Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
February 22, 2022
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Russia 'has moved 10,000 troops into contested areas in 12 hours', Ukraine military sources claim . . . Russian state media reported that a group of journalists from Donetsk, Russia, the U.S. and Italy came under mortar fire in the Donetsk region, near the site of a deadly car explosion earlier in the day. Thousands of Russian troops are already in Ukraine, military sources have warned Tuesday, just hours after Vladimir Putin gave the
order for his forces to cross the border amid fears he is about to launch a land-grab in the country's east. It comes as a White House official declared the Russian military's movement to be an 'invasion' after Russia' strongman leader recognized the areas of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent regions -- including portions still under the Ukrainian government's control. President Joe Biden will address the nation on the crisis from the White House at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Daily Mail
Zelensky rules out ceding territory to Russia in late-night address to Ukraine . . . Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that he would not cede his country's land despite escalating tensions with Russia amid the possibility of an invasion. "We are committed to the peaceful and diplomatic path, we will follow it and only it," Zelensky said, according to Reuters. "But we are on our own land, we are not afraid of anything
and anybody, we owe nothing to no one, and we will give nothing to no one." The president also accused Moscow of violating Ukraine's sovereign territory and called for an emergency meeting of the leaders from Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France as well as support from Ukraine's allies, Reuters reported. "We expect clear and effective steps of support from our partners," Zelensky said. "It is very important to see who is our real friend and partner, and who will continue to scare the
Russian Federation with words." The Hill
White House declares Russian 'invasion', says sanctions coming . . . Fox News
Fence built to keep Freedom Convoy away from Biden SOTU address next week . . . A fence will be placed around the Capitol building next week ahead of President Joe Biden ‘s State of the Union address in advance of a potential “Freedom Convoy” trucker protest.U.S. Capitol Police and the Secret Service have been “working together” to plan for extra security measures after receiving reports about a potential protest on March 1, according to a
statement from the Capitol Police . As part of increased security measures, a fence will be installed. The two agencies have been working closely to “plan for the upcoming State of the Union,” Capitol Police said in the statement. “The temporary inner-perimeter fence is part of those ongoing discussions and remains an options, however at this time no decision has been made.” White House Dossier
DHS makes it easier for illegal immigrants to go on welfare . . . Is this part of President Biden’s plan to slow the flow of illegal immigrants at the border? Give them free stuff when they get here? The Biden administration has moved to make it more attractive for immigrants to sign up for welfare, laying down a marker just days before the Supreme Court is slated to take up the issue in a legal challenge seeking to restore stricter
Trump-era rules. The Homeland Security Department released a proposal to raise the bar for becoming a “public charge.” Joining programs such as Medicaid won’t be counted against most immigrants, it said. White House Dossier
White House wrestles with whether Russia has ‘invaded’ Ukraine . . . The White House on Monday confronted the reality that its months-long effort to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine would likely be futile, as officials grasped for last-ditch ways to head off what one called “military action that could take place in the coming hours or days.” Russian President Vladimir Putin spent the holiday weekend effectively closing off one
diplomatic path after another, suggesting ever more clearly that he would not be swayed by diplomacy or deterred by sanctions. And by announcing that he was recognizing two pro-Russian separatist regions of Ukraine and ordering troops into them, he forced the United States into an uneasy dilemma about whether that constituted an invasion. The Biden administration sought to hit back at Russia’s aggressive action while stopping short of declaring that it had officially invaded Ukraine, which
would have triggered the array of hard-hitting sanctions President Biden has been warning about for months. Washington Post
Former – and maybe future – presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard to speak at CPAC . . . Why would the ex-Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard be speaking at the main conservative event of the year? Because she’s not a Democrat anymore, at least, judging by the things she says. And she may be positioning to run for president again — but this time as a Republican. Former
Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a 2020 presidential primary candidate who has been critical of President Joe Biden and liberal lawmakers, will be the headliner at the main CPAC dinner event this week, officials told Secrets Monday . . .Having a popular Democrat speak at the group’s main dinner, to be held Friday, is an “extraordinary event,” said a spokeswoman. White House Dossier
‘I Am an Overcomer,’ Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears Says. ‘Many Black People Are Overcomers’ . . . When she was a little girl, Winsome Sears emigrated to America from Jamaica. Years later, she chose to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps because, she says, “America had always been good to my family and me.” Today, Sears is again serving her adopted country, this time as Virginia’s lieutenant governor. She made history when she was elected Nov.
