed into Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, on Saturday and Sunday, but by Sunday afternoon, Russian forces had been repelled after the two sides exchanged missiles and engaged in fierce street fighting, said Oleh Sinegubov, the regional governor. Emergency services in Kharkiv said a nine-story apartment building was hit, killing an elderly woman and bringing the total number of Ukrainian civilian deaths to at least 64. THE KYIV INDEPENDENTTHE WASHINGTON POST 

‘We did it twice, and we’ll do it again’: Trump stops just short of announcing 2024 run In a speech delivered at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida on Saturday, former President Donald Trump stopped just short of formally announcing a 2024 presidential run. “[Democrats are] going to find out the hard way, starting on Nov. 8, and then again even more so on [sic] Nov. 2024, they will find out like never before. We did it twice, and we’ll do it again,” Trump said, reiterating his false claim that he was the true winner of the 2020 election. “We’re going to be doing it again, a third time.” Trump also repeated his assertion that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “smart” but called Putin’s invasion of Ukraine an “atrocity.” BUSINESS INSIDERTHE INDEPENDENT 

Germany to boost defense spending and send lethal aid to Ukraine German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told an extraordinary session of the Bundestag on Sunday that Germany must rebuild its military “to protect our freedom and democracy.” Scholz said the government will make a special investment of 100 billion euros in the military in 2022 and will increase annual military expenditures to at least two percent of GDP. Germany spent only 47 billion euros, or 1.53 percent of GDP, on defense in 2021. Scholz also announced Saturday that his country will send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine to aid in the fight against Russian aggression. REUTERSAXIOS 

Studies suggest COVID came from a Wuhan market, not a lab The “lab-leak theory” of the origins of the COVID-19 virus has been dismissed as a conspiracy theory and seriously considered as a plausible explanation, but two studies released Saturday could shed new light on the question. According to the studies, both of which were co-authored by University of Arizona evolutionary biologist Michael Worobey, the virus likely originated in live animals sold at a market in Wuhan, China, in 2019. Worobey said that in light of the studies’ findings, the theory that COVID originated in a lab “no longer … makes sense.” Both studies are still undergoing peer review. 

THE NEW YORK TIMESCNN 

Around 100,000 Russian troops are fighting inside Ukraine, U.S. Defense Department official says An official at the U.S. Defense Department said Saturday that 50 percent of the approximately 200,000 troops Russia massed on Ukraine’s border in the months leading up to the invasion were fighting inside Ukraine, up from 30 percent on Friday. Russian reconnaissance forces probed Kyiv and engaged in street battles with Ukrainian troops Friday night, but the main force driving south from Belarus toward the capital city was still around 18 miles away.  Russian formations are also pushing north from Crimea and west from the Russian border. USA TODAY 

Conservative legal group slams Ketanji Brown Jackson Carrie Severino, the president of the conservative Judicial Crisis Network and a former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, wrote in a Fox News op-ed published Saturday that Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson is a “politician in robes” who will “rubber stamp” a “left-wing political agenda.” Severino accused Jackson of being anti-business, soft on illegal immigration, and hostile toward the pro-life movement. She also attempted to link Jackson to Arabella Advisors, which Severino described as a “liberal … dark money network.” President Biden nominated Jackson to the Supreme Court on Friday. If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court. FOX NEWSTHE WEEK 

Russia has reportedly detained almost 2,700 anti-war protesters since Thursday Russia has detained 2,692 anti-war protesters since the invasion of Ukraine began on Thursday, Russian human rights media group OVD-Info said Saturday. At least 1,370 of those protesters were detained in Moscow, but protests were ongoing in at least 27 Russian cities. On Friday, Russia began limiting access to Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — platforms on which protest organizers rely — in response to parent company Meta’s refusal to stop fact-checking reports from Russian state media. CNNTHE NEW YORK TIMES 

North Korea tests ballistic missile North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Sunday, its first such test since late January. The missile flew about 190 miles and landed harmlessly in the sea. “If North Korea deliberately carried out the missile launch while the international community is distracted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, such an act is absolutely unforgivable,” Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters. South Korea’s National Security Council concurred. “Launching a ballistic missile at a time when the world is making efforts to resolve the Ukraine war is never desirable for peace and stability in the world, the region, and on the Korean Peninsula,” they said in a statement. THE ASSOCIATED PRESSREUTERS 

Colbert producer tapped to lead CNN Chris Licht, the executive producer of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, will take over as president of CNN after Discovery Inc. acquires the network as part of its merger with WarnerMedia. The merger is expected to go through sometime in the second quarter of 2022, which begins in April. CNN’s new streaming service, CNN+, is expected to launch in March. Former CNN president Jeff Zucker resigned earlier this month after failing to disclose a relationship with a colleague. Executive vice presidents Michael Bass and Amy Entelis are serving as CNN’s interim co-heads. Licht has also worked as executive producer of CBS This Morning and MSNBC’s Morning Joe. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

SNL cold open features Ukrainian chorus singing hymn for their country After a monthlong hiatus for the Winter Olympics, Saturday Night Live returned Saturday with a moving tribute to Ukraine. The broadcast began with Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong standing side by side. “Ladies and gentlemen: the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York,” they said. The lights dimmed and the two cast members departed as the camera pulled back, revealing a group of Ukrainian singers in traditional dress illuminated by soft candlelight. The chorus performed a piece called “A Prayer for Ukraine.” According to one translation, the lyrics include, “Lord, oh the Great and Almighty  / Protect our beloved Ukraine” and “Bless us with freedom, bless us with wisdom, / Guide [us] into [a] kind world.” NPRLYRICS TRANSLATE 

*x*x* 

Saturday, February 26th, 2022 

Russian Ground Forces attempt to attack an army base near Kyiv on Victory Avenue as well as an electricity generating station in the city. The Ukrainian military says that they repelled both attacks. (Reuters) 

A residential tower block near Kyiv International Airport is hit by a missile. (Al Jazeera) 

Ukraine’s army claims that its air defences shot down two Russian Ilyushin Il-76 transport planes carrying paratroopers near the cities of Vasylkiv and Bila Tserkva in Kyiv Oblast, but did not provide any video evidence or details on crash sites. Ukraine also claims that a Sukhoi Su-25 attack jet was shot down. (Times of Israel) 

The Russian Armed Forces report that they have captured the city of Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. However, this claim is disputed. Russian state media says that Russian troops entered the city after facing “no resistance”. (Reuters) (TASS) 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posts a video of himself in the capital Kyiv amid rumors that he left the country. (Times of Israel) 

The Russian Navy warns that all civilian ships and vessels attempting to approach the Ukrainian Black Sea coast will be destroyed as “terrorist threats”. (Ukrainska Pravda) 

Poland says that around 100,000 Ukrainians have crossed the border since the invasion began. (Reuters) 

Russian President Vladimir Putin issues orders to expand the offensive, after declaring peace talks “dead”. (Bloomberg) 

The Ukrainian military destroys rails at all railway junctions leading to Russia as part of an attempt to prevent Russian military supplies from being delivered by freight trains. (Ukrainska Pravda) 

Sergey Aksyonov, the head of the Republic of Crimea, says that supplies of water via the North Crimean Canal returned after Russians destroyed the dam that prevented the flow of water from the Dnieper river. (TASS) 

German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock agrees to introduce a “targeted and functional” blockade of Russia from the SWIFT messaging system. All European Union countries are now in agreement to remove the country from the messaging system. (Politico) (Reuters) 

In an official joint statement, the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, agree to remove some Russian banks from SWIFT. The group also commits to “imposing restrictive measures that will prevent the Russian Central Bank from deploying its international reserves in ways that undermine the impact of our sanctions.” (The Guardian) 

Several computer chip manufacturers, including TSMC and Intel, halt supplies of their products as a result of sanctions against Russia. (The Washington Post) 

South Korea reports 112 deaths from COVID-19, a new single-day record. (AP) 

Estonia announces that it will close its airspace to all Russian airlines. (Reuters) 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says that Turkey is making efforts for an immediate ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. (Reuters) 

In a phone call, French President Emmanuel Macron calls for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to demand the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. During the phone call, Lukashenko also called reports of Belarus potentially having nuclear weapons “fake news”. (Big News Network) (Belta) 

Around 3,000 anti-war protesters across Russia have been detained since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine. (Times of Israel) 

Protesters gather at the Russian embassy in London. During the protest, demonstrators are seen throwing eggs at the embassy, and call for Vladimir Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine. (The Independent) 

Around 200 demonstrators in Taipei, Taiwan call for the war to end. (Taiwan News) 

Iranian police disperse protesters chanting “Death to Putin” outside the Ukrainian embassy in Tehran. (Iran International) 

Protesters gather in Kansas City, Salt Lake City, the Space Needle in Seattle, and other cities across the U.S. to stand in solitary with Ukraine and call for peace. (The Kansas City Star) (The Salt Lake Tribune) (Seattle Times) 

Universities reopen in Afghanistan to male and female students for the first time since the Taliban took power 6 months ago. (VOA) 

Russia blocks access to social media platform Twitter. (The Verge) 

The International Olympic Committee bans Belarus. (ESPN) 

The End Sunday 

Street fighting breaks out as Russian forces push into Kyiv Russian forces have entered the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv but have not yet seized control of the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday. According to Ukrainian military sources, Russian forces made several attempts to push deeper into Kyiv on Friday night but were repelled after vicious street fighting. “We broke their plan,” Zelensky said in a video posted on social media. Ukraine’s health ministry reports that 198 Ukrainians, including three children, have been killed since the invasion began on Thursday. Ukraine’s government has distributed assault rifles to civilians, urged citizens to “make Molotov cocktails and take down the occupier,” and promised to arm any foreign volunteers who arrive to help defend Ukraine. THE WALL STREET JOURNALBBC 

Biden nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court President Biden announced Friday he had picked Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee for the Supreme Court. Biden described her as “a proven consensus builder, an accomplished lawyer, [and] a distinguished jurist.” If confirmed, Jackson would become the first Black woman to ever serve on the Supreme Court. Jackson currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The Senate confirmed her to that position in a 53-44 vote in June 2021. Jackson previously served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, whose seat she would be filling. She would also be the first Supreme Court justice ever to have served as a public defender. THE WHITE HOUSETHE WEEK 

Ukrainian president declines U.S. evacuation offer Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused a U.S. government offer to evacuate him from the country, opting instead to remain with his troops in Kyiv. “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” Zelensky said, according to an American intelligence official. Zelensky also told Ukrainians that “[a]ccording to the information we have, the enemy has marked me as target No. 1.” His family, which he described as Russia’s “target No. 2” is reportedly in hiding somewhere in Ukraine. THE WASHINGTON POSTTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

CDC says about 70 percent of Americans don’t need to wear masks indoors The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has eased its mask guidance for the majority of Americans in light of declining COVID-19 cases. The CDC said Friday that in counties classified as having a “COVID-19 community level” of low or medium, it’s safe not to wear masks indoors, including in schools, and this applies to about 70 percent of Americans. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the move could be made because the U.S. is in a “stronger place today as a nation” in the pandemic with “more tools to protect ourselves.” THE WEEKNBC NEWS 

GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger calls for U.S.-enforced no-fly zone over Ukraine Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) called for the U.S. to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine to give the country’s military a “fair fight” against invading Russian forces. “The fate of #Ukraine is being decided tonight, but also the fate of the west. Declare a #NoFlyZone over Ukraine at the invitation of their sovereign govt,” Kinzinger tweeted on Friday. Critics were quick to point out that this would likely require the U.S. to shoot down Russian aircraft, which could lead to a war between Russia and NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked NATO to “close the skies,” but the alliance has so far been unwilling to take the risk. REP. ADAM KINZINGERPOLITICO 

Trump urges Rick Scott to challenge McConnell for Senate leadership Former President Donald Trump reportedly urged Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to challenge Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for Senate Republican leadership during a private meeting at Mar-a-Lago this week. According to someone familiar with the exchange, Scott deflected the question, telling Trump that right now his “only focus is on winning” back control of the Senate. Scott, who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, defied McConnell earlier this week by releasing a policy agenda for the 2022 midterms. McConnell had intended to make the elections a referendum on President Biden’s leadership. POLITICO 

Russia vetoes U.N. resolution condemning Ukraine invasion Russia used its power as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council on Friday to veto a resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. China abstained from the vote, while the remaining three permanent members — the U.S., the U.K., and France — voted in favor of the resolution. Among the 10 non-permanent members, which do not have veto power, none voted against the resolution, and only India and the United Arab Emirates abstained. “You can veto this resolution, but you cannot veto our voices,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield told Russia’s U.N. ambassador. NPRREUTERS 

Jussie Smollett files motion to overturn conviction for faking hate crime Jussie Smollett filed a motion Friday asking a Chicago judge to overturn his conviction for faking a hate crime attack against himself in January of 2019. Smollett’s lawyers claim he should have his conviction thrown out or be given a new trial because the jury selection process violated his right to a fair trial. The Empire actor was found guilty in December on five counts of felony disorderly conduct for falsely reporting to police that two supporters of then-President Donald Trump punched him, poured a chemical substance over his head, placed a noose around his neck, and hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him. The jury found that Smollett paid two men to stage the attack. 

THE NEW YORK POSTTHE WEEK 

NATO announces first-ever activation of Response Force in Eastern Europe North Atlantic Treaty Organization leadership activated its Response Force for the first time ever to support Ukraine amid an invasion by Russia, the alliance announced Friday. The multinational force can be deployed quickly and includes land, air, sea, and special operations forces. But the move does not mean that any NATO troops, including U.S. troops, will be deployed into Ukraine. Instead, they will reportedly go to strategic areas in Eastern Europe to protect NATO countries nervous about Russia’s aggressive actions. Ukraine is not a NATO member. The entire NATO Response Force is made up of 40,000 troops, though it is unclear how many troops will be deployed. 

CNNTHE WEEK 

Ukraine has rejected Russia’s offer to negotiate, Kremlin spokesman says Kermlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Saturday that Ukraine had rejected a Russian offer to begin negotiations. Peskov said Russia had halted its offensive on Friday to give Ukraine’s government time to consider the offer, but Ukrainian sources reported no such lull in Russia’s assault. Ukrainian sources said Friday the two countries were working toward agreeing on a time and place to meet for negotiations. Belarusian news outlet Nexta reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to mediate. Russia previously said it was open to negotiating with Ukraine, though the potential settlement Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined came with a number of ultimatums attached. BLOOMBERGTHE MOSCOW TIMES 

Friday,  February 25th, 2022 

The Ukrainian military says that it has blown up a bridge in order to prevent Russian forces from advancing to Kyiv. (Ukrinform) 

Ukraine says that Russian troops have entered Kyiv and heavy fighting is underway. Videos on social media show tanks advancing through the city’s Obolon neighbourhood. Gunfire and explosions are also reported in the city’s Podilskyi District. (BBC News) (The Guardian) 

The US Department of Defense says that Russia is losing momentum in its attack on Ukraine. (CNN) 

Ukrainian OTR-21 Tochka missiles attack the Millerovo air base in Rostov oblast, Russia, destroying two Russian Air Force warplanes according to Ukrainian officials. Images appear to show the airbase on fire. (Newsweek) (RostovGazeta) 

A column of Russian soldiers is defeated by the Ukrainian army in Starobilsk. (Gazeta.ua) 

Ukrainian airborne assault troops engage Russian soldiers at Ivankiv and Dymer. (Gazeta.ua) 

A captain and corporal from the Russian 11th Guards Air Assault Brigade surrender to the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Chernihiv. (Gazeta.ua) 

Russian forces reportedly retreat from Sumy. (Channel 24) 

The Russian Defence Ministry says that Russian Airborne Forces have recaptured the strategic Hostomel Airport near Kyiv, after assaulting the airbase with 200 helicopters. (BBC News) 

During an emergency NATO summit, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announces that NATO will provide weapons to Ukraine. He also announces that the NATO Response Force will be activated for the first time in history. (Reuters) (Stars and Stripes) 

Kazakhstan will deny Russia’s request for troops to join the war. It will also not join Putin’s recognition of Donetsk People’s Republic or Luhansk People’s Republic. (NBC News) 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses European leadership of “inaction” in face of the Russian invasion, saying “Like World War II, you said never again, but here it is again and you’re not doing enough to respond”. Zelenskyy also calls on citizens across the European Union to protest and force their governments to take more decisive action. (The Business Standard) 

A Moldovan-flagged chemical tanker is hit by a missile near the Port of Odessa, seriously injuring two crew members, according to Moldova’s naval agency. It is unclear who launched the missile. (Reuters) 

Russian President Vladimir Putin urges the Armed Forces of Ukraine to “take power in your own hands” and overthrow the Ukrainian government, which he referred to as a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis”. (The Guardian) 

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warns both Finland and Sweden that they could face “detrimental military and political consequences” if they attempt to join NATO. (The Guardian) 

At least 23 FARC dissidents are killed by the Colombian Army during an operation in Arauca Department. (Al Jazeera) 

Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang announces that Taiwan will impose sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. (Financial Post) 

Russia bans all British airlines from its airspace and airports in response to the UK’s ban on its flag carrier Aeroflot. (Reuters) 

The European Union freezes all assets held by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the EU. (National Post) 

The Biden administration announces that the U.S. will join the European Union in imposing sanctions on Putin. (NBC News) 

The Council of Europe announces the suspension of Russia’s membership. (The Business Standard) 

The Council of the OECD formally terminates the accession process of Russia to the organisation. (OECD) 

Russian President Vladimir Putin tells Chinese President Xi Jinping that Russia is willing to hold talks with Ukraine. (Reuters) 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urges Vladimir Putin to engage in talks in order to end the conflict. (Armenpress) 

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov says that Russia has agreed to hold talks and will send a delegation to Minsk, Belarus. (The Wall Street Journal) 

Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak says that the country is ready to hold talks with Russia on neutral status in order to implement a ceasefire. A time and place is expected to be announced. (Reuters) (The Independent) 

President Zelenskyy calls for Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to serve as a mediator in talks between Ukraine and Russia. (Times of Israel) 

The Federated States of Micronesia suspends diplomatic ties with Russia. (Barron’s) 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urges Russia to respect the “territorial sovereignty” of Ukraine and to “put an end to civilian casualties by resuming negotiations.” (CNN) 

Secretary of the Belarus Foreign Ministry Anatoly Glaz says that Belarus is ready to help bring peace to Ukraine amid reports of possible peace talks in Minsk. (Belta) 

Brazil and Venezuela will reopen their border after a two year closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters) 

Ukrainians, Norwegians, and Russians hold a joint anti-war protest in Kirkenes, Norway, calling for Vladimir Putin to be tried at the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands. (The Barents Observer) 

Protesters gather in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to stand in solidarity with Ukraine. (Reuters) 

Protesters gather at the Russian consulate in Edinburgh, Scotland, for a second consecutive day to express outrage over the war. (AOL) 

Russia announces that it has partially restricted access to Facebook. (CNET) 

UEFA announces the relocation of this year’s Champions League final from the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg to the Stade de France near Paris, in response to the crisis. (CNN) 

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile cancels this year’s edition of the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi initially scheduled for September 25, stating that “it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances”. (BBC Sport) 

 
Amanda Bynes files to end her conservatorship Now that Britney has been freed, has the time come for #FreeAmanda? Amanda Bynes officially filed a Ventura County Superior Court petition to terminate her conservatorship after almost nine years. “She believes her condition is improved and protection of the court is no longer necessary,” her attorney, David Esquibias, told People. Like Britney Spears, the former Nickelodeon star was placed under a conservatorship in 2013 after she was hospitalized on an involuntary psychiatric hold. Bynes, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, had allegedly started “a small fire in the driveway of some random person’s house,” TMZ reported at the time. She has had no acting credits in more than a decade. Last year, her attorney told Us Weekly, “Amanda would love to be unconserved. She’s expressed it over and over. The timing is not right at the moment, so she’s working toward that direction. We all are working toward that direction, and one day we all hope to see it.” Should that day come, dancing lobsters will presumably be on call.  PAGE SIX 

Aaron Rodgers spotted hanging out with alleged ex Shailene Woodley Are Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley still together, or what? The Green Bay Packers quarterback and Divergent star were spotted getting breakfast in Los Angeles after they supposedly called off their engagement and broke up. “They came to the cafe for breakfast and just sat outside at a table together,” a source told E! News. Last Wednesday, reports from multiple outlets said the pair called off their engagement a year after announcing it. But Rodgers later gushed about Woodley in a cryptic Instagram post, thanking her for her “unconditional love,” and on The Pat McAfee Show, he seemed to talk about her as if they were still together — and insisted that what sounded like a woman laughing in the background was just his TV. So was the death of their relationship greatly exaggerated, or are they just hanging out as friends? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time we were led to believe something about Aaron Rodgers that turned out not to be true.  TMZ 

Benedict Cumberbatch saved a family from a herd of cows Benedict Cumberbatch went full method acting to play a rancher in The Power of the Dog, and at least one family would argue it was well worth it. On the Graham Norton Show, the Oscar-nominated actor revealed that after shooting the Netflix film, he “had to cross a field, and in the field was a petrified family who just couldn’t move” and was “frozen because of a herd of cows with calves.” At that point, the ranching skills he picked up making the movie were put to good use. “I thought, ‘I can do this,’” Cumberbatch said, “and I just sort of parted the waves of cattle. The family was like, ‘That was incredible. Hey, aren’t you Sherlock?’ It was very un-Sherlock activity!” Cumberbatch is going head-to-head against Will Smith for Best Actor at the Oscars next month, so if he wants to win, it may be wise to milk this cow rescue tale as much as possible.  VARIETY 

Quentin Tarantino may direct episodes of the ‘Justified’ revival There’s yet another reason to feel justified in your excitement for Raylan Givens’ return. Quentin Tarantino is in talks to direct “one or two episodes” of the new Justified limited series City Primeval, Deadline reports. The limited series revival will see Timothy Olyphant returning as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, following up the acclaimed drama series Justified after it ended in 2015, and it’s based on Elmore Leonard’s novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit. Tarantino is a big fan of Leonard, and this would be his first time directing television since 2005; he previously directed episodes of ER and CSI. It’s another project Tarantino is taking on after he was revealed to be the narrator of the new Showtime series about Uber. The filmmaker has declared he’ll retire from directing after his next film — but by filling up his plate with other things, perhaps he’ll just keep putting that off forever, George R. R. Martin style. Either way, FX better be prepared for more shots of feet than they ever thought possible.  DEADLINE 

