TIME

The House Just Passed a Massive Spending Bill. Here’s What’s In It

March 10, 2022 11:57 - 8 minutes - 14.9 MB

The House passed a $1.5 trillion spending package Wednesday night that sends further military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and funds the federal government through the end of September. The spending bill increases funding for the military and nearly every non-defense agency, with federal domestic spending set to reach $715 billion and defense funding $782 billion for the remainder of this fiscal year.

Why President Biden Banned Russian Oil

March 09, 2022 12:29 - 5 minutes - 10.3 MB

President Biden has decided to ban Russian energy imports to the U.S. in an effort to further choke off American cash going to Moscow as Russian President Vladimir Putin presses ahead with his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. "The United States is targeting a main artery of Russia’s economy," Biden said Tuesday, speaking to reporters in the Roosevelt Room across the hall from the Oval Office. "We are banning imports of Russian oil and gas." Biden also moved to block U.S.

Florida Just Passed The “Don’t Say Gay” Bill. Here’s What It Means for Kids

March 09, 2022 12:17 - 5 minutes - 11 MB

The Florida Senate passed the controversial so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill on Tuesday, sending the Republican-backed legislation banning LGBTQ instruction in primary schools to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk. The bill passed the Republican-controlled Senate 22-17, and passed the Republican-controlled state House two weeks earlier 69-47. DeSantis has signaled his support for the bill and is expected to sign it.

U.S. Spy Chiefs Warn Putin May Escalate War

March 09, 2022 12:09 - 6 minutes - 11.7 MB

Twelve days into his invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has "no sustainable political endgame," the heads of U.S. intelligence agencies told Congress in a somber assessment Tuesday. That military reality means even greater humanitarian costs lie ahead, they said. "Putin is angry and frustrated right now,” Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns told lawmakers at the House Intelligence Committee’s annual hearing on worldwide threats.

WHO Says COVID-19 Boosters Are Needed, Reversing Previous Call

March 09, 2022 11:57 - 2 minutes - 4.23 MB

(Geneva) —An expert group convened by the World Health Organization said Tuesday it “strongly supports urgent and broad access” to booster doses, in a reversal of the U.N. agency’s previous insistence that boosters weren’t necessary and contributed to vaccine inequity.

Column: The U.S. Isn't Going to Fight in Ukraine, But There's Much More It Can Do to Help

March 08, 2022 13:14 - 7 minutes - 13 MB

The Biden Administration’s efforts to help Ukraine, through sanctions and intermittent weapons shipments, may not be enough to save Kyiv or prevent Putin from consolidating his gains if and when the capital falls. Despite their enormous courage and tactical successes to date, the Ukrainians face a Russian opponent that is numerically superior and clearly willing, on the basis of recent activity, to target civilian populations in the quest to subjugate Ukraine’s major cities.

What to Know About WNBA Star Brittney Griner’s Detention in Russia

March 08, 2022 12:32 - 4 minutes - 7.5 MB

WNBA star Brittney Griner is reportedly being held by Russian authorities after they allegedly found hashish oil on her while she was attempting to leave the country. At a moment when the world's eyes are on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the basketball player's arrest has been surrounded by an extra layer of tension. Griner, a member of the Phoenix Mercury, was playing professionally in Russia during the WNBA's offseason.

How Sanctions on Russia Could Drive Moscow Closer to Beijing and Change the Global Financial System

March 08, 2022 12:28 - 7 minutes - 13.6 MB

Punitive sanctions incurred by President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine are leaving Russia economically isolated. Speaking on Feb. 24, the day of the incursion, U.S. president Joe Biden announced measures that “exceed anything we’ve ever done.” Sanctions have been imposed on Russian banks, enterprises, and oligarchs, as well as on officials and other Putin allies, by other countries, including the E.U., Japan, Canada, Australia, the U.K. and New Zealand.

