Democracy Now!

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, veteran journalist Andrew Cockburn and Yale historian Timothy Snyder discuss the history of the region and what role NATO’s expansion played in the current crisis. Cockburn says the United States and its allies broke promises made in the 1990s not to expand the military alliance into Eastern Europe, setting the stage for an eventual confrontation. “What Putin has done is absolutely disgraceful, but it’s kind of easy to understand. There has been sustained efforts to push NATO forward,” he says. But Snyder says the focus on NATO ignores the agency of leaders in Ukraine and elsewhere who have the right to seek their own arrangements. “It’s very important to remember that the world isn’t just about Washington and Moscow. It’s also about other sovereign states and other peoples who can express their desires and have their own foreign policies,” says Snyder.

Russia has escalated attacks against Ukraine, launching a missile strike hitting a government building and shelling civilian areas in Kharkiv, reportedly targeting civilians with cluster and thermobaric bombs, and killing more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers at a military base in Okhtyrka. Meanwhile, the U.S. rejected Ukrainian President Zelensky’s demand for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying it could lead to a war between the U.S. and Russia. This comes as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators failed to reach an agreement on Monday and the European Union approved Ukraine’s emergency application to be a candidate to join the union. We go to Kyiv to speak with Yurii Sheliazhenko, executive secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, who says “support of Ukraine in the West is mainly military support” and reports that his country “focuses on warfare and almost ignores nonviolent resistance to war.” He also discusses Zelensky’s response to the crisis, the European Union’s approval of Ukraine’s emergency application, and whether he plans to leave the war-torn city of Kyiv soon.

Ukraine Accuses Russia of War Crimes as Bombs and Shells Kill Civilians, Human Rights Groups Say Russia Used Cluster Bombs and Thermobaric Weapons in Ukraine, U.N. General Assembly Holds Emergency Session on Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, Russian Economy Reels as Countries Impose Sanctions , U.N. Warns 4 Million Refugees Could Flee Ukraine in Coming Weeks, African and Indian Nationals Face Racism as They Attempt to Flee Ukraine, “Orientalist and Racist”: News Outlets Condemned over War Coverage , Tens of Thousands Evacuate Australia’s Worst Floods in Over a Decade, Coal Company Lawyers Ask Supreme Court to Bar EPA from Regulating Carbon Emissions, Capitol Police Re-erect Security Barrier Ahead of President Biden’s State of the Union Address, 5 Dead, Including 3 Children, in Murder-Suicide at California Church , Sen. Joe Manchin Joins GOP Senators Blocking Bill Guaranteeing Abortion Access

We speak with climate author, journalist and movement leader Bill McKibben upon the release of the highly anticipated U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2022 report, which finds the impacts of the climate crisis are already worse than predicted, driving poverty, hunger, disease and species extinction. McKibben also speaks about how global dependency on oil and gas empowers autocrats like President Vladimir Putin and is helping fuel the Russian war in Ukraine. Renewable energy could help defeat fascism and deter some of “the worst people on Earth” if deployed at scale, he says.

President Biden on Friday nominated federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court to fill Justice Stephen Breyer’s pending vacancy. If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice. We speak with Harvard constitutional law professor Tomiko Brown-Nagin about the nomination of the 51-year-old federal judge and the parallels between her and the first Black woman federal judge and civil rights legal icon Constance Baker Motley, who was at one point eyed for a Supreme Court nomination.

Following a wave of peace rallies held across the globe this weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has agreed to diplomatic talks with Russia. This comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin placed Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert on Sunday, citing increasingly tightened international sanctions. We speak with Anatol Lieven, senior fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, who says it’s not clear whether Putin is using a nuclear threat to topple the Ukrainian government or pressure them into a deal. Lieven also speaks about Belarus’s support of the Russian invasion and argues future protests inside Russia against the war will be greatly influenced by Western sanctions.

Ukraine is demanding an immediate ceasefire and for all Russian troops to leave the country as they report more than 350 Ukrainian civilians have so far been killed in President Putin’s invasion, which entered its fifth day Monday. The United Nations is also reporting more than 500,000 people have fled Ukraine and another 100,000 are internally displaced. This all comes as the Russian military has so far failed in its attempts to seize Kyiv and other large Ukrainian cites despite the capital remaining surrounded by Russian troops. We go to Kyiv to speak with Olena Shevchenko, a Ukrainian human rights and LGBTQ activist, who describes growing opposition to Russian forces and solidarity within her country. “Nobody in Ukraine is ready to live under occupation of Russia,” says Shevchenko, who also says that LGBTQ-identifying people would be “the first targets for the Russian regime.”

