Russia-Ukraine diplomacy, Winter Olympics, Oscar nominations: 5 things to know Tuesday
German, French leaders continue Ukraine talks after trips to US, Russia
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will meet French President Emmanuel Macron and their Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda to discuss the Ukraine crisis on Tuesday. The meeting will come a day after Scholz and Macron traveled abroad to walk a diplomatic tightrope that could mean the difference between war in Ukraine and an uneasy peace there as Russia's menacing actions on the border of its neighbor continued. In Washington, President Joe Biden met with Scholz at the White House to shore up Western resolve against what they see as Russian aggression. Biden and Scholz pledged a unified response to any Russian attack against Ukraine and Biden also vowed to block a controversial gas pipeline between Russia and Germany if Moscow invades its neighbor. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his own marquee meeting with Macron, who traveled to Russia on a mission to de-escalate tensions. Western estimates that some 100,000 Russian troops have massed near Ukraine are increasing worries that an offensive could be days away.
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Chloe Kim, Shaun White to make debuts at Beijing Games
Olympic action continues Tuesday night, highlighted by snowboarders Chloe Kim and Shaun White, who are both competing for the first time in Beijing. Kim will look to replicate her success at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, where she won a gold medal in the women's snowboarding halfpipe event. On the men's side, White is hoping to win his fourth Olympic gold medal in the men's snowboarding halfpipe. He previously won gold in 2006, 2010 and 2018. Earlier Tuesday, figure skater Nathan Chen turned in a dazzling short program that put him ahead of the field heading into Thursday's long program. On the slopes, American Ryan Cochran-Siegle claimed another silver for the United States in the men's super-G and Chinese-American Eileen Gu thrilled the crowd in her adopted home country with a stellar final run to win the gold medal in the women's Big Air freestyle skiing competition.
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Parents charged in Michigan school shooting face key hearing
The parents of the teenager who is accused of killing four students at Oxford High School in Michigan in November face a key hearing to determine if they will face trial. Attorneys for James and Jennifer Crumbley argued that they need more time to prepare for the preliminary exam, set for Tuesday, and are asking a judge to either order the prosecutors to turn over a narrow list of who will testify on the first day of the preliminary exam or adjourn the prelim to a later date. The Oakland County Prosecutor's office pushed back, arguing the defense agreed to the Feb. 8 date "knowing there was a huge amount of evidence." According to a court filing, the prosecution has provided the defense with a list of 30 witnesses whom it plans to call at the preliminary exam. The Crumbleys are charged with involuntary manslaughter. They're accused of making a gun accessible to to their son Ethan Crumbley, 15, and failing to intervene when he showed signs of mental distress.
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Oscar nominations will be announced. Who do we expect to make the cut?
This year's nominations for the Oscars, Hollywood's biggest awards show, will be handed out Tuesday morning. There will be a 10-film best picture contingent, after several years where the field typically hovered between eight and nine titles. You can also expect lots of big names in leading roles: Denzel Washington vs. Will Smith vs. Benedict Cumberbatch for best actor, for example, or Lady Gaga crashing the best actress category again. Netflix is in prime position to get its first-ever best picture win with Jane Campion's erotic Western "The Power of the Dog," which has led critics' prizes all season long and won best drama at the Golden Globes. But the film has a rival in Kenneth Branagh's crowd-pleasing "Belfast," which like "Power of the Dog" has been recognized by nearly every industry awards group where it's eligible. We have more predictions and hopes for the nominations below!
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Probe continues into death of woman who fell from rising Florida drawbridge
An investigation continues Tuesday after a woman fell to her death Sunday afternoon from a rising drawbridge that began opening before she could move off it, police said. West Palm Beach police said the woman was walking off the bridge with a bicycle and was within 10 feet of the barrier arms that halt traffic when the drawbridge started to rise, sending her careening into an open chasm. A man standing on the other side of the barrier arms grabbed her as she fell but could not hold on, police said. She plummeted more than 50 feet. Detectives are investigating the bridge tender’s actions before the incident and why the drawbridge rose before all pedestrians had a chance to clear it, according to a police spokesman.
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Contributing: The Associated Press