WTF Just Happened Today

Thursday, February 17, 2022

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1/ Biden warned that “every indication” is that Putin will carry out an invasion of Ukraine “in the next several days.” Biden, maintaining there was a “diplomatic path” that avoids conflict, said the threat of a Russian invasion was “very high” and that the U.S. and its allies “have reason to believe that they are engaged in a false flag operation to have an excuse to go in.” Biden’s comments came after Ukraine said Russian-backed separatists were responsible for “a big provocation” after artillery shells hit a kindergarten in eastern Ukraine. The separatists accused the Ukrainians of staging the attack – the sort of incident the U.S. has warned Russia might try to use to create “an invented justification for war.” Despite earlier reports that Putin may be pulling some troops back, U.S. officials said they believe Moscow has instead increased its troop presence to some 150,000 along the Ukrainian border – with 7,000 new troops arriving in recent days. Russia, meanwhile, denied that it intends to invade Ukraine, dismissing the reports as “hysteria.” (NBC News / New York Times / Politico / ABC News / Associated Press / CNN / Wall Street Journal)

2/ Trump, Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump must testify in New York Attorney General Letitia James’s civil probe of the Trump Organization, a state judge ruled. New York judge Arthur Engoron rejected their request to block James’s subpoenas for testimony and related documents, ordering the three to appear for depositions within 21 days. Trump was also ordered to comply with a subpoena for documents and other information within 14 days. James is investigating whether the Trump Organization inflated the valuations of real estate assets to obtain loans and tax benefits. In court filings, James has said her office has “uncovered substantial evidence establishing numerous misrepresentations in Trump’s financial statements provided to banks, insurers, and the Internal Revenue Service.” In February, Trump’s longtime accounting firm ended its relationship with the company and warned that financial statements from 2011 to 2020 “should no longer be relied upon.” Trump’s lawyers indicated that they would appeal the decision. (NBC News / NPR / Associated Press / New York Times / Washington Post / Bloomberg /