Ukraine Demands Ceasefire as Casualties Mount, Ukrainian and Russian Delegations Meet in Belarus, Belarus Could Join Russian Invasion as Putin Puts Nuclear Forces on High Alert in Latest Escalation, 500,000+ Ukrainians Become Refugees as Families Torn Apart by War, International Community Send Military Assistance, Up Sanctions on Russia , Protests Around the World Condemn Invasion of Ukraine; Russian Police Arrest Thousands, U.S. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Accepts Historic Supreme Court Nomination, U.N. Report Warns Climate Crisis Is Driving Hunger, Poverty, Disease and Species Loss, El Salvador Ex-President Alfredo Cristiani Charged in 1989 Jesuit Priest Massacre, North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile Toward Sea of Japan, Texas Voter Suppression Law Leads to Widespread Rejection of Mail-In Ballots, Judge Orders New Trial for Tennessee Black Lives Matter Activist Jailed for “Illegal Voting”, Starbucks Workers in Mesa, Arizona, Vote to Unionize, New York Labor Leaders Rally for Amazon Workers Fired for Organizing Union

Russian military activity near Ukraine’s nuclear sites have raised alarm, as triggering any of the volatile reactors around the country could cause nuclear catastrophe for the entire European continent. Russian troops have seized the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and have reportedly taken staff hostage, raising fear that any disturbance could rerelease deadly radiation that has been sealed off for years. As Ukraine relies on nuclear power for 50% of its electricity, shutting down active nuclear reactors would alleviate the potential for nuclear catastrophe at the cost of leaving many deprived of electricity during the war. “This is the first time that we’ve ever seen a war zone in a location where there are operating nuclear power plants,” says Linda Pentz Gunter, international specialist at Beyond Nuclear. “Any manner of situations could lead to a catastrophic meltdown.”

The Nation’s Katrina vanden Heuvel, who has reported on Russia for decades, says many observers were “shocked” that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine, calling it an “indefensible” decision. President Biden ordered strong sanctions on Russia in response, but he has also heeded critics’ warnings not to send troops to Ukraine in order to avoid a world war. Vanden Heuvel says that it’s vital that instead of further military escalation, there be a “diplomatic escalation” to resolve the crisis and end the war.

As officials in Moscow threaten to replace the democratically elected Ukrainian government and Russian forces appear set to overpower Ukrainian defenses, is this the end of an independent Ukraine? We speak with Ukrainian peace activist Nina Potarska, who fled the country after Russian troops entered Ukraine on Thursday, even as her 11-year-old daughter with COVID-19 had to stay behind. She is participating in CodePink’s international emergency online rally on Saturday to advocate against war and against NATO membership for Ukraine. “I feel that my country now is like a battlefield for all other countries’ ambition,” says Potarska. “We want to be in peace.”

As the Russian army advances on Kyiv and threatens to topple the Ukrainian government, Ukrainian officials have banned men ages 18 to 60 from leaving the country to potentially be drafted into defense forces and have directed residents to use Molotov cocktails against the approaching Russian troops. We get an update from Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk in Kyiv, who says Ukrainians are showing great resilience against a much greater force invading their country. “The Ukrainian army is really deterring this mighty force on its own,” she says.

Russian Forces Close In on Kyiv in Apparent Bid to Topple Ukraine’s Government, U.N. Says Over 100,000 Ukrainians Have Already Been Displaced by Russia’s Invasion, Some 1,800 Russians Arrested at Protests Against Invasion of Ukraine, “America Stands Up to Bullies”: Biden Announces New Sanctions on Russia, Pentagon Says It Attacked al-Shabab in First U.S. Airstrike on Somalia Since August, Missiles Hit Near Damascus in 4th Israeli Airstrike on Syria This Month, Biden Nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson as First Black Woman SCOTUS Justice , CDC to Relax Indoor Mask Guidance, 3 Ex-Minneapolis Cops Found Guilty of Violating George Floyd’s Civil Rights, Parents of 15-Year-Old Oxford High School Shooter to Stand Trial for Manslaughter, Rights Groups Slam Amazon for Buying into Deportation Airline Accused of Torture, Immigrant Rights Activist Ravi Ragbir Settles with ICE, Given 3 Years to Fight Against Deportation

What does the Russian invasion of Ukraine mean for the rest of Europe? We speak with Yanis Varoufakis, former Greek finance minister, about the failure of international bodies like the European Union and United Nations in preventing war. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres implored Russia to withdraw all troops in a speech immediately following Thursday’s attack, and the U.S. and allies are moving swiftly to impose sanctions as retaliation against the aggression. Varoufakis warns these threats are “like a pea shooter trying to stop a tank.” The only hope for a peaceful resolution is for NATO to declare Ukraine will not become a member, says Varoufakis.

