U.S. and world news for Feb. 21

Biden’s secret trip: Following yesterday’s dramatic visit to the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, President Biden is today in Warsaw, capital of Poland. The trip to Kyiv involved leaving Washington amidst secrecy Sunday morning at about 4 a.m., flying to Poland and then taking a 10-hour train ride from Poland into Ukraine. Biden met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, his wife, and Ukrainian officials and made a joint televised appearance with Zelenskyy during which he emphasized that the U.S. would not abandon Ukraine in the face of the ongoing threat from Russia.

Putin’s speech: Russian President Vladimir Putin this morning delivered the equivalent of a State of the Union address in Moscow, in which he suspended Russian participation in the last remaining nuclear treaty with the U.S., known as the New START Treaty. Putin also blamed the U.S. for the war in Ukraine, which Russia started almost a year ago with its Feb. 24, 2022 invasion.

Former President Jimmy Carter: People from around the country have been arriving in Plains, Georgia, in displays of respect for former President Jimmy Carter, who at age 98 decided to forego on-going medical care and enter hospice care at home. Grandson Jason Carter said over the weekend that he had visited with Carter and wife Rosalynn and both were at peace with the situation.

Financial irregularities: Project Veritas, the right-wing organization based in Mamaroneck, says its founder James O’Keefe has been removed as the organization’s leader by its board of directors. The board in a statement said it discovered financial mismanagement including O’Keefe allegedly spending organization money for his own personal purposes.

Weekend earthquake: A new earthquake has struck Turkey and Syria, this one registering 6.4 on the Richter scale. Some deaths and injuries were recorded as additional buildings collapsed. The new quake came as deaths from the earthquake two weeks ago surpassed 45,000.

Walmart financials: Walmart this morning reported Fiscal Year 2023 revenues of $611.3 billion with operating income of $20.4 billion. While revenues were up 6.7% over Fiscal Year 2022, operating income was down by 21.3%. Walmart forecasts its sales for Fiscal Year 2024 will increase by about 2.5% to 3%.

Cover photo courtesy of the White House