promoearn: A death toll unsurpassed since WWII

Tuesday, February 28

The Biden administration's student loan forgiveness program ran into a buzz saw of questions from skeptical Supreme Court justices. And a massive swath of storms is threatening millions across the country.

👋 Hello! Laura Davis here. Ready for Tuesday's news? Let's get to it!

🏔️ But first: A group of climbers who made history by being the first all-Black expedition to summit Mount Everest last year is getting some advice from the man who paved the way: Don't stop there.

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Russian death toll surpasses all wars since WWII

A new analysis estimates that 60,000 to 70,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine, more than all Russian wars since World War II combined. Russia suffered 200,000 to 250,000 total casualties – personnel wounded, killed or missing – in the first year of the war, the Center for Strategic International Studies says. The Ukrainian military has performed "remarkably well" against a much larger and initially better-equipped Russian military, according to the report, in part because of the innovation of its forces.

👉 Happening now: Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered officials to tighten control of the Ukraine border Tuesday after a flurry of drone attacks targeted regions inside Russia – with one drone crashing just 60 miles from Moscow. Follow our live coverage.

A Ukrainian Army soldier surveys a blown bridge in the Siverskiy-Donets river on February 27, 2023 in Bogorodychne, Ukraine.

John Moore, Getty Images

Supreme Court conservatives skeptical of student debt relief plan

President Joe Biden's plan to wipe out $400 billion in student loan debt went to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, and conservative justices signaled deep skepticism. The court's conservative majority suggested the president overstepped his powers. During the arguments, justices prodded the Biden administration for answers about why the plan was different from other emergency policies the White House tried to implement in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic but were struck down. Here's more from the hearing.

•	Biden's student loan plan is an abuse of power. Supreme Court must rule against it. \| Opinion

Feb 28, 2023; Washington, DC, USA; Protestors gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of the oral arguments in two cases that challenge President Joe Biden's $400 billion student loan forgiveness plan.. Mandatory Credit: Megan Smith-USA TODAY ORG XMIT: USAT-525817 ORIG FILE ID: 20230228_ajw_kx3_005.JPG

Protestors gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of the oral arguments in two cases that challenge President Joe Biden's $400 billion student loan forgiveness plan on Feb. 28, 2023.

Megan Smith, Megan Smith-USA TODAY

What everyone's talking about

•	Examining the Grand Ole Opry's complicated role in Black history and the road ahead.
•	Tick-tock, TikTok: As calls to ban social media app intensify, here's what we know.
•	Deadass, hellscape and petfluencer: Dictionary.com adds more than 300 new words.
•	Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Done: Some Disney fans are done with Splash Mountain. Here's why.

🏈 Making sense of the latest bombshells: Two reports in a span of about 12 hours have shed new light on the messy dispute between Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder and his former minority partners, as well as the legal fight that could follow his sale of the team. Here's a deeper look at the situation.

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Massive storms roll across US

Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled and hundreds of schools shut their doors Tuesday as the latest in a series of massive storm systems pounded much of the nation with heavy snow. Blizzard warnings were in effect for the Sierra Nevada range in California and Nevada, and a winter storm warning covered parts of the Northeast. And Tuesday's storm will be followed by an even larger system, AccuWeather warned. Here's what you need to know.

•	Wrong turn into the Rockies? Not quite. Photo shows rare avalanche in Southern California.

Lou Fernandez and his dog, Lila, finish shoveling their sidewalk on Tatman Street in Worcester, Mass., during a winter storm, Tuesday morning, Feb. 28.

Lou Fernandez and his dog, Lila, finish shoveling their sidewalk on Tatman Street in Worcester, Mass., during a winter storm on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Allan Jung, AP

🌤 What's the weather up to at your house? Check your local forecast here.

Lawsuits: Fresno State botched sexual misconduct complaints

A Fresno State student and an employee have sued the California State University system and two former top administrators, accusing campus officials of subjecting them to undue harm by mishandling their reports of sexual assault and harassment. The lawsuits are the latest fallout from USA TODAY's reporting on the school's Title IX problems. Keep reading.

•	Fresno State president mishandled sexual harassment complaints. Now he leads all 23 Cal State colleges.
•	'Fractured and ruined': How Fresno State's understaffed Title IX office failed students on Joseph Castro's watch.

A break from the news

•	👩‍💻 Ask HR: What are the red flags for age-biased hiring?
•	📺 From 'The Last of Us' to 'Party Down': We ranked the best TV shows of 2023 (so far).
•	🏋️ #GymCreep calls out gym harassers on TikTok. Should caution be exercised?
•	☝️ Before you set up autopay on your credit cards, consider this big drawback first.

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

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