Feb 20, 2019 - World

Putin says Russia will target U.S. if missiles deployed in Europe

Photo: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

During his annual national address Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country will be forced to target the U.S. with new weaponry should a deployment of land-based missiles among NATO allies in Europe take place, per the Washington Post.

The backdrop: Russia and the U.S. both said they planned to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty earlier this month, prompting Russia's announcement that it would begin designing new intermediate-range weapons. There is currently a 6-month negotiating period before the withdrawal is finalized, but increasingly hawkish rhetoric from both sides could make such a deal difficult.

Go deeper: U.S. exit from INF Treaty frees Russia from key nuclear constraints

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Rashaan Ayesh
36 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

Photo: Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

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Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 6 p.m. ET: 11,921,616 — Total deaths: 546,318 — Total recoveries — 6,506,408 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 6 p.m. ET: 3,035,231 — Total deaths: 132,042 — Total recoveries: 936,476 — Total tested: 36,878,106 — Map.
  3. Public health: Deaths are rising in hotspots — Déjà vu sets in as testing issues rise and PPE dwindles.
  4. Travel: United warns employees it may furlough 45% of U.S. workforce — How the pandemic changed mobility habits, by state.
  5. Education: New York City schools will not fully reopen in fall — Harvard and MIT sue Trump administration over rule barring foreign students from online classes.
  6. 🎧 Podcast: A misinformation "infodemic" is here.
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Bryan Walsh
2 hours ago - Health

Fighting the coronavirus infodemic

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

An "infodemic" of misinformation and disinformation has helped cripple the response to the novel coronavirus.

Why it matters: High-powered social media accelerates the spread of lies and political polarization that motivates people to believe them. Unless the public health sphere can effectively counter misinformation, not even an effective vaccine may be enough to end the pandemic.

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