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February 21, 2024
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February 21, 2024
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February 21, 2024

For many Ukrainians, life is split in two: Before and after the war. This is one family’s story

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — As Russia launched its war in Ukraine two years ago, the lives of millions of Ukrainians were irreversibly changed. They now delineate it into periods before and after Feb. 24, 2022. Tens of thousands have buried loved ones, millions have fled their homes, and the country has been thrust into a long, exhausting war. For Kateryna Dmytryk, a glimmer of light returned to her life when her husband was liberated from Russian captivity, just weeks ago. She hadn’t seen him in nearly two years. She and their 2-year-old son reunited with him and now live in Kyiv. It’s a happy ending to this chapter, but she knows scars will remain. And she thinks often of the soldiers still in captivity.

How the Kremlin weaponized Russian history — and has used it to justify the war in Ukraine

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — When Tucker Carlson asked Vladimir Putin about his reasons for invading Ukraine two years ago, Putin gave him a lecture on Russian history. The 71-year-old Russian leader spent more than 20 minutes showering baffled Carlson with dates and names going back to the 9th century. Carlson admitted after the interview that a history lecture in response to a straightforward question about one’s political motives “shocked” him. But in Russia, history has become a propaganda tool. Authorities have sought to magnify the country’s past victories while glossing over the more sordid chapters of its history. They’ve rewritten textbooks, funded exhibitions and suppressed voices that contradicted their narrative.

Live updates | Israeli strikes across Gaza kill 67 Palestinians overnight

Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 67 Palestinians overnight and into Wednesday, including in areas where civilians have been told to seek refuge. The aid group Doctors Without Borders also says two people were killed when a shelter housing staff in the Gaza Strip was struck during an Israeli operation in an area where Palestinians have been told to seek shelter. The group said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that at least two family members of colleagues were killed and six others wounded. The war, which erupted after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into Israel, has displaced around 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, with most people heeding Israeli orders to flee to southern Gaza.

James Biden appears for GOP interview as FBI informant’s arrest casts new doubt on impeachment

WASHINGTON (AP) — James Biden has arrived for a private interview on Capitol Hill as part of House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into his brother, President Joe Biden. The younger Biden’s meeting Wednesday is the latest in a series of interviews that GOP lawmakers have conducted recently as they seek to rebuild momentum for an impeachment process surrounding the Biden family’s overseas finances that has stalled in recent months as criticism has grown over the lack of evidence directly related to the president. The investigation was undercut again last week when an FBI informant who claimed there was a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving the president, his son Hunter, and a Ukrainian energy company was charged with fabricating the story.

It’s an election year, and Biden’s team is signaling a more aggressive posture toward the press

NEW YORK (AP) — There have been no declarations that journalists are the “enemy of the people.” But there are signs that President Joe Biden’s team is starting to more aggressively and publicly challenge how he is portrayed. Within the past two weeks, an administration aide sent an unusual letter to White House correspondents complaining about their coverage of a special counsel’s report on Biden’s handling of classified documents. Separately, Biden’s campaign team criticized how news media outlets spotlighted concerns about the 81-year-old president’s fitness to hold office while giving comparatively less attention to comments that foe Donald Trump made about the protection of NATO allies.

WikiLeaks’ Assange went far beyond journalism and should face spying charges, lawyers for US say

LONDON (AP) — Lawyers for the United States government say WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should face espionage charges in the U.S. because he put lives at risk and went beyond journalism in his bid to solicit, steal and indiscriminately publish classified government documents. The lawyers were setting out arguments at Britain’s High Court in response to a last-ditch bid by Assange’s defense to stop his extradition to the U.S. Assange’s lawyers have argued that U.S. authorities want to punish Assange for WikiLeaks’ exposure of military wrongdoing. Lawyers for the U.S. government reject those claims. A decision is not expected until March at the earliest.

A young man dies as clashes erupt between police and protesting farmers trying to reach New Delhi

SHAMBHU, India (AP) — A protester has died as thousands of Indian farmers resumed their march to the capital after talks with the government failed to end an impasse over their demands for guaranteed crop prices. The farmers began their protest march last week but were stopped some 200 kilometers (125 miles) from New Delhi as police fired rounds of teargas. The 21-year-old farmer, identified as Subhkaran Singh, succumbed to a head injury, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. The farmers are demanding legislation guaranteeing minimum prices for 23 crops and loan waivers.

Robots and happy workers: Productivity surge helps explain US economy’s surprising resilience

WASHINGTON (AP) — Across the United States, chronic worker shortages have led many companies to invest in machines to do some of the work they can’t find people to do. They’ve also been training the workers they do have to use advanced technology so they can produce more with less. The result has been an unexpected productivity boom, which helps explain a great economic mystery: How has the world’s largest economy managed to remain so healthy, with brisk growth and low unemployment, despite brutally high interest rates that are intended to tame inflation but that typically cause a recession?

Private US spacecraft enters orbit around the moon ahead of landing attempt

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A private U.S. lunar lander is in orbit around the moon, a day before it will attempt to land on the surface. Intuitive Machines’ spacecraft reached the moon Wednesday. It launched last week under a NASA program to kickstart the lunar economy. On Thursday, flight controllers in Houston will lower the spacecraft’s orbit and attempt a landing near the moon’s south pole. It’s a dicey place to land with craters and cliffs. Another U.S. company tried to send a lander to the moon last month, but it never got there because of a fuel leak.

Can a healthier plant-based burger combat falling US sales? Beyond Meat hopes so

Beyond Meat is revamping its signature plant-based burger, hoping that healthier ingredients will help it boost flagging U.S. sales. The El Segundo, California-based company said Wednesday its new Beyond Burger patties and Beyond Beef grounds cut saturated fat by 60% by switching from canola and coconut oils to avocado oil. The new beef products also have less sodium and more protein. The new products go on sale in the U.S. this spring. Beyond Meat has updated its products before, but Beyond Meat Founder and CEO Ethan Brown said this is the biggest leap forward the brand has made since the Beyond Burger went on sale in 2016.