Machine Gun Kelly wants a ‘red river’ for his and Megan Fox’s wedding The RSVP for Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox’s wedding may also involve a blood pact. Machine Gun Kelly chatted on The Late Late Show about getting engaged to Fox last month, but when James Corden asked when they’re going to get married, he suggested it might be a minute, as he’s got some very specific requests. “When they can build me like a red river with like gothic …” he said before trailing off. It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise considering Fox previously revealed that after getting engaged, the two “drank each other’s blood.” While Kelly didn’t get into more details about what he’s got in mind for the wedding, he noted to Corden that “the location is hard,” as he’s got to “find a spot that’s matching my artistic” vision. Might we suggest Halloween Horror Nights, or perhaps the set of the next Evil Dead movie?  UPROXX 

The End Saturday 

Friday,  February 25th, 2022 

Winter storm hits 100 million people across U.S. A huge storm that has placed more than 100 million people under extreme-weather advisories from Texas to Maine is expected to hit the Northeast on Friday after disrupting travel and knocking out power in parts of the central U.S. on Thursday. More than 1,000 flights were canceled Wednesday and Thursday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as an ice storm hit parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas. Hundreds of traffic accidents were reported. A toddler was killed in a wreck in Kentucky. “Prepare now for this major winter storm,” the National Weather Service warned as parts of the Northeast and New England braced for up to a foot of snow. “Widespread hazardous travel and damage to the power infrastructure are expected.” USA TODAY 

Russia invades Ukraine and advances to Kyiv outskirts Russia started its invasion of Ukraine on Thursday with airstrikes on cities and military bases. Russian troops and tanks then entered the country on three sides and reached the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, on Friday, in the biggest ground offensive in Europe since World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned other countries not to come to Ukraine’s aid, reminding the world of Russia’s nuclear weapons stockpile and threatening “consequences you have never seen.” Ukrainian leaders said their military was fighting back, and that dozens of their soldiers and hundreds of Russian troops had been killed. They said Russian forces had seized control of the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant in an attack that could “cause another ecological disaster” at the site of the world’s worst nuclear meltdown. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Ukraine’s military reports that at least 137 of its soldiers have been killed in Eastern Ukraine, with a senior Ukrainian government official estimating that hundreds of Ukrainian troops have been killed by airstrikes. Ukraine’s military also says that 50 Russian soldiers have been killed in action. (CNN) 

Explosions are heard around Kyiv as ballistic missiles strike the city. (Newsweek) 

The Ukrainian military shoots down a Russian plane over Kyiv. The plane crashes into a nine-story apartment complex, setting the building ablaze. (The Jerusalem Post) 

The Ukrainian military says that it has blown up a bridge to prevent Russian forces from advancing to Kyiv. (Ukrinform) 

Ukraine says Russian troops have entered Kyiv and heavy fighting is underway. Videos on social media show tanks advancing through the city’s Obolon neighbourhood. (BBC News) 

Heavy gunfire and explosions are reported in Kyiv’s Podilskyi District as Russian troops advance. (The Guardian) 

A column of Russian soldiers are defeated by the Ukrainian army in Starobilsk. (Gazeta.ua) 

Ukrainian airborne assault troops engage Russian soldiers at Ivankiv and Dymer. (Gazeta.ua) 

The Russian Armed Forces says that its “lightning offensive” has crippled the Ukrainian military and suppressed its air defense systems. However, the Ukrainian Air Force says that it is repelling Russian invaders. (BBC News) 

A captain and corporal from the Russian 11th Guards Air Assault Brigade surrender to the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Chernihiv. (Gazeta.ua) 

Russian forces reportedly retreat from Sumy. (Channel 24) 

The Russian Defence Ministry says Russian Airborne Forces have recaptured the strategic Hostomel Airport (Antonov Airport), to the west of Kyiv, after assaulting the airbase with 200 helicopters. (BBC) 

Ukraine says that it has shot down six Russian warplanes and two helicopters, and destroyed dozens of enemy armored vehicles, according to its Joint Centre of Control and Coordination. However, Russian military representatives deny the claims. (First Post) 

Ukrainian OTR-21 Tochka missiles strike Millerovo air base in Rostov oblast, Russia, destroying a number of Russian Air Force warplanes. Images released show the airbase on fire. (Newsweek) (RostovGazeta) 

The Ukrainian government’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate says that higher than usual gamma radiation levels have been detected in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone after its capture by Russia. (The Telegraph) 

Two teachers are killed by a shelling of the Ukrainian military at a school in Horlivka, Donetsk People’s Republic. (Tass) 

Ukraine reports that Russian Navy warships have attacked Snake Island near the Danube Delta. (IndiaTV) 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses European leadership of “inaction” in face of the Russian invasion, saying “Like World War II, you said never again, but here it is again and you’re not doing enough to respond”. Zelenskyy calls on citizens across the European Union to protest and force their governments into more decisive action. (The Business Standard) 

A Moldovan-flagged chemical tanker is hit with a missile near the Port of Odessa, seriously injuring two crew members, according to Moldova’s naval agency. It is unclear who launched the missile. (Reuters) 

Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang announces that Taiwan will impose sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. (Financial Post) 

UEFA announces the relocation of this year’s Champions League final from the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg to the Stade de France near Paris, in response to the crisis. (CNN) 

Russia bans all British airlines from its airspace and airports in response to the UK’s ban on its flag carrier Aeroflot. (Reuters) 

International companies shut Ukraine factories after Russia invades International companies operating in Russia and Ukraine started closing offices and factories on Thursday after Russia invaded Ukraine. Danish brewer Carlsberg shut down three breweries in Ukraine and told workers to stay home. Nestlé temporarily closed its three Ukraine factories and urged its 5,000 employees in the country to stay home. Some executives sent workers to the Polish border to get away from the violence. With the rail network and ports closed, and gas supplies disrupted, operations were difficult for businesses remaining open. “Today is a dark day for all of us,” Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruchtold shareholders at their annual meeting. “The attack on Ukraine represents a turning point in Europe; a war was simply unthinkable for many people, especially the younger generations.” THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

The European Union freezes any assets held by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the EU. (National Post) 

Syria formally recognises the independence of the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic from Ukraine. The internationally unrecognised Houthi government in Yemen also recognizes the breakaway republics. (Middle East Monitor) 

U.S. President Joe Biden orders Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to send 7,000 troops to Germany in order to assist NATO allies. (Reuters) 

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile cancels this year’s edition of the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi initially scheduled for September 25, stating that “it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances”. (BBC) 

Biden announces more sanctions against Russia President Biden announced more sanctions against Russia on Thursday in response to its invasion of Ukraine. “Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences,” Biden said. The new sanctions include measures to block technology exports, a move intended to deter Russian military and aerospace advances. Biden also said the sanctions would target Russian banks and “corrupt billionaires,” many of whom have Kremlin ties. The United States also is targeting people in Belarus for that country’s help in Russia’s invasion. U.S. allies, including the European Union, also announced new sanctions. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his country would impose its “largest ever” penalties against Russia. THE GUARDIAN 

Thousands of Russians protest invasion of Ukraine Thousands of people across Russia took to the streets on Thursday to protest their military’s invasion of Ukraine. A total of 1,745 people were arrested in 54 Russian cities. At least 957 of them were detained in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir said the “special military operation” that began Thursday, Moscow’s biggest foreign offensive since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, was necessary to prevent “genocide” in parts of eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russia separatists. Opposition activist Tatyana Usmanova called the invasion “a disgrace” and she asked for “forgiveness” from Ukrainians. “We didn’t vote for those who unleashed the war,” she said. THE GUARDIAN 

U.S. to loosen mask guidelines The Biden administration on Friday is expected to loosen federal guidelines for wearing masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, The Associated Press reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reportedly will announce that it is changing the metrics for determining whether people should wear face coverings. The guidance currently focuses on caseloads, recommending masks for people in the roughly 95 percent of U.S. counties with substantial transmission. The new recommendations will also look at hospitalizations and local hospital capacity. Under the new guidelines, most Americans will no longer be advised to wear face coverings in indoor public settings, The Associated Press reports. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Biden reportedly has decided on his Supreme Court nominee President Biden has reached a decision on his nominee to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court, several news organizations reported Thursday night. An announcement is expected as soon as Friday, although the timing remained in flux due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Friday will mark two years to the day since Biden first pledged during a 2020 primary debate in South Carolina to pick the first Black woman for the Supreme Court. Biden has interviewed at least three potential nominees: federal appeals court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson; South Carolina federal Judge J. Michelle Childs; and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger. The White House declined to comment. CNN 

U.S. stocks rebound from plunge triggered by Russia’s Ukraine invasion U.S. stocks made a stunning comeback on Thursday, closing with big gains after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent shares plummeting early in the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 92 points, or 0.3 percent, after falling by as much 700 points. The S&P 500 gained 1.5 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped 3.3 percent. Despite the turnaround, the S&P 500 remains in correction territory, down more than 10 percent since its record high ont Jan. 3. The Nasdaq Composite started the day in bear market territory, more than 20 percent below its November record, but rebounded and closed about 16 percent below its all-time high. The volatility appeared likely to continue on Friday as Russia’s invasion entered its second day, and U.S. stock futures fell overnight. CNBC 

Parents of teen to stand trial over deadly Michigan school shooting A Michigan judge ruled Thursday that Jennifer and James Crumbley, parents of the 15-year-old boy charged with killing four students at his Michigan high school in November, can be put on trial on involuntary manslaughter charges. Rochester Hills District Court Judge Julie Nicholson held a preliminary examination and said afterwards that there was enough evidence for a trial in circuit court. The Crumbleys are accused of providing access to the gun their son, Ethan Crumbley, is charged with using in the shooting, and failing to act on signs that he was in mental distress. Their lawyer said the parents had no reason to believe their son might attack classmates and teachers at his school, Oxford High School north of Detroit. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DOJ challenges UnitedHealth’s $13 billion Change Healthcare acquisition   The Justice Department on Thursday filed an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block a UnitedHealth subsidiary’s proposed $13 billion acquisition of health-technology firm Change Healthcare. The Justice Department, in the Biden administration’s latest challenge of corporate consolidation, argued that the deal would include technologies that UnitedHealth’s rivals depend on, giving the company access to data it could use to gain advantages over competitors. The suit also said the acquisition would reduce direct competition in the insurance claim transmission and review business, where UnitedHealth and Change both offer services. UnitedHealth said the DOJ’s position was “deeply flawed” and “based on highly speculative theories that do not reflect the realities of the health-care system.” THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Beyond Meat shares drop after larger-than-expected quarterly loss Beyond Meat shares fell 11 percent in after-market trading after the plant-based meat company reported a larger quarterly loss than expected. Beyond Meat reported a loss of $1.27 per share in the last three months of 2021, exceeding the 77 cent loss expected by analysts polled by Refinitiv. Quarterly revenue dropped 1.3 percent due to weak demand, increased discounts, and shrinking market share, the company said. Another leading plant-based meat company lowered its growth forecast, further darkening the outlook for a market that experienced strong growth for several years before slowing down last year. CNBC 

At least seven people are killed and 85 others are injured by an earthquake in Sumatra in Indonesia. The 6.2 earthquake is felt as far away as Malaysia and Singapore. (The Straits Times) 