We speak about the looming humanitarian crisis in Ukraine with Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who recently met with civilians on the frontlines in eastern Ukraine and urges world leaders to consider the human cost of war and work toward a ceasefire and diplomatic solution. “A cruel military onslaught is engulfing millions,” says Egeland. “It will lead to untold suffering in Ukraine but also refugee flows in the region.”

Russia has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting condemnation and the threat of new sanctions from the U.S. and allies. Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to the move early Thursday morning in Moscow as a “special military operation,” coming just days after Putin recognized two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine as independent states. The sound of explosions was reported across the country, and authorities have reported scores of deaths in the early hours of the attack. As Russian forces appear to have invaded from the north and headed for Kyiv, Putin may try to take over all of Ukraine and replace its government, says Anatol Lieven, senior fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, who adds, “The implications are truly, truly appalling.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin Launches “Full-Scale Invasion” of Ukraine, World Leaders Strongly Condemn Russia over Ukraine Invasion, Sanofi and GSK Ask for Approval of Vaccine That Showed 100% Efficacy Against Severe COVID-19, WHO Expands Vaccine Program, Repeats Calls on Drugmakers to Share Technology, Manhattan Prosecutors Leading Trump Criminal Fraud Probe Resign, Trucker Caravan Opposing COVID-19 Mandates Departs California for Washington, D.C., Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Calls Gender-Affirming Surgery for Trans Teens “Child Abuse”, Wanton Endangerment Trial Begins for Ex-Cop in No-Knock Raid That Killed Breonna Taylor, Haitian Police Kill Journalist Amid Ongoing Protests by Exploited Garment Workers, Cyclone Emnati Batters Madagascar as the Island Reels from Back-to-Back Deadly Storms, USPS Sparks Outrage over Plan to Replace Fleet with 90% Gas-Powered Delivery Trucks, U.S. Offshore Wind Auction Sets Bidding Record of $1.5B

The Debt Collective is planning an action on April 4 at the Department of Education to urge the Biden administration to fulfill a campaign promise to cancel student debt before federal student loan payments restart in May. Debt cancellation would give relief to some 45 million borrowers who owe nearly $1.8 trillion in student debt. Education should be treated as a human right and not as a commodity, says Astra Taylor, co-director of the Debt Collective. Not only has Biden failed on his campaign promises, but he has made it easier for lenders to prey on student borrowers, adds Braxton Brewington, press secretary with the Debt Collective.

We go to Georgia, where a jury has found the three white men who hunted and fatally shot unarmed Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery guilty of committing federal hate crimes, acknowledging the racial animus behind the killing. It marks the first time in Georgia’s history that there has been a conviction for a federal hate crime. Today is the anniversary of Arbery’s murder, now marked as Ahmaud Arbery Day in Georgia. We speak with Anoa Changa, editor at NewsOne and retired federal government attorney. The verdict feels like a victory for proponents of racial justice, but “it isn’t the end-all be-all that a lot of people think it is,” says Changa. “Prosecutorial misconduct and prosecutorial accountability continue to be something that organizers around the state are working on.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to order troops into the separatist-controlled areas of Ukraine has triggered a new wave of sanctions against Russia, amid fears the situation could spiral into an all-out war. We speak with Dr. Ira Helfand, former president of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, who warns a war could lead to the use of nuclear weapons that would annihilate millions and cause total collapse of world ecosystems. “We have found it almost impossible to imagine, 30 years after the end of the Cold War, that there could be a nuclear war between the United States and Russia, but the crisis in Ukraine is putting exactly that possibility on the table again,” says Helfand.

