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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, February 15, 2022:
UKRAINE UPDATE
Russia has pulled back some troops from the Ukraine border, claiming they were there for drills which are now complete, but the fears of war are not over. It's not clear how many troops have been sent away and some drills still continue. Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky hinted that he was open to dropping his country's ambition to join NATO, which would meet one of Russia's main demands. Oil prices, meanwhile, are surging on fears of a military conflict in the region. NY TIMES
CANADIAN CRACKDOWN
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is invoking the Emergencies Act to help end the protests that have paralyzed the country's economy. Trudeau said the measure would be temporary and "proportionate" and could include freezing protestors' bank accounts. "This is about keeping Canadians safe, protecting people's jobs," he said. The province of Ontario, meanwhile, has announced that it will continue lifting COVID restrictions, including vaccine passports, but in response to falling cases rather than as a concession to protestors. CNN
REMEMBERING PARKLAND
Yesterday marked four years since the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida that left 14 students and three staff members dead. Parents of the victims and activists spent the day pressing the Biden administration to do more to address gun violence. The tragedy, which is among the worst school shootings in the nation's history, has led to renewed calls for greater gun control measures, but lawmakers have made little to no progress on the issue. Demonstrators gathered outside the White House on Monday, and one victim's father scaled a 150-foot crane to unfurl a sign showing a photo of his son. WASH POST
SINEMA VS MANCHIN
Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia have both taken turns blocking the Biden administration's pending packages due to their concerns over inflation and the federal deficit. Now the two budget hawks are at odds over raising taxes. Manchin has called for raising the corporate and capital gains tax to pay for portions of the president's Build Back Better agenda, while Sinema has rejected any new tax raises. The face-off in the party's more conservative wing could end up making or breaking Biden's plans to tackle climate change, roll out universal prekindergarten, and provide new healthcare subsidies. WSJ
AVOCADO TURF WAR
After hitting its highest price in two decades leading up to the Super Bowl, the humble avocado now finds itself at the center of a turf war among Mexican drug cartels. The U.S. suspended imports of the popular guacamole ingredient after a plant inspector working in the Michoacán region received a threatening phone call. As the avocado industry has become more profitable, rival drug cartels started fighting for control of it. The import ban could prove devastating for Mexico's economy, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it won't lift the suspension until it can ensure the safety of its personnel working in the country. NEWSWEEK
Avocad-no-you-don't
TEXAS SUES META
Meta, formerly Facebook, just can't seem to get a break these days. The Texas attorney general is suing the company for its use of facial recognition software, claiming that it violated a state law prohibiting the collection of biometric data like facial geometry without getting informed consent. Meta has denied the claims but settled a similar lawsuit with Illinois last year for $650 million. This is just the latest in a barrage of legal challenges to the tech giant around privacy concerns, which ultimately could undermine the social media company's business model of collecting information from users for advertisers. VERGE
A-ROD BUYING OUT TRUMP HOTEL
Former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez is set to play a key role in the purchase of Donald Trump's Washington D.C. hotel. In a twist of irony that may or may not be apparent to the former president — who once called Rodriguez a "druggie" and a "joke" — the $375 million deal could allow Trump to recoup millions on the money-losing hotel project. While the tension had eased over the years, even appearing at a fundraiser together, A-Rod did endorse President Biden in the final weeks of the election against Trump. When it comes to matters of money, it seems, both parties are willing to let bygones be bygones. AP
This investment seems far from a home run.
MEGADROUGHT IN THE WEST
A "megadrought" in the American West is leading to the driest conditions in 1,200 years, and a new study suggests that human-caused climate change is behind it. The megadrought, which has been ongoing for the last 22 years, had long been considered the worst since the 1500s. Now scientists believe it's even worse. After a relatively wet 2019, a significantly drier 2020 and 2021 put the megadrought back on track to blow through previous records. AP
NETFLIX CRYPTO DOC
Just last week, the world found out about the New York-based couple Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, who allegedly stole bitcoin now worth nearly $5 billion in the infamous 2016 hack of the Bitfinex crypto exchange. The bizarre details of the case, including Morgan's side hustle as an amateur rapper with a serious lack of flow, must have caught the attention of Netflix, because the streaming giant already has a documentary series in the works. This isn't the first time Netflix has mined recent headlines for programming. The filmmaking pair behind the Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened is on board to direct. COINTELEGRAPH
To keep it authentic, maybe Netflix should pay the filmmakers in crypto.
LEFTOVERS: LOVERS TO NARCS
All is fair in love and gun violence prevention for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which chose Valentine's Day of all days to send a tweet urging anyone with information about a former or current partner involved with illegal gun activity to step forward. The social media post comes amid a push from the Biden administration to address gun violence — though some criticized the tweet, saying it could lead to false reporting. THE HILL
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