Biden said the United States would ban Russian flights from US airspace

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United Airlines planes parked at their gates at O’Hare International Airport ahead of Thanksgiving in Chicago, Illinois, USA, November 20, 2021. REUTERS / Brendan McDermid

WASHINGTON, March 1 – The US government on Tuesday announced a ban on Russian flights from US airspace following similar actions by the European Union and Canada following Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

“I declare that we will join our allies in closing US airspace to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia and adding extra strain to their economy,” Biden said in his address on the state of the Union.

Orders from the US Federal Aviation Administration will take effect by the end of the day on Wednesday and will suspend operations on all aircraft owned, certified, operated, registered, leased, hired or controlled by, for or for the benefit of a person who is Russian. citizen.

This includes passenger and cargo flights, as well as scheduled and charter flights, “effectively closing US airspace to all Russian commercial airlines and other Russian civil aircraft,” the transportation department said.

Late Tuesday, United Airlines said it had temporarily suspended flights over Russian airspace, joining other major US carriers that took the step after Russian troops poured into Ukraine last week.

In recent days, United have continued to fly over Russian airspace to operate some flights to and from India. Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), American Airlines and United Parcel Service (UPS.N) confirmed this week that they have suspended flights over Russia.

FedEx on Tuesday did not respond to emails asking if it had stopped flying over Russia.

United has canceled two flights to India on Tuesday and Wednesday as it assesses how it can continue to operate on a different route that does not use Russian airspace.

White House officials have asked in private whether the move would harm U.S. supply chains or have other negative consequences, sources told Reuters.

In recent days, Russian flights have been effectively banned from destinations in the United States, largely due to bans on Canadian and European airspace. Some foreign governments have privately wondered why the United States has not taken faster action to ban Russian aircraft than some US lawmakers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Ukraine committed “genocide” in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine without providing evidence, and said the invasion, called a “special operation” by Russian officials, was justified in ending it.

Report by David Shepardson; Edited by Leslie Adler, Grant McCool and Lincoln Fest.

Our standards: ‘ principles of trust.

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Traders worry about slowing growth as Fed chairman Powell faces interest rate dilemma

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Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testified during a House of Representatives Financial Services Committee hearing on Pandemic Response oversight of the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve at the Rayburn Building on Wednesday, December 1, 2021.

Tom Williams CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

If you want to see how difficult it is to be Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, check out the contrasting comments from Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester and former Dallas Federal Reserve President Richard Fisher.

Asked on our air today what the central bank should do in response to the crisis in Ukraine, Fisher said: “I would not respond to what is happening in Ukraine, mainly because we do not know how long it will last.”

At the same time, Mester spoke at a conference at her organization, where she said that the crisis in Ukraine “has consequences for the economic outlook, adding increased risk to inflation, even when it risks lowering the growth forecast.”

These contrasting comments underscore Powell’s dilemma.

Both mandates: Which one gets the advantage?

The Fed has two mandates: it must help the economy grow and it must fight inflation.

Matt Mali of Miller Tabak notes that “the crisis in Ukraine has the potential to slow growth, so the Fed probably has to go slow in raising interest rates. But the crisis is also fueling inflation, so the Fed can’t ignore that.”

Who has the advantage? How does Powell cut this needle?

Mailey believes that Powell will take the “middle way”: he acknowledges fears of growth, but will continue the course to raise interest rates.

“We have a situation where Powell and the Fed have mistaken that inflation is transient, so they have to raise interest rates, otherwise they will lose confidence.

However, “the market now believes that the Fed will not be as aggressive as they were even a month ago.” Mali believes an increase of 50 basis points in March is unlikely. He says the central bank will make 25 basis points in March, but they will leave at least four more table increases for the year.

Mali is particularly concerned about signals from the bond market and what it suggests for potentially lower growth.

“Yields are much lower than they were last Thursday when the war broke out, but the stock market is no lower. Someone is wrong, either the bond market or the stock market. growth. “

The problem for stocks: Lower growth means lower profits

Shares are driven by a combination of three factors: dividend growth, profit growth and market ratio (price-earnings ratio), which is a reflection of how much investors are willing to spend on future earnings.

Almost all of the stock’s decline this year is due to multiple compression: the S&P 500 is down nearly 10 percent, while the market multiplier has also fallen about 10 percent, from about 21.1 to about 19.1.

At the same time, the distribution of dividends has slightly increased, while earnings expectations remain roughly the same.

Analysts expect earnings growth of 7.8% for the S&P 500 in 2022, just below expectations of 8.4% at the beginning of the year, according to Refinitiv.