Thursday, February 24th, 2022 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a telephone meeting. During the meeting, Modi called for Russia and Ukraine to “end the violence”. (Telangana Today) 

Russian troops enter Sumy and take control of the road leading from Kyiv to Moscow. Battles for strategic cities on the railway to Sumy are also underway. (Novoye Vremya) 

Russian gunships bombard Hostomel Airport near Kyiv. Ukraine says that three helicopters were shot down in defence. Russian Airborne Forces seized control of the airport, but the Ukrainian Ground Forces have recaptured the airport.  (Ukrinform) 

Russia announces that they have taken control of the North Crimean Canal in the Kherson Oblast and have restored the supply of water to Crimea. (Reuters) 

The Russian Defence Ministry says that it has destroyed 83 Ukrainian “above-ground military facilities”, including 11 aerodromes. (Reuters) 

Russia says that two Russian civilian ships have been hit by anti-ship missiles in the Sea of Azov, causing multiple deaths. Russia subsequently restricts access for civilian vessels on the Sea of Azov. (Reuters) 

A Turkish-owned vessel is bombed off the coast of Odessa, according to Turkey’s Directorate General of Coastal Safety. No casualties are reported. (Daily Sabah) 

Romania, Poland, and the Baltic states agree to trigger article 4 of NATO’s North Atlantic Treaty in response to Russian aggression.  (Digi24) 

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock states that Germany will “launch the full package with the most massive sanctions against Russia.” (EURACTIV) 

Ukraine suspends diplomatic relations with Russia in response to the invasion. (The Times of Israel) 

Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda announces that he will sign a decree declaring a state of emergency and asks Seimas to ratify it in an extraordinary session. (ERR) 

Moldova declares a state of emergency in response to the invasion. Hundreds of Ukrainians are crossing the border, according to President Maia Sandu. (National Post) 

Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova close their airspaces to commercial aircraft. (Reuters) 

Russian President Vladimir Putin orders a military operation to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine. Putin also warns of “consequences you have never seen in history” for anyone who tries to interfere or “create threats for our country”. (CNN) 

Eight polio vaccination workers are killed by unknown gunmen in Kunduz and Takhar, leading to the suspension of the vaccination campaign in the two provinces. The campaign was launched nationwide in November 2021. (VOA) 

Health Canada approves Medicago’s CoVLP COVID-19 vaccine for use in adults, making it the first domestic vaccine to be approved for use in Canada. (The Vancouver Sun) 

Israel fires several missiles towards Damascus, Syria, killing three Syrian soldiers. (The Washington Post) (Times of Israel) 

It is announced that Russia will participate in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, Italy despite invading Ukraine. (AOL) 

Iraq unveils three monumental structures in Hatra in an effort to restore the city after it was destroyed by the Islamic State in 2015. (France24) 

The European Union says that it will introduce the “strongest, harshest package” of sanctions on the Russian economy in response to the invasion. (AP) 

The New Zealand government is expected to introduce a package of sanctions against Russia that includes a ban on the entry into and transit through the country of Russian government officials and other people connected to the invasion, as well as a ban on the export of goods to Russian military and security forces. (RNZ) 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces that the United Kingdom will impose sanctions on Russian banks and oligarchs. Russian airline Aeroflot will also be banned from operating flights to the UK due to the invasion. (BBC News) 

Canada terminates all export permits with Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine. (U.S. News & World Report) 

U.S. President Joe Biden announces sanctions against Russia and vows that additional sanctions could be coming. He also reaffirms that the U.S. will not directly intervene in Ukraine but will continue to defend NATO.  (BuzzFeed) 

Latvia and the Czech Republic suspend issuing visas to Russian citizens. (RusTourismNews) 

Anti-war protesters gather at Russian embassies in many countries to oppose President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. (Axios) 

Protesters gather at 10 Downing Street to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to call for Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the United Kingdom to support Ukraine. (The Big Issue) 

Protesters in Russia are detained as people gather in cities across the country in order to protest Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. (The Moscow Times)

Three former Minneapolis police officers, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas K. Lane and Tou Thao, are found guilty of violating the civil rights of George Floyd under government authority. (NBC News) 

Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov signs a decree that bans the slaughtering of cattle during funerals in the country. (AKIpress) 

Jennifer Lawrence reportedly welcomes her 1st child The star of Mother! is officially a mother. Jennifer Lawrence has welcomed her first child with husband Cooke Maroney, TMZ reports. The Hunger Games actress has yet to confirm the news, and the report didn’t have information about the baby’s sex or name, but public records reportedly showed she gave birth in L.A. County. Lawrence’s pregnancy was first revealed in September, about two years after she and her art dealer husband were married. She’s been fairly private about her pregnancy, explaining why to Vanity Fair in November: “If I was at a dinner party, and somebody was like, ‘Oh, my God, you’re expecting a baby,’ I wouldn’t be like, ‘God, I can’t talk about that. Get away from me, you psycho!’” she said. “But every instinct in my body wants to protect their privacy for the rest of their lives, as much as I can.” If her hope is to keep the child away from the paparazzi as long as possible, may the odds be ever in her favor.  TMZ 

The Weeknd posts extremely poorly timed tweet amid Ukraine invasion Ladies and gentlemen, the award for worst timing of a tweet in 2022 goes to The Weeknd. On Wednesday night, just as news broke that Russia was launching an attack on Ukraine, The Weeknd tweeted, with no context, “LET’S GOOOOOOOO.” The singer had started teasing something hours earlier, but it still made for a disorienting sight to see that excited message on Twitter in between breaking news updates about the events in Ukraine and concerns about the possible start of World War III — which it might initially seem like he was cheering on. About two hours later, he clarified he was teasing an announcement that has now been postponed, tweeting, “Unfortunately i’m just now seeing what’s happening with the conflict and will pause on tomorrow’s announcement. i pray for everyone’s safety.” And that, kids, is why we don’t schedule tweets in the middle of an international crisis.  THE WEEK 

John Cena criticized for using Ukraine crisis to plug ‘Peacemaker’ When it comes to terrible celebrity tweets amid the Ukraine crisis, the cringe just keeps coming. John Cena weighed in on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday morning with a tweet declaring that he wishes his DC character, Peacemaker, could help everyone out — bringing some real “Mark Wahlberg claims he could have prevented 9/11” energy to the situation. ” If I could somehow summon the powers of a real life #Peacemaker I think this would be a great time to do so,” Cena tweeted. The WWE star was quickly criticized for appearing to use an actual war breaking out as an opportunity to plug his HBO Max show, even including its hashtag. “Celebrities are so out of touch with reality…it’s embarrassing,” one response read, while another user replied, “Bad time to promote a f—ing TV show. Please delete this. People are dying.” Talk about a social media wipeout.   TWITTER 

AnnaLynne McCord reads bizarre poem to Putin: ‘I’m so sorry that I was not your mother’ But wait, there’s (unfortunately) more! Nip/Tuck and 90210 actress AnnaLynne McCord also made followers cringe on Thursday after posting an absolutely bizarre video of herself reading a poem addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin. She suggests she might have been able to change the Russian leader had she raised him. “Dear President Vladimir Putin: I’m so sorry that I was not your mother,” she says. “If I was your mother, you would have been so loved.” For the rest of the more than two minute poem, McCord questions whether Putin’s actions were shaped by “soul-stealing pain” he must have gone through as a boy. But, she says, “If I was your mother … I’d have died to protect you from the unjust, the violence, the terror, the uncertainty,” and then “perhaps you would hold dear human life.” That should do it! At this point, if Gal Gadot wants to go ahead and make an “Imagine” video sequel, she might as well — it can’t be worse than this.  THE WEEK 

Over $200,000 worth of props stolen from ‘The Crown’ set Meanwhile, Netflix has a royal headache on their hands after thieves reportedly stole over $200,000 worth of props from the set of The Crown. South Yorkshire police are reportedly investigating after more than 350 items were stolen in a heist, including a replica Imperial Coronation Fabergé coach egg, a grandfather clock clockface, sets of silver candelabra, Russian religious icons, and more. A Netflix spokesperson confirmed the theft, and said “replacements will be sourced, there is no expectation that filming will be held up.” The show’s set decorator, Alison Harvey, said the items are “not necessarily in the best condition and therefore of limited value for resale,” but they’re still “valuable as pieces to the UK film industry.” Police said, though, that “all existing lines of enquiry have now been exhausted.” On a completely unrelated note, has anyone heard from Nicolas Cage lately?  VARIETY

The End Friday 

Thursday, February 24th, 2022 

Oil rises above $100 per barrel for 1st time since 2014 Oil prices jumped by nearly 9 percent on Thursday after Russia invaded Ukraine, pushing U.S. and global benchmarks above $100 per barrel for the first time since 2014. Global benchmark Brent crude was up 8.9 percent and U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 8.7 percent early in the day. Natural gas prices rose by 6.1 percent. Gold, a popular safe haven when investors flee risky assets, rose 3.3 percent. The United States and numerous allies imposed a first wave of sanctions against Russia earlier this week as Russian forces appeared ready to invade and Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of pro-Russian separatist enclaves in eastern Ukraine. They are expected to unveil a second wave on Thursday. CNBC 

Global stocks plunge after Russia attacks Ukraine Global stocks dropped sharply early Thursday after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a military assault against Ukraine, ending months of speculation about an invasion. The United States and its European allies condemned the attack, which they had long warned would trigger severe economic sanctions. London’s FTSE 100 dropped 2.5 percent. France’s CAC 40 and Germany’s DAX fell 4 percent. Russia’s main index crashed, falling 45 percent. In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 3.2 percent. Japan’s Nikkei and China’s Shanghai Composite were down 1.8 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively. In the United States, Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 futures were down 2.5 percent at 6:30 a.m. ET. Nasdaq futures were down 3 percent. CNN 

A massive selloff occurs on the Moscow Stock Exchange, which prompts its operator to trigger circuit breakers twice in three hours. The Russian ruble’s exchange rate jumps to the record low, spiking at ₽89.98 per US dollar. (Rzeczpospolita) (Reuters) 

Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel vows to not participate in the 2022 Russian Grand Prix if the event is not cancelled. (RACER) (CTV News) 

Ukraine reports that Russian Navy warships have attacked the Romanian/Ukrainian administrated Snake Island near the Danube Delta. If confirmed it would be the first Russian attack on a NATO state. (IndiaTV) 

The Baltic states, Romania and Poland agree to trigger article 4 of NATO’s North Atlantic Treaty in response to Russian aggression. (ERR) (Digi24) 

Russia says two Russian civilian ships have been hit with anti-ship missiles in the Sea of Azov, causing multiple casualties. (Ynet) 

Russia restricts access for civilian vessels on the Sea of Azov; its Black Sea coast remains open. (Reuters) 

Russian President Vladimir Putin orders a military operation to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine. Belarusian soldiers assist Russia in invading Ukraine. (CNN 1) (CNN 2) 

Putin warns of “consequences you have never seen in history” whoever tries to interfere or “create threats for our country”. (AP) 

The Russian Defence Ministry says it has destroyed 74 Ukrainian “above-ground military facilities”, including 11 aerodromes. (Reuters) 

The Russian Armed Forces say its “lightning offensive” has crippled the Ukrainian military and suppressed its air defense systems; the Ukrainian Air Force says it is is repelling Russian invaders. (TASS) (BBC News) 

