| | | The world breathes easier today as Russia says it will begin pulling back some troops from the Ukraine border, further indicating that an invasion may not be imminent. Sarah Palin’s lawsuit against the New York Times will be dismissed, making this her second failed lawsuit against the newspaper. Iran has proposed its final package in Vienna, putting pressure on Western powers to reach a deal. And Trump Organization accountants have retracted their support of financial statements from the organization's past 10 years, according to newly released court documents. All this and more in today’s PDB. | | |
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| IMPORTANT | 1 - Tensions Ratchet … Down! Russia Open to Continued Diplomacy, Pulls Back Troops A televised meeting yesterday between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin left the West cautiously relieved. Lavrov pushed for further diplomacy, saying the possibilities for talks with the West “are far from being exhausted.” And in a surprise move this morning, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it would pull back some troops from the Ukraine border. Though the threat of war has not passed, the news further diffuses tensions, which reached a high point over the weekend as Western powers continued to urge nationals and diplomats to leave Ukraine. (Source: AP, NYT) |
| 2 - Palin Down and Out Sarah Palin’s Lawsuit Against the New York Times Fizzles Palin was suing the Times over an editorial that erroneously linked the former governor of Alaska and vice presidential hopeful to the 2011 mass shooting in Arizona that almost killed former Rep. Gabby Giffords. The Times quickly issued a correction and James Bennet, the editorial page editor at the time, issued an apology. Palin claimed the editorial damaged her reputation nonetheless. But U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff disagreed yesterday, saying he would order the dismissal of Palin’s lawsuit. The dismissal marks the second legal defeat for Palin in her fight against the New York Times. (Source: NBCNews) |
| | | 3 - Ball in Your Court Iran puts Impetus for Action at Vienna Talks on Western Powers Diplomats from around the world have convened in Austria to try and restore a 2015 nuclear deal that limited Iran’s nuclear development. Since former President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, Iran has endured harsh sanctions. Now back at the bargaining table, Iran’s delegation has said that it has handed in its final proposal and it is up to Western powers to decide how to proceed. Iran’s foreign minister urged a speedy resolution so sanctions can be lifted as soon as possible. This is the eighth — and likely the last — round of talks, and is expected to yield concrete results in the coming weeks. (Sources: Al Jazeera, NYT) |
| 4 - Don’t Trust Trump Trump Organization’s Accounting Firm Says Documents Unreliable The international accounting firm Mazars sent a letter to the Trump Organization last week saying its financial statements from 2011 to 2020 should no longer be relied upon, according to court documents filed yesterday. The accounting firm ended its relationship with the former President’s family business last week in the midst of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation of the Trump Organization (the Manhattan district attorney’s office is also conducting a criminal probe into the organization). Mazars cited a “non-waivable conflict of interest” as its reason for terminating the relationship. (Sources: CNN, NYT) |
| 5 - Briefly Here are some things you should know about today: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invokes the Emergencies Act for the first time. The move gives Canadian police “more tools” for dealing with protesters and protecting infrastructure, said Trudeau. (Source: BBC) Navy engineer pleads guilty in spy case. The engineer, who was trying to sell information on nuclear-powered submarines to a foreign government, faces 12.5 to 17.5 years in prison. (Source: TheHill) Western U.S. and northern México experiencing the worst drought in 1,200 years. Amid climate change, the current megadrought shows no signs of letting up. (Source: NPR) |
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| | | Watch Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson Talk Life, Passion and Their HGTV Show 'Married to Real Estate'
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| INTRIGUING | | | 1 - Another Reason to Exercise New Study Finds Vaccines and Exercise May Go Hand in Hand We all know exercise is good for you, but researchers say it might also give you an extra defense against COVID-19. Scientists at Iowa State University have released a study that found a significant increase in antibody response in people who exercised for 90 minutes after being vaccinated, though it did not hold true for only 45 minutes of exercise. That doesn’t just go for the COVID-19 vaccine; a seasonal influenza vaccine and an H1N1 flu vaccine had similar results. So whether you’re getting your first, second or third jab, a long, brisk walk afterward may be just the thing. (Source: TheHill) |
| 2 - Brawl in the Skies Pugnacious Passenger Forces Unexpected Landing Flight attendants have seen a soaring increase in difficult customers over the pandemic. According to a survey released last summer, 85% of attendants said they’d dealt with unruly and even violent passengers in 2021. But this American Airlines incident may take the cake. Over the weekend, an unruly passenger wreaked havoc on a flight from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., attempting to open the plane’s doors and rushing the cockpit before a flight attendant struck the man multiple times with a coffee pot while passengers restrained him. The flight was diverted to Kansas City, Missouri, due to the commotion. (Source: NPR) |
| 3 - #helloTürkiye Turkey is Rebranding Itself With a New Pronunciation: Türkiye The Turkish government has announced a new campaign to internationally recognize their country under the new pronunciation. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s authoritarian leader, is touting the new name as an expression of Turkish values “in the best way.” But policy experts say it has more to do with the negative connotations that come with the English word Turkey — not only a reference to the Thanksgiving bird, but also meaning “something that fails badly.” Erdogan, who is notoriously sensitive to how his country is perceived abroad, has a deep fondness for nationalist rhetoric. (Source: BBC) |
| 4 - Traffic in a Pandemic As the World Changes, so Does Its Traffic Patterns A new report on traffic habits in 2021 shows that our collective national shift toward home offices had a giant impact on our roads. In general, morning commutes seemed to skew later, with peak congestion happening at a surprising 11 a.m. Some cities also clocked a much earlier evening rush hour, starting as early as 3 or 4 p.m. Though there have been fewer cars on the street overall compared with pre-pandemic congestion levels, in some cities, namely New York, New Orleans and Las Vegas, congestion has nearly reached 2019 levels. (Source: Axios) |
| 5 - Hard Times for Harden Superstar Guard James Harden Will Miss Next Two Games The Philadelphia 76ers have been itching to play James Harden, who joined the team after his tenure with the Brooklyn Nets. But the same hamstring strain that kept the star guard benched during his last couple of games with the Nets will also prevent him from playing the Boston Celtics today and the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. Harden will also sit out the All-Star Game this weekend due to rehab. But 76ers coach Doc Rivers is unperturbed, saying the delay is to ensure that when Harden plays, he’s “right, healthy and ready to go.” (Source: ESPN) |
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