COVID-19 Death Toll Surpasses 6 Million as Pandemic Enters Its Third Year

March 08, 2022 12:07 - 8 minutes - 15.9 MB

BANGKOK — The official global death toll from COVID-19 eclipsed 6 million on Monday — underscoring that the pandemic, now entering its third year, is far from over. The milestone, recorded by Johns Hopkins University, is the latest tragic reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people are shedding masks, travel is resuming and businesses are reopening around the globe.

‘I Fear That History Will Repeat Itself.’ Syrians Express Solidarity With Ukraine After Russian Invasion

March 07, 2022 13:41 - 5 minutes - 9.43 MB

When Raed Al-Saleh first watched the video from Ukraine of an ambulance on fire and an injured paramedic lying on the ground, he immediately thought of his fallen colleagues in Syria. Al-Saleh is the leader of the White Helmets, the famous Syrian civil rescue force that rushes to scenes of bombings to pull survivors from the rubble. The White Helmets says it has lost 252 volunteers in the course of Syria’s ongoing 11-year civil war. Many of them were killed by Russian airstrikes. ...

Historians on What Putin Gets Wrong About ‘Denazification’ in Ukraine

March 07, 2022 13:11 - 6 minutes - 12.5 MB

In seven days of fighting, Russia has launched hundreds of missiles into Ukraine, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported Mar. 3 that about a million refugees have fled the country. The U.N. also reported there have been at least 752 civilian casualties in Ukraine and at least 227 fatalities, as of Mar. 2. As the war in Ukraine rages, so does a war of words. In a TV address on Feb.

U.S. Colleges, and Their Russian and Ukrainian Students, Are Caught Up In a Crisis

March 07, 2022 12:59 - 4 minutes - 8.65 MB

It's a conflict happening thousands of miles away, but colleges in the U.S. are grappling with Russia's invasion of Ukraine as some cut ties with Russian universities and companies, and as students from both nations find themselves caught in the middle of the crisis.

The Batman Director Explains The Film’s End and Its Accidental Real-World Parallels

March 07, 2022 11:45 - 6 minutes - 11.6 MB

Warning: This story contains spoilers for The Batman Though Matt Reeves and Peter Craig wrote the script for The Batman in 2017, well before the events of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, audiences would be forgiven for thinking the film's climax is a direct reference to the attempted insurrection. "That was the way it had been written before," Reeves tells TIME.

Inside the Urgent Race to Secure Ukraine’s Nuclear Plants

March 06, 2022 18:02 - 8 minutes - 14.9 MB

Rafael Mariano Grossi was awakened in the predawn hours Friday with an urgent crisis. A massive blaze was engulfing a building at the site of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant as Russian and Ukrainian forces fought nearby. Word had already spread around the globe, fueling fears that the reactor on the site might be damaged and spew radiation across Eastern Europe. It fell to Grossi, as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to find out what was happening.

Europeans are Being Asked to Turn Down Their Heating To Fight Russian Energy Dependence

March 06, 2022 17:18 - 3 minutes - 7.14 MB

Europeans should turn down the thermostat in their homes to help reduce the region’s energy dependence on Russia as relations with Moscow worsen over the invasion of Ukraine, the International Energy Agency (IEA), said Thursday. The E.U. depends on natural gas for 38% of its heating needs, and 35% of the bloc’s supply of the fuel comes from Russia, flowing through a vast network of pipelines.

Column: How NATO Pilots Could Help Defend Ukraine

March 06, 2022 16:56 - 5 minutes - 10.5 MB

This past week, it’s rumored that a pilot known as the “Ghost of Kyiv” defeated six Russian aircraft before being shot down and killed. If true, this makes him the first fighter ace of the 21st-century. His efforts, and those of pilots like him, have thus far unexpectedly denied Russia air superiority over Ukraine’s skies. If Ukraine is to prevail in this war, this air battle cannot be lost.

