Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 

Vladimir Putin states that “genocide” is happening in Eastern Ukraine. (Reuters) 

Biden says Russia still might invade Ukraine but diplomacy continues President Biden said Tuesday that Russia still might invade Ukraine despite Moscow’s unverified claim that it had pulled some of its estimated 150,000 troops back from the smaller neighbor’s borders. Biden said the United States and its allies would “give the diplomacy every chance” to deescalate the crisis, without bowing to Russian demands that include barring Ukraine from one day joining NATO. Biden said he would not send U.S. forces to fight in Ukraine, but vowed that the U.S. would “defend every inch of NATO territory with the full force of American power.” Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country was willing to continue talks provided its demands, including rolling back NATO’s expansion in Eastern Europe, were a priority in the conversation. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Libertarian and humorist P.J. O’Rourke dies at 74 Right-libertarian author, journalist, and humorist P.J. O’Rourke has died from complications of lung cancer. He was 74. After earning a master’s degree in English from Johns Hopkins University in 1970, O’Rourke was hired in 1973 at the humor magazine National Lampoon, where he wrote a famous piece of gonzo journalism entitled “How to Drive Fast on Drugs While Getting Your Wing-Wang Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink.” He would rise to be the magazine’s editor-in-chief. His later jobs included serving as a foreign correspondent for Rolling Stone and an election reporter for Real Time with Bill Maher. O’Rourke also published 20 books, including Parliament of Whores and Give War a Chance. THE U.S. SUN 

NOAA: Sea level rise to make infrastructure-damaging floods 10 times more common  Sea levels along the U.S. shoreline will rise by 10 to 12 inches on average by 2050 due to climate change, regardless of the impact of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) projected in a report on Tuesday. The rise will equal sea level changes seen over the last century, and make coastal floods that have damaged infrastructure more than 10 times as frequent over the next three decades, Nicole LeBoeuf, director of NOAA’s National Ocean Service, said in a summary of the report. “I can tell you with complete confidence that these are not the kind of changes that we grew up with,” said LeBoeuf, a native of the Texas Gulf Coast. REUTERS 

Study finds Western megadrought is worst in 1,200 years The megadrought gripping the Southwest has been the driest two decades there in 1,200 years or more, according to an analysis published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change. The drought started in 2000, and has severely reduced water supplies and fueled wildfires. It was already considered the worst drought in 500 years when exceptionally dry conditions in summer 2021 “really pushed it over the top,” said lead researcher A. Park Williams, a University of California, Los Angeles, climate scientist. During the summer, two-thirds of the West was affected by extreme drought. The researchers determined that the weather conditions were worsened by human-caused climate change. NPR 

Remington agrees to $73 million settlement with Sandy Hook families Remington Arms has agreed to pay families of five adults and four children killed in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School $73 million to settle their liability claims, according to a Tuesday court filing. Remington made the semiautomatic Bushmaster XM15-E25 rifle that Adam Lanza, 20, used to kill 20 first-graders and six staff members at the Newtown, Connecticut, school. The settlement marked the first time a gun maker has been held liable for a U.S. mass shooting. “Marketing weapons of war directly to young people known to have a strong fascination with firearms is reckless and, as too many families know, deadly conduct,” Nicole Hockley, whose son, Dylan, was killed in the shooting, said in a statement. ABC NEWS 

Prince Andrew settles Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit  Britain’s Prince Andrew has agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting an underage girl controlled by the late Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison awaiting sex trafficking charges, according to a letter from the accuser’s lawyer asking the Manhattan judge to dismiss the case. Under the deal, Andrew will pay the accuser, Virginia Giuffre, an undisclosed amount and make “a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights,” according to the Tuesday court filing. The prince “regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others,” according to a related document. Andrew has denied abusing Giuffre. CNBC 

Rice becomes 30th House Democrat declining to seek re-election Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) announced Tuesday that she would not seek re-election this year. She is the 30th House Democrat to bow out ahead of the November mid-term elections, as the party tries to prevent Republicans from reclaiming the majority in the narrowly divided chamber. Rice, a former prosecutor, has represented New York’s 4th Congressional District since 2015 and was re-elected in 2020 with 56 percent of the vote. She did not immediately reveal what she planned to do next, saying only that she would continue to focus on “protecting our democracy and serving my constituents” for the rest of her current term. Twenty-nine other Democrats and 13 Republicans have announced they are retiring or seeking other offices in November. THE WASHINGTON POST 

The United States suspends all imports of Mexican avocados after threats are made against an American plant safety inspector in Uruapan, Michoacán. (AP) 

