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| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers! In a possible bid to soothe fears of an imminent invasion of Ukraine, Russia says some troops are returning to their bases following military drills. But little further information is available. Russia's Kamila Valieva will controversially skate at the Beijing Olympics after testing positive for a banned substance, a decision that's sparked plenty of criticism. And, who will host next month's Oscars ceremony? Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes are the favorites. |
| It's Steve and Jane with Tuesday's news. |
| 🏅Live Olympics updates: Skiing in her first-ever Olympic downhill, Mikaela Shiffrin completed her run well off the pace at the 2022 Winter Olympics. (Looking for a recap of Monday's events? We've got you covered.) |
| 🔵Donald Trump's long-time accounting firm – involved in a pair of investigations of the ex-president in New York state – has ended its relationship with his family business, according to court documents. |
| 🚨The death of a woman who was stabbed in her Manhattan apartment is the latest in a string of unprovoked attacks on people of Asian descent that has raised concerns in New York City. |
| ✝️ "You are not baptized": A priest in Arizona resigned after he incorrectly performed baptisms for decades, possibly derailing the rite for thousands of people. |
| 🏈 The Super Bowl halftime show was a rude awakening for "old people." See the best memes. |
| 📺 Rocket Mortgage used a different star and far different approach to snatch the same honor in consecutive years: king of USA TODAY's Ad Meter. |
 | | 2022 Super Bowl commercials: Rocket House and Rocket Mortgage | | Rocket House and Rocket Mortgage | |
| 📺 "Secrets of Playboy": The most appalling allegations (so far) in A&E's Hugh Hefner docuseries. |
| 🏈 "Yes he's a gold jacket, ABSOLUTELY": Now that Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has that elusive Super Bowl championship, cue the talk about his Pro Football Hall of Fame chances. |
| 🎧On today's 5 Things podcast, hear from governments around the world amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what's happening today: |
US defense secretary heads to Europe amid fears of Russia invading Ukraine |
| Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin leaves Tuesday for meetings with military and government leaders in Belgium, Poland and Lithuania , to discuss the Russian buildup of troops along the border with Ukraine, the Pentagon announced. Austin will meet with defense ministers of U.S. allies, along with NATO leadership. Russia's Defense Ministry announced Tuesday that some units participating in military exercises would begin returning to their bases. It wasn't immediately clear where exactly these troops were deployed or how many were leaving — and the news came a day after Western officials said some forces and military hardware were moving toward the border. Article 5 is NATO's mutual defense clause. An attack on one NATO country is considered an attack on every member of the alliance. Austin will also meet with leaders from Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. |
Kamila Valieva takes the ice at Winter Olympics amid doping scandal |
| The most-anticipated figure skating short program since the 1994 Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan scandal begins Tuesday morning when 15-year-old Russian gold-medal favorite Kamila Valieva takes the ice for her two-minute, 40-second short program. She was expected to dominate the competition, but that was before a positive drug test. A test that Valieva took two months ago was flagged for a banned heart medication, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared her to compete, ruling that Valieva was a "protected athlete" because of her age. Attorneys for Valieva argued that the banned substance trimetazidine entered her system through a medication that her grandfather takes, a member of the International Olympic Committee confirmed Tuesday. According to The Dossier Center, Valieva's attorney, Anna Kozmenko, noted Valieva's grandfather takes trimetazidine for heart issues. |
| ⛸Columns from Christine Brennan: In Russian figure skating, history shows it's one-and-done for stars like Valieva | What a slap in the face the Valieva decision is for athletes who don't cheat. |
| 👟Suspended track star Sha'Carri Richardson: Difference between her and Valieva's cases "is I'm a black young lady." |
| 📺 TV schedule: What and how to watch the latest Olympics action. |
 | | Russia's Kamila Valieva warms up before the women's figure skating short program during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. | | Rob Schumacher, USA TODAY Sports | |
Just for subscribers: |
| 🔵Opinion: Ukraine is painfully alone against Russia. But keeping U.S. troops home is the right call. |
| 🥗 Food recalls 2022: How technology could alert you before you eat that tainted salad. |
| 🦠Just how bad is it to be in ICU with COVID? Far more miserable than people realize, experts say. |
| 🔵 "Servant of the People": Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's actor president, prepares for his greatest role yet. |
| 🔴"People always have a degree of shame": Yes, people are seeking out sex therapy. It's nothing to be ashamed of. |
| These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. Here is all of our subscriber content. |
Defense begins in case against officers charged with violating George Floyd's civil rights |
