Russia blows past another off ramp in the Ukraine crisis
CNN
For those watching the Ukraine crisis, February 20 was supposed to be a date to watch.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics ended on Sunday, and some observers worried the closing ceremony might be a convenient moment for Russian President Vladimir Putin to launch military action. After all, history does rhyme: Russia escalated a brief conflict with Georgia in 2008 during the Beijing Summer Olympics, and Russia began its slow-rolling annexation of Crimea at the tail end of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
But Sunday also offered Russia a potential opening for de-escalation. After all, massive joint Russian military exercises in Belarus were slated to end on February 20, and the Kremlin had suggested Russian troops would go home after they finished, without giving concrete dates. Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei even said "not a single" Russian solider or piece of Russian military equipment will remain in Belarus once the drills ended.
Federal investigators accuse a south Florida man of traversing two continents, stealing license plates and obscuring a security camera to kidnap his estranged wife at her apartment in Spain earlier this year. But the man and his attorneys say he has never stepped foot in Spain and insist he is innocent.
The Alitos and Roberts discuss politically sensitive topics in secret recordings by liberal activist
A left-wing activist released secret recordings of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, his wife and Chief Justice John Roberts discussing a range of topics.