A Russian missile strikes the Ministry of Defence intelligence headquarters in Kyiv. (Reuters) 

Ukraine’s military reports the killing of about 50 Russian soldiers and at least 40 confirmed killed in action among its armed forces during battles in Eastern Ukraine; a senior Ukrainian government official estimates deaths from airstrikes among the Ukrainian troops in the hundreds. (The Wall Street Journal) (Al Jazeera) 

A Ukrainian Air Force Antonov An-26 is shot down and crashes in Obukhiv, killing five crew members, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. (Interfax) 

Russian troops enter Sumy and take control over the road leading from Kyiv to Moscow in the region; battles for strategic cities on the railway to Sumy are underway. (Novoye Vremya) 

Russian ballistic and cruise missiles strike multiple Ukrainian cities and airfields, including the capital Kyiv and Kharkiv. (CNN) 

Russian tanks enter the city of Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine. (BBC News) 

Russian gunships bombard Hostomel Airport on the outskirts of Kyiv. Ukraine says three helicopters were shot down in defence. Russian Airborne Forces have seized control of the airport. (The Moscow Times) (Reuters) 

Ukraine confirms that Russian Ground Forces have entered Luhansk Oblast, Sumy Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast, Chernihiv Oblast, Zhytomyr Oblast and crossed the border from occupied Crimea. Russian troops also attack the port cities of Odessa and Mariupol in amphibious landings. (CNN) (The Business Standard) 

Ukraine says it has shot down six Russian warplanes, two helicopters and destroyed dozens of enemy armored vehicles, according to its Joint Centre of Control and Coordination; Russian military representatives deny the claims. (Mil.gov.ua) (First Post) 

Putin announces start of military operation in Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced the start of a military assault against Ukraine. Putin said the aim of the “special military operation” was the “demilitarization” of Ukraine, but claimed he did not plan to occupy the smaller neighbor. President Biden condemned what he called an “unjustified” and “premeditated” war, and said the U.S. and its allies would respond in a “united and decisive way.” There were reports of explosions in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said Russian forces were crossing the border and had landed in the Black Sea port city of Odessa, beginning a long-expected invasion. Putin said Russia was responding to a plea for help from Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. THE WASHINGTON POST

U.S., allies vow to hit Russia with unprecedented sanctions World leaders strongly condemned Russia’s assault on Ukraine and vowed to respond with unprecedented sanctions. President Biden said the United States would impose “severe sanctions” against Russia on Thursday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said such a “barbaric attack” against an independent nation threatened “the stability in Europe and the whole of the international peace order.” The EU scheduled an emergency summit in Brussels and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell promised “the strongest package, the harshest package of sanctions we have ever implemented.” Von der Leyen said she would propose “massive” penalties targeting “strategic sectors of the Russian economy by blocking the access to technologies and markets that are key for Russia.” THE NEW YORK TIMES 

U.S. imposes sanctions on company building Nord Stream 2 pipeline The Biden administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on the company behind the Nord Stream 2 pipeline being built to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany, strengthening economic penalties for Russia’s escalation of the Ukraine crisis. Nord Stream 2 has not started operating, and Germany on Tuesday halted the certification of the project in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send Russian forces into Ukraine. The sanctions target the Nord Stream 2 AG company, which is a subsidiary of the Russian state-owned gas giant Gazprom, and its CEO, Matthias Warnig. The U.S. and the European Union have long expressed concerns that Nord Stream 2, which would double gas flow capacity from Russia to Germany, will increase Europe’s dependence on Russia for energy. REUTERS 

Russian troops enter the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. (The Independent) 

An attack on a military unit in Podilsk kills six civilians and wounds seven more. Another person is killed in the city of Mariupol. Nineteen more people are reported missing. (BBC News) 

Eighteen people are killed in a missile strike on the port city of Odessa. (NDTV) 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declares martial law across the country in response to the invasion. (TASS) 

Norbert Röttgen, in a tweet posted by The Guardian, writes that Germany should now allow defensive weapons to be supplied to Ukraine. He states that his previous hesitancy was “in order to keep channels of communication with Moscow open. That’s over for now. What matters now is defence”. (The Guardian) 

Ukraine cuts off diplomatic ties with Russia in response to its invasion. (The Times of Israel) 

The European Union says it will introduce the “strongest, harshest package” of sanctions on the Russian economy in response to the invasion. (AP) 

Moldova declares a state of emergency in response to the invasion. Hundreds of Ukrainians are crossing the border, according to President Maia Sandu. (National Post) 

Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova close their airspaces for commercial aircraft. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (Reuters) 

South Korean president Moon Jae-in announces that the country will join economic sanctions against Russia. (Reuters) 

Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda announces that he will sign the decree declaring the state of emergency and asks Seimas to ratify it in an extraordinary session.(err.ee) 

Israel fires several missiles towards Damascus in Syria. Around three Syrian soldiers are killed.  (Times of Israel) 

The National Bank of Ukraine pegs the official hryvnia rate to the US dollar at ₴29.25, bans foreign currency purchases on the interbank market and introduces cash withdrawal limits. The central bank also orders to stop servicing transactions with Russian accounts and introduces unlimited short-term liquidity loans for banks. (National Post) (Ekonomichna Pravda) 

Hong Kong begins rolling out COVID-19 vaccine passports for people aged 12 and above. (Reuters) 

Maine reports 53 deaths, bringing the total amount of deaths from COVID-19 to 2,000. (Portland Press Herald) 

Anti-war protesters gather at the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and other countries across the world to oppose Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. (Axios) (CBS News) 

Russian activist Marina Litvinovich is detained by Moscow police after calling for anti-war demonstrations across Russia. (Reuters) 

UEFA announces that the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final will be moved from Saint Petersburg, Russia, in response to the invasion of Ukraine. (Sky News) 

Jury deliberations start in ex-cops’ George Floyd civil rights trial A Minnesota jury on Wednesday started deliberating in the trial of three former Minneapolis police officers accused of violating George Floyd’s civil rights in 2020 by failing to intervene while a fellow officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nine minutes, killing him. Former officers Tou Thao, 36, J. Alexander Kueng, 28, and Thomas Lane, 38, helped Chauvin restrain Floyd, who was suspected of using a counterfeit bill to buy cigarettes, even after Floyd stopped moving. “They chose not to aid Mr. Floyd,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Manda Sertich said in closing arguments. “This is a crime.” Defense lawyers said the defendants were inexperienced and deferred to Chauvin’s seniority. CNN 

2 top Manhattan prosecutors in Trump fraud inquiry resign The two lead prosecutors in the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into former President Donald Trump’s business practices resigned Wednesday. The prosecutors, Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz, abruptly left after the new Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, expressed doubts about continuing the investigation, The New York Times reported, citing people with knowledge of the situation. The developments left the future of the inquiry in question just as it appeared to be picking up steam. Bragg took over at the start of 2022 from his retired predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., and since then prosecutors have postponed plans to question at least one witness before the grand jury.  THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Trial starts for ex-officer charged in raid that killed Breonna Taylor The trial of former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison, the only person criminally charged in connection with the raid that killed Breonna Taylor, started Wednesday with opening arguments. Hankison is charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing shots that went into a neighbor’s apartment. The neighbor, Cody Etherton, was the first witness. He said he, his pregnant partner Chelsey Napper, and their 5-year-old son were awakened to a loud boom and “gunfire coming through my wall and nearly killing me.” Taylor was sleeping in her apartment when the officers burst in without knocking then opened fire after her boyfriend, thinking the officers were intruders, fired one shot from his handgun, hitting an officer in the leg. Nobody has been charged over the death of Taylor, a Black medical worker. ABC NEWS

Ivanka Trump in talks to cooperate with Jan. 6 committee Ivanka Trump, the eldest daughter and former White House aide of former President Donald Trump, is in talks with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to appear for an interview, her spokesperson told CBS News on Wednesday. In January, the chair of the House committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), sent a letter to Ivanka Trump asking her to appear before the panel. Thompson said the committee believes that on Jan. 6, Ivanka Trump was in the Oval Office during a phone call between her father and former Vice President Mike Pence, and they want to know if she heard or participated in conversations about her father’s plan “to obstruct or impede the counting of electoral votes.” CBS NEWS 

USPS confirms plan to buy gas-powered trucks despite EPA objection The U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday finalized its plan to buy up to 148,000 gasoline-powered mail delivery trucks, despite calls from the Biden administration to add more electric vehicles to help fight climate change. The White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency this month urged the USPS to reconsider its $11.3 billion plan to replace its fleet. The Postal Service plans for 90 percent of the delivery trucks in its new fleet to be gas-powered, and 10 percent electric, resulting in a 0.4 mile-per-gallon improvement over the current fleet’s fuel economy. Vicki Arroyo, EPA’s associate administrator for policy, said the Postal Service’s decision to stick with the plan instead of buying more electric vehicles is a “crucial lost opportunity.” THE WASHINGTON POST 

Late comedy icon Jerry Lewis accused of sexual harassment, assault The late comedian Jerry Lewis has been accused by former co-stars of sexual harassment and assault. In a new Vanity Fair article and documentary called “The Dark Side of a Hollywood Icon,” actresses who worked with Lewis told Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, the filmmaking team behind the Woody Allen documentary Allen v. Farrow, about their experiences with Lewis, the star of classic comedies like The Nutty Professor. Karen Sharpe, who starred with Lewis in 1964’s The Disorderly Orderly, alleged that the comedian, who died in 2017, once “grabbed me” and “began to fondle me.” She recounted that when he “unzipped his pants,” she said, “Wait a minute. I don’t know if this is a requirement for your leading ladies, but this is something I don’t do.” VANITY FAIR 

New COVID vaccine 100 percent effective against hospitalizations European drugmakers Sanofi and GSK announced that their new coronavirus vaccine proved 100 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations in late-stage clinical testing. The drug, which will be named Vidprevtyn, was 58 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 symptoms and 75 percent effective at preventing moderate illness. That’s below the efficiency seen in trials of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but the Sanofi vaccine is the first to be tested with more infectious variants, including Omicron, circulating. The companies plan to seek authorization for the two-shot vaccine in the United States and Europe. Their drug is a more traditional vaccine than the mRNA types made by the other companies. It can be stored at refrigerator temperatures and more easily distributed. CNN 

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022 

Ukraine announces the mobilization of its military reserves with a maximum service length of one year for reservists between the ages of 18 and 60 years. (Le Figaro)  

Ukraine urges all citizens to leave Russia immediately, following an increase in tensions in the region. (MSN) 

Ukraine closes its civilian airspace nationwide due to potential hazards. Russia also closes its airspace in a region to the east of its border with Ukraine. (Reuters)  

Brent Crude oil reaches its highest price since its 2014 peak, at $99 per barrel, amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine. (BBC News) 

South Korea approves the use of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. (AP) 

Hong Kong reports a record 8,674 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the territory-wide total of confirmed cases to 75,248. (South China Morning Post) 

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau revokes the state of emergency that was declared under the Emergencies Act on February 14. (Reuters) 

