Wake-Up Call: Russia Launches Attack On Ukraine

Daily Mail composite 2/24/22

Russia launched an attack on Ukraine early Thursday that the Ukrainian foreign minister called a "full-scale invasion," with explosions heard in multiple cities, including the capital city of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa, and Ukraine saying troops crossed into the country from Russia, Belarus and Crimea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared martial law, saying Russia has targeted Ukraine’s military infrastructure, urging people to stay home and not panic. The Russian military claimed to have incapacitated all of Ukraine's air defenses and air bases within hours, while there were also Ukrainian claims of having shot down several Russian aircraft.

Putin to The World

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a televised address in which he said the attack was necessary to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine, an untrue claim the U.S. had said he would use as a pretext, and accused the U.S. and its allies of not agreeing to Russia's demands to not allow Ukraine to join NATO. He claimed Russia doesn't intend to occupy Ukraine, but will, quote, "demilitarize" it and bring those who he charged committed crimes to justice. He warned other nations against trying to interfere, saying it would lead to, quote, "consequences you have never seen." He also warned against a direct attack on Russia, emphasizing that it is, quote, "one of the most potent nuclear powers."

President Biden condemned what he called an "unprovoked and unjustified attack" in a written statement, saying the U.S. and its allies would "hold Russia accountable," and that he will speak to Americans today. More sanctions are expected to be announced today, after the U.S., European Union, and others had imposed sanctions on Russia Tuesday following Putin declaring two separatist regions in Ukraine independent and ordering in troops. European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she will present, quote, "massive and strategic" sanctions against Russia for approval today.

The U.N. Security Council was holding an emergency meeting to try to prevent an invasion when word came that it had begun. Ukraine's ambassador to the U.N. addressed Russia's ambassador, telling him to call Putin and tell him to stop the aggression, and stating, "There is no purgatory for war criminals. They go straight to hell, Ambassador."

BREAKING: Russia's military says it has knocked out Ukraine’s air defense assets and airbases. No confirmation from Kyiv yet. Explosions were heard before dawn in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa as Moscow launched its anticipated attack on its neighbor. https://t.co/RnHCD56nVZ

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 24, 2022

➤TEXAS GOV. ORDERS TREATING GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE FOR TRANS MINORS AS CHILD ABUSE: Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the state's child welfare agency to investigate reports of gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors as child abuse. Abbott's directive came after state Attorney General Ken Paxton released a non-binding legal opinion that called some gender-affirming treatments child abuse, which goes against the stance of the largest American medical groups. The treatments targeted include puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries. However, the immediate impact of Abbott's order is unclear, with AP citing the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services as saying said there were no open cases based on the directive.

220,000 illegal immigrants evaded Border Patrol since October: source https://t.co/xNBvB87MHj

— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 23, 2022

🛳$450 MILLION GOING TO PORTS TO HELP EASE SUPPLY CHAIN CRISIS: U.S. ports will be given nearly $450 million in federal money from the infrastructure law passed last year to help ease the supply chain crisis, which will in turn help reduce prices for Americans. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the availability yesterday of the first batch of competitive grants for the ports that will be double last year's amount annually for five years. U.S. ports will have until May to apply for the grants, which will be awarded by fall.

➤PROSECUTORS IN CHARGE OF MANHATTAN D.A.'S TRUMP PROBE RESIGN: The two prosecutors in charge of the Manhattan district attorney’s criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump and his business dealings resigned Wednesday, raising questions about the future of the probe. Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz, who ran the investigation on a day-to-day basis, began on the probe under former District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. The new D.A., Alvin Bragg, asked them to stay on when he took office in January. The New York Times cited sources as saying Dunne and Pomerantz quit after Bragg raised doubts about pursuing a case against Trump himself. The nearly three-year investigation has so far led to tax fraud charges only against Trump’s company, and its finance chief Allen Weisselberg.

➤IVANKA TRUMP IN TALKS TO SPEAK WITH JAN. 6TH COMMITTEE: Ivanka Trump is in talks to speak with the House committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, her spokesperson told CBS News yesterday. The committee sent Ivanka a letter in January asking her to appear before the panel, saying it believes she was in the Oval Office that day during a phone call between her father and then-Vice President Mike Pence and want to know if she heard or took part in conversations about her father's plan, quote, "to obstruct or impede the counting of electoral votes." The letter also said several former White House staffers have testified to the committee that they asked Ivanka to try to persuade her father during the attack to address what was going on. Ivanka was a White House adviser to her father.

➤KAEPERNICK LAUNCHING INITIATIVE FOR FREE AUTOPSIES IN 'POLICE-RELATED' DEATHS: Colin Kaepernick is launching an initiative that will provide free autopsies to family members of anyone whose death was "police-related" if the families want a second, independent autopsy in addition to the official one. The initiative through the controversial former NFL quarterback's Know Your Rights Camp is being done in collaboration with a panel of board-certified forensic pathologists. Kaepernick said, "We know that the prison industrial complex, which includes police and policing, strives to protect and serve its interests at all costs. The Autopsy Initiative is one important step toward ensuring that family members have access to accurate and forensically verifiable information about the cause of death of their loved one in their time of need."

🎵STUDY: WHY WE DISLIKE CERTAIN TYPES OF MUSIC: Disliking certain kinds of music is normal, but did you ever wonder why? Researchers from Germany reasons people disliked music generally fell into three categories: 1) object-related reasons (such as composition or lyrics), 2) subject-related reasons (emotional or bodily effects or discrepancies with self-image), and 3) social reasons. Earlier research has shown that musical aversion has important social functions, but this study expands to include music-related and personal reasons. For example, musical dislikes may serve to maintain a good mood, facilitate identity expression, or help define a social group.

😋CHILDREN EAT WHAT THEY LIKE, BUT FOOD INTAKE DRIVEN MORE BY WHAT THEY DISLIKE:  A new study finds kids make eating choices based more on what they dislike than what they like. Penn State researchers looked at kids ages four to six, and found that disliking was a stronger predictor of what little ones eat compared to foods they like. Lead researcher Kathleen Keller adds that even at a young age, children’s food choices are influenced by their parents and peers, so we need to be careful with assumptions about what is truly driving their behavior when they sit down to eat. She adds, “They pick up on what is said around the table about what foods are good, and while that may not actually correspond to kids eating them, they are taking it in, and that’s affected their perceptions of foods. Milk is a good example of that—for some families, there may be a health halo effect around milk. Kids learn from an early age that drinking milk will give them a strong body, so they may drink milk even if it’s not their favorite beverage.”  

🕱OUR LIVES REALLY DO FLASH BEFORE OUR EYES WHEN WE DIE:  There’s now a bit more information about what happens in our brain when we die. Researchers in Canada recently recorded a dying brain while they were using an EEG to detect and treat seizures in an 87-year-old man, and he suffered a cardiac arrest. The scientists claim it’s the first time ever that scientists recorded the activity of a dying human brain. The brain wave patterns they observed were similar to those that occur during memory retrieval, dreaming, and meditation. The researchers say this could mean the brain remains active and coordinated during and after the transition to death, and may even be programmed to “orchestrate the whole ordeal.” Researcher and neurosurgeon Dr. Ajmal Zemmar adds, “Through generating oscillations involved in memory retrieval, the brain may be playing a last recall of important life events just before we die, similar to the ones reported in near-death experiences. These findings challenge our understanding of when exactly life ends and generate important subsequent questions, such as those related to timing of organ donation.”  

⚾MLB SAYS SEASON TO BE SHORTENED IF NO AGREEMENT BY MONDAY: MLB told the locked-out players Wednesday that the regular season will be shortened if there's no agreement on a new labor contract by the end of the day Monday. That news came after a third straight day of negotiations with little progress. Players have suggested that if the regular season doesn't start on time, missed games could be made up via doubleheaders, instead of being canceled, which would mean they'd lose salary for those games. But MLB has said it won't agree to that arrangement. The players have been locked out since December 2nd.

Based on last year’s base salaries of $3.8 billion, major league players would combine to lose $20.5 million for each day wiped off the regular-season schedule should the lockout continue. Max Scherzer would lose $232,975 each day, Gerrit Cole $193,548. https://t.co/bRlNr0rJ9x

— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) February 23, 2022

🏌PGA COMMISH: PLAYERS NEED TO DECIDE ABOUT SAUDI-FUNDED LEAGUE: PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan addressed the proposed rival Saudi-funded golf league in a phone interview yesterday, with AP reporting that he said he has, quote, "zero complacency" about the threat from the Greg Norman-led league. But he's made the PGA's position clear to players, stating, "I told the players we're moving on and anyone on the fence needs to make a decision," emphasizing that players who sign up for the Saudi league will lose their PGA Tour membership and shouldn't expect to get it back. None of the world's top 12 players have expressed support for joining the Saudi league.

🏒LIGHTNING'S PERRY SCORES 400TH CAREER GOAL IN 5-3 WIN: The Tampa Bay Lightning's Corey Perry scored his 400th career goal last night in the Lightning's 5-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers. The 36-year-old Perry became the 103rd NHL player ever to reach the milestone.

🏈TOM BRADY TO PRODUCE, PLAY HIMSELF IN MOVIE: Less than a month after announcing his retirement, The Hollywood Reporter is saying that Tom Brady will produce and play himself in a football-themed road trip movie called, 80 for Brady, that's set to begin production this spring. It will star Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Sally Field as four women who travel to see the quarterback play in Super Bowl 51, the February 2017 game in which Brady led the New England Patriots to a huge comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons for the Pats' fifth title.