U.S. Imposes Sanctions, Ukraine Calls for Stronger Action After Russian Recognition of Breakaway Areas, Jury Finds Ahmaud Arbery’s 3 Murderers Guilty of Federal Hate Crimes, Trial for Ex-Cop Brett Hankison, Who Shot into Breonna Taylor’s Home During Fatal Raid, Starts in KY, U.N. Report Warns of Climate Disaster-Fueled “Global Wildfire Crisis”, Mining Companies, Foreign Investors Driving Destruction of Amazon, Violation of Indigenous Rights, Hong Kong to Conduct Mass COVID Testing on Entire Population; U.K. Removes All Pandemic Restrictions, Israeli Forces Kill 14-Year-Old Palestinian; Israeli Court Halts Expulsion from Sheikh Jarrah, Mining Site Explosion in Burkina Faso Kills 60 People, Women’s Soccer Team, U.S. Soccer Reach Landmark Deal in Equal Pay Dispute, California Bill Would Allow Citizens to Enforce State’s Gun Law, Modeled on Texas Abortion Ban, Black Farmers’ Pandemic Funds Delayed Due to Lawsuits from White Farmers Alleging Discrimination, SCOTUS Rejects Trump Attempt to Shield Jan. 6 Documents from Lawmakers, Philadelphia Housing Advocate Jennifer Bennetch Dies at 36

We remember the life and legacy of Dr. Paul Farmer, a public health icon who spent decades building community health networks helping millions of poor people in Haiti, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and beyond. He died unexpectedly Monday at the age of 62. We feature Farmer’s past interviews with Democracy Now! and speak with his longtime colleague, Dr. Joia Mukherjee. Farmer leaves behind a remarkable legacy and an “enormous community of people that he brought to this large table that is now global health,” says Mukherjee, chief medical officer for Partners In Health, where she worked with Farmer for 23 years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops into two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, drawing sharp rebukes from the U.S. and other Western countries that have warned for weeks of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Biden administration issued new sanctions, and Germany has stopped the certification of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in an attempt to quash the country’s dependence on Russian natural gas. We speak with Nina Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at The New School, who says she remains skeptical that Russia will launch an all-out war against Ukraine. She also says Russia’s recent attempts at allying with China should not be perceived as a threat, as “China is not going to make up for all the losses that the upcoming sanctions will bring onto Russia.”

Putin Orders Russian “Peacekeepers” into Ukraine Separatist Regions, U.N. Rebukes Russia over Violations of Ukraine’s Territorial Integrity, Florida Senate Advances Bill to Ban Nearly All Abortions After 15 Weeks, Colombia Legalizes Abortion During First 24 Weeks of Pregnancy, Dominican Republic Begins Construction of High-Tech Border Wall with Haiti, Dr. Paul Farmer, Who Brought Free, Quality Healthcare to World’s Poorest, Dies at 62, Mali’s Military Rulers Cement Hold on Power, Leak Reveals Credit Suisse Ties to Dictators, Torturers and Organized Crime, Wildfires Burn Nearly 2 Million Acres as Drought Grips Argentine Wetlands, Biden Admin Delays Oil and Gas Leases After Judge’s Ruling on “Social Cost of Carbon”, Portland Man Opens Fire on Racial Justice Protesters, Killing 1 and Injuring 4 Others, Polk Awards Honor Coverage of Hate Groups, U.S. Airstrikes, Migrant Prisons & More

On the anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X, we speak with the civil rights leader’s daughter Ilyasah Shabazz about her family’s call for a federal probe into his murder, following the exoneration of two men who were wrongfully convicted. “We want to know who killed our father, and we want to make sure that it is properly recorded in history,” says Shabazz. “We want Congress to document the truth,” says Benjamin Crump, who represents the family of Malcolm X.

Former Minneapolis police officer Kim Potter was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday for fatally shooting Black driver Daunte Wright after mistaking her gun for a Taser. We speak to Benjamin Crump, attorney for the Wright family, about Judge Regina Chu’s sympathy expressed for Potter during closing statements and how white criminals tend to receive lighter sentences. “Police officers, when it comes to Black people, they always do the most,” says Crump. Crump also weighs in on other clients he currently represents, such as the family of Ahmaud Arbery, the unarmed Black jogger who was fatally shot in Georgia, and Z’Kye Husain, a Black teen who was racially profiled and violently arrested by police in a New Jersey mall.

As President Biden warns of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, France has secured a commitment from both Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet at a summit in an effort to defuse the escalating tension. We speak to veteran journalist Katrina vanden Heuvel, whose latest article for The Washington Post, “A path out of the Ukraine crisis,” argues both leaders must work to avoid a catastrophic war. “There’s a bluffing that could be taken more lightly, except this is the most dangerous confrontation between the United States, NATO and Russia in decades,” says vanden Heuvel.

