Sanctions on Russia, trucker convoys, trial of cops in George Floyd death: 5 things to know Wednesday
Ukraine poised to declare emergency, sanctions against Russia for invasion go into effect
Ukraine was poised to implement a 30-day state of emergency on Wednesday, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called up military reservists, as Russia recognized two separatist regions as independent and appeared mobilized for major military action. President Joe Biden said Russia's actions would trigger massive sanctions, a response he has been threatening for weeks as President Vladimir Putin built up troops on Ukraine's borders. Biden announced financial sanctions on banks and Russian officials close to Putin and their sons as punishment for what he called "the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine." He said the U.S. would impose "full blocking" on two large Russian financial institutions and "comprehensive sanctions" on Russian debt. "That means we’ve cut off Russia’s government from Western finance," Biden said. "It can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either." The sanctions also block the newly built Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline which is not yet in operation. Additional sanctions will be put in place if Russia moves further into Ukraine, Biden said.
- 'Murkiness and doubt': Putin playbook meant to throw White House, allies off balance on Ukraine invasion
- Russia-Ukraine explained: Inside the crisis as US calls Russian movements an invasion
- Inflation is high and gas prices are rising: Russia's invasion of Ukraine could push them higher
- 'The world does not seem to care enough': Paste BN Opinion will bring you the voices of the people living through the Russian invasion of Ukraine
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Convoys say they plan to shut down DC beltway; National Guard troops expected
A series of trucker protest convoys are headed for the nation's capital, and it is unclear whether the protests will bring the kind of chaos that paralyzed the Canadian capital of Ottawa for three weeks. Bob Bolus says he's leading the Freedom Convoy of trucks from Pennsylvania to Washington on Wednesday, telling Fox News he plans for a shutdown of the Capital Beltway that circles Washington, D.C. His complaints include vaccine mandates and pandemic-related restrictions. Another group of truckers, calling themselves the People's Convoy, will leave from California on Wednesday, planning for a March 5 arrival in D.C. It was unclear exactly when or where protests would take place. The D.C. government and the U.S. Capitol Police requested National Guard assistance in dealing with the convoys, and the Pentagon is expected to approve the deployment of 700 to 800 unarmed troops, a U.S. official told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
- Trucker protests: Could they happen here? They already have
- US-Canada bridge reopens: Weeklong protests targeted COVID mandates
Jury set to begin deliberations in trial of 3 officers charged with violating George Floyd's civil rights
The jury hearing the case against three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd's civil rights is expected to begin deliberations Wednesday, needing only to get instructions from the judge before doing so. Prosecutors and defense attorneys spent a full day Tuesday in closing arguments that recapped a month of testimony and sought to sway the jury toward their view of the case. For prosecutors, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao "chose to do nothing" as a fellow officer, Derek Chauvin, squeezed the life out of Floyd. Lane's attorney, Earl Gray, said his client was "very concerned" about Floyd and suggested rolling him onto his side so he could breathe, but was rebuffed twice by Chauvin. Kueng's attorney, Thomas Plunkett, said Chauvin was in charge and that police weren't adequately trained on the duty to intervene. Thao's attorney, Robert Paule, said his client thought the officers were doing what they believed was best for Floyd — holding him until paramedics arrived.
- Opening statements in the trial: Derek Chauvin called 'all of the shots' when George Floyd killed, defense attorney argues
- Previous coverage: In trial of officers in George Floyd's death, was it their duty to intervene?
More snowy, cold weather for some, but warmer weather coming for others
While the central U.S. shivers, temperatures will be 10 to 25 degrees above average over most of the East Coast over the next couple of days. Several locations could see record-breaking high temperatures from Tuesday into Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, in the West, a separate storm that brought snow and rain to California on Tuesday will move into the central U.S. by Wednesday and Thursday, spreading more snow and ice across the region. A powerful storm continued to wreak havoc across the Upper Midwest on Tuesday as winter refused to relinquish its icy grip on the U.S. and the cold is expected to last throughout the week.
- Previous coverage: Arctic cold front to bring bitter temperatures, heavy snow to parts of US
- What is wind chill? Understanding the wind chill index and how it's calculated
MLB, players to continue negotiations as management says deadline looms
Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association will meet again Wednesday to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. Less than a week remains until the sides reach what management says is a Monday deadline for a deal that would allow the season to start as scheduled on March 31. Players made a slight shift toward management Tuesday on their proposal for increased salary arbitration eligibility, lowering to the top 75% by service time among the group with at least two seasons in the majors but less than three. The union also asked for increases in the minor league minimum, which was $46,600 last year for a player signing his first big league contract and $93,000 for a player signing a second or later major league contract. Wednesday will be the 84th day of the second-longest work stoppage in baseball history.
- Hall of Famer Goose Gossage wants to punch MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, stick Brian Cashman in a trash can
- Previous developments: MLB cancels first week of spring training games
Contributing: The Associated Press