Others express the same concern as Mali: that the crisis in Ukraine and its subsequent inflation will take a second step down stocks.

Nick Reich of The Earnings Scout notes that this second step down may not be due to a downturn in the market, but to a real downturn in earnings forecasts because rising Fed interest rates will slow the economy.

“We don’t know how long the Fed will need to raise interest rates to curb inflation,” Reich told customers. “While some companies forecast eight interest rate hikes this year, our study shows that four hikes will stop inflation. This is good news. The bad news is that it will probably come at the expense of future growth. “

“In the next few months, there is likely to be a fear of growth,” he said.

You may even start hearing the “R word” [recession]which shares are not discounted. “Reich noted that if estimates in the second half remain stable in the coming months,” we could become less bearish or even bullish. “

Furthermore, we also do not know how long the war in Ukraine will last and what economic sanctions they will have on the economy.

“The question is, how does the Federal Reserve create a soft landing?” Mali asked me. “It’s not clear if they can.”

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Kanye West fired another lawyer before hearing Kim Kardashian

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Another bites the dust.

Kanye West is now with his fourth divorce lawyer, as he reportedly fired lawyer Chris Melcher before Wednesday’s hearing against his expropriated wife Kim Kardashian.

According to TMZ, the 44-year-old West released Melcher after their relationship “became extremely difficult, with little communication.”

Sources told the publication that West is constantly changing his mind whether he wants to settle things peacefully with the 41-year-old Kardashian or to fight – similar to when he objected to her initial requests for divorce.

Instead, West will be represented by lawyer Samantha Spector, who recently represented Nicole Young in her divorce from producer Dr. Dre, TMZ reports.

A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday for the ongoing divorce battle between West and Kardashian, where a judge is expected to decide on the reality star’s request to declare the star legally unmarried.

TMZ reports that although Kardashian is expected to call or video chat for the hearing, it is “very unlikely” that her former rapper will appear in person.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
Kardashian filed for divorce from West more than a year ago.
Andrew D. Bernstein

Kardashian filed for divorce from the West in February 2021. The two share four children: North, 8, St., 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 2.

Skims founder – who has since moved in with Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson – has previously criticized West for failing to retain a lawyer in a statement posted on her Instagram Story last month.

“Divorce is difficult enough for our children and Kanye’s obsession to try to control and manipulate our situation so negatively and publicly, it only causes additional pain for everyone,” she wrote at the time in response to West’s deleted IG posts.

“I am saddened that Kanye continues to do the impossible every step of the way. I want to deal with all the issues related to our children, in private, and I hope that he can finally answer the third lawyer he has had in the last year to resolve all issues amicably. “

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Jorge Masvidal: Colby Covington will be “my crotch all night” at UFC 272, Covington says

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Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington probably made a preview of their performances during UFC 272 promotion week, arguing constantly during an ESPN interview with Stephen A. Smith.

As Smith noted before releasing the tape to the pre-recorded location, “interview” was a generous term for what was ultimately interrupted by a stream of threats and insults as Masvidal and Covington talked to each other.

Masvidal told his former roommate and rival that “you will be in the emergency room in critical condition” two days after the event with paid viewing on Saturday in Las Vegas. He predicts that Covington “will suffocate my crotch all night” to avoid a fistfight.

Covington, meanwhile, told Smith, “I don’t want to knock him out. I’ll hurt him so bad you won’t be the same person after I’m done with you. I guarantee you will fall into a coma, s * ko. ”

Covington went back to the history of Masvidal’s battles, citing the losses of rivals Toby Imada, Gilbert Melendez and Al Yakinta. He declared himself “I am a fighter № 1 pound for a pound in the world”, which made Masvidal laugh out loud.

“Usman just killed you, stupid grandfather,” Masvidal shouted.

“Are you still sleeping?” Covington replied.

Leaving aside the death threats and insults, Masvidal and Smith tried to get Covington’s response to Masvidal’s claim that he broke their former mutual coach Paulino Hernandez by $ 12,500, forcing Masvidal to pay the bill before distancing himself from Ko. the audience to get lost.

Covington did not address the accusation directly, but said he had done nothing wrong to Hernandez.

“[American Top Team owner and former Covington manager] “Dan Lambert knows how much I paid,” Covington said. “The night I made that salary, I got half of what I said, the commission said I did twice as much as I said. I paid half that. Everything he says, he just talks and doesn’t walk. “

Earlier, Masvidal told ESPN that the non-payment stemmed from Covington’s winning battle against Rafael dos Agnos at UFC 225, which took place in Chicago. The Illinois Athletic Council does not publicly disclose fighter pay; Hernandez said MMA addict Covington received $ 350,000 and said he received $ 5,000, very little of the percentage he said was verbally agreed.