Why These Westerners Disavowed Imperialism to Fight for India’s Independence

March 06, 2022 16:39 - 10 minutes - 18.5 MB

For Western historians, the news of democratically minded volunteers from other countries enlisting to fight with the Ukranians against their Russian invaders might bring to mind the creation of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. But there may be some Asian resonances, too. I am thinking in particular of the remarkable, but sadly forgotten story, of the British and American fighters for India’s freedom.

Ukraine’s Secret Weapon Against Russia: Turkish Drones

March 05, 2022 16:50 - 7 minutes - 14.5 MB

In a video that went viral on Twitter Sunday night, a massive explosion rips through what appears to be a Russian convoy, scoring a direct hit on a surface-to-air missile system. The black-and-white footage, posted to the account of the Ukrainian armed forces, is one of several that have emerged on social media in recent days showing the devastating impact of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian hardware.

What to Know About the Meaning of Sunflowers in Ukraine

March 05, 2022 16:33 - 3 minutes - 6.23 MB

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine has continued over the past week, displaying sunflowers has become one of the many ways the world is showing solidarity for the Ukrainian people. At the State of the Union on Tuesday night, First Lady Jill Biden wore a dress with a sunflower sewn-in on the right sleeve. From Mexico City to Caracas, protesters held up sunflowers as they took to the street to condemn Russia's actions.

Why You Should Keep Wearing a Mask on Planes—Even When You No Longer Have To

March 05, 2022 16:26 - 9 minutes - 18 MB

For more than a year, a mask has been as essential at the airport as a boarding pass: you can’t fly without one. But the federal mask mandate for planes, trains, buses, and transit stations including airports is set to expire on March 18, and so far, the government has not announced plans to extend it. That could change. The Transportation Security Administration has extended the face mask requirement several times so far.

On That New Villain Who Appears at the End of The Batman

March 05, 2022 16:19 - 6 minutes - 11.7 MB

Warning: This story contains spoilers for The Batman The Joker is back—again. In one of The Batman's final scenes, a foiled and jailed Riddler (Paul Dano) talks with an unseen figure in prison played by Barry Keoghan. Though brief, the scene leaves no doubt that Keoghan is playing Batman's greatest nemesis, The Joker. This is the third Joker Warner Bros. has introduced in the last few years.

Column: Putin's Invasion of Ukraine Has Sparked Antiwar Protests in Russia. They Could Be His Undoing

March 05, 2022 16:12 - 8 minutes - 15.5 MB

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 came as a shock to most Russians, who cannot imagine going to war against a country they often call a “brotherly nation.” As protests against the war crop up across Russia, they are feeding a domestic political standoff. Putin’s legitimacy may be at stake as the Kremlin opts for an increasingly repressive response to internal dissent.

The Bible Created a Blueprint for Vilifying Powerful Women Leaders

March 05, 2022 15:52 - 11 minutes - 20.3 MB

The misogynistic logic of patriarchy is curiously circular: women cannot govern because they never have. But this big lie rests upon a bed of induced historical amnesia, the work of numberless erasures and omissions, collectively sending the message that the women who have ruled haven’t earned the right to be remembered. This logic doomed the legacies of the sixth century Queens Brunhild and Fredegund.

Ukrainian Officials Are Appealing Directly to Russian Soldiers and Their Families as Casualties Mount

March 04, 2022 13:57 - 8 minutes - 16 MB

As representatives gathered for the United Nation’s first emergency session in decades on Monday, the most pointed moment came when Ukraine’s Ambassador highlighted not the plight of his countrymen, but of the young Russian soldiers invading his homeland. “Mom, I’m in Ukraine,” Sergiy Kyslytsya read out in Russian, from printed text messages that he said were the last conversation between a Russian soldier and his mother before he was killed.

U.S., Russia Open Hotline to Prevent Accidental Clash in Europe

March 04, 2022 13:02 - 6 minutes - 12.5 MB

Amid rising tensions over the war in Ukraine, the U.S. military has established a communications hotline with Russian forces to prevent an accidental clash between the two nuclear powers, two U.S. defense officials say. The so-called de-confliction line is intended to ensure that the two countries’ pilots or warships do not mistakenly fire upon one another as they conduct daily missions in eastern Europe. The military-to-military channel, which will run out of U.S.