Possible Biden-Putin Summit Announced Amid High Tensions, Unrest in Eastern Ukraine, California to Start Treating COVID-19 as Endemic Disease, Queen Elizabeth Tests Positive for Coronavirus; Canadian Police Clear Ottawa of “Freedom Convoy”, 6 African Countries to Receive mRNA Technology as Part of WHO Program to Expand Vaccine Production, Al-Shabab Claims Bomb Blast That Killed at Least 13 in Somalian City of Beledweyne, Clashes on Malian Border Kill Dozens as France Announces Gradual Withdrawal, Iran Nuclear Deal Could Be Revived as Talks Enter Final Stretch, Bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor Is Most Decorated Black Athlete in Winter Olympics After Beijing Medals, Jeffrey Epstein Associate Jean-Luc Brunel Found Dead in French Jail Cell, Judge Sentences Kim Potter, Who Killed Daunte Wright During Traffic Stop, to 2 Years in Prison, Chicago Denies Permit for General Iron Metal Plant After Organizing from Community, Federal Judge Says Trump May Be Held Liable for January 6 Insurrection, Los Angeles KPFK Broadcaster Fernando Velázquez Dies at 73, Askia Muhammad, Who Chronicled African American Politics and Culture for 40+ Years, Dies at 76

Legendary filmmaker Stanley Nelson’s new documentary “Attica” has been nominated for the first Oscar in his three-decades-long career documenting the Black American experience. The film tells the story of the deadliest prison uprising in U.S. history, when men at the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York rebelled on September 9, 1971, overpowering guards and taking over much of the prison to protest conditions, before New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller called out state troopers, who opened fire and killed at least 39 men, including 10 guards. Attica is one of the most “important American events that happened over the last 50 years,” says Nelson. He also has an upcoming film focusing on the racist origins of police and discusses the hate crimes trial of Ahmaud Arbery’s murderers and the condemnation of police in New Jersey who broke up a fight by violently arresting a Black teen while allowing an older white teen to remain free. “These things are not just happening for the first time. These things are being filmed for the first time,” says Nelson.

The House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security heard testimony Thursday about a wave of bomb threats against historically Black colleges and universities, including more than a dozen this month alone. February is Black History Month. More than 60 educational groups called on Congress this week to take immediate steps to support and protect HBCUs. We speak with legendary filmmaker Stanley Nelson, whose 2017 PBS film, “Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities,” documents the pivotal role HBCUs played in dismantling segregation after the Civil War and creating a Black middle class.

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have agreed to meet next week as tension remains high over Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia has announced plans to stage massive drills on Saturday of its nuclear forces, including multiple practice missile launches. We speak with Russian journalist Nadezhda Azhgikhina, one of a group of two dozen independent Russian and American women who released an open letter this week calling for peace. The letter reads, “We are united in the belief that diplomacy, dialogue, engagement and exchange are urgently needed to end the current crisis and avert a catastrophic military conflict that could spiral out of control — even push the world to the precipice of nuclear war.”

Biden Claims Russia Is Plotting a “False Flag” Operation as Pretext for Ukraine Invasion, COVID-19 Cases Hit Record Highs in Asian Countries as Omicron Variant Surges, Donald Trump, Trump Jr. and Ivanka Ordered to Testify in New York Civil Fraud Probe, Florida Lawmakers Advance Bill to Ban Abortions After 15 Weeks, More Than a Quarter of World’s Women Worldwide Have Experienced Domestic Violence, Haitian Sweatshop Workers Strike to Demand $15 a Day, Death Toll in Brazil Landslides Rises to 117, with 100+ Still Missing, Canadian Police Investigating Sabotage of Coastal GasLink Pipeline Worksite, India Sentences 38 Muslim Men to Death over 2008 Bombings, Family and Friends Mourn Amir Locke, Black Man Killed in Minneapolis Police No-Knock Raid, Ex-Cop Involved in George Floyd’s Murder Admits He Failed to Perform CPR , Jury in Trial for Arbery’s Murderers Shown Graphic Images of Gunshot Wounds, 19 Austin Police Officers Indicted over Violent Response to 2020 BLM Protests, Video Shows NJ Cops Violently Arresting Black Teen, Letting White Teen Go After Fight He Started

Amnesty International is accusing Tigrayan forces of deliberately killing dozens of unarmed civilians and gang-raping dozens of women and girls in the northern Amhara region of Ethiopia. This comes as the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan rebel forces remain at war, and just last year Amnesty similarly accused the Ethiopian government of subjecting Tigrayan women and girls to rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, sexual mutilation and other forms of torture. “These are deliberate attacks which constitute war crimes and possibly may also constitute crimes against humanity,” says Amnesty’s Donatella Rovera, who led the investigation behind this most recent report. While Amnesty has been barred by the Ethiopian government from investigating these crimes on the ground, she says they have used satellite imagery to corroborate the testimonies of civilians who have escaped attacks by both Ethiopian government and Tigrayan rebel forces that began last July.

