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Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Is Russia really pulling back in Ukraine?

Russia hits cities despite vows to scale back operations, storms take aim at the south and more to start your Wednesday. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
usatoday.com

Daily Briefing
 
Wednesday, March 30
President Zelenskyy speaks on one month anniversary
Is Russia really pulling back in Ukraine?
Russia hits cities despite vows to scale back operations, storms take aim at the south and more to start your Wednesday.

Good morning, Daily Briefing readers! Ukrainian and American officials are skeptical of Russia's pledge to scale back military operations. Severe weather is moving in on the Deep South. The United States' men's soccer team is on the verge of clinching a spot in the 2022 World Cup, and a new Marvel series is debuting on Disney+.

It's Steve with Wednesday's news.

New this morning: Two-thirds of Americans back Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the U.S. Supreme Court, a new poll shows.

🔵 Display of the "Toxic Bro ideal": Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock at the Oscars "perpetuated stereotypes" against Black people.

🌎 Tragedy in Oregon: The man accused of driving into a homeless camp, killing four people and hospitalizing two others, was driving 35 mph above the speed limit with a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit, prosecutors said.

📽 Stars express both support and disappointment after Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock: Actress/comedian Tiffany Haddish came to Smith's defense. Meanwhile, Jim Carrey said he was "appalled" by the incident and called it "a selfish moment that cast a pall" over the hard work of others who were nominated.

Actor Jim Carrey in Beverly Hills, California, in 2019
Actor Jim Carrey in Beverly Hills, California, in 2019
Invision photo via AP; USA TODAY graphic

🌎 "We are doing the best to manage this situation": Florida officials say "there are no words" to describe this year's rowdy spring breakers.

👶 "A very bright spot in our lives": Actor Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria are expecting their seventh child.

Your coffee maker may be filthy: Here's why you should clean this important piece of machinery and how to do it.

🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear about Russia's supposed military strategy shift in Ukraine. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple PodcastsSpotify, or on your smart speaker.

🔵 Corrections and clarifications: Monday's Daily Briefing included an incorrect date for Dairy Queen Free Cone Day. It was March 21.

Here's what's happening today:

Russia hits near Kyiv, other city despite vows to scale back

Russian forces pounded areas around Kyiv and another Ukrainian city overnight, local officials said Wednesday, just hours after Moscow pledged to scale back military operations in those places. Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said they didn't trust Russia's announced withdrawal, and American officials remained skeptical . "Yes, we can call those signals that we hear at the negotiations positive. But those signals don't silence the explosions of Russian shells," Zelenskyy said Tuesday night. That skepticism has appeared well placed. Talks between the two nations aimed at ending the war had been expected to resume Wednesday, but with what a Turkish official called "meaningful" progress made, the two sides decided to return home for consultations. But the shelling further tempered optimism about possible progress in the talks and Zelenskyy warned the world and his own people not to get ahead of themselves, noting "that you can trust only concrete results."

🌍 "Who else will do this?": Inside one convoy's frantic trek to rescue refugees in Ukraine

🌍 "We believe in the Ukrainian Army": Historic flood of refugees begins to slow as some decide to stay put

🌍 Graphics: The devastation of Mariupol

Title IX: Falling short at 50

Despite the progress ushered in by the landmark Title IX law 50 years ago, colleges and universities consistently devote fewer resources to women's sports than men's, based on the results of a first-of-its-kind data analysis by USA TODAY in collaboration with the Knight-Newhouse Data project at Syracuse University. More from the series: 

🔴 "They've had 50 years to figure it out": Title IX disparities in major college sports are too big to ignore.

🔴 Funding of college sports falls short of the law's promise to women: Eight charts detail the disparities in spending on men's and women's sports in similar major college programs.

🔴 Inside the numbers: Searchable data offers a glimpse into how colleges short-change women's sports.