Producer prices rose 1 percent in January The Labor Department reported Tuesday that producer prices rose by a seasonally adjusted 1 percent in January, up from a 0.4 percent increase in December. The increase, the biggest jump since May 2021, came as a coronavirus surge driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant extended supply-chain disruptions as consumer demand remained strong, according to economists. Producer prices increased by 9.7 percent over the preceding year, about the same increase as the government reported the previous month. “Overall, producer prices remain elevated and close to historic highs,” said Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics. The new data added support for the Federal Reserve to roll back its efforts to boost the recovery to keep the economy from overheating. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Ottawa police chief resigns after criticism over Freedom Convoy response Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly resigned Tuesday after complaints that the police responded weakly to the so-called Freedom Convoy trucker protests against coronavirus restrictions. News of Sloly’s departure came a day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would invoke emergency powers to end the demonstrations, which have clogged the Canadian capital’s downtown for two weeks, and spread to disrupt U.S.-Canada border crossings that are crucial trade routes. When the Ottawa protest started two weeks ago, police failed to put up barriers in time to prevent semi-trucks from clogging downtown streets. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins sues Alec Baldwin over ‘Rust’ shooting A lawyer for the family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Tuesday announced the filing of a wrongful death lawsuit against actor Alec Baldwin and others over Hutchins’ death on the New Mexico set of the film Rust in October. Baldwin was rehearsing a scene when the prop gun he was holding discharged with a live round that hit Hutchins, fatally wounding her. Director Joel Souza was injured but recovered. Baldwin said he didn’t know the pistol had a live round in it, and denied that he pulled the trigger. Attorneys for Hutchins’ family accused Baldwin and others responsible for safety on the set of disregarding industry standards to cut costs, leading to the tragedy. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTERVARIETY 

Jury rejects Palin’s libel suit against Times A jury on Tuesday ruled against Sarah Palin in her libel suit against The New York Times. The jury found that Palin, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate and former Alaska governor, failed to prove that the newspaper exhibited “actual malice” when it erroneously linked a map that Palin’s political action committee had posted to the deadly 2011 mass shooting that left then-Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) severely wounded. The verdict came a day after Judge Jed Rakoff said he would dismiss the case if the jury found in favor of Palin because she had fallen short of standards necessary for a public figure to win a defamation case. Palin is expected to appeal. CNN 

Tyson, Disney join companies easing mask requirements Tyson Foods and Walt Disney World and Disneyland on Tuesday eased their mask requirements, becoming the latest major companies to roll back restrictions designed to curb coronavirus infections as new U.S. cases decline. On the same day, outdoor music festivals Coachella and Stagecoach announced that they would not require audience members to wear masks, or show proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 tests. The news followed decisions in the last week by California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon to loosen indoor mask requirements. Average daily new cases for the last seven days fell to 140,204 on Tuesday, below the peak level of last summer’s Delta-variant wave. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Stock futures edge lower after Tuesday’s big gains U.S. stock futures fell slightly early Wednesday after surging on Tuesday as fears of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine eased. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 were down by 0.2 percent at 6:30 a.m. ET. Futures for the Nasdaq were down 0.1 percent. All three of the main U.S. averages jumped on Tuesday after Russia said it was pulling back some of its estimated 150,000 troops massed near the Ukraine border. The Dow and the S&P 500 closed up by 1.2 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively, snapping a three-day losing streak. The tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 2.5 percent. CNBC 

San Francisco voters recall 3 school board members over coronavirus response San Francisco residents on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to recall three school board members in a display of anger over the district’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. According to initial results, more than 70 percent of voters supported ousting board President Gabriela López and members Alison Collins and Faauuga Moliga. Parents were angry at the board for spending time last year renaming a third of the district’s schools instead of focusing solely on reopening classrooms faster after pandemic shutdowns. Ten days after the Board of Supervisors officially accepts the election results, Mayor London Breed will appoint replacements for the outgoing board members. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLETHE NEW YORK TIMES 

Tuesday,  February 15th, 2022 

U.S. shuts Kyiv embassy but Russia moves some troops away from Ukraine The Biden administration said Monday it was shutting down its embassy in Kyiv as the United States and its allies warned that Russia could invade Ukraine within days. The U.S. believes Moscow has massed as many as 130,000 troops near the Ukraine border, with tens of thousands of them participating in military exercises in Belarus. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that the U.S. is continuing to work closely with Ukraine on “intensive diplomatic efforts to deescalate the crisis.” Russia announced that it was pulling back about 10,000 of the estimated 130,000 troops it has massed near the Ukraine border, although it said it was continuing military drills. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