 
Lizzo wanted to ‘make Ursula a THOT’ in ‘The Little Mermaid’ remake We poor unfortunate souls may never get to see Lizzo play Ursula, but she’s opening up about what could have been. The “Truth Hurts” singer discussed auditioning for the villain role in Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid. “I didn’t get it,” she told Variety. “But you know, I’m fine as hell. That has nothing to do with Ursula, but I was down to make Ursula a THOT, shaking ass.” The role of Ursula ended up going to Melissa McCarthy, and Lizzo recalled running into McCarthy and noting that she auditioned. “She was like, ‘Well, why the hell did I get the part?,’” Lizzo said. “I was like, ‘Girl, because my audition was terrible.” Actually, though, Lizzo told Variety “my audition was good,” and we’ll have to ask Disney why they went another way. Lizzo was previously open about wanting the part, posting a video of herself singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” while dressed as Ursula in 2018 and writing, “I’M URSULA. PERIOD.” It sounds like she would have been good as hell, but alas. VARIETY 

Tom Brady to produce and star in a road trip comedy It’s a tale as old as time: an NFL legend retires, then pivots to starring in road trip comedies with Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field. Tom Brady is set to do just that by both producing and acting in 80 for Brady, a comedy about four best friends and New England Patriots fans who go on a road trip to see their hero, Brady, play in the Super Bowl in 2017. The legendary actresses will play the friends, and Brady is producing the movie through his company, 199 Productions. Just a few weeks ago, Brady confirmed he would retire from the NFL after 22 seasons, teasing, “The future is exciting.” The movie, The Hollywood Reporter says, will depict “the chaos that ensues” as the friends “navigate the wilds of the biggest sporting event in the country,” perhaps leading them to learn that the real Tom Brady was the friends we made along the way.  THE WRAP 

Kanye West samples Kim Kardashian praising him Those who shell out the big bucks to listen to Kanye West’s new album will be treated to the sound of his estranged wife praising him. West held a listening party in Miami for Donda 2, and at one point, he sampled Kardashian’s Saturday Night Live monologue. He included Kardashian saying she “married the best rapper of all time,” and calling West “a talented, legit genius,” but unsurprisingly left out the part when she says she divorced him because of “his personality.” West also raps that he’s going to “beat Pete Davidson’s ass,” continuing his public attacks against Kardashian’s current boyfriend, and he appeared to reference Davidson hiring additional security with the lyric, “Never stand between a man and his kids. Y’all ain’t got enough security for this.” Vice President Kamala Harris also makes an appearance on the album — her famous “we did it, Joe!” exclamation was sampled. Somewhat surprisingly, Donda 2 did actually drop on Wednesday after the listening party — if you bought his $200 Stem Player, that is.  PAGE SIX 

‘Star Trek’ stars reportedly caught off guard by sequel announcement An announcement last week that the cast of Star Trek will return for a new movie apparently came as a surprise to … the cast of Star Trek. During Paramount’s recent investor day, director J.J. Abrams declared “we are hard at work on a new Star Trek film that will be shooting by the end of the year that will be featuring our original cast.” He seemed to be indicating stars like Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are returning. But The Hollywood Reporter says “most, if not all” of the actors’ representatives had no idea Abrams was going to announce this, and “certainly not that their clients would be shooting a movie by year’s end.” In fact, the script is still in the works, and the actors don’t actually have deals in place — meaning, the Reporter notes, Paramount may have to pay them more since they forfeited their leverage by promising investors the cast would be back. Most illogical.  THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

Oscars slammed for plan to skip some live awards The Academy is now so desperate to boost the Oscars’ ratings, they’re reviving old ideas everyone already hated the first time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that during next month’s Oscars, eight awards won’t be presented live. Instead, these awards (for crafts that are clearly completely unimportant to the art of filmmaking such as “editing,” “score,” and “sound,”) will be given out prior to the telecast, then edited into the show. The Academy floated a similar idea in 2019, but it sparked such widespread outcry that they backed down. The disastrous ratings in 2021, though, apparently prompted the Academy to try again. The decision again drew significant backlash, leading #PresentAll23 to trend on Twitter. “This is a dumb and disrespectful move,” comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted, arguing, “You’re giving in to short-term ratings panic and forgetting what The Oscars are all about.” Stay tuned for a potential rare example of the exact same dumb idea being walked back twice.  DEADLINE 

The End

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022 

Trump calls Putin Ukraine moves ‘genius’ Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recognition of the independence of two breakaway regions in Ukraine as “genius.” “Putin declares a big portion of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful,” Trump told a conservative podcaster in an interview published Tuesday. “I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. … We could use that on our southern border.” Trump also said Putin was “very savvy.” The comments came as President Biden called the Russian moves the start of an invasion of Ukraine, and imposed sanctions. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), in his latest break with Trump, denounced “Putin’s aggression” and called for Biden to impose “devastating sanctions.” NBC NEWS 

Trump-linked Digital World’s stock surges after Truth Social launch Shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp, the blank-check company behind former President Donald Trump’s new social media platform Truth Social, jumped 14 percent on Tuesday in the first day of trading following Sunday’s launch on Apple’s App Store. Truth Social topped the App Store’s downloads, with 170,000 and counting since launch, research firm Apptopia said. Truth Social gives Trump a way to return to social media after he was banned by Twitter, Facebook, and Google for violating policies against inciting violence after a mob of his supporters attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a failed attempt to overturn Trump’s election loss, which he falsely blamed on voter fraud. REUTERS 

Britney Spears reportedly nabs $15 million book deal Brace yourselves: Britney’s tell-all book is coming, and she reportedly nabbed a jaw-dropping paycheck for it. Months after being freed from her conservatorship, Britney Spears has reached a deal with Simon & Schuster, which according to Page Six is “said to be worth as much as $15 million.” This deal, an insider said, is “one of the biggest of all time, behind the Obamas.” News that Spears has her own tell-all on the way comes after she absolutely unleashed on Jamie Lynn Spears for her book Things I Should Have Said, which was published last month. Britney slammed her sister for trying to “sell a book at my expense,” calling her “scum” and saying she was “lying and making money off of me.” Neither Britney Spears nor Simon & Schuster have confirmed the book yet, though we’d bet the odds of it being titled Toxic are very, very high. PAGE SIX 

The United States calls the Russian troop deployments in eastern Ukraine “an invasion”. (CTV News) 

Biden imposes sanctions against Russia for Ukraine ‘invasion’ President Biden on Tuesday announced sanctions against Russia over what he described as “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.” European allies also hit Russia with sanctions, and Germany halted approval of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia, over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send “peacekeepers” into two “independent” eastern Ukraine enclaves controlled by Russian-backed separatists. Biden called Putin’s action “a flagrant violation of international law” and said the U.S. is responding with the “full blocking” of two large Russian financial institutions, along with sanctions on Russian debt. Critics said the measures fell far short of the full-scale economic warfare many Ukraine supporters want. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Blinken cancels meeting with Russian counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday he canceled a scheduled meeting with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, because Russia’s recognition of separatist enclaves in Ukraine proved Moscow wasn’t serious about finding a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis. “Russia’s move to recognize the ‘independence’ of so-called republics controlled by its own proxies is a predictable, shameful act,” Blinken posted on Twitter. “We condemn them in the strongest possible terms and #StandWithUkraine.” Blinken said he conveyed that message in a conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart in a Monday evening phone call to “reaffirm unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Pentagon approves unarmed National Guard troops to help D.C. handle protest The Defense Department said late Tuesday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had approved the deployment of 700 National Guard troops to help manage traffic in and around Washington, D.C., next week during a possible cavalcade of big rigs and other vehicles modeled after the “Freedom Convoy” in Canada. The 400 D.C. Guard members and 300 from other states will not carry firearms, take part in law enforcement, or conduct domestic surveillance, the Pentagon said. Several groups are organizing convoys to Washington, D.C., to pressure President Biden to end any remaining COVID-19 restrictions or requirements. The District of Columbia government and U.S. Capitol Police had requested the deployment. The trucker convoy in Canada paralyzed much of the capital, Ottawa, for 23 days. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

The foreign ministers of European Union member states agree on a package of new sanctions against Russia. (Al Jazeera) 

Germany suspends the Nord Stream 2 project in response to Russia’s recognition of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic as independent states. (DW) 

Protesters gather at the Russian Embassy in Berlin, Germany to oppose President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send soldiers to separatist regions in Ukraine. (CTV News) 

S&P 500 falls into correction territory The S&P 500 on Tuesday fell into correction territory, defined as 10 percent below its recent high, as Russia recognized two breakaway regions in Ukraine and sent in troops as “peacekeepers,” escalating the Ukraine crisis. The S&P dropped 1 percent to close at its lowest level in four months. It had been down 2 percent earlier in the day, but rebounded some after President Biden called Russia’s moves an “invasion” and announced new sanctions against Russia. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the day down 1.4 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 1.2 percent. The Dow is now 8.7 percent below its January record, and the Nasdaq has fallen 17 percent from its November peak. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Portland man charged with murder in shooting of protesters Oregon prosecutors said Tuesday they had charged a Portland man, Benjamin Smith, with nine charges, including one count of second-degree murder, for allegedly drawing a pistol and firing at people associated with a protest against police violence. Dajah Beck, who was part of the group, told The New York Times that a man, identified by police as Smith, approached the group and said, “If I see you come past my house, I’ll shoot you.” One of the demonstrators, 60-year-old June Knightly, approached the gunman, Beck said, and told him: “You’re not going to scare us. You’re not going to intimidate us.” The man shot Knightly in the face, killing her, and shot four others. The shooting stopped after someone shot Smith in the hip. Police declined to charge the second gunman. THE OREGONIAN 

3 white men convicted of hate crimes for Arbery murder A Georgia jury on Tuesday found three white men — Travis McMichael, his father Greg McMichael, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan — guilty on federal hate-crime charges linked to the murder of Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery. Prosecutors said during the trial that the men chased Arbery through their coastal Georgia neighborhood and shot him because of their pent-up violent racism. Defense attorneys had argued that race wasn’t a factor, and that the men only chased Arbery because they thought he was responsible for recent thefts in the neighborhood. All three men were convicted late last year on murder charges and sentenced to life in prison. The hate-crime charges also could carry a life sentence, although a sentencing date hasn’t been set. NPR 

Supreme Court to hear case of web designer refusing same-sex marriage work The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear an appeal filed by Colorado web designer Lorie Smith, who wants to be able to deny wedding-related services to same-sex couples. Smith hasn’t started the wedding business yet, but she says she plans to refuse to promote messages condoning same-sex marriages because of her religious convictions. In 2018, the court considered a similar clash between a Colorado baker who declined to produce a wedding cake for a gay couple, but the ruling failed to provide a clear precedent. The case gives the justices another opportunity to weigh claims of religious freedom against laws barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The court is expected to hear the case in its next term, which starts in October. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Supreme Court ends Trump effort to keep records from Jan. 6 panel The Supreme Court on Tuesday formally ended former President Donald Trump’s request to withhold his White House records requested by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The committee is trying to piece together, among other things, what Trump was doing while a mob of his supporters stormed the House and Senate chambers, hoping to overturn his election loss. The high court last month declined to block the National Archives from sending the documents to the Jan. 6 committee while it considered whether to formally reject Trump’s request. Trump tried to invoke executive privilege to keep the documents from the committee, but a federal appeals court in December upheld a lower court ruling saying Trump didn’t have the authority to contest President Biden’s decision to let the Archives hand over the material. REUTERS 

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announces a citywide testing campaign due to surge of the cases caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. It is planned to test each citizen three times during the campaign. (ABC News) 

