Start your week smart: Ukraine, North Korea, Covid-19, Warren Buffett, Baseball
By Alexandra Meeks, CNN
Social media companies have grappled in recent years with how to handle misinformation about a pandemic, a fraught US presidential election and an insurrection — often while facing criticism for doing too little or too much. Now, the platforms are scrambling to confront a growing list of challenges as Russia invades Ukraine. Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart.
The weekend that was
• Street fighting broke out in the center of Kharkiv as Russian troops entered Ukraine’s second-largest city. Follow CNN’s full coverage of Russia’s attack on Ukraine here.
• North Korea launched a ballistic missile off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula earlier today, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
• Studies offer further evidence that the coronavirus originated in animals and spread to humans in late 2019 at the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China.
• Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway reported a nearly $40 billion profit in the fourth quarter, up more than 10% from the same period of 2020. Profits more than doubled for the full year, to just shy of $90 billion.
• Major League Baseball has canceled more spring training games as owners and players seek to hammer out a new labor agreement.
The week ahead
Monday
The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in a case from Republican-led states and coal producers challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and address the climate crisis.
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will also release a major report that will summarize the current effects of global warming and will focus on climate solutions and regional and local adaptation.
Tuesday
President Joe Biden will deliver the annual State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. White House chief of staff Ron Klain told House Democrats last week that he hopes Biden’s speech will hand him a bump in the polls, in part by demonstrating leadership on national security and by showing empathy for Americans frustrated with Covid-19 and inflation, according to sources. You can watch the President’s State of the Union address on CNN at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday or stream it live here.
Happy Mardi Gras! Also known as Fat Tuesday, parties and feasts are happening from New Orleans to Rio de Janeiro and Venice before the Christian fasting season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Time to break out your beads and enjoy some King Cake! You won’t regret it!
Tuesday is also the start of Women’s History Month. Curious to know why this month was selected for the national celebrations? We have the answer for you!
Wednesday
One fish, Two fish, Red fish, Blue Fish! It’s the birthday of the late Dr. Seuss, the famous children’s author who sold more than 650 million copies of his books. While many have celebrated him for creating legendary characters, Seuss has also received criticism for publishing racist and anti-Semitic work dating back to the 1920s. Just last year, the business that preserves the author’s legacy announced six Dr. Seuss books will no longer be published because they “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.”
Friday
A rogue rocket booster could collide with the moon, leaving a crater on the far side. The SpaceX rocket booster was used in 2015 for a launch and has been floating around in the outer part of the Earth-moon system ever since. An independent researcher who was the first to publicize the imminent collision said that by his calculations, it will hit the moon “within a minute” of 7:26 a.m. ET on March 4.
Want more 5 Things?
Listen to the Sunday edition of the 5 Things podcast for the latest on the situation in Ukraine. Listen here!
Photos of the week
Check out more moving and shocking images from the week that Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, curated by CNN Photos.
What’s happening in entertainment
‘Vikings: Valhalla’ sails onto Netflix
The new series featuring dramatic and epic battles charts “a new chapter set more than a century after the original, while offering most of the same lusty charms,” says CNN’s Brian Lowry. The show also features a sprawling cast of characters and shifting alliances, with one of the more prominent being the Viking King Canute (played by Bradley Freegard), an astute strategist who sat on both the English and Danish thrones in the 11th century.
SAG Awards
The 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will stake place later today in Santa Monica, California. The event, where actors chose their favorite TV and film performances of the year, returns after a delay due to Covid-19 and a scaled-back, virtual show last year. Kate Winslet will present Helen Mirren with a lifetime achievement award, and odds are Hollywood will weigh in on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The SAG Awards will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS at 8 p.m. ET. TNT and TBS are owned by WarnerMedia, CNN’s parent company.
What’s happening in sports
Sporting world reacts to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The Union of European Football Associations announced that this year’s Champions League Final will no longer take place in St. Petersburg, Russia, following an extraordinary meeting of the governing body’s Executive Committee on Friday. The 2022 final was scheduled to be held at Krestovsky Stadium, which is sponsored by Russian state-owned company Gazprom, but will now be moved to the Stade de France in Paris to be played on the original date of May 28. Separately, Formula One announced that the Russian Grand Prix, originally scheduled to take place in Sochi on September 23-25, could not be held “in the current circumstances.” Yesterday, the Polish and Swedish national teams announced they will not face Russia in crucial 2022 World Cup qualification playoff matches in March in protest of Russia’s invasion.
Quiz time!
Take CNN’s weekly news quiz to see how much you remember from the week that was! So far, 67% of fellow quiz fans have gotten an 8 out of 10 or better this week. How well can you do?
Play me off
An epic masterpiece
Enjoy this stunning performance of “O Fortuna” by the Johann Strauss Orchestra, conducted by the legendary André Rieu. (Click here to view)
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