How Record-Setting Inflation Could Affect Democrats in the Midterms

March 04, 2022 12:35 - 7 minutes - 13.1 MB

Rep. Cindy Axne’s position on inflation has taken a sharp turn since ice cream season. Over the summer, when a constituent asked the Iowa District 3 Congresswoman if she was “concerned about the rising gas prices and the rise in the cost of consumer goods here in Iowa,” Axne assured him he shouldn’t worry about temporary increases. "Our economy is on a great track right now,'' the Democratic lawmaker told attendees of an Ankeny, Iowa ice cream shop town hall in July 2021.

Ex-Cop Found Not Guilty in Shooting During Breonna Taylor Raid

March 04, 2022 12:10 - 5 minutes - 9.57 MB

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — A former Kentucky police officer was found not guilty Thursday on charges he endangered neighbors the night he fired into Breonna Taylor's apartment during a botched drug raid that resulted in Taylor's death. The panel of eight men and four women delivered its verdict for Brett Hankison about three hours after it took the case following closing arguments from prosecution and defense attorneys.

Facebook Content Moderators in Kenya to Receive Pay Rise Following TIME Investigation

March 03, 2022 13:17 - 7 minutes - 13.2 MB

Facebook content moderators based in Kenya will receive a salary increase of between 30% and 50%, in a move announced two weeks after a TIME investigation drew attention to low pay, poor working conditions and alleged union-busting by Sama, the outsourcing company that is their direct employer. Every content moderator will receive an extra 20,000 Kenyan shillings ($176) per month, Sama told employees in a meeting on Tuesday, according to sources who attended.

Here’s What the New, Tightened SWIFT Sanctions on Russian Banks Actually Do

March 03, 2022 13:04 - 5 minutes - 9.63 MB

The U.S., Canada and Europe are tightening financial restrictions on Russia with a new ban that blocks seven Russian banks from using SWIFT, the global messaging system that enables bank transactions, the European Union (EU) said Wednesday. The move is aimed at disrupting Russia’s ability to do business across borders. The new ban follows an agreement forged on Saturday between Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

1 Million People Have Fled Ukraine Since Russian Invasion, U.N. Says

March 03, 2022 13:00 - 3 minutes - 7.18 MB

(GENEVA, Switzerland) — The U.N. refugee agency said Thursday that 1 million people have now fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion less than a week ago, an exodus without precedent in this century for its speed. The tally from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees amounts to more than 2% of Ukraine’s population — which the World Bank counted at 44 million at the end of 2020 — on the move across borders in just seven days.

The Supreme Court Could Soon Decide When a Federal Officer Can Be Sued

March 03, 2022 12:23 - 6 minutes - 12 MB

Eight years ago, a U.S. Border Patrol agent got into a fight with a bed-and-breakfast owner in Blaine, Wash. Now, the facts of that fracas, as presented to the U.S. Supreme Court, may shape whether federal law enforcement officers can be sued generally for actions taken while performing their jobs. In March 2014, bed-and-breakfast owner Robert Boule says Border Patrol Agent Erik Egbert was interested in a guest, who was due to arrive from Turkey via New York.

‘We Are United.’ Joe Biden Avoided Partisan Attacks in His State of the Union Address

March 02, 2022 13:35 - 6 minutes - 12 MB

Joe Biden walked into the House Chamber Tuesday night, maskless, shaking hands with lawmakers before he spoke about a new moment in the country easing its pandemic restrictions. “Last year COVID-19 kept us apart. This year we are finally together again,” Biden said during his first State of the Union address, to bipartisan applause.

The IPCC Is Finally Using the Right Words to Talk About Climate Change Inequality and Justice

March 02, 2022 13:20 - 5 minutes - 9.88 MB

On Monday, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest assessment of the state of the global climate crisis, focusing on “Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability”—one of the core areas the IPCC addresses in its wide-ranging reports published every seven years or so.