Singapore reports a record 26,032 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 622,293. (CNA) 

Home Depot shares drop as outlook dims despite strong earnings Home Depot shares plunged 9.8 percent on Tuesday afternoon, accounting for about 223 points of the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s 580-point decline. The losses came after Home Depot reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and raised its dividend, but provided a disappointing profit outlook. Home Depot was the Dow’s best performer in 2021. It gained more than 55 percent last year as customers increased spending on home upgrades while the housing market soared. But the company’s shares have struggled this year, falling 24 percent as investors brace for the Federal Reserve to start raising interest rates to fight high inflation, pushing up mortgage rates and potentially triggering a housing slowdown. Rival home-improvement giant Lowe’s reported strong sales and its shares rose 2 percent in pre-market trading. CNN 

Stellantis reports strong profit in sign of auto industry recovery Automaker Stellantis on Wednesday reported a profit of $15.1 billion in the first year after it was formed by the combination of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA Group. The reported profits represent a 179 percent yearly increase compared to its predecessors’ combined results in 2020, when they faced ongoing supply-chain disruptions due to the pandemic. Stellantis shares rose 5 percent in early trading. The company, which makes the Jeep and Dodge brands, said it expected auto sales to rise 3 percent in North America and Europe, reinforcing signs that carmakers are regaining strength after two years of setbacks during the coronavirus pandemics. Stellantis said its projections assumed no more significant fallout from COVID-19. THE DETROIT NEWS 

U.S. women’s soccer team players, federation reach equal-pay settlement The United States Soccer Federation has agreed to pay members of the U.S. women’s national team $24 million to settle the players’ equal-pay lawsuit, the opposing sides of the legal battle announced in a court filing Tuesday. Under the settlement, the players will get a lump sum payment of $22 million plus another $2 million to be deposited into an account supporting players and their efforts to promote women’s and girls’ soccer after their playing years end. Each player can apply for up to $50,000 from the fund. The court must approve the final settlement once the federation and the team members reach a new collective bargaining agreement. The USSF has committed to equal pay rates for members of the women’s and men’s national teams. “This will fully resolve the litigation,” the players said in a statement. ESPN 

The U.N. Security Council unanimously passes a resolution declaring that Iraq is no longer required to pay out to victims of its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Iraq had paid out US$50 billion to 1.4 million claimants, including one claim to the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation that totaled US$14.7 billion, by the time of the resolution’s passage. (Toronto Star) 

A South Korean state commission confirms that retreating North Korean soldiers murdered over 1,150 South Korean Christian civilians in the early stages of the Korean War due to a state anti-religion campaign. (Korea Times) 

The secretary general of the People’s Party, Teodoro García Egea, resigns after a scandal over alleged spying on the President of the Community of Madrid Isabel Díaz Ayuso. (Swissinfo) 

The inaugural draft for the USFL is held with quarterback Shea Patterson being selected first overall by the Michigan Panthers.  (Bleacher Report) 

Juwan Howard, head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team, is suspended for the rest of the regular season following a postgame fight that saw Howard strike Joe Krabbenhoft, assistant coach of the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team. The Badgers’ head coach, Greg Gard, is fined $10,000. Additionally, forwards Terrance Williams II and Moussa Diabaté of the Wolverines are suspended for one game each, as is guard Jahcobi Neath of the Badgers, for their involvement in the altercation. (WKOW) 

Bill Murray to star in Aziz Ansari’s feature directorial debut When planning your first feature film as a director, you surely can’t go wrong getting Bill Murray involved. Former Parks and Recreation star Aziz Ansari is set to direct his first movie. Ansari will reportedly not only direct the dramedy but also write and star in it. The film doesn’t have a title yet, but it’s reportedly based on the non-fiction book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, described by the New York Times Review of Books as a “moving and clear-eyed look at aging and death in our society.” It isn’t clear yet what Murray’s role will be. This project continues a comeback for Ansari after he was accused of sexual misconduct in 2018, prompting the comedian to take a step back before returning with new stand-up material and a third season of Netflix’s Master of None (which he barely appeared in himself). VARIETY 

Tuesday,  February 22nd, 2022 

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-be-worlds-biggest-lng-exporter-2022-2021-12-21/

In an address to the nation, President Putin declares that Ukraine is a country with “no tradition of independent statehood and an artificial creation of Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin”, and that the country has become a “U.S. puppet regime rife with corruption”. (Reuters) 

Putin sends troops into breakaway Ukraine regions Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered Russian troops into two territories in eastern Ukraine that are controlled by Russian-backed separatists, hours after recognizing their independence. President Biden responded by signing an executive order Monday blocking trade and investment by Americans in the two separatist enclaves. The U.S. is expected to announce new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday. The White House said Putin’s action “refutes Russia’s claimed commitment to diplomacy, and undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty.” The U.S. and its allies expressed concerns that Russia might use skirmishes in the Donetsk and Luhansk separatist regions as a pretext for a broader invasion. The U.S. says Putin’s moves violate a 2015 peace agreement aiming to return the two regions to Ukrainian control. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Russian President Vladimir Putin signs decrees recognising the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic with immediate effect. He also asks the parliament to ratify the treaties on friendship and mutual aid with the breakaway territories. (BBC News) (Axios) (TASS) 

The Russian parliament ratifies the friendship and cooperation treaties with the DPR and LPR, following Putin’s request made the previous day. (TASS) 

A large column of military vehicles, including tanks, is reported on the outskirts of Donetsk city hours after Russia formally recognised the self-proclaimed republic as an independent state. (Reuters) 

Russian Armed Forces are deployed to the separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk for a “peacekeeping mission”, shortly after Russia recognized the independence of the republics. (Axios) 

Separatist forces shell the village of Zaitseve, Donetsk, killing two soldiers and a civilian. (Times of Israel) 

The U.S. State Department evacuates its remaining diplomats in Ukraine to Poland. (The Straits Times) 

Germany halts Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline approval German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday suspended certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which will carry natural gas from Russia to Europe, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway regions in Ukraine and ordered Russian troops to go in as “peacekeepers.” The escalating tensions pushed oil prices to their highest level since 2014. Brent crude, the global benchmark, was up by 3.5 percent to $98.77 per barrel after rising as high as $99.50. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, jumped 4.8 percent to $95.47 a barrel. The United States and its European allies are preparing to announce new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday. “The potential for a rally over $100 a barrel has received an enormous boost,” said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM. REUTERS 

Germany suspends the Nord Stream 2 project in response to the Russian recognition of Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic as independent states. (DW) 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin announces that China will sanction American defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Raytheon after the United States approved a US$100 million missile defense repair deal between the two companies and Taiwan. (Al Jazeera) 

Syria voices support for the Russian recognition of Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic. (Reuters) 

U.S. stock futures fall as Ukraine tensions escalate U.S. stock futures dropped early Tuesday after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into breakaway enclaves in eastern Ukraine, escalating tensions and stoking fears of a broader invasion. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 were down 0.2 percent at 6:30 a.m. ET. Nasdaq futures were down 0.6 percent. Putin on Monday recognized the independence of the two Ukrainian regions controlled by Russian-backed separatists, undermining diplomatic efforts to avoid war. President Biden, who a day earlier had agreed “in principle” to a summit with Putin to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis, issued an executive order banning trade with the two separatist enclaves, and was expected to announce new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday. CNBC 

Trump’s Truth Social platform launches Former President Donald Trump’s long-rumored social media platform, Truth Social, made its debut in Apple’s App Store on Monday and promptly became its top social-media networking app. But the launch was marred by widespread glitches and a thousands-long waiting list to join. Many hopeful users received error messages upon signing up, or never received a verification email to approve their accounts. Trump developed plans to launch the service after Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms banned him following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, accusing the then-president of violating policies against inciting violence by urging supporters to fight to overturn his election loss. FORBES 

Studies indicate COVID-19 booster could provide years of protection A range of new studies suggest that a COVID-19 booster shot may provide protection against future variants for many months, even years, The New York Times reports. A recent study posted on bioRxiv, for instance, suggests that a third Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shot helps to produce antibodies that could be effective against yet-unseen mutations — even though the vaccines were “not specifically designed to protect against variants.” “If people are exposed to another variant like Omicron, they now got some extra ammunition to fight it,” Dr. Julie McElrath, a Seattle infectious disease physician, told the Times. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Boris Johnson announces lifting of coronavirus restrictions in England British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Monday that England will end its coronavirus restrictions, making it the first major Western economy to take the step as the surge driven by the Omicron variant eases. Starting Thursday, infected people will no longer be legally required to self-isolate, although the government still urges them to stay home, Johnson said in the House of Commons as he unveiled his “Living with COVID” plan. The country also will stop free and universal coronavirus testing on April 1. “Restrictions pose a heavy toll on our economy, our society, our mental well-being,” Johnson said. “We do not need to pay that cost any longer.” BLOOMBERG 

Stand-your-ground laws tied to 11 percent homicide increase “Stand your ground” laws are linked to an 11 percent increase in monthly firearm homicide rates, according to a study published Monday in JAMA Network Open, a peer-reviewed medical journal. The data suggest that these laws, which allow people to respond with deadly force instead of retreating from an attacker, might have resulted in hundreds of additional homicides nationally every year. The controversial laws have become a focus of debate over addressing gun violence in the wake of the fatal shooting of Black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012. Proponents say these laws deter violence, but the evidence shows “the opposite effect,” said University of Oxford associate professor David Humphreys, one of the paper’s authors. THE WASHINGTON POST 

A state commission by South Korea confirms some reports of North Korean war crimes in the Korean War. The war crimes in question were perpetrated against South Korean Christians. (Korea Times) 

Arbery hate-crime trial goes to jury The federal hate-crime trial of the three white men convicted of murdering Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia went to the jury on Monday after prosecutors and defense lawyers delivered their closing arguments. Justice Department civil rights division counsel Christopher Perras told jurors the only thing defendants Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan knew when they chased down Arbery in February 2020 was that he “was a Black man running down a public street.” Perras said racial slurs the defendants used in texts and social media posts showed they were motivated by racism. Defense lawyers said race wasn’t a factor and the men thought Arbery had been behind recent thefts in their neighborhood.  CNN 

Colombian court decriminalizes abortion for up to 24 weeks Colombia’s Constitutional Court on Monday decriminalized abortion up to 24 weeks into a pregnancy in a ruling that marked a major shift for the majority-Catholic South American nation. Colombia followed Mexico and Argentina to become the third big country in Latin America to decriminalize the procedure, all in the past 14 months. Abortion rights advocates are seeking to capitalize on the momentum to push for loosening abortion laws elsewhere in the region. Crowds of abortion rights supporters celebrated outside the court in Bogota, Colombia’s capital, shouting, “Abortion in Colombia is legal!” Since 2006, Colombia has permitted abortion in cases of rape, nonviable pregnancies, and when the mother’s health is in danger. THE WASHINGTON POST 

The Constitutional Court legalizes abortion in all cases for up to six months of gestation, and removes time limits in cases of rape, fetal defects, or if the mother’s life is in danger. (Reuters) 