Smith asked Masvidal what would happen if he lost to Covington, who, like him, failed twice against current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

“I can’t – I will not lose this match,” Masvidal. “I will never lose from this fake bastard. It just won’t happen. But after I break his face, I will come back here and give you the exclusive interview and tell you a lot more nonsense about this man. “

“You can talk tonight,” Covington said. “We’ll see who speaks on March 5, only if you pay to watch.”

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A Queens man with 90 arrested appeared in court to cut the face of a man with a wooden stake in the New York subway

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A Queens man with 90 arrests appeared in court to cut the face of a man with a wooden stake on the New York subway while throwing racist and anti-gay insults while on bail

  • Ramon Castro, 55, appeared before Queens Supreme Court Justice Tony Chimino on Tuesday morning
  • He is accused of first and second degree assaults such as hate crime, criminal possession of a weapon, severe harassment and possession
  • The incident happened around 3.10 am on July 6 between Castro – who has more than 90 detainees in his file – and a 34-year-old victim
  • This came weeks after Castro was released for a double burglary he allegedly committed
  • He allegedly shouted, “I hate Latinos and fucking people,” to a man standing near a subway station in Flushing, Queens.
  • He is due to appear in court again on March 7

from Stephen M. Lepor for Dailymail.Com

Published: 02:17 GMT, 2 March 2022 | Updated: 2:17 AM GMT on March 2, 2022

A new York a man with 90 previous arrests appeared in court on Tuesday for hatred crime charges after allegedly cutting the face of a subway passenger while throwing racist and homophobic insults.

Ramon Castro, 55, appeared on Tuesday morning before Queens Supreme Court Judge Tony Chimino on charges of first and second degree assaults such as hate crime, criminal possession of a weapon, aggravated harassment and possession of drugs.

The incident happened around 3:10 a.m. on July 6 between Castro – who has more than 90 detainees in his file – and a 34-year-old unidentified victim. It came weeks after Castro was released for a double burglary he allegedly committed.

According to a press release from the district attorney’s office, Ramon allegedly shouted “I hate Latinos and fucking people” at a man who was standing near a subway station on the corner of 77th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing, Queens.

Castro was detained on $ 250,000 bail. He is due to appear in court again on March 7.

Ramon Castro, 56, charged with seven counts of hate crimes, including assault, and stabbing a victim with a wooden knife on July 6, 2021, is on trial in Queens County Criminal Court for a hearing.

Ramon Castro, 56, charged with seven counts of hate crimes, including assault, and stabbing a victim with a wooden knife on July 6, 2021, is on trial in Queens County Criminal Court for a hearing.

Castro (pictured), then 55, was charged with hate crimes after spotting a man in the face of a New York subway platform while using racial and homophobic insults.

Castro (pictured), then 55, was charged with hate crimes after spotting a man in the face of a New York subway platform while using racial and homophobic insults.

Castro was indicted in August before Supreme Court Justice Tony Chimino on a seven-count charge of first- and second-degree assaults such as hate crime, criminal possession of a weapon, severe harassment and drug possession.

Castro was indicted in August before Supreme Court Justice Tony Chimino on a seven-count charge of first- and second-degree assaults such as hate crime, criminal possession of a weapon, severe harassment and drug possession.

Castro then allegedly attacked the innocent victim by cutting the man on his left cheek with a wooden stake.

His photos, taken after the alleged attack, were shared by the New York Police Department after that.

The defendant then fled the scene and the victim was taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was to receive sixteen stitches to close the wound on his face – eight on the outside of his cheek and eight on the inside.

Castro faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

According to NY Post Castro is homeless and was last released in June after two alleged burglary thanks to bail reform laws.

Police arrested him for breaking into a nightclub, where he stole an ATM, and then again when he robbed a bar, according to the Post.

He was detained on $ 250,000 bail, according to the city’s archives.

The incident happened around 3:10 a.m. on July 6 between Castro - who has more than 90 arrests in his file - and a 34-year-old victim who has not been identified near a subway station on the corner of 77th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing. Queens

The incident happened around 3:10 a.m. on July 6 between Castro – who has more than 90 arrests in his file – and a 34-year-old victim who has not been identified near a subway station on the corner of 77th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing. Queens

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz (pictured) said in a statement about hate crimes:

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz (pictured) said in a statement about hate crimes: “Attacking other people because of their ethnicity or who they love is never acceptable.”

