 |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers! The U.N. Security Council will hold its annual meeting on the 2015 Minsk Agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, but Russia's current actions along the border with Ukraine will loom over the proceedings. The funeral will be held for Amir Locke, the 22-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by Minneapolis police during a no-knock raid this month. And 15-year-old Russian Kamila Valieva will skate for gold at the Beijing Olympics, amid uproar after she tested positive for a banned substance. |
| It's Steve and Jane, with Thursday's news. |
| 🚨 A plane crashed into a tractor-trailer on Interstate 85 in central North Carolina, killing the pilot, authorities said. |
| ⚖️ An appeals court overturned the negligence conviction of a Florida police officer who in 2016 shot at an unarmed autistic man and hit his caregiver in the leg, and ordered a new trial. |
| 🏅 Live updates from the Beijing Olympics: The U.S. women's hockey team was defeated by Canada and Mikaela Shiffrin's frustration continued after she skied out of a third event. |
 | | Mikaela Shiffrin will not earn an individual medal at the Beijing Olympics after she skied out in the slalom run of the Alpine combined. | | USA TODAY | |
| 🔥 A wildfire started near the Sierra Nevada mountains, burning through 1,800 acres and forcing evacuations, officials said. The fire, named the Airport Fire, is the latest of many winter blazes to plague California this year. |
| 🏂 U.S. medalist Julia Marino says she withdrew from the Winter Olympics big air qualifier after the IOC forced her to cover the logo on her snowboard. |
 | | USA's Julia Marino competes in the snowboard women's slopestyle final run during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Genting Snow Park H & S Stadium on February 6, 2022. | | MARCO BERTORELLO, AFP via Getty Images | |
| 🛒 Amazon Prime membership goes up Friday. Is it possible to avoid the increase? |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, USA TODAY Sports' Brent Schrotenboer discusses the doping drama at the Winter Olympics. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what's happening today: |
Ukraine-Russia crisis likely to dominate UN Security Council meeting |
| The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to hold its annual meeting on the Minsk agreement Thursday. The agreement helped end the worst of the fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops. But implementation has stalled. Russia, which holds the rotating council presidency this month, will chair the meeting. The meeting will be held in the background of a tense borderline situation as U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Russia's claims it is withdrawing troops along its border with Ukraine are false and that Moscow has actually increased its military presence along the border by as many as 7,000 troops this week. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled that he wants a peaceful path out of the crisis, but western allies have maintained the threat of an attack was strong. |
Funeral set for Amir Locke, killed during no-knock raid |
| Loved ones will gather Thursday to remember Amir Locke, the 22-year-old Black man who was killed by Minneapolis police during a predawn, no-knock raid on Feb. 2 . Civil rights icon Rev. Al Sharpton is expected to officiate at the funeral. Locke was described by family as a "good kid" who "wanted to change lives." Protests have continued for nearly two weeks in the Twin Cities over Locke's killing and over the use of no-knock raids. The service will be held at Shiloh Temple International Ministries, the same church that hosted the funeral for Daunte Wright, another young Black man shot by a Minneapolis police officer last year. That officer, Kim Potter, was convicted of manslaughter and could be sentenced to more than seven years in prison Friday. |
 | | A protester holds a sign demanding justice for Amir Locke at a rally on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, in Minneapolis. | | Christian Monterrosa, AP | |
Just for subscribers: |
| 👨💻 A Russian invasion could reach farther than Ukraine. How a cyberattack could affect you. |
| 🔴 In 1942, Camp Amache held 7,500 Japanese Americans prisoner. Survivors want the world to remember. |
| 🏅 He crossed the Delaware with Washington: Now, a Black Revolutionary War soldier is set to be honored in his hometown. |
| 🚨 Terrifying attacks on Asian women continue. Here's what advocates say needs to change. |
| ⛸ Opinion: Kamila Valieva should have been third after her short program, according to a well-known retired Olympic and world figure skating judge. |
| These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. Here is all of our subscriber content. |
As doping scandal lingers, Russia's Valieva goes for skating gold |
| Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will return to the ice Thursday for the second half of the women's individual competition – and possibly clinch a gold medal – amid a doping scandal that continues to roil the Olympics. Valieva, 15, recently tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned performance-enhancing substance, but was later cleared to compete. Her lawyer has suggested she ingested the drug unknowingly through her grandfather, who takes the medication for heart trouble. Valieva finished in first place Tuesday during the short program, but a retired Olympic and world figure skating judge said she should not be leading the competition. In other action Thursday, the U.S. women's hockey team fell to Canada in the gold medal game, settling for silver and Mikaela Shiffrin skied out in the slalom run of the combined and will not medal in Beijing. |
Tracking a huge storm: When and where to expect snow, rain and more |
