Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Wake-Up Call: The Russians Are Coming

Daily Mail 3/1/22

A 40-mile Russian military convoy of armored vehicles, tanks, artillery and support vehicles neared Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv Tuesday morning (March 1st), as the country's second-largest city, Kharkiv, was targeted by intense shelling in residential areas, and there was fighting in other towns and cities across the country. A military base in the city of Okhtyrka was hit by Russian artillery, killing more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers, the head of the region wrote on Telegram.

As this was happening, Russia and Ukraine held a first day of talks along the border with Belarus. The head of the Russian delegation said the talks lasted nearly five hours and that there were, quote, "certian points on which common positions could be foreseen." He said they agreed to continue the discussions in the coming days. However, in a video address late Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy didn't give any details of the talks, but instead said he believed the increased shelling was meant to force him into concessions. He said Ukraine wasn't prepared to make concessions, quote, "when one side is hitting another with rocket artillery."

As wide-ranging Western sanctions against Russia took hold, President Vladimir Putin lashed out at the U.S. and its allies as a, quote, "empire of lies." The Kremlin for a second day raised the threat of nuclear war, after Putin Sunday ordered his country's nuclear forces put on high alert. But AP cited a senior U.S. defense official as saying the U.S. hadn't seen an appreciable change in Russia's nuclear posture. Meanwhile, Ukraine applied to the join the European Union, which AP described as a largely symbolic move for now.

➤Refugees

The number of refugees who've left Ukraine in the days since the invasion began has now risen to an estimated more than 520,00 people, according to the United Nations. Ukrainians were fleeing in cars, trains, buses and by foot, going to bordering nations Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine, quote, "has been rising exponentially, hour after hour," and that the U.N. expects their number will reach four million in the coming weeks.

➤Sanctions and Financial Fallout

Russia's ruble currency plunged to a record low against the U.S. dollar on the first day of business Monday since crushing Western sanctions on Russian banks and other institutions were imposed over the weekend. In an effort to shore up its economy, the Russian central bank more than doubled interest rates to 20 percent and Putin restricted foreign currency, and Moscow's stock exchange was closed for the day and will remained shuttered today as well. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "For a long time, Russia has been methodically preparing for the event of possible sanctions, including the most severe sanctions we are currently facing. So there are response plans, and they are being implemented now as problems arise." But worried Russians rushed to banks to withdraw cash.
 
➤U.N. Emergency Session, U.S. Expels Russian Ambassadors

The United Nations held a rare emergency session of the 193-member General Assembly, the first since 1997, as the Security Council also held its own meeting. General Assembly members are expected to vote later this week on a resolution that condemns Russia's actions and demands it immediately stop using force against Ukraine and withdraw all its troops, urging a peaceful resolution through negotiations. Ukraine's ambassador said, "If Ukraine does not survive . . . international peace will not survive. Have no illusions. If Ukraine does not survive, we cannot be surprised if democracy fails next." Russia's ambassador repeated the claim that his country is acting in defense of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, stating, "Russian actions are being distorted and thrwarted." Moscow has tried to blame Ukraine for what it claims are abuses of Russian speakers in those two regions. The Security Council meeting opened with news that the U.S. was expelling 12 Russian U.N. diplomats who Washington accused of being spies. Russia's ambassador called the action "yet another hostile step" by the U.S. The U.S. said the expulsions had been "in development for several months."

 
➤BIDEN TO DELIVER STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS TONIGHT: President Biden will deliver his State of the Union address tonight, and because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the focus will be different that what he'd originally intended. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said yesterday, quote, "there's no question that this speech is a little different than it would have been just a few months ago." CNN reports Biden had once viewed the speech to be an effort to reset his economic agenda, but now Ukraine will be given a central place in it. Psaki told reporters Biden is expected to, quote, "talk about the steps we've taken to not only support the Ukrainian people with military and economic assistance, but also the steps he's taken to build a global coalition imposing crippling financial sanctions on President Putin, his inner circle and the Russian economy."

➤MAN KILLS THREE DAUGHTERS, ONE OTHER PERSON, HIMSELF IN CALIFORNIA: A 39-year-old California man killed his three daughters, their chaperone and himself during a supervised visit with the girls at a Sacramento church yesterday afternoon. The girls were ages nine, 10 and 13. Sheriff Scott Jones said the man, whose name wasn't immediately released, was estranged from his daughters' mother, who had a restraining order against him.

➤THREE WESTERN STATES DROP SCHOOL MASK MANDATES: The Democratic governors of the three coastal Western states, California, Oregon and Washington, announced jointly yesterday that they are ending masks mandates for children in school. The change is being made along with an overall reduction in mask mandates. The new guidance will make masks strongly recommended rather than a requirement at most indoor places in California starting Tuesday and at schools on March 12th, regardless of vaccination status. In Washington and Oregon, all the requirements will lift on March 12th. Local school districts will decide whether to follow the state guidance.

➤PFIZER COVID VACCINE MUCH LESS EFFECTIVE IN CHILDREN AGES FIVE TO 11: A large new set of data collected by New York State health officials found that Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is much less effective in preventing infection in children ages five to 11 years than in older adolescents or adults. The vaccine, which is the only one authorized for that age group, still prevents serious illness in children, but gives virtually no protection against infection. Researchers and federal officials who've looked at the data said it could be due to children ages five to 11 only getting one-third the dose given to older children and adults.

➤MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY SAYS HE WAS ARRESTED IN UKRAINE AND IS TRYING TO LEAVE: On Monday, Dancing with the Stars alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy posted an update to Instagram, saying that he had been arrested in Ukraine. Chmerkovskiy didn’t state the reason for his arrest, but he shared that he is currently trying to leave the country.