When cops interviewed the suspects, he said he said, “Homosexuals are fine, but not when you’re an adult.”

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said of the hate crimes in a statement: “At Queens, we value our diversity. It is never acceptable to attack others because of their ethnicity or who they love.

“This will not be tolerated here. We will now seek to bring this accused to justice for his alleged hate crimes. “

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Jewish groups condemn strike near Holocaust Memorial in Babin Yar

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Jewish groups and institutions around the world have condemned a strike in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, near the Babin Yar Holocaust Memorial, where tens of thousands of Jews were killed by Nazis in a two-day massacre during World War II.

It was not clear to what extent the memorial was damaged by the strike. The memorial is near Kiev’s main radio and television tower in Kyiv, which was hit by a shell. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least five people had been killed in the area.

Mr Zelenski, who is Jewish, also hinted at the site’s history, saying on Twitter“What’s the point of saying ‘never again’ for 80 years if the world is silent when a bomb falls on the same spot in Babin Yar?”

On Facebook, the Babin Yar Holocaust Memorial Center said Russian forces had struck the site, but did not describe any damage.

Nathan Sharansky, chairman of the memorial’s advisory board and a former Soviet dissident, said in a statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin had tried to “distort and manipulate the Holocaust to justify an illegal invasion of a sovereign democracy” and called for ” utterly disgusting. ‘

Mr Sharanski added: “It is symbolic that he began attacking Kyiv by bombing the site of Babin Yar, the largest of the Nazi massacres.

In a speech last week, Mr Putin said the Russian military operation would be aimed at “demilitarizing and denationalizing Ukraine” and called Ukraine’s leaders “neo-Nazis”.

More than 33,000 Jews were killed on the spot in two days, according to historians. In addition, mass shootings took place there throughout the war, including against Roma and Soviet prisoners of war.

Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Israel, called for the site to be preserved, saying it has “irreplaceable value for Holocaust research, education and remembrance.”

“Instead of being subjected to overt violence, sacred sites such as Babi Yar should be protected,” the statement said.

Jair Lapid, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, said on Twitter that the country will help repair the damage to the memorial.

The Holocaust Memorial Museum in the United States said so outraged of “the damage done to the Babin Yar Memorial by the Russian attack today.” The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, a British charity, said it was “terribleTo learn about the strike.

“I am extremely devastated,” said Karin Grossman Gershon, CEO of Project Kesher, a non-profit organization that aims to build a Jewish community by empowering women leaders.

The massacre in Babin Yar, also known as Babi Yar, took place in late September 1941. Shortly after the German army entered Kyiv, Jews in the city were told to gather near the station to be resettled. The crowds were forced to undress and gather in a ravine where they were shot. The Nazis destroyed almost the entire Jewish population of Kyiv during the war.

Last year, on the 80th anniversary, Mr. Zelenski inaugurated a modern art installation on the site. Peter Hayes, an honorary professor of Holocaust research at Northwestern University, said it had begun to become a more formally recognized landmark since Ukraine’s independence in 1991.

“For a long time, the Soviets did not want to recognize that the victims were almost exclusively Jews, but rather continued to call it a place where Soviet citizens were killed and so on,” he said.

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The first bank to go bankrupt over new sanctions against Russia is the Austrian branch of Sberbank

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Austria’s operations with Sberbank, Russia’s largest lender, must go bankrupt as its Croatian and Slovenian stakes are transferred to new owners by the EU’s body responsible for restructuring bankrupt banks.

The move was announced by the EU’s Single Restructuring Council on Tuesday night, making Sberbank’s Austrian branch the first bank victim of large-scale sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

SRB has already halted most of Russia’s state-owned bank’s activities this week after customers rushed to withdraw money in response to Western sanctions.

SRB said on Tuesday that it has decided to transfer all shares of the Croatian subsidiary of Sberbank to Hrvatska Poštanska Banka, while its Slovenian division will be transferred to Nova Ljubljanska Banka. It says the two banks will open on Wednesday.

“SRB also decided that no restructuring was needed for the Austrian parent of Sberbank Europe AG,” he added. “Insolvency proceedings will be conducted in accordance with national law. Eligible deposits of up to EUR 100,000 are protected by the Austrian Deposit Guarantee Scheme. ”

This is only the second time SRB has taken control of a troubled bank since it was established in 2015 as a pan-European body with powers to impose losses on shareholders and junior bondholders of bankrupt creditors in a bid to evade government bailouts in the sector. .