'They've had 50 years to figure it out': Title IX disparities in major college sports too big to ignore
'They've had 50 years to figure it out': Title IX disparities in major college sports too big to ignore
Illustration: Andrea Brunty, USA TODAY Network, and Getty Images

Severe weather moving in fast on the Deep South

Another multi-day severe weather outbreak is on tap for the central, southern and eastern U.S. this week. While storms were expected to fire up Tuesday across the central U.S., the day with the highest risk for severe weather will be Wednesday in the Deep South , forecasters said. More than 55 million people are at risk some type of severe weather Wednesday, the Storm Prediction Center said. On Thursday, that number drops down 20 million. States such as Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are all in the area where the risk is the highest. "All severe hazards are possible, including significant gusts over 75 mph and strong (EF2+) tornadoes," according to the Center. Flash flooding will also be a concern Wednesday, especially as rivers remain at fairly high levels after the last outbreak of rain and storms. 

🌧 What is a flash flood watch or warning? Here's what to know about this deadly weather hazard.

Just for subscribers:

🔵 "It's a very lonely world": For LGBT conservatives, anti-gay legislation prompts frustration and doubts.

💲 Getting a foot in the door: Amid calls for more diversity and inclusion, one Black UCLA student seeks a place in the financial industry.

🦠 "Too many people died for us to walk away": COVID-19 has ripped through families on both sides of the border. Now, U.S.-Mexico border health leaders seek strategies as collaboration between the two nations is vital to saving lives in the future.

"We are winning the World Series in 2022": The Los Angeles Dodgers are "on record" as the self-proclaimed championship favorites, but it's a long season.

🏀 "For three months, I felt trapped. I was sobbing when I got my voice back": After being silenced due to a lengthy cancer fight, legendary ESPN college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale's signature voice is back.

Mar 23, 2022; Lakewood Ranch, Fla. 34202, USA; March 23, 2022; Florida, USA. Dick Vitale, an analyst and champion of college basketball for more than four decades on ESPN, begins to get his voice back and records video clips with the help of his wife Lorraine McGrath analyzing NCAA tournament upcoming matchups for ESPN and his extensive social media followers as he recovers from cancer treatment and recent vocal cord surgery at home in Lakewood Ranch, Florida on Thursday, March 24, 2022.     In 2021, Vital was diagnosed with melanoma but was cancer-free. Just months later in 2021, he was diagnosed with lymphoma, and also required surgery for a bile-duct blockage that same month. Vitale made a return to calling the game between top ranked Gonzaga and number 2 ranked UCLA in November after missing the start of the NCAA basketball season due to chemotherapy. However, later in the December Vitale's doctors discovered he had precancerous dysplasia and ulcerated lesions on his vocal cords requiring vocal cord surgery and he would not be able to return to calling NCAA basketball games for the rest of the season and would be under strict doctors orders to not talk for nearly three   months while Vitale recuperates from the vocal cord surgery. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
Dick Vitale begins to get his voice back and records video clips with the help of his wife Lorraine McGrath analyzing NCAA tournament upcoming matchups for ESPN and his social media followers as he recovers from cancer treatment and recent vocal cord surgery at home in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, on Thursday, March 24, 2022.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Older, immunocompromised people can get a second COVID booster shot

People age 50 and older are now eligible for a second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine four months after they received their first booster, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided Tuesday. The additional dose improves protection against severe COVID-19 cases, and the decision is not associated with any new safety concerns according to the FDA. However, it should be noted that some experts disagree that everyone 50 and older needs another shot.

USMNT on brink of World Cup qualification

The U.S. men's national soccer team is on the brink of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. On Wednesday night, the USMNT will play in Costa Rica in its final Cup qualifier (9:05 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network). Thanks in large part to a 5-1 rout of Panama Sunday , the U.S. would have to lose by six goals or more against Costa Rica in order to put its World Cup hopes in jeopardy. That scenario is highly unlikely, even given the USMNT's dismal record in Costa Rica, where it has never won a World Cup qualifier (0-9-1 all-time). The top three teams in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the fourth-place team must compete in an inter-continental playoff. The U.S. currently sits in second place.  Canada, a surprise team atop the standings, already has clinched a World Cup berth — its first since 1986.