The United States relocates its embassy operations from the capital Kyiv to Lviv in western Ukraine, citing a “dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces” on the Russia–Ukraine border. (Reuters) 

The U.S. State Department tells Americans to leave Belarus immediately due to the threat of war. (National Post) 

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that diplomatic talks will continue. Russia also announces that troops will be partially pulled out from the border but that exercises will continue. (Wall Street Journal)  

The State Duma of Russia passes a bill to officially recognise the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic in Eastern Ukraine as independent states. The bill has been sent to President Vladimir Putin for final approval.  (Deutsche Welle) 

Several Ukrainian websites, including the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Privatbank, and Oschadbank are affected by cyberattacks. (CBS News) 

The U.S. and its NATO allies in Europe say that they are ready to retaliate against Russian cyberwarfare on Ukraine depending on the severity of the attacks. (Reuters) 

The Luhansk People’s Republic says that a service member has been killed on the frontline by a Ukrainian military sniper, according to its office at the Joint Centre of Control and Coordination. (Urdu Point) 

Stock futures rise as Russia moves some troops away from Ukraine border U.S. stock futures jumped early Tuesday after reports that Russia was moving some troops away from the Ukraine border, raising hopes it wouldn’t invade. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 were up by 1.1 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively, at 6:30 a.m. ET. Nasdaq futures were up by 1.9 percent. Concerns about the Ukraine crisis and looming Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes dragged stocks down on Monday. The Dow and the S&P 500 fell by 0.5 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was flat. Oil prices jumped to their highest level since September 2014. CNBC 

An attempted terrorist attack on a memorial rally in the city of Luhansk is reportedly stopped. Russian media blames the Ukrainian Defence Ministry and “special services” of being involved in the attack. A video shows an improvised explosive device being discovered inside a garbage can. (The Jerusalem Post) 

A Spanish-owned fishing trawler, Villa de Pitanxo, sinks off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, killing 10 crew members and leaving 11 others missing. A search and rescue operation is underway. (BBC News) 

Vietnam lifts its COVID-19-related curbs on international passenger flights with no limitation on the number of flights in order to restore the travel to pre-pandemic level. (Al-Jazeera) 

The End Wednesday 

A number of protestors blockading the Canada–U.S. border near Coutts, Alberta have dispersed after an RCMP raid on a “smaller group within the larger protest” resulted in the seizure of weapons, ammunition, and body armour and the arrests of 13 people on Monday (CTV News) 

Chief of police of the Ottawa Police Service Peter Sloly resigns amidst criticism of his handling of the protests. (CTV News) 

U.S. requests extradition of former Honduras president The United States on Monday formally asked Honduras to extradite former President Juan Orlando Hernández to face charges of receiving money from drug cartels. Police surrounded Hernández’s house hours after the U.S. made the request to the Honduran Foreign Ministry. Prosecutors in New York say the former president, once a U.S. ally, used his Central American nation’s armed forces to provide security for drug traffickers. His extradition is not considered a sure thing, because it must be approved by the country’s Supreme Court, which Hernández stacked with loyalists while he was in office from 2014 to January of this year, when he was unseated by opposition leader Xiomara Castro. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández is arrested in Tegucigalpa after the U.S. extradition request. (EFE) 

Louisville, Kentucky mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg survives an assassination attempt at a local campaign office. A local activist is arrested in connection with the shooting. (The Washington Post via AP) 

Accounting firm cuts ties with Trump as investigation continues Former President Donald Trump’s longtime accounting firm abruptly ended its relationship with him and the Trump Organization last week as he faces ongoing criminal and civil investigations into allegations he and his family business inflated the value of properties to secure loans, The New York Times reported Monday, citing court filings. In a Feb. 9 letter to the Trump Organization, the accounting firm, Mazars USA, said it could no longer stand by financial statements it prepared for Trump based on information he and his company provided. In the letter, Mazars said the Trump Organization should retract the documents from 2011 to 2020, according to the Times. The Trump Organization said in a statement it was disappointed with Mazars’ decision.  THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Texas sues over Facebook’s facial-recognition technology Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday filed a suit against Facebook parent Meta Platforms over the use of facial-recognition technology, which the company has discontinued. The lawsuit requests hundreds of billions of dollars in civil penalties, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. Paxton said Facebook’s use of the technology violated Texas privacy protections for personal biometric data, accusing the social-media giant of “secretly harvesting Texans’ most personal information — photos and videos — for its own corporate profit.” Meta said in a statement that the claims were “without merit,” and that its users were notified and given the opportunity to consent to the use of the technology. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Trudeau invokes emergency powers against trucker protests Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday invoked emergency powers in a bid to break up the so-called Freedom Convoy protests against coronavirus restrictions that clogged Ottawa’s downtown and blocked key border crossings. Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Monday that his province, the most populous in Canada, would lift its COVID-19 vaccination mandate in two weeks, but said the move wasn’t in response to the protests. He said the change was coming because it was “safe to do so” now that the coronavirus surge driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant is subsiding. The province also will lift its 50 percent capacity cap on restaurants on Thursday, four days earlier than previously scheduled. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