2 to become the first black woman to hold that office. Being where she is, Sears says, she is reminded of the opportunities that America affords, and that she is “an overcomer, ” adding that “many black people are overcomers.” “I am here in the former capital of the Confederacy, for goodness sake,” she says. “I am second in command. Second in command. I’m a black woman. I am not first-generation American.” Daily Signal
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Defense Department ill-prepared for war with China, GAO says . . . Beijing’s expanding military poses a “significant threat” to the United States and the Pentagon is not ready for a conflict with China, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. “Today, China has transformed what was an obsolete military into one that can challenge the U.S. military across the spectrum of conventional and unconventional
capabilities,” the GAO said in a report made public this week.
Key weaknesses identified by the congressional watchdog agency include military readiness shortfalls, force mobility problems and supply chain issues needed for new F-35 warplanes. “Potential adversaries, including China, now contest all domains,” the GAO survey found. “From fiscal years 2017 through 2019, U.S. military readiness increased in the ground domain and declined in the sea domain, while readiness ratings in the space, air and cyber domains were mixed.” Other problems
identified by GAO include vulnerabilities in weapons systems that can be exploited by Chinese cyberattacks, Navy crew fatigue and attack submarine operating problems. Washington Times
Is the Pentagon well prepared for any foreign threats or contingencies?
Inflation hits the Pentagon: Biden requests defense budget increase . . . The Biden administration is reportedly seeking the highest Pentagon budget in history for next fiscal year. Sources told Reuters that President Biden is expected to ask Congress in the coming months for a defense budget base upwards of $770 billion, with add-ons possibly carrying it beyond $800 billion for fiscal year 2023 starting Oct. 1. Comparatively,
President Trump requested $752.9 billion in defense spending during his final year in office, which was bumped up by Congress by $25 billion to $778 billion for this fiscal year. According to the outlet, the Pentagon is looking to use the additional funds for 2023 to modernize the military, with "top line" spending focused on salaries, tanks, and other priorities such as shipbuilding and jets. The sources also said the White House and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are "more or less on
par" with the requested amount, and that the budget "would benefit the biggest U.S. defense contractors including Lockheed, Northrup Grumman Corp and General Dynamics Corp." Fox Business
The Pentagon "experts" keep forgetting, again and again that technology and weaponry do not win wars. Strategy does. And the Pentagon doesn't know what this word even means.
Putin threatens ‘bloodbath’ if Ukraine resists loss of territory to Russia . . . Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to inflict a “bloodbath” if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky opposes a new Kremlin maneuver to break away vast swathes of Ukrainian territory from the central government. “And those who seized the power and keep the power in Kyiv, we demand [they] stop hostilities immediately,” Putin said Monday through a
state media interpreter. “Otherwise, all the responsibility for the possible continuation of the bloodbath will be on the consciousness [conscience] of the regime that is ruling in Kyiv.” Moments before that threat, Putin announced that he would back “the independence and sovereignty of Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic,” the names used by the Ukraine-based Russian proxies that have functioned as the public face of the conflict in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine
since 2014. Those entities have allowed Putin to portray the fighting as an internal civil war between separatists and the Ukrainian central government, but Western officials and even a Russian judge have stated that Russian military forces are occupying those areas.