As U.S. health guidelines start to loosen as COVID-19 cases fall from record-high levels of infection, we look at how there there are still millions of immunocompromised people who face acute risk of illness and feel they have received little to no guidance on how to stay safe in a prolonged COVID-19 world. Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Ed Yong of The Atlantic spoke to immunocompromised people for his new report and says, “While a lot of the world opens up, their world shuts down, and they feel left behind and abandoned by the government, by their friends, by their workplaces.” Yong notes immunocompromised people “want their lives back, too,” but are just asking for structural solutions to help keep them and non-immunocompromised people safe.

U.S. officials are accusing Russia of sending more forces to the Ukrainian border just days after Moscow announced it was pulling some troops back. This comes as Ukrainian authorities and Russian-backed separatists are both accusing the other side of violating a ceasefire in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. For more on the history behind the present crisis in Ukraine, we speak with one of the last U.S. ambassadors to the Soviet Union prior to the collapse of the USSR, Ambassador Jack Matlock, who says the U.S.-led expansion of NATO following the end of the Cold War helped lay the groundwork for the current standoff over Ukraine. He argues continued escalation could stoke another nuclear arms race, and lays out some of the parallels with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

NATO Defense Ministers Gather in Brussels, Dispute Russia’s Claims of Troop Drawback, COVID-19 Pandemic Claimed 75,000 Lives Last Week, U.S. Centers for Disease Control Prepares to Roll Back Guidelines for COVID Restrictions, Hospitals in War-Ravaged Syria Forced to Close Amid Cuts in International Aid, U.N. Says 8 Million Yemenis Could Lose All Humanitarian Aid Next Month Due to Funding Shortages, Colombia Forced Displacement Crisis Worsened in 2021, Mexican Journalists Interrupt Congress to Demand Justice for Assassinated Colleagues, Amnesty International Condemns “Sham Trial” for Jailed Russian Opposition Figure Alexei Navalny, Halyna Hutchins’s Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Alec Baldwin, “Rust” Producers, GOP Senators Object to Federal No-Fly List for Dangerous Passengers, Officers Say They Did Not Intervene in George Floyd’s Murder Because They Trusted Derek Chauvin, Social Media Posts and Texts Show Trove of Racist Messages by Ahmaud Arbery’s Murderers, Vincent Simmons Freed After 44 Years in Prison After Judge Rules He Did Not Receive Fair Trial

NATO officials have joined the U.S. and other Western nations in saying they have yet to see evidence that Russia is pulling back some troops near the shared border with Ukraine, as Russia claimed earlier this week. We speak with Yurii Sheliazhenko, executive secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, who says, “Both great powers of the West and the East share equal responsibility to avoid escalation of war in Ukraine and beyond Ukraine.”

Survivors and families of the victims of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida, have launched a new online tool called the “Shock Market” to track the occurrence of U.S. gun violence. This comes as Manuel Oliver, the father of 17-year-old victim Joaquin “Guac” Oliver, was arrested during a peaceful protest demanding the Biden administration take action to curb gun violence. “Very little has changed since the last four years,” says Oliver. We also speak with David Hogg, survivor of the Parkland school massacre and a founder and board member of March for Our Lives. Hogg says President Biden is failing on gun policy and risks losing the Senate for another decade if inaction persists.

Authorities in Honduras have arrested former President Juan Orlando Hernández for allegedly smuggling over 1 million pounds of cocaine into the United States since 2004. Hernández, who now faces extradition to the United States, was a longtime U.S. ally, in power from 2014 until January 27 of this year, when he was succeeded by Xiomara Castro, Honduras’s first female president. We speak with Castro’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, Gerardo Torres Zelaya, who calls the U.S. extradition a step in the correct direction and a dramatic shift from prior U.S. administrations that condoned Hernández’s “kidnapping” of Honduras’s democracy. We also speak with history professor Dana Frank, who says Hernández was not just a drug trafficker, but a dictator who unleashed “tremendous repression and militarization” on Honduras.