Trudeau calls for healing and continued emergency powers after trucker protest  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that it is time for healing after police cleared out Freedom Convoy anti–vaccine mandate protesters who had paralyzed downtown Ottawa for more than three weeks. “More than ever, now is the time to work together. It’s also the time to reflect on the kind of future we want for our country,” Trudeau said. Police arrested 191 people and towed 79 trucks and other vehicles over the weekend before the protest was declared over on Sunday. Trudeau cleared the way for the crackdown by invoking emergency powers, and his government won a vote in the House of Commons on Monday to extend the emergency authority for up to three more weeks. “This state of emergency is not over,” Trudeau said. POLITICO 

Medina Spirit stripped of 2021 Kentucky Derby title The Kentucky Derby on Monday invalidated Medina Spirit’s 2021 victory after months of litigation and laboratory tests due to the horse’s race-day drug test, which showed the presence of the banned drug betamethasone. Lawyers for Medina Spirit’s Hall of Fame trainer, Bob Baffert, argued that Medina Spirit had absorbed the corticosteroid through an ointment, and that the ban only applied to injectable betamethasone. But many horseracing experts had considered the disqualification inevitable, because Kentucky racing regulations don’t allow any detectable trace of the drug on race day. The officials made the decision after a Feb. 14 hearing. In addition to disqualifying the colt, now deceased, the authorities suspended Baffert for 90 days and fined him $7,500. Barring further developments in the case, runner-up Mandaloun will be declared the race’s winner. USA TODAY 

Global health pioneer Dr. Paul Farmer dies at 62 Renowned infectious disease specialist Dr. Paul Farmer, who devoted his life to making health care accessible to millions of people on four continents, died unexpectedly Monday in Rwanda, his nonprofit organization, Partners in Health, confirmed. He was 62. Farmer died of a sudden cardiac event while sleeping in his apartment at a hospital he helped establish, said Sheila Davis, Partners in Health’s chief executive officer. Farmer taught at Harvard University and traveled extensively for his work with Partners in Health and its sister organization, Zanmi Lasante, in Haiti. “There are so many people that are alive because of that man,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The New York Times. THE MIAMI HERALD 

At least 63 people are killed and 40 others injured by an explosion at a gold mine in Gbomblora, Poni, Burkina Faso. (Reuters) 

Hong Kong reports a record 7,533 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the territory to 60,383. (The Standard) 

South Africa changes their COVID-19 vaccination rules to allow mixing of vaccines between the Pfizer–BioNTech and Janssen COVID-19 vaccines for second and third doses and also reduces the interval between the second and third doses of the Pfizer vaccine in order to increase the country’s vaccination rate. (CNA) 

A public inquiry into the 2020 Nova Scotia shootings is opened. (CBC) 

NBC Winter Olympics ratings drop to new low  NBC’s coverage of the Beijing Winter Olympics had the worst ratings since the network started broadcasting the Games decades ago. The Winter Olympics had an average prime-time audience of 11.4 million over the more than two weeks of coverage across NBCUniversal’s broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms. That represents a 42 percent drop in viewers compared to the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018, which had the worst Olympic ratings up to that point. “This was probably the most difficult Olympics of all time,” NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua said, adding that advertisers were given additional commercial time to make up for the smaller audience. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Monday,  February 21st, 2022 

President’s Day 

COVID cases continue to fall as Omicron surge fades New COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continued to fall in the United States over the weekend. The average daily count of confirmed new infections barely exceeded 100,000, down from 800,850 on Jan. 16, according to Johns Hopkins University data. New York saw the number of cases drop by more than 50 percent in the last two weeks, the latest sign that the surge driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant is fading. “I think what’s influencing the decline, of course, is that Omicron is starting to run out of people to infect,” said Dr. Thomas Russo, professor and infectious disease chief at the University of Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.  THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Leaked data from Credit Suisse exposes the identities of over 30,000 of the bank’s clients whose anonymous numbered Swiss bank accounts, which collectively held over $100 billion, had allowed them to keep their identities secret. Its clients included heads of state (such as king Abdullah II of Jordan), human rights abusers, drug traffickers, intelligence officials, and individuals under sanctions or involved in financial crimes such as tax evasion or corruption, among others. The secret data from Switzerland’s second largest bank was leaked about 1 year ago to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and was analyzed by the non-profit Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and 46 other news organizations, including The New York Times, Le Monde and The Guardian. (The Guardian)

In response to yesterday’s historic leak of client data from Credit Suisse, Switzerland’s second largest bank, the EU’s European Commission is asked to “re-evaluate Switzerland as a high-risk money-laundering country” by the European People’s Party (EPP), which is the group with the largest number of seats in the European Parliament. (Reuters) 

Trump’s Truth Social launches in Apple’s App Store Former President Donald Trump’s new social media platform, Truth Social, is launching in Apple’s App Store on Monday, Reuters reported Sunday, citing posts from the network’s chief product officer posted on a test version of the service. The release of the app would give Trump a way to return to social media on the Presidents Day holiday after his ban from Twitter, Facebook, and Alphabet’s YouTube following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The companies said Trump’s post encouraging supporters to fight the certification of his election loss had violated their policies against inciting violence. Last week, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a screenshot of a message his father posted on the Truth Social beta version saying, “Get Ready! Your favorite President will see you soon!” REUTERS 

U.S. intelligence indicates Kremlin has ordered military to invade Ukraine The United States has gathered intelligence indicating that the Kremlin has ordered Russia’s military to go ahead with an invasion of Ukraine, U.S. officials said Sunday. The Biden administration’s level of confidence in the assessment has increased as Moscow took steps intelligence agencies predicted, including renewed shelling in areas claimed by pro-Russian separatists. “Everything leading up to the actual invasion appears to be taking place,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on CNN’s State of the Union. “All of these false-flag operations, all these provocations to create justifications.” President Biden met with the National Security Council to discuss the threat of war as Belarus extended military exercises with Russian forces near the Ukraine border. The drills previously were scheduled to end Sunday. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan states the United States will rally the international community to hold Russia accountable should it invade Ukraine. (CBS News) 

Biden agrees ‘in principle’ to meet with Putin on Ukraine The White House said Sunday that President Biden had agreed “in principle” to meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Ukraine crisis. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the two leaders could speak after Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Feb. 24, provided Russia has not sent troops into Ukraine. “We are always ready for diplomacy. We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should Russia instead choose war,” Psaki said. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with Putin on Sunday to push negotiations for a possible ceasefire between Russian-backed forces and Ukrainian forces in the eastern part of the country, the Élysée Palace said. Macron later spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. NPR 

Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron announce that they will work toward a ceasefire agreement in order to avert war with Ukraine. (Firstpost) 

Military exercises between Belarusian and Russian forces in Belarus are extended amid tensions with Ukraine. Around 30,000 Russian troops are currently stationed in Belarus, according to NATO. (Reuters) 

Russia recognizes the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, two breakaway regions of Ukraine as independent states. (BBC News) 

Russia says it has killed five Ukrainian soldiers who tried to infiltrate its territory. Ukraine disputes the claim as “fake news.” (Reuters) 

Morocco’s Ryad Mezzour and Israel’s Orna Barbivai both sign a trade deal in Rabat on behalf of their respective countries. (National Post) 

Canadian police regain control of downtown Ottawa   Canadian police fenced off parts of downtown Ottawa on Sunday to reestablish control of the capital city after a weekend crackdown ended the so-called Freedom Convoy protest against COVID-19 restrictions. Officers made 191 arrests and towed nearly 80 vehicles. Truckers started the demonstration more than three weeks ago, blocking city streets with parked trucks to protest a vaccine mandate on cross-border truck drivers. The demonstration grew as others came to express opposition to other coronavirus restrictions. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week invoked emergency powers to give the government authority to shut down the protest. Police said they had gathered intelligence on departing protesters “to make sure that these illegal activities don’t return to our streets.” THE GUARDIAN 

Taiwan announces that its army will conduct live military drills next month which will simulate an invasion attempt of its islets of Dongyin and Kinmen, and its coast guard will conduct similar drills near Pratas Island, amid rising tensions between Taiwan and China. (South China Morning Post) 

Boris Johnson to detail plans to lift U.K. COVID restrictions British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that on Monday he would unveil his government’s plan to lift coronavirus restrictions under its new “living with COVID” strategy. The effort will make Britain the first major European country to let people diagnosed with COVID-19 go to work and shops, and use public transport. Johnson said Sunday people shouldn’t “throw caution to the wind,” but that the success of the U.K. vaccination program meant the nation could start relying on personal responsibility rather than government mandates to curb infections. 81 percent of adults have been vaccinated and boosted in England. “Today will mark a moment of pride after one of the most difficult periods in our country’s history,” Johnson said in a statement. REUTERS 

1 dead, 5 wounded in shooting near Portland protest site One person died and five others were wounded on the fringes of a protest against police killings in Portland over the weekend. The clash appeared to be “a confrontation between armed protesters and an armed homeowner,” Lt. Nathan Sheppard told The New York Times on Sunday. Police said investigators were having a hard time piecing together what happened because the crime scene was “extremely chaotic” and some witnesses “were uncooperative with responding officers.” Dajah Beck, one of the wounded victims, told the Times she was participating in a volunteer motorcade setting up a safety plan and rerouting traffic in preparation for the march. She said the group was unarmed and “not part of the protest.” She said a man had called the women in the group “violent terrorists” and screamed a misogynist vulgarity, then started shooting. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Closing arguments to start in Arbery hate-crime trial Closing arguments begin Monday in the federal hate-crime trial of the three white men convicted of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man they chased down as he was jogging through their south Georgia neighborhood. The killing, which was caught on video by defendant William “Roddie” Bryan, fueled nationwide racial justice protests. Prosecutors introduced texts in which Travis McMichael, who fatally shot Arbery with a shotgun, and Bryan used racial slurs to argue that the crime was racially motivated. Defense attorneys have said the men thought Arbery was behind recent crimes in the neighborhood. Travis McMichael said at a hearing last month that he would admit to attacking Arbery because of his “race and color” under a plea agreement, but Arbery’s family opposed the deal and the judge rejected it. REUTERS 

An Iranian F-5 jet crashes into a school in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan province, killing both pilots and a person on the ground. (Reuters) 

Seven children are killed and five more are injured during a Nigerian Air Force airstrike in the Maradi region of Niger. The army reported that the airstrike was the result of “a mistake on the border”. (Al Jazeera) 

The Italian Health ministry recommends that severely immunocompromised people should receive a fourth dose of the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine at least 120 days after receiving their previous booster. (U.S. News and World Report) 

Queen Elizabeth II tests positive for COVID-19 with “mild cold-like symptoms”. (BBC News) 

Sunday, February 20th, 2022 

Austin Cindric narrowly beats Bubba Wallace to win Daytona 500 Rookie Team Penske driver Austin Cindric won the Daytona 500 on Sunday, blocking Bubba Wallace’s last-second attempt to pass him. Cindric, 23, finished the 500-mile car race fractions of a second ahead of Wallace, the third-smallest margin of victory in Daytona 500 history. Cindric took the lead after two late crashes, and won the big race at the start of his first full NASCAR Cup Series. “I know there’s going to be highs and lows, being a rookie in a field of drivers this strong. I’m just grateful for the opportunity,” Cindric said. It was Wallace’s second time finishing as runner-up. “Damn, I wanted to win that one,” he said. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Rookie Austin Cindric wins the 64th running of the Daytona 500, becoming the ninth driver to score his first career Cup Series victory in the event. (FOX Sports) 

The End