The fall of the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka to Russia over the weekend was a major symbolic loss for Ukraine and the West. But while American officials initially argued that it was not a significant strategic setback, that calculus could soon change.
My colleagues reported today that hundreds of Ukrainian troops may have disappeared or been captured during Ukraine’s chaotic retreat from Avdiivka. Two soldiers with knowledge of the retreat estimated that 850 to 1,000 troops had been captured or were missing, a range that Western officials said seemed accurate.
The devastating losses could deal a blow to Ukraine’s morale, which has eroded after last year’s failed counteroffensive and the recent removal of a top commander. Officials have said they want to mobilize up to 500,000 more people, but the capture of soldiers could make the effort to recruit them more challenging.
In the U.S., the Biden administration said it was preparing “major sanctions” against Russia in response to the death of the opposition leader Aleksei Navalny.
Justices declined to hear a case on race and admissions
The Supreme Court today cleared the way for the use of admissions criteria intended to diversify the student body of an elite public high school in Virginia, declining to hear a challenge to the school’s policy.
By turning down the case, a majority of the court’s justices signaled that they were not ready to revisit the role that race can legally play in school admissions, months after the court sharply curtailed affirmative action programs in higher education.
The case centered on Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va., which adopted what it said were race-neutral admissions standards amid concerns about how few Black and Hispanic students attended the school. The school board eliminated a rigorous entrance examination and offered admission to the top students from each of the area’s middle schools rather than the top applicants from any school. A group of parents objected to the plan and sued to stop it.
The U.S. vetoed a U.N. resolution for a cease-fire in Gaza
The U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution put forth by Algeria that would have called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, saying it would jeopardize an ongoing effort to broker a deal that would release hostages from Gaza. It was the third time Washington had blocked a call for an end to fighting.
However, in a shift, the U.S. drafted an alternative resolution that calls for a temporary halt in fighting “as soon as practicable” and for the release of hostages. The resolution, which is still in the early stages of negotiations, also states that Israel’s army must not carry out an offensive in Rafah, in southern Gaza, under the current conditions.
A baseball star is disrupting California’s senate race
Steve Garvey, a Republican who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1970s, is running a long-shot bid to succeed the late Senator Dianne Feinstein of California. With just two weeks before the state’s primary, he has done little campaigning and raised just a sliver of the money he would probably need to win.
Yet the 75-year-old political novice could still beat out experienced Democrats for second place in California’s unusual “jungle” primary, which would advance him to November’s general election. Representative Adam Schiff, the Democrat leading the race, has spent $10 million on ads that ostensibly attack Garvey, but that have most likely rallied Republicans to his side.
The death that has haunted gamers for decades
In 1997, Final Fantasy VII changed video games forever with a twist: A key character, Aerith, was killed. Her death was inconceivable at a time when games were known for giving playable characters extra lives.
Now, the game’s creator is returning to that pivotal moment. Final Final VII is being remade in three installments, the second of which, Rebirth, will be released on Feb. 29. It is expected to end with Aerith’s climactic death — or perhaps, some speculate, her rescue. Fans are desperate to find out.
Remembering Washington’s chef
More than 200 years ago, President George Washington would celebrate his birthdays with elaborate meals cooked by his celebrated chef, Hercules Posey. Once known for his culinary genius, Posey’s story has been mostly lost to history because of his status as an enslaved person.
But a group of historians are now working to give Posey his due, and are researching his complex cuisine, which featured American ingredients and dishes from the Far East, Caribbean and India. Posey also made simple fare, including hoecakes — cornmeal pancakes that were among the president’s daily favorites. Want to give them a try? Here’s a recipe, based on archival sources.
Hollywood’s curmudgeon of the year
Within the past year, the actor Jeffrey Wright has starred in films in which he has played a barking general (“Asteroid City”), a gossipy congressman (“Rustin”) and a snobby novelist (“American Fiction”). All three performances were so convincingly unsmiling and self-serious that our critic Wesley Morris declared Wright the year’s best curmudgeon.
Ahead of the Oscars on March 10, Wesley handed out several other distinctions that are unlikely to ever be etched on an Academy Award trophy, including the best drunk, the best acting above the nose and the best nervous breakdown. Check out all of his picks.
Have a standout evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
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