The professional dancer was in the Ukraine to film the Ukrainian version of World of Dance. Of his arrest, he said, "All good – promise. That was probably the least traumatizing moment in this whole thing as far as Ukraine is concerned."

Shortly after sharing this update, he posted to his Instagram stories, "I’m really not good right this moment. I see videos of people who’s [sic] legs were torn off minutes ago from the shelling that is going on in Kharkov RIGHT NOW. I won’t post that stuff but I see all of them and it’s extremely disturbing. INNOCENT PEOPLE ARE BEING KILLED!!!! Pray the meeting going on right now will make a difference and CONTINUE TO SCREAM ABOUT THIS F**KING GENOCIDE AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS!!!! It’s working and the entire planet is finally geting [sic] United about something!!!! F**K IT SHOW IT TO THE RUSSIANS."

Later, Chmerkovskiy shared another update: "We’re heading to Warsaw (hopefully). Train to Lviv was not an option. … I’m a big man with nothing but a backpack it’s TRAUMATIZING. Currently I’m in a cabin with 4 adults and 7 kids (ages 2-11) which usually is only occupied by maximum of 3 people. There’s usually up to 30 people in this particular wagon. We were told we have to fit 135. Walkways are packed. People everywhere. It’s sweaty and claustrophobic."

He continued, "What finally broke me is when I was watching an eight-ish year old boy, hysterically crying and not wanting to let go of his father. Verbatim: 'if you stay I want to stay too because if they kill you I won’t be able to help.'"

⛽PRICE OF GAS JUMPS TO A NATIONAL AVERAGE OF $3.64 PER GALLON: The average U.S. price of a gallon of regular-grade gasoline spiked 10 cents over the past two weeks to $3.64 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said Sunday that the price jump came after a rise in oil costs amid global supply concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and added that further increases are likely. The average price at the pump is a dollar higher than it was a year ago. The highest gas price for regular-grade gas is in the San Francisco Bay area at $4.86 per gallon, while the lowest average is in Houston, at $3.14 per gallon.

➤PEOPLE WORKING FROM HOME ‘ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE SPIED ON BY THEIR BOSS’: If you’re still working from home, could your boss be spying on you? The Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the UK, says 60 percent of workers reported being subject to some form of technological surveillance and monitoring at their current or most recent job, a number seven percent higher than in 2021. Workplace surveillance tech reportedly took off during the pandemic as employers shifted to more remote forms of work, and can include monitoring of emails and files, webcams on work computers, tracking of when and how much a worker is typing, and tracking calls and movements made by workers. As a result, the TUC is calling for an Employment Bill, which would include the right to disconnect, as well as digital rights to improve transparency around use of surveillance technology. The government responded to the report saying it was wholeheartedly committed to improving and upholding workers’ rights.

➤STUDY: WE AREN’T STAYING FRIENDS WITH OUR EXES: Are you friends with any of your exes? A poll conducted by YouGov finds just eight percent of Britons report being friends with their exes, while 51 percent said they aren’t friends with any of their ex-partners, and 37 percent said they were friends with one or some of their exes. The study also found men were more likely than women to stay friends with at least one of their ex-partners, and people who said they did the dumping were more likely to say they’d prefer to remain friends with an ex, compared to those who were dumped. Other findings: 40% say they return their ex’s possessions after a breakup, 20% unfollow their ex on social media, 16% delete their ex’s number from their phone, and 14% say they delete all photos of their partner following a break-up.

⚾MLB LABOR DEAL DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 5 P.M. TODAY: MLB extended its deadline to reach a new labor deal with players before it starts canceling Opening Day and more regular season games from the end of the day yesterday to 5 p.m. today. That decision came after 13 bargaining sessions over 16 1/2 hours produced progress toward a deal, but left the two sides still far apart. Talks ended at 2:30 a.m. this morning and will resume at 11 a.m. It's been 20 years since baseball was this close to losing regular-season games due to labor issues.

 
⚽FIFA EXCLUDES RUSSIA FROM WORLD CUP: FIFA, the governing body of soccer, yesterday excluded Russia from the World Cup ahead of a qualifying playoff on March 24th, acting in reaction to its invasion of Ukraine. FIFA was also in talks with European soccer body UEFA on the details of suspending Russia’s national and club teams, AP reported. In other developments, Finland wants the Russian hockey team banned from the men’s world championships it will host in May and the Swiss soccer federation said its women’s team will not play Russia in July at the European Championship.

⚾JETER STEPS DOWN AS CEO, SHAREHOLDER OF MARLINS: Derek Jeter made a surprise announcement Monday that he'd stepped down as CEO of the Miami Marlins, saying, "the vision for the future of the franchise is different than the one I signed up to lead. Now is the right time for me to step aside as a new season begins." The Hall of Fame shortstop joined the Bruce Sherman-led group that bought the Marlins in 2017 and was given a stake of only four percent in the franchise, which he's also giving up.

🏀MORANT SCORES 52 POINTS, BREAKING OWN FRANCHISE RECORD: The Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant scored 52 points in his team's 118-105 win over the San Antonio Spurs last night, breaking his own franchise record for points in a regular-season game. Morant had set the previous record just two days earlier when he'd had a then career-best 46 points.

🎾UKRAINIAN TENNIS STAR SVITOLINA REFUSES MATCH AGAINST RUSSIAN PLAYER: Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina, who's ranked 15th in the world, said Monday that she's withdrawing from the Monterrey Open, because she was supposed to face a Russian player, Anastasia Potapova, in the first round today. Svitolina further called on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and International Tennis Federation (ITF) to treat Russian and Belarusian athletes as "neutral" and not show their national symbols, colors, flags or anthems in competition. She stated, however, that she doesn't blame the Russian athletes. The reigning Olympic bronze medalist has pledged to give tournament prize money to support the Ukrainian army and humanitarian needs.



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