Washington Examiner
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Germany halts Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline after Putin orders troops into Ukraine . . . Germany halted the approval of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline on Tuesday, the first in a volley of western sanctions against Moscow after Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine. The Russian president’s decision to send in military support after recognising separatist rebel enclaves in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region has heightened
western fears of a broader offensive, triggering widespread international condemnation and the initial moves to punish Russia. German chancellor Olaf Scholz said Berlin would not approve Nord Stream 2 given Moscow’s actions, in effect freezing Europe’s most controversial energy project. “The situation today has fundamentally changed,” he said. “And that’s why we must re-evaluate this situation, in view of the latest developments.” By recognizing the two breakaway provinces of Donetsk
and Luhansk, Russia had committed a “grave breach of international law”, Scholz said. The international community would now be sending a “clear signal to Moscow that such actions have consequences”, he added. Moscow warned European consumers would end up paying the price for the halting of Nord Stream 2. Financial Times
UK targets wealthy Russians, banks in new round of sanctions . . . The United Kingdom on Tuesday announced its first round of sanctions against wealthy Russians and Russian banks. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Parliament that the sanctions target Rossiya, IS Bank, General Bank, Promsvyazbank and the Black Sea Bank, along with wealthy individuals Gennady Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg and Igor Rotenberg, CNBC reported. The
individuals will have their bank accounts in the U.K. frozen and will not be allowed to travel to the country. The announcement comes after Russia recognized two Moscow-backed separatist regions in Ukraine and multiple reports have said that Russian troops have moved into the regions. “This the first tranche, the first barrage of what we are prepared to do and we hold further sanctions at readiness to be deployed alongside the United States and the European Union if the situation escalates
still further,” Johnson said. The Hill
Trudeau Defends Use of Emergencies Act, Says Another Trucker Protest Looms . . . Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said invoking the Emergencies Act has been "necessary" and is still needed amid threats of future blockades. The House of Commons is set to vote on the act Monday night in response to protests against Canada's COVID-19 restrictions. "The situation is still fragile, the state of emergency is still there," Trudeau said
during a press conference Monday. Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canada's history on February 14. Police have since ended blockades that cut off billions of dollars in trade and the occupation in Ottawa's downtown core. However, Trudeau warned of truckers outside of Ottawa who may be planning future blockades and said the special powers are still needed.
"I ask all members of parliament to take action against illegal blockades and to stand up for public safety and for the freedom of Canadians," Trudeau said. Newsweek
Olympics suffer record-low ratings amid China’s human rights controversy . . . After more than two weeks of coverage, the 2022 Winter Olympics competition in Beijing is complete, leaving behind dismal TV ratings. NBC announced it had an average of 11.4 million viewers across its platforms each night for a total audience of 160 million — a record low for any Winter Games, with a 42% drop in viewers from the 2018 Winter Olympics in South
Korea. “For us, it’s been difficult. There’s no way around this,” NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua said, noting that Beijing had the most stringent COVID-19 policies yet.
“It’s no secret that athletes in masks, venues without spectators, so much of the passion and excitement, those great moments of Olympic athletes hugging their family and friends and spouses and partners, so much of that magic is just out of necessity not present,” Bevacqua added. Washington
Examiner
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US Agencies Quietly Studying Reports of Post-Vaccination Neurological Issues . . . Two U.S. agencies have been quietly studying neurological problems that have appeared in people who have had COVID-19 vaccines, The Epoch Times has found. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) have been conducting separate research projects into post-vaccination neurological issues, which have
manifested with symptoms like facial paralysis and brain fog and have been linked in some cases with the vaccines, according to emails reviewed by The Epoch Times. One attempt to gain understanding of a problem that experts around the world are struggling to understand is being carried out by Dr. Janet Woodcock, who was acting commissioner of the FDA until Feb. 17. Woodcock, now the FDA’s principal deputy director, has been personally evaluating neurologic side effects from the
COVID-19 vaccines since at least Sept. 13, 2021, according to the emails, many of which have not been reported on previously. FDA epidemiologists are also gathering data to look into the issues, according to messages from Dr. Peter Marks, another top FDA official. Epoch Times
Federal Government’s Long, Shameful Record of Failures in Battling COVID-19 . . . President Joe Biden bungled it, and the Department of Health and Human Services is continuing to underperform. Focusing of the federal government’s response to the pandemic, the Government Accountability Office, the congressional watchdog, is providing Congress and the public a panoramic view of the problems. The GAO recently reported: “We previously
reported on the inadequacy of federal efforts to ensure sufficient testing supplies and sound testing strategies dating back to September 2020, when we identified challenges with testing-supply availability and recommended that HHS develop plans outlining specific actions the federal government could take to help mitigate remaining shortages of testing and other medical supplies for the remainder of the pandemic.” HHS officials disagreed. Daily Signal
America’s real COVID-19 ‘national emergency’ is fatness . . . By Cheryl K. Chumley. President Biden just issued a notice that expands the national emergency declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Why? It’s all political theater. Political theater, political deception, political hucksters imposing political hoaxes on the American people. The data doesn’t justify keeping Americans on pins and needles about the
coronavirus. The New York Times, citing the most recent Our World in Data, reports that America has seen 78.4 million cases of the coronavirus, fewer than 934,000 of which resulted in deaths. That means 1.19 percent of those who reportedly catch COVID-19 die from COVID-19.