The last time SRB took control of a bank through a formal restructuring process was when it organized the sale of Spanish Banco Popular to its rival Banco Santander for 1 euro in 2017.

Sberbank Europe has about 800,000 retail and corporate customers in Central and Eastern Europe, with almost 4,000 employees and total assets of € 13 billion. The Russian bank set up its European subsidiary when it acquired Austria’s Volksbank International in 2012.

Sberbank Direct, its online banking operation, has sought to expand its deposit base by offering German depositors 1.5% interest rates on their money – much higher than the near-zero interest rates offered by most local lenders.

Last year, however, the Russian bank agreed to sell its operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia to a consortium of banks led by Slovenia’s AIK Banka. But the deal was not completed and was undermined by the collapse of Sberbank’s operations in the EU.

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January 6th Group Summons Lawyers Who Worked to Disprove Trump’s Loss

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WASHINGTON — The House Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol on Tuesday subpoenaed half a dozen lawyers and other allies of former President Donald Trump who promoted false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election and worked to disprove his defeat.

Those who were sent subpoenas for documents and testimonies were involved in a number of attempts to annul Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory, including filing lawsuits, pressuring local election officials to change the results, and drafting proposed decrees to seize voting machines.

“The Selection Committee is seeking information about attempts to disrupt or delay the confirmation of electoral votes and any attempt to corrupt the results of the 2020 election,” Representative Benny Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and chairman of the committee, said in a statement. . “All six people we have called to court today have knowledge related to these issues and will help the selection committee better understand all the different strategies used to potentially influence the outcome of the election.”

More than 550 witnesses testified before a committee tasked with writing an authoritative account of a year-old violence that left more than 150 police officers injured and several dead.

The committee also intends to make recommendations to prevent such an episode from happening again, and is considering forwarding a criminal case if its investigators find any crimes that the Justice Department has not yet charged.

Summons, issued Tuesday, order the witnesses to appear for questioning in March.

Among those summoned was Kleta Mitchell, an attorney who the commission said spread false allegations to members of Congress about electoral fraud and was involved in a call in which Mr. Trump tried to pressure the Georgian Secretary of State to “find” enough votes. to make up for his defeat. there.

Ms. Mitchell also contacted Mr. Trump on Jan. 6 and a few days before, the committee said it had learned of it.

Kenneth Chesebro, another lawyer called to court on Tuesday, promoted legal theories as part of the Trump campaign supporting the use of fake electoral rolls in states the former president lost. Mr. Chesebro told the Trump campaign that his efforts would “reinforce” the case for delaying the confirmation of the election results and lead the public to believe that the election “probably was rigged and stolen by Biden and Harris, who were not legitimately elected.” The committee wrote in a letter accompanying Mr Chesebro’s subpoena.

The committee also sent a subpoena to Christina Bobb, who works for One America News Network and was reportedly involved in efforts to develop an executive order for Mr. Trump that would have federal agencies confiscate voting machines in many states. Ms. Bobb was present in the “war room” of Mr. Trump’s personal attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani, at the Willard Hotel on Jan. 6, the committee said.

Ms. Bobb is said to be writing a book about Jan. 6 and was interviewing Mr. Trump for the project, meaning she would likely have notes for the committee to get through a subpoena.

Capitol Riot Aftermath: Key Events

Map 1 of 3

First court. Guy Wesley Reffit, who is accused of obstructing the work of Congress on January 6, is to be the first defendant to stand trial in a case related to the Capitol riots. The trial, which begins on February 28, will set the tone for dozens of other cases.

Another lawyer subpoenaed on Tuesday, Katherine Friss, was also reportedly involved in efforts to draft an executive order directing federal agencies to confiscate voting machines and at one point “traveled to Michigan trying to get data on voting machines.” directly from local residents. officials,” the letter attached to her agenda says.

Kurt Olsen, a pro-Trump lawyer, also reportedly drafted an executive order for Trump that directed the Justice Department to “take action against voters.” the committee’s statement accompanying its subpoena.

The commission also sent a subpoena to Philip Kline, the former Attorney General of Kansas, who called a meeting between Mr. Trump and more than 300 state lawmakers “in an attempt to spread alleged evidence of election fraud” and urged lawmakers to sign a letter urging Mike Pence, then Vice President President, to postpone the January 6 electoral certification, the committee said.

None of the potential witnesses responded to requests for comment.

Maggie Haberman contributed reporting.

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