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| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers! It's a big day for President Biden who'll make his first State of the Union address – the first since the one given by former President Donald Trump in February 2020. A 40-mile convoy of Russian tanks and military vehicles is rolling toward the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Check your bank account – you could receive a tax refund. And, it's Mardi Gras! How will you be celebrating? |
| It's Steve and Jane, with Tuesday's news. |
| 🚨 Five people are dead after a man opened fire Monday night at a Sacramento church and killed his three children, then fatally shot himself, authorities said. |
| 🌧 An "extreme" atmospheric river was barreling into the Pacific Northwest, and with it will come the threat of flooding and avalanches, forecasters said. |
| 📺 Ned Eisenberg, an actor known for his work on popular shows like "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Mare of Easttown," has died. He was 65. |
 | | Actor Ned Eisenberg in New York City in 2008 | | Getty Images photo; USA TODAY Life graphic | |
| 🔴 Experts suggest COVID deaths in the U.S. have been undercounted by more than 100,000. An analysis shows how New England caught many of the deaths other states missed. |
| 🥞 IHOP's National Pancake Day is back! After canceling the one-day event last year amid the pandemic, free short stacks of buttermilk pancakes return. |
| 📺 Spoiler alert! The latest season of the controversial HBO series "Euphoria" explored the demise of a fan-favorite friendship. |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, politics reporter Rick Rouan explains how President Joe Biden plans on using troops in Europe to help Ukraine . You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what's happening today: |
Biden to discuss Russia, COVID in State of the Union address |
| President Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address Tuesday to a nation eager to move on from the deadly coronavirus pandemic but facing worries over inflation and conflict with Russia. Biden's remarks to a joint session of Congress will give him a chance to trumpet his administration's accomplishments during his first year in office and lay out policy goals for the coming year. The speech won't be his first major address to Congress. Last April, just three months after taking office, Biden struck an optimistic tone during a joint session of Congress, but that speech wasn't technically a State of the Union address. Following the Tuesday night address, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will give the Republican Party's rebuttal. The last State of the Union was delivered by former President Donald Trump on Feb. 4, 2020. |
40-mile Russian convoy threatens Kyiv; shelling in Ukraine intensifies |
| Satellite imagery showed a 40-mile convoy of Russian tanks and military vehicles moving toward the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv Tuesday, the sixth day of the war after video captured residential areas being shelled in Ukraine's second-largest city. But even as Russia intensified the shelling, the Kremlin has found itself increasingly isolated by tough economic sanctions that have sent its currency plummeting. Moscow conceded Monday that Western sanctions were affecting Russia's economy, but remained confident the effects could be dampened. "The economic reality has considerably changed," Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesperson, said. "But Russia has the potential to offset the harm." After a first session of talks between Ukraine and Russia yielded no stop in the fighting, both sides agreed to another meeting in coming days. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believed the stepped-up shelling was designed to force him into concessions. |
| 📩 Want the latest news on the crisis between Ukraine and Russia straight to your inbox? Sign up here. |
| ⛽️ Should I really get money and a full tank of gas? Americans are at higher risk of Russian cyberattacks after the Ukraine invasion: What you should do right now. |
Just for subscribers: |
| 🗣 From Ukraine to historic Supreme Court nominee: 5 things to watch for in Biden's State of the Union address. |
| 🔵 Rep. Rashida Tlaib will deliver a response to the State of the Union. Who is she? |
| 🗳 Yes, the midterms have begun. Primary voting starts today in Texas. Here are ten House races to watch in 2022. |
| ⛽️ Could sanctions against Russia boomerang back on Americans? |
| 🖋 Voices: Is there a chance Ukraine wins? Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wes Clark answers. |
| 👗 Dress drama advice column: My future sister-in-law paid for my wedding dress as a gift. Now, she wants her money back. |
| 🥊 Klitschko brothers in arms: Boxing greats Vitali and Wladimir are in the fight of their lives for Ukraine. |
 | | Once celebrating with arms raised in the center of the ring, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko are now taking up arms in Ukraine. | | USA TODAY Sports | |
| These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. Here is all of our subscriber content. |
New deadline set to avoid a delay to the start of the MLB season |
