US commits more support on Ukraine war anniversary; China’s global influence a concern; sports highlights

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On this version of Hot off the Wire:

» Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians on Friday marked the somber anniversary of the Russian invasion that upended their lives and Europe’s security.

» The Pentagon is announcing a new package of long-term security assistance for Ukraine. It’s marking the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion with a $2 billion commitment to send more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones into the fight.

» Severe weather continues to move across the nation. Snowstorms are hitting California with winter weather also spread across the Great Plains and Northeast.

» Cosori is recalling more than 2 million air fryers sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico because their wire connections can overheat and cause a fire risk.

» Police say a 2-year-old girl was among seven people wounded in a shooting outside a school in Philadelphia.

» A new poll shows that just 40% of U.S. adults approve of how President Joe Biden is handling relations with China, and a majority of them are anxious about Beijing’s global influence.

» The U.S. economy expanded at a 2.7% annual rate from October through December, a solid showing despite rising interest rates and elevated inflation, the government said in a downgrade from its initial estimate.

» In sports, the Nuggets won a big matchup, the Celtics survived OT in Indianapolis, the 76ers, the Red Wings and Sabres improved their playoff chances and the Oilers blasted the Penguins.

From the previous version of Hot off the Wire:

» Federal safety investigators have released a preliminary report on the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment and toxic chemical release. The National Transportation Safety Board says the train’s crew did not receive a critical warning about an overheated axle until just before dozens of cars went off the tracks.

» Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh has denied killing his wife and son but admitted lying about when he last saw them alive while testifying in his own defense.

» A Los Angeles judge on Thursday sentenced Harvey Weinstein to 16 years in prison after a jury convicted him of the 2013 rape and sexual assault of an Italian actor and model.

» R. Kelly has received a 20-year prison sentence for child pornography and the enticement of minors for sex. In a victory for Kelly, however, the court said Thursday that he will serve 19 years of that sentence simultaneously with his 30-year sentence imposed last year in New York.

» The number of U.S. mass killings linked to extremism was at least three times higher in the last decade than the total from any other 10-year period since the 1970s.

» Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers in Georgia are criticizing the Fulton County investigation into potential illegal election meddling after the foreperson of the special grand jury helping the probe went public.

» Nearly 30 million Americans who got extra government help with grocery bills during the pandemic will soon see that aid shrink.

» Draft U.S. rules would allow soy, oat, almond and other drinks that bill themselves as “milk” to keep using the name.

» One year after President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine both countries are preparing for offensives that could set the stage for a potentially even more disastrous phase of the war.