Friday, February 25 top stories
It is Friday, February 25. I’m back in the studio. Thank you Callie Frye for covering top stories the past four days. Clearly there is a lot going on with Ukraine. Here are today’s top stories.
Ukraine war updates
Russian troops invading Ukraine are nearing the capital city, Kiev.
There are many pictures and videos on social media that show Russian fighter jets, helicopters, and tanks attacking the country, inflicting scenes of destruction.
News reports said there are sounds of explosions and gunfire for a second straight night around Kiev. Several apartment buildings were hit by missiles.
U.S. intelligence said Russian troops want to encircle the capital to seize power, saying they could do so in a few days.
About 50,000 people have escaped Ukraine so far.
Over 130 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the first day of war, including 13 soldiers who died guarding a small island in the Black Sea. The island is called Snake Island. News reports said a Russian ship issued orders for the Ukrainian soldiers to surrender but the Ukrainians said “go f—— yourself.” The Russian ship opened fire and killed all 13 soldiers.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said the soldiers would be honored.
Zelensky said Russian forces are hunting for him and his family, but that he would stay put in Kiev. He posted a video of himself in Kiev, saying, “We are all here.”
Ukraine said they are calling on all men ages 18 to 60 to remain in the country and barring them from leaving, so they can defend Ukraine. The government has given out 18,000 guns to its citizens and are telling residents to prepare Molotov cocktails to use against Russian forces.
Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko was seen on the streets carrying a rifle. He said Putin is “crazy and evil” and vowed to fight back.
The mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, who was a former boxing champion, said he would fight back himself along with his brother, Wladimir, who is also a former champion boxer.
Zelensky said he asked NATO, the European/U.S. military alliance, for help, but said that “everyone is afraid.”
Poland said it sent a convoy of ammunition to help Ukraine.
NATO said it has activated its “Response Force,” which is a military quick response team consisting of about 40,000 troops from NATO countries, to be prepared in case NATO has to defend itself. NATO does not plan to go into Ukraine to fight against Russia, but several neighboring countries to Ukraine are NATO members, such as Romania, Poland, Slovakia, or Hungary.
The U.S., Britain, Canada, and the European Union have all imposed financial sanctions on Russian President Putin and his foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. This means their assets will be frozen. None of the aforementioned countries said they would send in troops to help Ukrainian forces. They will only impose financial penalties.
Zelensky said he believes Russia will storm Kiev tonight. He said that they will have to stand ground tonight.
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Ketanji Brown Jackson nominated to Supreme Court
President Biden nominated federal judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. She is nominated to replace the outgoing Justice Stephen Breyer.
Jackson is a judge in the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. She is 51 years old. She went to Harvard Law and was once a federal public defender before advancing in her career as a judge.
If her nomination is confirmed by the Senate, it will be historic as she will be the first Black female justice on the Supreme Court.
Jackson said in remarks today that she is thankful to God for delivering her to this point in her professional journey.
Democrats need at least 50 votes in the Senate to confirm Jackson. They hope to get Jackson confirmed by April 11.
CDC new guidelines on masks
The CDC issued new guidelines on when people can remove their masks indoors, basing it on the risk levels of the coronavirus by looking at the amount of new Covid-19 hospitalizations and hospital space in regions across the U.S. The risk levels are put in three categories: low, medium, or high. The new guidelines show that 70% of Americans should be able to remove their masks indoors, including schools, because they are in either low or medium risk regions. The CDC said they are still reviewing federal requirements on masks for public transportation, such as airports. The major difference maker now compared with the past is the wide availability of vaccines and the high amount of people who recovered from Covid-19 infections and built natural immunity.
That’s all the top stories for this week. Stay with the light.