Axios

Forty-three members Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, are urging President Biden to get authorization from Congress before deploying any U.S. Armed Forces to Ukraine.

Why it matters: Lawmakers ranging from progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to staunch Trump ally Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) have signed onto the letter as the crisis in Ukraine has escalated drastically after Putin recognized two pro-Russian separatist "republics" and sent Russian "peacekeepers" to the territories.

Investors unloaded stocks today as Russian troops began entering Ukraine.

Why it matters: Wall Street generally hates uncertainty and had already been grappling this year with tightening monetary policy — before the potential for war popped up.

Former President Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin "very savvy" after Putin recognized two breakaway "republics" in eastern Ukraine as independent.

Why it matters: Western leaders have denounced the declaration as a violation of international law and Ukrainian sovereignty. Russian forces have moved into Ukraine under the guise of peacekeeping.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken announced on Tuesday that he had canceled a planned meeting on Thursday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov due to Russia's move into eastern Ukraine.

Why it matters: While Blinken said he remained "committed to diplomacy," the channels through which U.S. and European officials had hoped to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine are now closing. Blinken said it is now clear that President Vladimir Putin intended to invade all along.

President Biden announced what he called the "first tranche" in a series of stiff sanctions to punish Russia for invading Ukraine, targeting two Russian banks and the country's sovereign debt.

Why it matters: Biden said Russia's recognition of two separatist "republics" in eastern Ukraine and decision to deploy troops there indicated Vladimir Putin was "carving out a big chunk in Ukraine" and "setting up a rationale to go much further."

Sheriffs and advocates in two of metro Atlanta’s most diverse counties say immigrants have more trust in law enforcement and communities are safer one year after cutting ties with a federal immigration program that critics argued led to racial profiling.

Catch up quick: Under 287(g) agreements, local law enforcement officers essentially act as an extension of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and conduct immigration checks on people booked into county jails, potentially resulting in their deportation.

Russia's foreign ministry announced it will evacuate its embassy staff from Ukraine as soon as possible, citing "repeated attacks" by Ukrainians since 2014.

The big picture: The evacuation comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his clearest indication yet that Russian troops would launch an invasion further into Ukraine, saying the borders of the separatist "republics" he recognized on Monday extend to territory currently controlled by Ukrainian forces. [Read the latest updates.]

The U.S. considers Russia sending troops into eastern Ukraine the start of "an invasion," a White House official said during an interview with CNN on Tuesday.

Why it matters: U.S. officials denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to recognize two breakaway "republics" in eastern Ukraine as independent and send Russian troops for "peace keeping" operations in the regions Monday but did not initially call the deployment an invasion.

The White House announced new moves Tuesday morning aimed at bolstering U.S. development and processing of key minerals used in electric cars and other energy applications.

Why it matters: Demand for materials like lithium, cobalt, rare earth minerals and more is slated to soar in coming years and decades, and the U.S. is dependent on China and other nations for raw materials.

Crude oil prices are moving closer to $100-per-barrel after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into eastern Ukraine and recognized the independence of two Kremlin-backed separatist regions.

Why it matters: Further escalation would push prices higher and shake energy markets more broadly as tensions with Russia — the main oil and natural gas supplier to Europe — reach their highest levels since the Cold War.

All Hong Kong residents will have to undergo compulsory COVID-19 testing in March, the city's leader Carrie Lam announced Tuesday.

Driving the news: Hong Kong is battling a coronavirus case surge, recording about 5,000 new cases per day since Feb. 15, according to government data.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Tuesday that the certification process for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will be halted, saying that "the situation has fundamentally changed" after the Kremlin ordered troops into eastern Ukraine.

Why it matters: It's a stunning turn of events for the $11 billion, Russia-to-Germany natural gas pipeline, which Scholz had long resisted naming as a potential sanctions target if Russia invaded Ukraine.

In a stunning, historically revisionist national address Monday night, Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted that Ukraine has no right to be its own country — and that it's Moscow's duty to protect Russian speakers in Ukrainian territory from a supposed deadly threat posed by Kyiv.

Why it matters: Putin's formal recognition of two pro-Russian breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine — followed swiftly by the deployment of Russian "peacekeepers" — was immediately condemned as a violation of the UN charter and a pretext to launch a war of aggression against Ukraine.

Donald Trump's former White House national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, says the U.S. must develop plans to recognize a Ukrainian government in exile in the event Russian troops depose President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Driving the news: O'Brien told Axios if Russian troops invade Kyiv, he doesn't see "any circumstance" in which Zelensky can remain, given U.S. warnings about Russia's alleged possession of a "kill list." He also urged President Biden to publicly vow never to recognize a Russian puppet government in Ukraine.

The U.S. and European Union were preparing on Tuesday to impose fresh sanctions on Russia, after President Vladimir Putin sent troops to two Kremlin-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.

Driving the news: European officials reported that Russian troops had been spotted overnight moving into the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LNR), the independence of which Putin recognized on Monday to widespread international condemnation.

President Biden is imposing sanctions on two Kremlin-backed separatist regions in Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would recognize them as independent, the White House said on Monday.

The big picture: The U.S. and EU denounced Putin's move, calling it a violation of international law. The State Department was evacuating American personnel from Ukraine Monday, with many officials concerned that Putin's actions could be a pretext for a larger Russian invasion.

Lawmakers in Canada voted on Monday night to extend the emergency powers that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked last week in response to protests against the country's COVID-19 health measures.

The big picture: Ottawa police over the weekend effectively ended a weekslong blockade by protesters, some of whom harassed local residents. The parliamentary vote passed 185-151 hours after Trudeau told reporters there were "real concerns" about further threats in the coming days, per Reuters.

The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on Monday night after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway "republics" in eastern Ukraine as independent.

Driving the news: The rare nighttime meeting was called at the request of Ukraine, the U.S. and several other countries, including the United Kingdom and France. Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo said at the session's opening that "the risk of major conflict is real and needs to be prevented at all costs."

The U.S. was evacuating State Department personnel from Ukraine due to security concerns on Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway "republics" in the country's east.

Driving the news: The U.S. last week moved embassy operations from Kyiv to Lviv in western Ukraine. Blinken said he was "again taking action for the safety and security of U.S. citizens, including our personnel." "For security reasons, Department of State personnel currently in Lviv will spend the night in Poland," he added in his statement.

An average of 10.7 million people watched the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games on NBC in primetime over the past few weeks, the network announced on Monday. Including NBC's streaming and digital platforms, that number ticked up to 11.4 million.

Why it matters: It's the smallest primetime audience for any Winter Olympic Games on record.