| | | The U.S. and Russia clashed again yesterday in a dispute pitting the West against President Vladimir Putin, who refuses to call off troops massed at the Ukraine border. Across the pond, the U.K. may soon be seeking a new prime minister after a bombshell report detailed secret parties at Downing Street at the height of COVID-19 lockdowns. The hate crime trial of two of Ahmaud Arbery’s killers will proceed after a U.S. district court judge rejected a plea deal. And in Ecuador, an oil spill threatens Indigenous people and wildlife in the Amazon rainforest. All this and more in today’s PDB. | | |
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| IMPORTANT | 1 - Words Fly, Not Bullets US and Russia Clash Once Again in UN Debate A tense debate held in the United Nations Security Council yesterday over Russia’s buildup of troops once again ended in stalemate. Moscow tried and failed to prevent the meeting — the first open session where every major power involved in the crisis spoke publicly. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia began by accusing the U.S. of bringing “nationalists, radicals, Russophobes and pure Nazis” to power in Ukraine. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield heatedly countered, accusing Russia of baselessly blaming the West in order to “fabricate a pretext for attack.” The Security Council took no action after the debate. (Source: AP) |
| | | 2 - PM in Hot Water Highly Anticipated Report on British Prime Minister Minces No Words It seems Prime Minister Boris Johnson may finally face the music. Senior civil servant Sue Gray released her findings on Monday after investigating 16 separate gatherings at Downing Street — the prime minister’s residence — for violation of strict lockdown protocols in place at the time. The list includes now-infamous gatherings, like the “bring your own booze” event in the Downing Street garden and Johnson’s birthday party, both held in the summer of 2020. While Johnson has apologized for some of the events, the Conservative party could still end up ousting him if 54 Conservative MPs submit letters of no confidence. (Source: BBC) |
| 3 - Plea Rejected, Justice Proceeds Federal Judge Rejects Plea Deal Reached By Prosecutors in Arbery Case Travis and Gregory McMichael, two of the three men found guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, had agreed to plead guilty of violating Arbery’s civil rights in exchange for confinement in a federal prison rather than a state prison. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Lisa Wood rejected the deal after Arbery’s family asked the judge to block the appeal. The second trial will proceed on February 7 as scheduled. Before the plea agreement, both of the McMichaels indicated they would plead not guilty to hate crime charges. The judge gave the men until Friday to decide how they will plead. (Sources: Axios, WaPo) |
| 4 - Rainforest Spillover Ecuador Oil Spill Reaches Amazon Rainforest, Endangering Protected Area The oil spill, caused by the rupture of a pipeline owned by private oil company OCP Ecuador, has contaminated nearly five acres of protected forest and water reserves in the Cayambe-Coca National Park. The country is struggling to contain the spillage, which has endangered wildlife and contaminated the Coca River, one of the biggest rivers in the Ecuadorian Amazon that supplies water to Indigenous communities. The spill follows a major oil leak in Peru in January, after an underwater volcanic eruption on Tonga caused 11,900 barrels of oil to seep into the ocean. (Source: Al Jazeera) |
| 5 - Briefly Here are some things you should know about today: Marc Short, former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, testified in front of the House select committee investigating Jan. 6. A promising sign that Pence’s staff is cooperating with the committee’s investigation. (Source: CNN) Bomb threats cause six historically Black colleges and universities to cancel classes and enter lockdown Monday. Hours later, most campuses had cleared the threat and lifted lockdowns. (Source: NPR) The New York Times buys Wordle. The newspaper acquired the viral word game for a seven-figure sum. (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | | Watch Aari McDonald Talk Top Shots and Off-Court Difference-Making
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| INTRIGUING | 1 - Rap Royalty Report Two of the Hip-Hop World’s Biggest Names Are Expecting International pop star and fashion icon Rihanna turned more heads than usual this weekend on a stroll through Harlem with her boyfriend A$AP Rocky — baby bump in full view. Rihanna announced her pregnancy by revealing her clearly pregnant belly emerging from a hot pink vintage Chanel coat amid New York’s freshly fallen snow. Photographs of their walk show the stars strolling hand in hand, Rihanna’s middle framed by a long glittering necklace. Both Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have been open about wanting to be parents. In typical fashion for the often-enigmatic icon, no further details about her pregnancy were released. (Source: People) |
| | | 2 - Couch-Potato Nation New Report Reveals a Lot of Americans Could Do With Some Exercise The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new survey numbers that paint a stark picture of American exercise. Based on a national, state-based telephone survey, the CDC found that 25% of American adults are physically inactive. But that number varied widely by state, race and ethnicity: 20% of non-Hispanic Asian adults were physically inactive, compared with 32% of Hispanic adults and 30% of non-Hispanic Blacks. The CDC noted the numbers could reflect socioeconomic factors that create barriers to physical activity, like a lack of access to parks or not having enough time for exercise. (Source: The Hill) |
| 3 - The Sky Is Falling! Or It Could Just Be Tumbling Frozen Floridian Iguanas If you live in Florida, you’re probably used to some unusual public safety warnings. But after this weekend’s brutal winter storm, South Floridians got a message from the National Weather Service warning them to watch out for something a little weirder than usual — falling catatonic iguanas. When temperatures drop below the cold-blooded creatures’ normal range they slow down, but when temps plunge into the 40s they stop altogether, tumbling out of trees and from other heights until the weather warms up. Luckily, the cold snap didn’t last long: Most iguanas were back up and running just a few hours later. (Source: NBC News) |
| 4 - Seafarers Saving Salmon Four Boats. 60 Scientists. One Mission: Keep Salmon Swimming Salmon are nearly extinct in the Pacific Northwest and no one’s quite sure why. Enter the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and their international team of scientists, who are headed deep into the Pacific Ocean to find out. Besides the perils of warming waters due to climate change and man-made dams preventing the fish from returning to the ocean, scientists know little about what happens to migrating salmon once they head deep into the treacherous sea. With this expedition, researchers hope to get to the bottom of this near extinction in order to address the problem at its source. (Source: NPR) |
| 5 - Down for the Count Injury Robs Utah Jazz of Key Player for Remainder of Season Tests revealed that forward Joe Ingles, 34, a key player for the Jazz for eight seasons, has suffered a torn ACL, after his knee buckled during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Salt Lake City on Monday. Tests showed no other structural damage, but left Ingles’ future in question. Ingles, who also played in four Olympics for Australia, is now in his final year of a $13 million contract. Though a blow to the team, the loss could still benefit the Jazz as they enter trade discussions. Ingles is expected to undergo surgery in the coming weeks. (Source: ESPN) |
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