The government of Canada invokes the Emergencies Act for the first time since the law was passed in 1988, thereby giving the federal government temporary powers to deal with ongoing blockades associated with the protests. (CBC News) 

Hate-crime prosecutors cite racist texts by Ahmaud Arbery’s murderers Prosecutors in the hate-crime trial of the three white men convicted of murdering Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery pointed to their racist comments and use of the N-word in text messages to assert that the crime was racially motivated. Defense attorneys said the three men — Travis McMichael, who fatally shot Arbery; McMichael’s father, Greg McMichael; and another neighbor, Roddie Bryan — chased down Arbery as he ran through their Georgia neighborhood because of their “honest, though erroneous, suspicion” that he was behind recent robberies in the area. “I’m not going to ask you to like Travis McMichael…,” said defense attorney Amy Lee Copeland. “But I’m going to ask you to return a verdict of not guilty to this indictment.” NPR 

Musk donated 5 million Tesla shares to charity last year Tesla CEO Elon Musk donated 5,044,000 shares in the electric-vehicle maker to charity from Nov. 19 to Nov. 29 last year, according to a Monday Tesla filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The donation, worth $5.74 billion, came as Musk sold $16.4 billion worth of Tesla shares after polling Twitter users about whether he should unload 10 percent of his stake in the company. Musk tweeted that he would be paying more than $11 billion in taxes last year as he exercised lucrative stock options. Bob Lord, an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies who studies tax policy, said Musk would get a “huge” tax benefit by gifting shares instead of selling them because he would avoid capital gains tax. REUTERS 

Parkland victim’s father protests on 4-year anniversary of shooting Manuel Oliver — father to Joaquin “Guac” Oliver, one of the 17 people killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018 — protested atop a construction crane in Washington, D.C., Monday morning, the four-year anniversary of the massacre. “The whole world will listen to Joaquin today. He has a very important message,” Oliver tweeted, standing on the 150-foot crane. Oliver hung a sign from the crane addressing President Biden, saying, “45K people died from gun violence on your watch!” Oliver and his wife Patricia are calling for Biden to pledge substantial reform to curb gun violence during his State of the Union address, slated for March 1. Biden commemorated the tragedy with a call for action to reduce gun violence. THE MIAMI HERALD 

Amy Schumer, Regina Hall, and Wanda Sykes reportedly will host Oscars Amy Schumer, Regina Hall, and Wanda Sykes are expected to host the 2022 Academy Awards, Variety reported and Deadline confirmed on Monday. Schumer, Hall, and Sykes will be the first official Oscar hosts since 2018, as the ceremony has gone without an emcee during the past three years. Comedian Kevin Hart was scheduled to host in 2019, but he stepped down after backlash over homophobic tweets and jokes. The Oscars hadn’t hired a new host since. Last month, ABC confirmed the 2022 ceremony would bring back a host. But The Hollywood Reporter later revealed the plan was actually to have three of them, turning the ceremony into a “three-act show, with each one-hour act emceed by a different host.” VARIETY 

Intel to buy Israeli chipmaker Tower Semiconductor for $5.4 billion Intel Corp has agreed to buy Israeli chipmaker Tower Semiconductor in a deal worth $5.4 billion, the companies said Tuesday. Intel will pay $53 per share, a significant premium on Tower’s Monday closing price of $33.13. The acquisition will help Intel capitalize on booming semiconductor demand and broaden its offerings as automakers and other companies grapple with chip shortages. Tower specializes in analog chips used in cars, medical sensors, and power management. Tower shares jumped by more than 40 percent in after-hours trading in anticipation of the takeover. The deal, already approved by both companies’ boards, is expected to close in about a year, pending regulatory and shareholder approvals. REUTERS 