Why Russia (Probably) Won’t Crash the Space Station

March 02, 2022 13:10 - 8 minutes - 15.4 MB

Ukraine is not the only theater of conflict in the current war between Russia and the former Soviet republic. The 30 nations of NATO are coordinating sanctions, sending supplies, and moving troops and weaponry into position to defend the alliance from a wider war. All 193 member countries of the United Nations are involved too, as the U.N. scheduled an emergency meeting of the General Assembly—only the eleventh such crisis gathering since 1950—to try to bring the war to an end. ...

Russia Faces War Crime Accusations as Civilian Casualties Grow

March 02, 2022 12:28 - 7 minutes - 13.8 MB

As the Russian military has suffered unexpected setbacks in its war on Ukraine, the invading forces have increasingly hit civilian sites with airstrikes. On the sixth day of the Russian assault, at least five people were killed in the capital Kyiv when a television tower near the site of the Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial was targeted.

President Biden Bans Russian Planes From U.S. Airspace

March 02, 2022 12:07 - 3 minutes - 6.1 MB

President Joe Biden announced Tuesday night in his State of the Union address that the U.S. is banning Russian flights from its airspace in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. The move follows similar action by Canada and the European Union this week. Biden also issued an ominous warning that without consequences, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression wouldn’t be contained to Ukraine.

The Fight to Save Lives in Ukraine’s Largest Children’s Hospital

March 01, 2022 13:12 - 4 minutes - 7.68 MB

Sixteen children have died in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, and 45 have been injured, according to official figures shared with TIME. Many of the wounded are being brought to Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in the capital Kyiv. Ukraine’s largest pediatric facility has already evacuated patients with non-life-threatening conditions, but there are several children who cannot be removed from life support.

Column: The Crisis in Ukraine Has Disturbing Echoes of the 1930s

March 01, 2022 12:27 - 10 minutes - 19.6 MB

If the 1930s teach us anything, it is that things can fall apart easily. An international order carefully held together through institutions designed to preserve peace can unravel overnight. Faced with German aggression, the post-Versailles order collapsed at a mere push of the finger. Czechoslovakia disappeared from the map of Europe without a single bullet being fired. One year later, Europe found itself in the throes of its deadliest war in twenty years.

The Senate Just Failed to Pass an Abortion Rights Bill. Here’s Why That’s Not All Bad For Democrats

March 01, 2022 11:56 - 5 minutes - 9.36 MB

A proposal to protect abortion access nationwide failed when it faced a procedural vote in the Senate on Monday. The final vote was 46-48 against the bill, the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), meaning Democrats could not open debate on the legislation. The bill had not been expected to advance in the closely divided Senate—but as the Supreme Court weighs a case that could unravel abortion rights in the U.S.

The World Is Watching Russia Invade Ukraine. But Russian Media Is Telling a Different Story

March 01, 2022 11:16 - 6 minutes - 11.9 MB

The Russian government doesn’t create much of an illusion of press freedom. Many of the most prominent media organizations, from television channels to the Russian news agency TASS, are owned by the federal government, and journalists critical of the political establishment face not only censorship, but also risk to their lives and livelihoods. That reality has become only more obvious since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Why Kim Reynolds’ Republican State of the Union Response Matters

March 01, 2022 11:00 - 5 minutes - 10.3 MB

This article is part of the The DC Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. If the Republican Party has an id, it might look like Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. Mask requirements? Scrap ‘em. Vaccine mandates? In the trash. Distance learning? Nah, thanks. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Reynolds was among the loudest critics of any efforts to modify personal behavior in order to curb the spread of the virus.