⚽ Column from Nancy Armour: USMNT's workmanlike reaction to win is understandable after 2018 World Cup disappointment. 

Christian Pulisic had a hat trick in the USMNT's 5-1 win over Panama on Sunday.
Christian Pulisic had a hat trick in the USMNT's 5-1 win over Panama on Sunday.
Julio Cortez, AP

'Moon Knight' premieres on Disney+

"Moon Knight," the latest TV series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first to feature a character not already seen in past adventures, debuted on Disney+ Wednesday morning with new installments set to be released weekly . The six-episode series follows Moon Knight, one of the identities of Marc Spector, who has dissociative identity disorder and has been losing control of his body. Among his other personas is Steven Grant, a British museum gift-shop worker, who becomes aware of the other identities and struggles to regain some stability. Moon Knight and his many personas are played by Oscar Isaac, and he is joined by Ethan Hawke as antagonist Arthur Harrow, Egyptian-Palestinian actor May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly, an adventurer from Spector's past, and F. Murray Abraham providing the voice of the Egyptian god Khonshu, for whom Spector is an avatar.

🔵 Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight rises as a Marvel superhero with mental-health struggles.

📺 See the trailer for Marvel's 'Moon Knight'.

Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight in the Disney+ series "Moon Knight."
Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight in the Disney+ series "Moon Knight."
Marvel Studios

ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday

🔵 "I would put that joke on the continuum of linguistic violence": After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, the public spent most of its energy moralizing around Smith's physical assault. But some say Rock's language can be considered an act of violence, too.

🏈 The data was "compelling to us and to the league": The NFL is changing its playoff overtime rules, ensuring each team will get one possession during the extra session

🌎 Report offers no new details about what caused the accident: The safety harness and seat were locked on a Florida park ride after a 14-year-old boy fell to his death, the accident report says.

📱 It's not just you: Some Verizon customers are receiving spam texts from their own phone numbers.

🏈 "You always hate those type of situations": Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry wishes he had told quarterback Baker Mayfield about the team's meeting with Deshaun Watson.

Josh Allen leaves the field after the Buffalo Bills' 42-36 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen leaves the field after the Buffalo Bills' 42-36 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in an AFC playoff game in January. Allen never touched the ball in overtime because the Chiefs' offense scored a touchdown with their first possession in the extra session.
Jamie Germano, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Pennsylvania interstate likely will reopen Wednesday after accident

A portion of a Pennsylvania highway remained closed Tuesday as cleanup continued following a deadly pileup during a Monday snow squall. The northbound lanes of Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County stayed closed as authorities removed multiple tractor trailers and debris, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said. Pennsylvania State Police advised drivers to avoid the area and estimated in a statement on Twitter that the road would likely reopen Wednesday morning. More than 50 vehicles were involved in the fiery crash that killed at least three people and injured dozens more. The wrecks occurred near Minersville, about 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia, John Blickley of the county's emergency management office, told USA TODAY. "This is probably the most significant crash we've had on the interstate in years," he said Tuesday.

📸 Photo of the day: NBA MVP candidate takes a big hit in champs' win📸

March 29: Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) gets fouled across the face by Sixers defender Danny Green (14) during the fourth quarter in Philadelphia.
March 29: Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) gets fouled across the face by Sixers defender Danny Green (14) during the fourth quarter in Philadelphia.
Bill Streicher, USA TODAY Sports

Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo's 40 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks, the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks (47-28) came back on the road to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-116 Tuesday night in a key game for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks slipped a game ahead of the 76ers (46-29) in the standings to No. 2 in the conference with seven games to play. 

Head here for more of the best photos from the 2021-22 NBA regular season.

Contributing: The Associated Press

 
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