Alec Baldwin sued by cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’ family Alec Baldwin has been hit with yet another lawsuit over the Rust on-set shooting, this time from the family of late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. In October, a prop gun Baldwin was holding discharged on the set of the movie, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Hutchins’ family has now filed a wrongful death lawsuit naming Baldwin and “others who were responsible for the safety on the set and whose reckless behavior and cost-cutting led to” her “senseless and tragic death,” attorney Brian Panish said. The lawyer also said that Baldwin should have confirmed the gun didn’t contain any live rounds. In December, Baldwin denied responsibility for the shooting and claimed he never pulled the trigger. A clip from that ABC News interview was played during Tuesday’s press conference announcing the lawsuit — and Puck News‘ Matthew Belloni observed, “Non-shocker: Alec Baldwin’s bizarre ABC interview comes back to haunt him.”  VARIETY 

Netflix is making a ‘BioShock’ movie Netflix is heading under the sea. A movie based on the video game franchise BioShock is in the works, the streamer announced Tuesday. Netflix has partnered with the game publisher Take-Two Interactive on the movie adaptation, and The Hollywood Reporter says the hope is for this to not just be one film but a “potential cinematic universe,” because, well, that’s just how Hollywood works now. The original BioShock game was released in 2007, and it takes players into an underwater city called Rapture, where its main character finds himself after a plane crash. Universal was once working on a BioShock movie with Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski. But the project fell apart, reportedly in part because Verbinski wanted an R rating. Now that the film is in the works again, would you kindly give him a call, Netflix?  THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

‘Chip ‘N Dale’ reboot gets an insanely meta trailer Wait a second, is the new straight-to-streaming Chip ‘N Dale reboot actually going to be really good? Disney+ dropped a trailer for the new streaming movie Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers, in which John Mulaney and Andy Samberg voice the animated characters, and it’s definitely not what we were expecting: the film is going super meta, showing Chip and Dale washed up in real life 30 years after their animated show was canceled. The movie combines live-action and animation, Who Framed Roger Rabbit style, and the trailer includes a fun gag about Chip being hand-drawn but Dale being computer animated because he had “CGI surgery.” Roger Rabbit himself shows up in the trailer, which also includes jokes about reboots, Beowulf-style animation, and even a jab at the terrible Cats film. If it looks more clever than expected, that might be because Akiva Schaffer of The Lonely Island is directing. Could he pull off the rare feat of taking what sounds like a terrible cash grab and turning it into something legitimately great, otherwise known as pulling a Lego Movie?  THE AV CLUB 

Seth Rogen tells a story about crying on a date Seth Rogen’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! happened to be scheduled for Valentine’s Day, so he naturally decided to tell an extremely romantic story about the time he wept on a dinner date. Rogen, who admitted he was a “bad dater” before getting married, recalled taking a woman he was casually seeing out to celebrate his birthday with plans to ask her to officially be his girlfriend. “I asked her around when the appetizers were arriving, and she said no,” Rogen said. “And then I started crying.” The fatal mistake, he recalled, was asking so early in the date, seeing as they still had food and even a cake coming, and “this poor woman had to sit there with me as I wept into my truffle mac and cheese.” If this story didn’t make it abundantly clear, Rogen joked, “I had terrible experiences dating women, and I think the women who dated me also did not have the best experiences.” ET 

Russia rejects an official Ukrainian request for a meeting between both countries and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in order to discuss the crisis. (ABC News Australia) 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declares February 16 as a “day of unity”. On this day, all Ukrainians will be asked to display the national flag from their buildings, and sing the national anthem in unison. Western intelligence has cited the day as the most likely time of a Russian attack against the country. (Reuters) 

U.S. officials say that Russian troops, along with long-range artillery and missile launchers have begun moving into staging areas near the Ukrainian border after leaving their assembly areas. (CBS News) 

The Saudi-led coalition airstrikes Sanaa, Yemen, in retaliation for an attack by Houthi forces on the Saudi Arabian city of Abha. A Houthi telecommunications system used to command drones is destroyed. (Al Jazeera) 

Seven people are killed and 20 more are injured by an explosion and fire at a block of flats in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque, Pyrénées-Orientales, France. Firefighters are searching for survivors. (BBC News) 

The Public Health Agency of Sweden recommends that people over the age of 80 years, residents of nursing homes, and people receiving at-home care should receive a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (MedicalXpress) 

The flag of Mauritius is raised on the British-controlled Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean for the first time in history. Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth describes the event as a “historic moment”, saying that it was time for the United Kingdom to cede control of the archipelago. (BBC News) 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland announces that, as part of the invoking of the Act, crowdfunding platforms such as GoFundMe and GiveSendGo must immediately register with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) and authorizes banks to freeze accounts suspected to be involved in the blockades. (CTV News) 