| The defense is expected to start presenting witnesses Tuesday, a day after federal prosecutors rested their case against J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, the three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd's civil rights in May 2020. It came after nearly three weeks of testimony from doctors, police officers and bystanders, including the teenager who recorded widely seen video that showed Officer Derek Chauvin pressing his knee onto Floyd's neck for 9 1/2 minutes while the 46-year-old Black man was handcuffed, facedown and pleading for air. Kueng, Lane and Thao are broadly charged with violating Floyd's constitutional rights while acting under government authority. Kueng knelt on Floyd's back and Lane held down his legs while Thao kept bystanders back. Thao and Kueng said they plan to testify, while Lane hasn't made a final decision on the matter. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Djokovic still has no plans to get vaccinated |
 | | Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic looks on as he attends a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. | | AFP photo via Getty Images; USA TODAY Sports graphic | |
| Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic said in an interview broadcast Tuesday that he is prepared to skip the French Open and Wimbledon if vaccination against COVID-19 is required for him to play. |
| The 20-time Grand Slam champion said he is not vaccinated and added that missing the next two majors, where he is the defending champion, and other tournaments is "the price that I am willing to pay." |
| Djokovic was deported from Australia in January after losing a bid to stay in the country to defend his Australian Open title, despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19. |
Upcoming Flint water crisis trial will test contractors' liability |
| Jury selection starts Tuesday in a trial to determine if engineering contractors Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, known as LAN, bear responsibility for lead-contaminated water in Flint, Michigan. The companies were not part of the recent $626 million settlement between Flint residents and the state of Michigan, Flint and two other parties. Attorneys for four Flint children claim Veolia and LAN were negligent in not doing more to get the city to properly treat water that was being pulled from the Flint River in 2014-15. Corrosive water caused lead to leach from service lines serving homes, a disastrous result in the majority Black community. Veolia and LAN deny liability. U.S. District Judge Judith Levy declined to dismiss the lawsuit. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday |
| 😷 Where were the masks? KN95 masks were given out at the Super Bowl, but few attendees, including celebrities, were seen wearing them. |
| ⛸The IOC said it will not hold a medal ceremony for the team figure skating event during the Beijing Olympics because of the doping saga involving Russian skater Kamila Valieva. |
| 🎣 An Ohio mayor has resigned after two high-profile political controversies, including saying that allowing ice fishing at a park would bring prostitution to a city. |
| 🏈"It's a different experience": A year after winning a Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Antonio Brown was at Super Bowl 56, sitting in the front row with Ye. |
 | | Antonio Brown, left, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, and North West attend Super Bowl 56 between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on February 13, 2022. | | Steph Chambers, Getty Images | |
3 Oscar hosts to be revealed Tuesday morning on 'GMA' |
| Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes will host the 94th Oscars on Sunday, March 27, according to multiple reports. Variety first broke the news, saying the women are "finalizing details" to host. Each woman will lead the telecast for one of the show's hours, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Oscars have not had a host for the last three years. The hosts will formally be announced Tuesday morning by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on ABC's "Good Morning America." The show is hoping to rebound from the dismal viewership of last year's broadcast , which was both an all-time low and the norm for pandemic-era awards shows. In addition to bringing back starry hosts and bumping the best picture nominees to a set ten, the Academy is also hoping to spike interest through social media voting for a "fan favorite" movie that will be announced during the show. |
| 🍿Oscar nominations 2022: 'The Power of the Dog' leads with 12, Kristen Stewart nabs first nod. |
📸 Photo of the day: US soldiers deploy overseas to Europe 📸 |
 | | Paratroopers from Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne Division board a plane on Feb. 14, 2022. They are among soldiers the Department of Defense is sending to Poland amid a growing Russian presence near Ukraine. | | Andrew Craft, The Fayetteville Observer | |
| For paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Valentine's Day was spent curled up on the hard floor or on wooden benches in the passenger shed at Green Ramp awaiting deployment to Europe. |
| The paratroopers are among nearly 5,000 infantry brigade soldiers who the Department of Defense is sending to Poland amid a Russian military presence near the Ukraine border. |
| During a news conference Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby would not rule out if Fort Bragg paratroopers will assist with evacuating Americans from Ukraine. |
| Click here to see more photos of Fort Bragg paratroopers deploying to support NATO in Europe. |
| Contributing: The Associated Press |
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