| A massive storm system is forecast to bring severe weather to much of the central, eastern and southern U.S. into Thursday . Winter storm warnings have been issued across portions of the upper Midwest. After progressing northeastward, snow is expected to impact Chicago early Thursday, according to AccuWeather. Forecasters say snow will expand into Detroit and deliver anywhere from 3 to 6 inches. In the South, large parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee will be at risk of powerful thunderstorms and possibly tornadoes, forecasters said. More than 20 million people are in a zone that's at risk of severe weather, according to the national Storm Prediction Center. The areas most in danger included Jackson, Mississippi; Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee; and Huntsville, Alabama, forecasters said. |
Also on Thursday: Locked out MLB players to respond to clubs' plan |
| Negotiations aimed at ending Major League Baseball's lockout will resume Thursday. The players' association notified management Wednesday it is ready to respond to the offer MLB made last weekend, proposals that were received coolly by the union. |
| Baseball's ninth work stoppage, its first since 1995, is now in its 78th day, one day after spring training workouts had been scheduled to start. |
| USA TODAY MLB reporter Gabe Lacques says the regular season is in jeopardy as fewer than two weeks remain before a projected Feb. 28 deadline to strike a deal and get players in camp long enough to ramp them up for the March 31 Opening Day. He did note, however, that "the waters are navigable." |
| ⚾ Key negotiating point: Universal DH approved; Commissioner Rob Manfred is hopeful the season won't start late. |
| ⚾ Young star turns down big money: Outfielder Juan Soto, 23, rejected a massive extension offer from the Washington Nationals. |
 | | A view of Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz., spring training home of the Dodgers and White Sox. | | Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports | |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday |
| 💊 Why was Russian Olympic skater Kamila Valieva using a "cocktail" of substances? |
| 🌏 The structure of Earth's core could be unlike any other state of matter. Scientists found it creates a "superionic state" made up of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon. |
| ⛸ As Kamila Valieva takes the ice, an American skater upstages her where it matters| Opinion. |
| 🦈 A swimmer died after a rare shark attack off Sydney, Australia, left the victim with "catastrophic injuries." |
| ⚖️ A judge in Florida agreed with a request from Bob Saget's family to temporarily block the release of photos, video or other records related to the "Full House" actor's death investigation. |
 | | Actor and comedian Bob Saget (left) and his wife Kelly Rizzo attend the "MacGruber" premiere at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2021. | | MICHAEL TRAN, AFP via Getty Images | |
California to unveil shift to 'endemic' approach to virus |
| California officials will unveil Thursday a new state plan that aims to coexist with the pandemic as the coronavirus is in retreat, but not expected to disappear anytime soon. It presumes the most populous state is entering an endemic stage, where the virus still exists in a community but becomes manageable as immunity builds. Gov. Gavin Newsom last week said the state's plan will include mass testing to spot new surges and virus variants along with quarantines and other precautions where needed, along with a continued emphasis on vaccinations and booster shots. The state will also mount a new effort to counter misinformation and disinformation that can discourage vaccinations. The move comes a day after the state removed its mask mandate for indoor public places. Though, masks are still required in certain settings, such as indoors at K-12 schools, at transportation hubs and in public transit. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Kelly Clarkson is frustrated with quarantine |
 | | Kelly Clarkson at the NFL Honors show on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in Inglewood, California | | Associated Press photo; USA TODAY Life graphic | |
| Singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson was a guest via video on her eponymous "The Kelly Clarkson Show" Wednesday to dish with guest host Taraji P. Henson about her time quarantining at home with her kids. |
| Clarkson did not reveal why she was isolating, saying she's "not even sick." But she did elaborate on life in quarantine, noting it hasn't been without its challenges. She pointed out that with two small kids at home (ages 7 and 5), the movie "Encanto" is heavily in rotation. |
📸 'Whose house? Rams House!' Rams, fans, celebrate Super Bowl 56 victory📸 |
 | | Los Angeles Rams players celebrate at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum following the team's victory parade in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. | | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP | |
| Leon Polk pulled down his Los Angeles Rams face mask to chant with the crowd. "Whose house? Rams House!" |
| Looking out at the sea of fans as the team celebrated their Super Bowl victory with a parade and rally Wednesday, the 76-year-old Los Angeles native recalled all the games his parents took him to as a child just down the street at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. |
| When the team left for two decades to play in St. Louis, many fans deserted to cheer on a new team. But the victory Sunday left some believing it was a new and hopeful beginning for the team, which returned for the 2016 season, in a competitive city with nearly a dozen major league professional sports teams. |
| Scroll through the gallery to see Wednesday's festivities. |
| Contributing: The Associated Press |
| |
| |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment