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