It's Our Duty to Help.' Ukrainian Refugees Find Warm Welcome in Eastern Europe

February 28, 2022 13:09 - 5 minutes - 10.7 MB

The fortunate arrive by car, the less so on foot, wrapped in blankets against the freezing temperatures, clutching bundled possessions from a homeland besieged. The exodus of refugees from war-torn Ukraine continued Sunday into neighboring eastern European countries, mainly women leading children by the hand and infants in strollers. Some even had pets in tow. They leave behind men aged between 18 to 60, who have been summoned to defend their sovereign nation of 44 million people....

Russia Could Be Losing at Its Own Disinformation Game in Ukraine

February 28, 2022 12:53 - 6 minutes - 12.1 MB

As Russian troops closed in on Kyiv and battered the Ukrainian capital with missile strikes on Friday, rumors spread by Russian state media said that President Volodymyr Zelensky had fled the country. That evening, as he has been doing for weeks, Zelensky sought to debunk the Russian disinformation narrative directly. In a defiant video posted on social media, he filmed himself by the Bankova, Ukraine’s equivalent to the White House, flanked by the prime minister and other top offici...

U.S. and E.U. Are Going After Putin’s Wealth. First They Need To Find It

February 28, 2022 12:31 - 5 minutes - 9.96 MB

With world leaders looking to heap more financial punishment on Russian President Vladimir Putin for his violent invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. and E.U. are set to freeze the assets of Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov—both of whom are believed to have amassed extreme wealth. Putin is reportedly one of the richest people in the world, but his exact net worth is nearly impossible to tally.

Nearly Half of Biden’s 500 Million Free COVID-19 Tests Still Unclaimed

February 28, 2022 12:17 - 6 minutes - 11.4 MB

WASHINGTON — Nearly half of the 500 million free COVID-19 tests the Biden administration recently made available to the public still have not been claimed as virus cases plummet and people feel less urgency to test. Wild demand swings have been a subplot in the pandemic, from vaccines to hand sanitizer, along with tests. On the first day of the White House test giveaway in January, COVIDtests.gov received over 45 million orders.

As Ukraine Resists, Putin Raises Nuclear Specter

February 28, 2022 11:55 - 7 minutes - 13.2 MB

Three days into 2022, the world’s top nuclear powers issued a joint statement declaring that their city-busting weapons were no longer aimed at one another and reaffirming their post-Cold War commitment to avoiding an apocalyptic Third World War. “We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” said the U.S., China, France, Britain and Russia.

Russian Ruble Is Now Worth Less Than 1 U.S. Cent After SWIFT Bank Sanctions

February 28, 2022 11:39 - 2 minutes - 4.26 MB

(TOKYO) — The ruble plunged to a record low of less than 1 U.S. cent in value Monday after Russia was cut off from the global bank payments system in retaliation for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The Russian currency dropped nearly 26% to 105.27 per dollar, down from about 84 per dollar late Friday. The U.S.

U.S. and E.U. Agree to Cut Russian Banks Out of Vital SWIFT Financial System as Part of Latest Sanctions

February 27, 2022 17:56 - 8 minutes - 15 MB

(WASHINGTON) — The United States and European nations agreed Saturday to impose the most potentially crippling financial penalties yet on Russia over its unrelenting invasion of Ukraine, going after the central bank reserves that underpin the Russian economy and severing some Russian banks from a vital global financial network.

Column: Putin's Attack on Ukraine Is an Attempt to Delay His Own Inevitable Demise

February 27, 2022 17:14 - 4 minutes - 8.67 MB

Vladimir Putin is an old man scared of death trying to turn back time. Ukraine and Ukrainians are as his blood sacrifice. His invasion of their country is his attempt to forestall his personal, inevitable demise. As we grow older, death becomes harder to ignore. As it approaches it’s natural to want to reverse time. We become nostalgic, a little bitter about the present. As death closes in we commit silly acts to prove we are still young.

The History Behind the First Black Woman Supreme Court Justice Nominee

February 27, 2022 16:54 - 7 minutes - 13 MB

On Feb. 25, the White House confirmed that President Joe Biden is nominating Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Jackson, who currently serves as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and who the White House described as an "exceptionally qualified" nominee in a statement, is poised to become the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.

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