Russiapressed its invasion of Ukraine to the outskirts of the capital Kyiv where explosions sounded before dawn Friday, following a day of fighting that left 137 Ukrainians, a mixture of soldiers and civilians, dead. Britain’s defense secretary told his country’s media Friday that Russia has lost about 450 military personnel. President Joe Biden was to meet Friday morning with fellow leaders of NATO governments in what the White House described as an “extraordinary virtual summit.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government had information that “subversive groups” were encroaching on Kyiv, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the city “could well be under siege” in what U.S. officials believe is a brazen attempt by Russian President Vladimir Putin to install his own regime. Biden unveiled a new raft of economic sanctions against Moscow Thursday as part of an international rallying cry to respond to Russia’s attack. Biden also issued a chilling warning that he believes Putin “has much larger ambitions” that extend beyond Ukraine’s borders. “He wants to, in fact, re-establish the former Soviet Union,” Biden said. “His ambitions are completely contrary to the place where the rest of the world has arrived.”
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President Joe Biden has made a decision on his first nomination to the Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, two sources told USA TODAY Thursday night. They declined to name the candidate. Biden’s search has centered on U.S. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger and U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs. The decision, first reported by CNN, could be revealed as soon as Friday. As a presidential candidate, Biden pledged to name a Black woman to the Supreme Court for the first time in history during a debate in South Carolina on Feb. 25, 2020 – two years ago. The decision comes as the window narrowed for Biden to meet a self-imposed deadline to announce his pick by the end of this month. Vice President Kamala Harris, whom the president said would play a key role in the search, postponed a scheduled visit to Louisiana set for Friday.
The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against COVID-19 transmission on Friday, two people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press, meaning most Americans will no longer be advised to wear masks in indoor public settings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday will announce a change to the metrics it uses to determine whether to recommend face coverings, shifting from looking at COVID-19 case counts to a more holistic view of risk from the coronavirus to a community. Under current guidelines, masks are recommended for people residing in communities of substantial or high transmission — roughly 95% of U.S. counties, according to the latest data. The new metrics will still consider caseloads, but also take into account hospitalizations and local hospital capacity, which have been markedly improved during the emergence of the omicron variant. The new policy comes as the Biden administration moves to shift its focus to preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19, rather than all instances of infection, as part of a strategy adjustment for a new “phase” in the response as the virus becomes endemic.
A huge storm moving from the central U.S. eyes the Northeast for Friday. More than half an inch of ice could accumulate in the Ozarks through Friday morning, while another area of freezing rain was expected to hit south-central Pennsylvania and western Maryland, the Weather Service said. The storm is also forecast to cause major travel disruptions further north by spreading up to a foot or more of snow in parts of the Northeast and New England, AccuWeather said. This expansive and far-reaching storm will have impacted about 265 million people from California to Maine by the time it exits the U.S. Friday evening, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno. 
James Harden isn’t listed on the Philadelphia 76ers’ official injury report for Friday’s night road matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, so he is expected to make his eagerly awaited Sixers’ debut. NBA insider Shams Charania also reported Harden will play his first game for the 76ers Friday. Acquired at the Feb. 10 trade deadline in a blockbuster deal from the Brooklyn Nets involving Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond, Harden hasn’t played since Feb. 2 due to left hamstring tightness. Harden was selected to last Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, which was his 10th, but didn’t participate because of the hamstring. Harden, 32, averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 assists (second in the NBA) and eight rebounds in 44 games for Brooklyn this season. Harden’s scoring, field goal percentage (.414) and 3-point percentage (.332) are his lowest numbers since joining the Houston Rockets in 2012.
Contributing: The Associated Press

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