The Writer

  Russian President , Mr. Putin declared Sunday that he was putting his nuclear forces into “special combat readiness” — a heightened alert status reminiscent of some of the most dangerous moments of the Cold War — President Biden and his aides had a choice. They could match the move and put American forces on Defcon 3 — known to moviegoers as that moment when the Air Force rolls out bombers, and nuclear silos and submarines are put on high alert. Or the president could largely ignore it, sending out aides to portray Mr. Putin as once again manufacturing a menace, threatening Armageddon for a war he started without provocation. For now, at least, Mr. Biden chose to de-escalate. The American ambassador to the United Nations reminded the Security Council on Sunday afternoon that Russia was “under no threat” and chided Mr. Putin for “another escalatory and unnecessary step that threatens us all.” The White House made it clear that America’s own alert status had not changed. But to man...

  The handshakes quickly turned to punches. After Wisconsin beat Michigan on Sunday in a Big Ten Conference basketball game, members of both teams fought after Michigan head coach Juwan Howard slapped Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft in the head. Howard explained after the melee that he was upset Wisconsin had called a timeout with a few seconds left in the game when Wisconsin was already up 14 points. University of Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel issued a statement after the incident. "There is no excuse for any of our staff or student-athletes to get into a physical altercation with others regardless of instigating factors," he said. "We will review the situation more thoroughly and work with the Big Ten Conference as they determine their disciplinary actions and will determine if any further disciplinary actions are needed." #JuwanHoward #Wisconsin #JoeKrabbenhoft #

  KYIV, Ukraine — The world was facing up to a new phase in the Ukraine crisis on Tuesday, with Kyiv bracing for a potential conflict with Russia and the West moving to impose sanctions on Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognizing their independence Monday, threatening a major escalation following months of military buildup and warnings from the West that the Kremlin was trying to create a pretext to invade its neighbor. Moscow drew swift international condemnation, with the Biden administration now calling the move an “invasion,” two administration officials told NBC News. Washington and its allies vowed sanctions in response to Russia’s actions, with Germany halting the crucial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to deliver Russian natural gas to Europe. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he would suspend the certification process of the project, a signal that Moscow may face a hard-hitting response as the West moves ...

  Two Utah National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were involved in a training accident Tuesday morning, crashing near a popular ski resort, the Utah National Guard said. No crew members or skiers at the Snowbird ski resort were injured, according to Jared Jones, chief warrant officer 5 with the Utah National Guard. "Everyone is safe," . "It was a blessing that everyone was OK." The accident occurred near the Mineral Basin area of Snowbird, "about 150 yards off of Snowbird proper," The resort, almost 30 miles from Salt Lake City, has the capacity to carry more than 17,000 skiers and snowboarders uphill per hour on its many lifts, according to Snowbird's website. Both helicopters suffered some damage because of the crash, the Utah National Guard said in a tweet. "As the first aircraft landed ... portions of the blade of the lead helicopter separated and it appears struck the second helicopter," The accident is under investigation. ...

  The price of bitcoin fell below $35,000 early Thursday after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in the Donbas region of Ukraine. Bitcoin was trading at $34,969 as of 1:22 a.m. ET, according to CoinMarketCap. That's a decline of more than 8% compared to a day earlier. The world's most valuable cryptocurrency fell below $40,000 over the weekend, and has continued to slide as the Ukraine crisis intensifies. The currency has lost almost half its value since its November high of $68,990 due to geopolitical tensions, the prospect of interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve and curbs by some major economies on digital assets. Other cryptocurrencies also dropped hard early Thursday. Ethereum tumbled more than 12%, according to CoinMarketCap, while dogecoin was down more than 14%. Edward Moya, a senior market analyst of the Americas at Oanda, said in a note to clients Thursday that "many crypto investors have been humbled by the last crash....

  Russian forces Attacked Chernobyl nuclear plant and hold staff hostage: Ukrainian officials Russian forces have seized control of the Chernobyl power plant in northern Ukraine, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster, and are holding staff hostage, according to Ukranian officials. Troops overran the plant on the first day of Russia's multi-pronged invasion of Ukraine, a spokesperson for the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, Yevgeniya Kuznetsovа, told CNN. Alyona Shevtsova, advisor to the commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces, said on Facebook that Russian forces have taken control of the power station and that the staff are being "held hostage." According to Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, control of the Chornobyl zone was lost after a "fierce battle." Podolyak said the condition of the former Chernobyl power plant's nuclear waste storage facilities is unknown. "After a completely senseless Russi...

  In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg today announced the activation of the alliance's defense plans, which means also that it can deploy the NATO Defense Force. The U.S. Defense Department now stands ready to provide capabilities to help fill that defense force, if asked to do so, said Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby. "There's a historic nature to all this," Kirby told reporters during a briefing at the Pentagon today. "This is the first time that the alliance has employed these high readiness forces in a deterrence and defense role. So it's not an insignificant move by the alliance." The activation serves as a notice to NATO nations that they may be called upon to provide military support to the NATO mission, Kirby said. This also means the United States may be called upon to provide both personnel and equipment to support the NATO mission — and that's something the U.S. and the department...