Of those deaths — of the hospitalizations themselves, in fact — a large percentage were tied to the obesity of the patient.
“Multiple studies have concluded that people who are obese who come down with COVID-19 are more likely than others to become severely ill, to require hospitalization or to even end up on mechanical ventilators,” The Journal Record wrote in January. “In fact, health care professionals believe obesity can triple the risk of hospitalization. At least one study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that half of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 categorized as obese.” Washington Times
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Coffee prices skyrocketing for customers, roasters: ‘Everybody’s basically taking a hit’ . . . Roasted coffee prices experiencing biggest spike since 2012 . . . Your next cup of coffee is going to cost you. "We’re not making any money on the drip coffees anymore because the cost of coffee has gone up so much," said Victor’s Celtic Café owner Andrea Parrish.
Roasted coffee prices haven't spiked this much since 2012. Parrish is already trying to manage those increasing costs. Fox Business
Oil Prices Approach $100 on Threat of Ukraine War . . . Oil, natural gas and agricultural prices rose as escalating tensions over the future of Ukraine threatened to disrupt flows of natural resources from Eastern Europe to world markets. Futures for Brent crude, the benchmark in international energy markets, added 2.3% to reach $97.62 a barrel and earlier climbed to $99.50 a barrel, their highest level since 2014. In Europe, natural-gas
prices rose 11% to €80.58 ($91.40) a megawatt-hour after Germany halted the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in response to Russian aggression against Ukraine. The submarine pipe linking Russia to Germany is yet to funnel gas to customers of Gazprom PJSC, OGZPY -11.58% but traders worry the state energy company will cut exports via other routes if Nord Stream 2 is canceled. U.S. natural-gas prices also rose Tuesday, though the move was less pronounced than in Europe. Futures gained 3.8% to $4.60
per million British thermal units. Prices for aluminum, nickel and wheat, all produced in large quantities in Russia or Ukraine, rose too. Wall Street Journal
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Could Donald Trump's Truth Social Be Sued By Twitter? . . . Despite looking very similar to Twitter, Donald Trump's new Truth Social platform may be safe from copyright infringement lawsuits, legal experts say. The former president's new social media platform was launched on the Apple App Store on Monday, with a full rollout expected by late March. It had long been reported that Truth Social may look very similar
to the social network that banned Trump in the wake of the January 6 riot. However, the launch proved that Truth Social's interface is even closer to that of Twitter than other self-styled "free speech" platforms such as Gab, Gettr and Parler.
Speaking to Newsweek, copyright experts explained how Truth Social can mimic Twitter's design so closely without violating any registered trademarks, or pretending that the product is associated with the tweet-based social network. Newsweek
Trump's Truth Social tops downloads on Apple App Store; many waitlisted . . . Donald Trump's new social media venture, Truth Social, launched late on Sunday in Apple's App Store, potentially marking the former president's return to social media after he was banned from several platforms last year. The app was available shortly before midnight ET and was the top free app available on the App Store early Monday. Truth Social was
automatically downloaded to Apple Inc devices belonging to users who had pre-ordered the app. Many users reported either having trouble registering for an account or were added to a waitlist with a message: "Due to massive demand, we have placed you on our waitlist." The app has been available for people invited to use it during its test phase, Reuters previously reported. Trump was banned from Twitter Inc, Facebook and Alphabet Inc's YouTube following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on
the U.S. Capitol by his supporters, after he was accused of posting messages inciting violence. Fox Business
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Biden's one-trick pony has no tricks
Biden Has No Tricks. Putin has 'sanction-proofed' his economy . . . Former CIA analyst Fred Fleitz and former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, Rebekah Koffler weigh in on latest development in Russia-Ukraine conflict. Fox Business Video
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