NATO, U.S. Express Doubt over Russian Troop Pullback as Putin, Biden Say Diplomatic Path Still Open, Sandy Hook Families Reach Historic $73 Million Deal with Remington, Prince Andrew Settles Sexual Assault Lawsuit with Survivor Virginia Giuffre, Ex-Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández Arrested for Drug Trafficking, U.N.: Pollution Causes More Premature Deaths Than COVID-19, U.S. Coastal Sea Levels Will Rise Another Foot by Mid-Century, Climate Change-Fueled “Megadrought” in Western U.S. Worst in 12 Centuries, Flooding and Mudslides Kill at Least 34 People in Petrópolis, Brazil, Israeli Forces Kill 2 Palestinian Teenagers in West Bank; Activists Condemn U.S. Delegation to Israel, Attacks in Mogadishu Kill at Least 5 People; U.N. Sounds Alarm on Hunger Crisis for Somali Children, Senate Confirms Robert Califf to Head FDA; Senate GOP Delays Confirmations for Fed Nominees, Jan. 6 Cmte. Issues Subpoenas in False Elector Plot; WH Orders Handover of Trump Visitor Logs

Two competitive congressional races are heating up in Texas. Former labor organizer Greg Casar and immigrant human rights lawyer Jessica Cisneros have both gained national endorsements from progressive lawmakers like New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who traveled to the state to campaign for them this past weekend. “We have a real opportunity for big progressive change here in the heart of the state where we’ve seen so many oppressive laws be pushed through the pandemic,” says Casar, who is running in Texas’s 35th Congressional District, which covers eastern Austin and eastern San Antonio.

Early voting in the first 2022 primary elections kicked off Monday in Texas with extreme new anti-voter laws in effect. The Republican-enacted restrictions have already caused Texas voters issues, with some 40% of ballots in Houston rejected. We speak with Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, one of 30 civil rights groups who sent a letter to the Texas secretary of state on Monday calling for stronger action to ensure voters have access to the ballot leading up to the state’s March 1 primary. He describes how the laws are also facilitating right-wing efforts to intimidate Black and Brown voters at the polls.

President Biden is facing mounting criticism for seizing $7 billion of Afghanistan’s federal reserves frozen in the United States. Biden is giving half of the money to families of September 11 victims while Afghanistan faces a humanitarian catastrophe. We speak to two of the founders of a new campaign called Unfreeze Afghanistan, a women-led initiative to lift sanctions and other economic restrictions on Afghanistan, and a woman who lost her son in the World Trade Center attack, who says the money should stay in Afghanistan. “The suffering of the Afghan people at the hands of the United States and its allies is reprehensible. This is adding insult to injury,” says Phyllis Rodriguez, a member of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, whose son Greg was killed in the World Trade Center attack and who says 9/11 families want “information, not remuneration.” Afghan American activist Masuda Sultan says continued lack of access to money and basic services in Afghanistan will inspire a new wave of underground terrorism in the country, “endangering the entire world.” Biden’s order is gravely hypocritical, adds Medea Benjamin, critiquing the administration for “putting themselves forward as these great saviors of Afghanistan” for releasing Afghan-owned assets as “aid” while taking no punitive action against Saudi Arabia, whose citizens led the 9/11 attack.

Russia has announced plans to pull back some troops from the Ukrainian border in a possible effort to deescalate the standoff over Ukraine but still intends to continue with military exercises in Belarus and the Black Sea. This comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated on Monday the country may drop its bid to join NATO and the U.S. continues to urge U.S. citizens to leave Ukraine, warning a Russian invasion could come as soon as Wednesday. We speak with Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, who says the U.S. is continuing to escalate the crisis by directing U.S. funds to weapons and loans for Ukraine. “It seems the United States is more anxious for Russia to invade than Russia is to invade,” says Benjamin.

Russia Withdraws Some Troops from Ukraine Border, Says It’s Open to More Diplomacy, California Will Keep Mask Mandate for Schools as Universal Mask Mandate Ends, Canadian PM Invokes Emergency Powers as Police Say Anti-Vaccine Protesters Plotted Violence, Thousands of Nurses Go on Strike as Australia Suffers Its First COVID-19 Surge, Civil Society Groups Demand Moderna Drop Vaccine Patent Filings in South Africa, Sudanese Forces Kill Two More Protesters Demanding End to Military Rule, Israeli PM Meets Bahrain’s Crown Prince in First-of-Its-Kind Visit, Mexican Media Workers Demand End to Impunity for Those Who Murder Journalists, Honduran Police Surround Home of Ex-President as U.S. Requests His Extradition to Face Drug Charges, House Democrats Demand Biden End Policy That’s Deported 1000s to Face Torture, Rape and Murder, “A Day Without Immigrants”: U.S. Protests Demand Immigration Reforms, Accounting Firm Breaks Ties with Trump, Saying Financial Statements Can’t Be Trusted, Judge to Throw Out Sarah Palin’s Libel Lawsuit Against New York Times, Manuel Oliver, Whose Son Joaquin Died in Parkland Massacre Four Years Ago, Arrested in D.C. Protest