| Major League Baseball extended its deadline for reaching a labor deal to Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET for salvaging opening day as scheduled on March 31 and with it, a full 162-game season. Locked-out players and team owners engaged in a series of intense negotiations that began Monday and stretched into early Tuesday morning in Florida. They halted talks for the night around 2:30 a.m. ET and planned to resume at 11 a.m. As the lockout reached its 90th day, players and owners made progress toward a deal but remained far apart on key issues. USA TODAY Sports baseball columnist Bob Nightengale tweeted early Tuesday that, "The two sides have reached agreement on a 12-team playoff pool but still are apart on the luxury tax threshold, minimum salary, and pre-arbitration bonus pool." In a separate tweet , Nightengale quoted a MLB spokesman as saying, "We made progress and want to exhaust every possibility." |
Newsmakers in their own words: World sports organizations take on Russia |
 | | World soccer governing body FIFA released a joint statement with the Union of European Football Associations. | | USA TODAY Sports graphic | |
| Governing bodies across the world of sports on Monday moved to bar Russia and its teams from international competition as part of a broader global effort to isolate the country following its invasion of Ukraine. |
| The international governing bodies for ice hockey and soccer were among the most prominent to act, announcing that they have banned all of Russia's national and club teams from participating in their events "until further notice." The bans could knock Russia's men's hockey team out of the world championships in May and its men's soccer team out of the World Cup later this year. |
Some taxpayers can expect their tax refund in the coming days |
| It's tax time, and many individuals and families are eager to receive a refund. Those who claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) can expect their tax refund on Tuesday if the following are true : You filed your return online; you chose to receive your refund by direct deposit; and the IRS found no issues with your tax return. As a note, it could take a few extra days for your bank to accept your refund payment – so don't be alarmed if you don't see a payment on March 1. If you're still waiting for your tax refund and want to get an idea of your expected payment timeline, use the Where's My Refund tool, which is made available by the IRS. |
New deadline set to avoid a delay to the start of the MLB season |
| Major League Baseball extended its deadline for reaching a labor deal to Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET for salvaging opening day as scheduled on March 31 and with it, a full 162-game season. Locked-out players and team owners engaged in a series of intense negotiations that began Monday and stretched into early Tuesday morning in Florida . They halted talks for the night around 2:30 a.m. ET and planned to resume at 11 a.m. As the lockout reached its 90th day, players and owners made progress toward a deal but remained far apart on key issues. USA TODAY Sports baseball columnist Bob Nightengale tweeted early Tuesday that, "The two sides have reached agreement on a 12-team playoff pool but still are apart on the luxury tax threshold, minimum salary, and pre-arbitration bonus pool." In a separate tweet , Nightengale quoted a MLB spokesman as saying, "We made progress and want to exhaust every possibility." |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday |
| ✅ Fact check roundup: What's true and what's false about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. |
| 🌏 "Parts of the planet will become uninhabitable": A U.N. panel released an ominous climate change report. |
| 🚙 RV sales surged because of COVID-19, and not everyone is thrilled with their purchase. |
| ⚓️ A group of Ukrainian soldiers on Snake Island who forcefully told off a Russian warship may be alive, contrary to earlier reports, according to Ukrainian officials. |
| 🍫 A 22-year-old set out to break his own Guinness World record. So, he stacked 6 M&Ms. |
It's Mardi Gras! What the holiday celebrates, and how to partake |
| Tuesday is Mardi Gras, which means it's time to break out your best outfit and don your purple, gold and green beads. Mardis Gras is the French translation for 'Fat Tuesday,' also called Carnival Tuesday and Pancake Tuesday. The day, filled with indulgence and celebration, always comes before Ash Wednesday, which marks the season of fasting for Christians. Fat Tuesday became an official holiday in Louisiana in 1875, and celebrations date back to Medieval Europe. In New Orleans, Mardi Gras celebrations grew out of Catholicism but also wove in " French celebrations, African music and the masquerade tradition," historian Karen Leathem said. Everything from eye masks to those colorful beads to the krewes of New Orleans putting on parades hold this cultural significance. Learn more here about how the locals celebrate! |
📸 Photo of the day: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky at Paris Fashion Week 📸 |
 | | Rihanna and A$AP Rocky make an appearance at the Off-White show at Paris Fashion Week on Monday, Feb. 28. | | Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images | |
| After menswear got its time to shine previously, it's now time to focus on the fall-winter womenswear at Paris Fashion Week. Besides the bold, extravagant and breathtaking fashions, a star-studded roster of celebrities have been attending the shows, starting with Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, who are expecting a baby later this year, making an appearance at the Off-White show on Monday, Feb. 28. |
| Click here to see more of the unique styles and big-name celebrities in Paris this week. |
| Contributing: The Associated Press |
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