3 Things To Know Today

1 Putin Orders Troops Into Ukraine Overnight

The world is watching as tensions escalate between Russia and Ukraine, with Vladimir Putin now having sent his troops into eastern regions of Ukraine – he says to act as ‘peacekeepers.’ The reaction from world leaders? An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, overnight. During the meeting. U.S. ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia's recognition of regions in eastern Ukraine is – in her words – "clearly the basis for Russia's attempt to create a pretext for a further invasion of Ukraine." She said that Russia's actions are a violation of the basic principle of international law.  Putin’s move isn’t exactly a shock. For weeks now, he’s been assembling 150-thousand troops around Ukraine. With that, American officials have been warning that the Kremlin was likely to stage a false flag operation suggesting that Ukraine was attacking Russian troops. That’s precisely what’s happening now.

2 Jury Deliberating In Arbery Federal Hate Crimes Trial

Jurors in Georgia in the federal hate crimes trial connected to Ahmaud Arbery's death will see their second day of deliberations today. Before receiving the case yesterday, they heard prosecutors closing arguments. During those statements the prosecution charged that "pent-up racial anger" drove Travis McMichael, his father Greg McMichael and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan to kill Arbery almost exactly two years ago in Georgia. Travis McMichael's attorney offered, "The government hasn't proved beyond a reasonable doubt that race was a motivating factor." Meanwhile… another jury is just hours from deliberating a case involving an unarmed Black man being killed. Closing arguments will begin today in the federal trial of three former officers charged in the killing of George Floyd. Officials charged the men – Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane – with depriving Floyd of medical care during his arrest nearly two years ago. All three testified.

3 CDC Could Update Mask Guidance Soon As This Week

With an increasing number of states dropping mask mandates, the CDC is planning to update its mask guidance soon – perhaps this week. It's been exactly two years and one month since the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the U.S. and now sources say the CDC will likely relax some of its recommendations. At the moment, the agency currently recommends indoor masking in areas with high transmission rates, whether people are fully vaccinated or not. But that’s not the only issue in question. While there's no timetable on if and when a fourth COVID booster may be recommended, U.S. health officials are in discussions about what is next. Some countries are already rolling out fourth vaccine doses, like Israel and Sweden. While not available yet in the U.S., an FDA spokesperson did confirm to CNN that the U.S. is looking into new data to evaluate possible future COVID-19 vaccines. There’s some suggestion that a fourth dose would be included with the next flu shot.


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