A damning new investigation by The Intercept details the climate risks facing incarcerated people in more than 6,500 detention facilities across the country, including wildfires, floods and extreme heat. We feature a 10-minute video report that includes the stories of people behind bars and their families who are fighting for justice, and speak with reporter Alleen Brown, who says the climate crisis, coupled with the deterioration of detention facilities, places the U.S. mass incarceration system at a “crossroads” between being reinvested in or defunded. The report also includes a new database, which Brown hopes “can be a tool for organizers, policymakers, reporters and family members of people who are trapped inside these facilities.”

Valentine’s Day kicks off a campaign by feminist leaders in 70 countries across the world to celebrate One Billion Rising, an initiative by V-Day to end violence against women — cisgender, transgender and gender nonconforming — girls and the planet. ”COVID has ushered in a very strange and perplexing time for women. We are on the frontlines everywhere,” says V-Day founder V (formerly Eve Ensler). The campaign seeks to resist “the broken systems of capitalism and neoliberalism,” as well as the fascist governments upholding these broken systems, says Monique Wilson, global director of One Billion Rising who is based in the Philippines. The campaign repositions “women from being victims to being active agents in protection of their rights,” says Africa director Colani Hlatjwako, who is helping organize community-based protection sites for women and girls in their home country of Eswatini.

High-Level Diplomatic Talks Continue as U.S. Warns Russia Could Invade Ukraine at Any Time, Canadian Police Clear Trucker Convoy from Ambassador Bridge as Protests Spread to More Countries, Pfizer’s Vaccine for Under 5s on Hold; Study Finds Even Mild COVID Cases Up Risk of Heart Disease, Afghan Central Bank, Aid Groups Condemn U.S. Move to Seize and Redirect Billions in Afghan Assets, Honduran Court Orders Release Of Environmental Activists Who Protested Open-Pit Mining Project, Deforestation in Brazilian Amazon Reached Record Levels Last Month, U.S. Judge Restores Protections for Gray Wolves; Australia Declares Koalas an Endangered Species, 15-Year-Old Russian Skater Given OK to Compete After Testing Positive for Banned Substance, Puerto Rican Teachers Get Temporary Pay Raise After Protests; More Workers Join in Labor Demands, 35-Year-Old Christina Yuna Lee Stabbed to Death in New York’s Chinatown, White Father and Son Arrested for Chasing and Shooting at Black Driver D’Monterrio Gibson, Congress Approves Bill to Ban Arbitration Agreements in Sexual Abuse Claims, Connie Hogarth, Who Spent Decades Fighting for Peace and Justice, Dies at 95

This month marks 55 years since the assassination of an NAACP leader. The new documentary “American Reckoning” seeks justice in the cold case of murdered civil rights activist and local NAACP leader Wharlest Jackson Sr. in Natchez, Mississippi. No one was ever charged with his 1967 murder, despite evidence pointing to the involvement of the inner circle of the local Ku Klux Klan. It’s one of many unsolved crimes targeting civil rights activists. “The fact that no one has been indicted for Wharlest’s case or for these other cases shows the limits of the justice system,” says co-director and co-producer Yoruba Richen. Wharlest Jackson Sr.'s daughter, Denise Ford Jackson, recalls how her mother received redacted documents when trying to get to the bottom of her husband's murder. We also speak with Brad Lichtenstein, the film’s co-director.

Comedian Joe Rogan has come under fire for spreading COVID-19 misinformation, using racial slurs and other harmful rhetoric on his Spotify podcast. Musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell have pulled their music from the platform in protest of his $100 million contract reportedly paid by Spotify, raising questions how responsible audio platforms should be over hateful content. “He’s made it clear that he doesn’t have any intention of changing the lies and hate he spreads on his podcast, and it’s far past time that Spotify came to the plate and actually moderated the content on its platform,” says Alex Paterson, a self-described “Joe Rogan watchdog” and senior researcher for the LGBTQ Program at Media Matters.