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IMPORTANT | | Tentative Ways Forward | New Round of Diplomatic Talks Yields No Mercy From Russia A fourth round of negotiations via videoconference yielded no breakthroughs in talks between Russia and Ukraine, as the Kremlin continued its assault on Kyiv and other major cities. Though a convoy of 160 civilian cars was able to escape along a designated humanitarian route from the port city of Mariupol, citizens reported airstrikes across Ukraine that targeted everything from apartment buildings and an airplane factory in Kyiv to a TV tower in the western village of Antopol. The Red Cross called the situation “nothing short of a nightmare” for civilians. Negotiators plan to resume talks today. (Source: AP) |
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| | | Omicron Lingers On | China Faces Worst COVID-19 Outbreak Since Start of Pandemic China is the last country to enforce a strict COVID-zero policy, where any positive cases trigger mass lockdowns. Now the Chinese government is sending some 51 million people into lockdown after 1,437 positive cases were reported across dozens of cities — four times as many cases as last week. The lockdowns are affecting the northeastern province Jilin and the southern cities Shenzhen and Dongguan. Shenzhen, China’s Silicon Valley, is a key port, and its lockdown will hamper companies headquartered there including Huawei and Tencent, along with Apple supplier Foxconn’s two major factories. (Source: ABC News) |
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| | Time to Choose | US Warns China of ‘Consequences’ for Aiding Russia U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan and China’s director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, Yang Jiechi, met yesterday to discuss their countries’ involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. China has urged “restraint” in the conflict but has not formally denounced the invasion, although Beijing has supported diplomatic avenues toward ending the war. Sullivan made it clear in the meeting that the U.S. is ready to take action against any country that provides support. State Department spokesman Ned Price said, “We have been very clear — both privately with Beijing, publicly with Beijing — that there would be consequences for any such support.” (Source: Al Jazeera) |
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| | Hunting a Killer | Gunman Targeting Homeless People in NYC and DC Eludes Police A masked gunman has struck five times in 10 days, killing two and injuring three homeless people. Washington, D.C., police are offering $25,000 for information leading to his arrest, while New York City police are offering $10,000. Both departments and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are working together to stop the attacks, which have deeply shaken the two East Coast cities. NYC Mayor Eric Adams and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a joint statement encouraging their cities’ homeless residents to seek shelter to avoid a “cold-blooded killer on the loose.” (Sources: The Guardian, BBC) |
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| | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas attended Jan. 6 ‘Stop the Steal’ rally. Virginia Thomas’ attendance raises questions about the impact of her conservative activism on her husband’s judicial integrity. (Source: The Hill) Fox News journalist injured outside Kyiv. Foreign affairs correspondent Benjamin Hall was hospitalized after being injured while “news gathering.” (Source: The Guardian) Dolly bows out. Country music legend Dolly Parton graciously removed her name from the running for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2022 class of inductees, saying that while “extremely flattered and grateful” she hasn’t “earned that right.” (Source: CNN) |
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| | INTRIGUING | | | | Duke It Out | Tech Billionaire Elon Musk Wants to Fight Putin for … Ukraine SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted an unusual proposition to the Kremlin yesterday that most took as a joke. But the multibillionaire insisted he was dead serious. Musk challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “single combat” — with Ukraine’s fate in the balance. A Musk win would secure Putin’s withdrawal from Ukraine, though it was unclear what a Putin win would mean. Musk has already thrown his weight behind the Ukrainian cause, sending terminals to set up his Starlink satellite-based internet service in the war-torn country. No word yet from Putin on whether he’ll take up the gauntlet. (Source: NPR) |
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| | Worst-Case Scenarios | Ex-Officials Warn the US Isn’t Prepared for Germ Warfare After a yearslong COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. should be prepared for future catastrophes of that scale. But ex-officials from the Department of Health and Human Services say the nation has not taken adequate measures against the very real threat of biological or chemical warfare, as Putin — no stranger to chemical weapons — advances on Ukraine. Though there’s no immediate danger, former HHS Assistant Secretary Robert Kadlec warned that preparedness is important no matter what the next crisis may be. The national stockpile of treatments, vaccines and equipment for emergency use has been consistently underfunded by Congress compared to recommended levels. (Sources: Axios, The Guardian) |
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| | Oil, Oil Everywhere | Peru Oil Spill Leaves Fishermen Desperate With Nowhere to Turn In January, the Spanish-owned Repsol oil refinery leaked 11,900 barrels of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean in what the Peruvian government called its “worst ecological disaster.” Two months later, more than 2,500 local fishermen already living at the poverty line are in danger of a similar economic disaster. For weeks the deeply polluted waters near the coast have yielded little or no fish. Peruvian President Pedro Castillo promised financial aid to those affected by the spill — including fishermen, restaurants, food vendors and others — but a month after that promise state aid still hasn’t materialized. (Source: Al Jazeera) |
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| | Good Year for Pete | ‘Saturday Night Live’ Star Will Travel to the Edge of Space On March 23, comedian Pete Davidson, 28, will join the next Blue Origin rocket crew flying toward the stars, marking the fourth human flight and the 20th flight overall for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ private spaceflight company. But Davidson is far from becoming an astronaut: Passengers experience around four minutes of weightlessness as the capsule grazes the edge of space at an altitude of more than 65 miles. The comedian, who has been in the news lately for dating businesswoman and fashion icon Kim Kardashian after her dramatic split from rapper Kanye West, will be joined by five other passengers. (Sources: NBC News, People) |
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| | Battle of the QBs | Mitchell Trubisky to Sign With Pittsburgh Steelers The 27-year-old free agent has announced he’ll sign a two-year, $14.25 million contract with the Steelers, picking them over the New York Giants. Trubisky, the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, spent last season as backup quarterback for the Buffalo Bills after four seasons with the Chicago Bears, where he started 50 games and finished with a 29-21 record. He’ll compete with Mason Rudolph for the starting job after Pittsburgh entered uncertain times in January when veteran QB Ben Roethlisberger retired. The Trubisky deal can’t become official until free agency begins Wednesday. (Sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, ESPN) |
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