The United States Department of Justice asks Honduras for the arrest and extradition of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who left office less than a month ago. (Reuters) 

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas’ erotic thriller ‘Deep Water’ reveals steamy trailer There’s growing evidence the delayed Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas thriller Deep Water is actually a real movie coming out. Case in point: Hulu finally revealed the film’s trailer on Monday. The extremely steamy footage shows Affleck and de Armas’ characters discussing their love through almost unprecedented levels of whispering, as they very slowly inch toward each other and both declare “there’s something wrong with me.” The film is described as a psychological thriller following a married couple who play “dangerous mind games.” If you can remember as far back as 2020, Affleck and de Armas dated for a while, and they were constantly spotted on walks during that period of the pandemic when we all really needed celebrity gossip distractions. Their romance began after they met working on Deep Water — but the film has taken so long to come out that they already broke up over a year ago. Surely the press tour won’t be awkward in any way.  VARIETY 

Chevy Chase doesn’t ‘give a crap’ his co-stars think he’s a jerk Chevy Chase spoke with CBS Sunday Morning for a rare interview that might as well have been conducted in character as Community‘s Pierce Hawthorne. The actor famously has a reputation for being difficult to work with, and his last major role was on Community. He left the series after its fourth season following a bitter feud with creator Dan Harmon and after reportedly clashing with his co-stars; a New Yorker profile in 2018 said Chase would try to disrupt co-star Donald Glover’s scenes with “racial cracks,” such as by telling him, “People think you’re funnier because you’re Black.” Asked by CBS how he feels about colleagues calling him a jerk, Chase simply said, “I don’t give a crap. I am who I am, and I like who I am.” Chase also said he has always “hated bullies” — a comment that CBS brutally noted, given his reputation, “might come as a surprise.”  THE NEW YORK POST 

Oscars reportedly tap hosts, ask Twitter to vote on best film The group of unfortunate souls whom pundits will inevitably tear apart after this year’s Oscars have reportedly been selected. Amy Schumer, Regina Hall, and Wanda Sykes are expected to host the 2022 Academy Awards, Variety reported and Deadline confirmed on Monday. Previously, The Hollywood Reporter said the plan was to turn the Oscars into a “three-act show, with each one-hour act emceed by a different host.” In other Oscar news, the Academy announced Monday that it’s asking Twitter users to vote on their favorite film of 2021. The movie that gets the most votes will be recognized during the telecast, and it can be any movie released last year, not just the ones nominated — because when has asking the internet to vote in an online poll ever gone wrong? If all of this still doesn’t result in boosted ratings, don’t be surprised if the Academy’s next step is just straight up introducing a “Best movie about Spider-Man” category.  VARIETY 

The End Tuesday 

Monday,  February 14th, 2022 

 
Simone Biles got engaged on Valentine’s Day Simone Biles had about as good a Valentine’s Day as one can. The gymnast revealed Tuesday she got engaged to her boyfriend, Houston Texans safety Jonathan Owens. Biles shared a set of adorable photos on Instagram showing Owens down on one knee on Monday, as well as the engagement ring, which reportedly may have cost around $300,000. It was “the easiest yes,” she wrote, adding, “I can’t wait to spend forever & ever with you.” Meanwhile, Owens wrote on Instagram that he “woke up this morning with a fiancée,” who “really had no clue what was coming” when he proposed. Biles and Owens have been dating since 2020. They originally connected over Raya, according to Glamour — but although Biles might be the greatest gymnast of all time, Owens told Texas Monthly that when they first met, “I didn’t know who she was. I just hadn’t heard of her, and when I told her that, that’s one of the things she liked.” TMZ 

Kanye West and Julia Fox break up Are you sitting down? If you can believe it, Kanye West and Julia Fox’s romance didn’t work out. The rapper and the Uncut Gems star have officially broken up, Page Six reported on Valentine’s Day. On Instagram, Fox insisted she’s not a “sad lonely woman crying on a plane by myself” despite what “the media would love to” suggest, explaining she has “love for” West but “wasn’t in love.” She also declared herself a “#1 hustler,” telling anyone who wants “the full tea” to “buy the book when it comes out.” West, meanwhile, posted a photo of the truckload of flowers he sent estranged wife Kim Kardashian for Valentine’s Day, as he continues to plead with her to take him back. West has had a multi-day meltdown going after a laundry list of celebrities, which got so wild he had to literally hold up paper with the day’s date to prove he wasn’t hacked. On Monday, West was even telling fans that if they see Kardashian’s new boyfriend Pete Davidson, they should scream at him “AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS AND SAY KIMYE FOREVER.” And ladies, he’s single!  PAGE SIX 

https://theweek.com/donald-trump/1010121/trump-lost-but-his-tactics-keep-on-winning

U.S. national security adviser warns Russia could invade Ukraine ‘any day now’  President Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, warned Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine as soon as this week. Sullivan told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union that Russian troops were in place to attack before the Beijing Winter Olympics end on Feb. 20. “A major military action could begin by Russia in Ukraine any day now,” Sullivan said. A day earlier, Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia would face “swift and severe costs” if it invades. On Sunday, Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the U.S. and its allies would respond “decisively” to any Russian aggression. The United States, which ordered the evacuation of most of its embassy staff from Kyiv, says Russia has more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s border. NBC NEWS 

The Los Angeles Rams defeat the Cincinnati Bengals, 23–20, to win Super Bowl LVI. (ESPN) 

Super Bowl ads hint at return to pre-pandemic normal The ads that aired on NBC during the Super Bowl included commercials for travel, autos, and entertainment companies, hinting at a return to a pre-pandemic normal. Cue Health aired one of several health and wellness ads. Planet Fitness, in its first Super Bowl ad, showed actress Lindsay Lohan putting her party days in the past. Medical technology company Hologic had singer Mary J. Blige encourage women to get medical screenings. There were many first-time Super Bowl advertisers, including cryptocurrency exchanges FTX, Crypto.com, and Coinbase, which captured considerable attention with an ad displaying just a slowly bouncing QR code leading to an online offer of free bitcoin for new customers. NBC charged $7 million for 30-second spots, which gave brands access to the year’s biggest TV audience. REUTERS 

Rams come back to beat Bengals in Super Bowl The Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl with a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The Rams came from behind and sealed the win when wide receiver Cooper Kupp caught a 1-yard pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford with 1:25 left to play. Kupp made eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and was named Super Bowl MVP. After that touchdown, Rams defensive anchor Aaron Donald ended the Bengals’ chance for a last-second win by sacking Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. The Rams were the second team in a row to win the Lombardi Trophy in their home stadium, a feat Tampa Bay pulled off last year. The win made the Rams’ Sean McVay, 36, the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl. USA TODAY 

Russia figure skater Kamila Valieva cleared to compete despite drug test The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Monday that Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva can compete in the individual women’s skating events at the Beijing Olympics despite her positive pre-Games drug test. The CAS said it decided against barring Valieva from competition because she is, at 15, a “protected person” under the World Anti-Doping Code, and her drug tests in Beijing have been clean. The panel also believed barring Valieva from competing would cause her “irreparable harm,” CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb said. The panel did not rule on the merits of Valieva’s case or whether the Russian team will get to keep the gold medal she helped them win in the team skating event. Valieva is favored to win the individual gold. ESPN 

Erin Jackson becomes 1st Black woman to take speedskating gold Erin Jackson won the gold medal in the women’s 500 meters speedskating on Sunday, becoming the first Black woman to win a speedskating medal at the Winter Olympics. “Hopefully, this has an effect,” Jackson said. “Hopefully, we’ll see more minorities, especially in the USA, getting out and trying these winter sports.” Jackson, 29, is a former inline and roller derby skater from Ocala, Florida. She switched to ice skating shortly before the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. She adapted so quickly that she made the Olympic team that year, finishing 24th in the 500 in those Games. On Monday, Team USA added to its medal totals when Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor won gold and silver in monobob. USA TODAY 

U.S. suspends Mexico avocado imports after inspector threatened Mexico acknowledged over the weekend that the United States has halted avocado imports “until further notice” following a threat against a U.S. plant safety inspector. The temporary suspension came just ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl, when football fans snack on guacamole during the game and provide Mexican avocado growers with the year’s biggest sales bump. Game-day consumption wasn’t affected by the suspension, as the supply for the weekend had already shipped. The avocado industry is the latest part of Mexico’s economy to be affected by turf battles among drug cartels, including extortion of avocado growers in western Michoacan state, the only part of Mexico fully authorized to export fresh avocados to the U.S. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Key U.S.-Canada border bridge reopened after police arrest protesters Canadian and U.S. authorities officially reopened the Ambassador Bridge after Canadian police on Sunday arrested the more than two dozen remaining protesters blocking traffic across the key trade route linking Windsor, Canada, with Detroit. The border demonstration, which lasted seven days, mirrored a larger protest against COVID-19 restrictions in Ottawa, Canada’s capital. The blocking of the border by truckers and other protesters disrupted a major trade route and exacerbated supply-chain problems for automakers, forcing them to slow or stop production at factories on both sides of the border. “Today, our national economic crisis at the Ambassador Bridge came to an end,” said Windsor’s Mayor Drew Dilkens. The so-called Freedom Convoy has inspired similar convoys in France, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Canadian police say a major demonstration at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, has dispersed peacefully. The protesters had been given warnings for several days. (BBC News) 

Luján vows to return to vote on Supreme Court confirmation Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), who is recovering from a stroke, said in a video released by his office Sunday that he plans to return to work in “just a few short weeks” to vote on President Biden’s nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Biden has said he wants to name his pick by the end of February. Luján’s vote could be crucial for Democrats to confirm Biden’s nominee in an evenly split, 50-50 Senate. Luján, 49, suffered a stroke in January and had surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. He is recovering at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque and will soon transfer to an inpatient rehabilitation facility. POLITICO 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announces that the value-added tax (VAT) will be lowered from 8% to 1% on dairy products, fruit, vegetables, and other basic foods. The VAT reduction, aimed at countering soaring inflation, will go into effect on Monday. (Daily Sabah) 

Kinzinger says he expects Giuliani to comply with Jan. 6 panel subpoena Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said on CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday that the House Jan. 6 committee expects Rudy Giuliani, who served as former President Donald Trump’s attorney, to comply with a subpoena to appear before the panel. “He’s been subpoenaed,” Kinzinger said. “Our expectation is he is going to cooperate because that’s the law, that’s the requirement. Same as if somebody’s subpoenaed to court.” He added that “there may be some changes in dates as lawyers do their back-and-forth” and affirmed the committee’s commitment to “not rushing” the investigation. Kinzinger, a vocal opponent of Trump, is one of only two Republicans on the Jan. 6 committee, along with Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.). The Republican National Committee punished both for their participation; earlier this month, a resolution to formally censure the two passed without any debate or discussion. THE GUARDIAN 

Lockheed drops plan to buy rocket engine maker Aeorojet Lockheed Martin Corp. on Sunday scrapped its planned acquisition of rocket engine maker Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings. The proposed $4.4 billion deal had faced opposition from the Federal Trade Commission, which sued to block it in late January. The FTC argued that Lockheed Martin’s control over Aerojet would potentially hurt other defense contractors. Raytheon Technologies, which makes missiles, had openly objected to the deal. The proposed merger was announced late last year. It would have helped Lockheed dominate the market for solid fuel rocket motors. Lockheed CEO James Taiclet said the acquisition would have improved efficiency and reduced costs, but abandoning it is best for shareholders. REUTERS 

Canada withdraws its military advisors from Ukraine and relocates them to an undisclosed destination in Europe. It moves its diplomatic staff to Lviv, suspending all operations at its embassy in Kyiv. (Reuters) 

Ukraine receives a shipment of FIM-92 Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems from Lithuania. (Reuters) 

Ukraine formally requests a meeting with Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe within the next 48 hours in response to the crisis. (Daily Sabah) 

Eleven people are injured during a mass stabbing by a man riding a bicycle through Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. The suspect is taken into custody. (ABC News) 

A car bombing in Ashkelon, Israel kills one person and injures two more. The incident is most likely related to Organized crime in Israel. (Times of Israel) 

Frank-Walter Steinmeier is re-elected as president of Germany. (Deutsche Welle) 

Saudi coalition tells civilians to evacuate Yemeni ministries The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said Sunday that civilians should immediately evacuate Yemeni ministries in the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa. The coalition said Houthi forces were launching “hostile operations” from ministry buildings. The coalition said it would destroy one of these sites, which it said had been linked to the latest Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abha international airport. Saudi air defenses on Thursday intercepted an explosives-laden drone heading for the airport. A dozen people at the airport were injured by shrapnel in that attack. Saudi Arabia has been leading the fight against Houthis for seven years, since the group ousted the internationally recognized Yemeni government. REUTERS 

‘Ghostbusters’ director Ivan Reitman dies at 75 Ivan Reitman, the director and producer behind beloved comedies like Ghostbusters and Animal House, died Saturday night in his sleep at his home in Montecito, California. He was 75. His children Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman, and Caroline Reitman said in a statement that their father “taught us to always seek the magic in life. We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world.” Reitman’s first major hit as a producer was 1978’s National Lampoon’s Animal House. He became a household name in 1984 when he directed Ghostbusters. In the decades since, several additional Ghostbusters films have been made, with Jason Reitman directing the recent installment, Ghostbusters: Afterlife. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

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