Crisis deepens, Ukraine accuses Moscow of 'medieval' tactics

LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine deepened Monday as Russian forces intensified their shelling and food, water, heat and medicine grew increasingly scarce, in what the country condemned as a medieval-style siege by Moscow to batter it into submission.

A third round of talks between the two sides ended with a top Ukrainian official saying there had been minor, unspecified progress toward establishing safe corridors that would allow civilians to escape the fighting. Russia’s chief negotiator said he expects those corridors to start operating Tuesday.

But that remained to be seen, given the failure of previous attempts to lead civilians to safety amid the biggest ground war in Europe since World War II.

Well into the second week of the invasion, with Russian troops making significant advances in southern Ukraine but stalled in some other regions, a top U.S. official said multiple countries were discussing whether to provide the warplanes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pleading for.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces continued to pummel cities with rockets, and fierce fighting raged in places. In the face of the bombardments, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces were showing unprecedented courage.

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Live updates: Nissan plans to halt production in Russia

The latest developments on the Russia-Ukraine war:

TOKYO — Japanese automaker Nissan is planning to halt production at its plant in Russia because of “logistical challenges.”

Nissan Motor Co. did not provide a specific date but said Tuesday production will stop “soon.” Its plant in St. Petersburg produced 45,000 vehicles last year, including the X-Trail sport utility vehicle.

The Yokohama-based manufacturer said the safety of its employees is its top priority.

Nissan earlier stopped exports to Russia.

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A modern Churchill? Zelenskyy praised as war communicator

To a watching world, his message is this, in both his words and his resolute, sometimes haggard appearance: He stands as a mirror to the suffering and spirit of his people.

It appears to be getting through. Just days into the war engulfing his nation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is drawing historical comparisons as an effective and stirring wartime communicator — yet with a distinctly modern touch inflected by the sensibilities of live television and the personal feel of social media.

His baby-faced complexion is now usually puffy and pasty, with a faint growth of beard. Suits and dress shirts have been replaced by olive military-style garb. His raspy voice betrays exhaustion. Together, these help form a narrative of personal courage, of David fighting mighty Goliath and refusing safe passage out of his homeland — embodied by his line that he needed “ammunition, not a ride.”

It's all quite a development for a former TV actor and comedian who weeks ago was disdained in some corners as a political novice too eager to seek compromise with Moscow.

“Here’s a guy who was basically considered to be a lightweight, out of his element, about to be crushed by a major superpower next door. And it didn’t happen,” says Andrew J. Polsky, a professor of political science at Hunter College in New York and author of a book on wartime U.S. presidents. “I think people really expected that he would flee ... and I think he surprised people by sharing the danger that they were sharing.”

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Court rejects GOP redistricting plans in NC, Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a victory for Democrats, the Supreme Court has turned away efforts from Republicans in North Carolina and Pennsylvania to block state court-ordered congressional districting plans.

In separate orders late Monday, the justices are allowing maps selected by each state's Supreme Court to be in effect for the 2022 elections. Those maps are more favorable to Democrats than the ones drawn by the states' legislatures.

In North Carolina, the map most likely will give Democrats an additional House seat in 2023.

The Pennsylvania map also probably will lead to the election of more Democrats, the Republicans say, as the two parties battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the midterm elections in November.

The justices provided no explanation for their actions, as is common in emergency applications on what is known as the “shadow docket.”

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Mask mandates go away in schools, but parent worries persist

BOSTON (AP) — Major school districts around the country are allowing students into classrooms without masks for the first time in nearly two years, eliminating rules that stirred up intense fights among educators, school boards and parents throughout the pandemic.

New York City became the latest school district to do away with its mask requirement Monday and Philadelphia is poised to lift its mandate Wednesday, joining big cities such as Houston and Dallas and a number of a states that made similar moves in the last week. Chicago schools will end their mask mandate next Monday.

Parents, teachers and principals face a complicated balancing act in navigating the new rules. Some families are thrilled that their children no longer have to wear masks, while others say they're still tentative and urging their kids to keep wearing face coverings for now. Teachers and principals are caught in the middle.

In Anchorage, Alaska, School Superintendent Deena Bishop says lifting the mandate in the city’s nearly 100 public schools last week was a relief after months of acrimony even though there were some bumpy patches.

Bishop says she has been made aware of a handful of comments teachers inadvertently made that “didn’t sit well” with students and their parents, such as a teacher singling out a young child whose parents decided to keep them wearing a mask and another who had made a student feel guilty about their decision not to wear one.

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Half of US adults exposed to harmful lead levels as kids

Over 170 million U.S.-born people who were adults in 2015 were exposed to harmful levels of lead as children, a new study estimates.

Researchers used blood-lead level, census and leaded gasoline consumption data to examine how widespread early childhood lead exposure was in the country between 1940 and 2015.

In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, they estimated that half the U.S. adult population in 2015 had been exposed to lead levels surpassing five micrograms per deciliter — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention threshold for harmful lead exposure at the time.

The scientists from Florida State University and Duke University also found that 90% of children born in the U.S. between 1950 and 1981 had blood-lead levels higher than the CDC threshold. And the researchers found significant impact on cognitive development: on average, early childhood exposure to lead resulted in a 2.6-point drop in IQ.

The researchers only examined lead exposure caused by leaded gasoline, the dominant form of exposure from the 1940s to the late 1980s, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Leaded gasoline for on-road vehicles was phased out starting in the 1970s, then finally banned in 1996.

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US gasoline prices rise again on talk of banning Russian oil

Gasoline prices are pushing even farther above $4 a gallon, the highest price that American motorists have faced since July 2008, as calls grow to ban imports of Russian oil.

Prices at the pump were rising long before Russia invaded Ukraine and have spiraled faster since the start of the war. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline has soared 45 cents a gallon in the past week and topped $4.06 on Monday, according to auto club AAA.

“I am looking at the possibility of walking to work,” said Asiya Joseph, who had just paid $4.29 a gallon at a BP station in Brooklyn, New York. “This is the first time that I am filling up my tank in like, 10 days.”

In Huntington Beach, California, Julian Mesa earns $15 an hour cleaning offices. On Monday, he paid $92 to fill his pickup at $5.79 a gallon.

“It’s very expensive, high for people who are earning the minimum,” Mesa said. His family had already scaled back on eating out to cut their spending during the pandemic.

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AP PHOTOS: Day 12, humanitarian crisis in Ukraine deepens

The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is deepening with food, water and medicine growing increasingly scarce as Russian forces intensify their shelling.

In the capital, Kyiv, soldiers and volunteers have built hundreds of checkpoints to protect the city of nearly 4 million, often using sandbags, stacked tires and spiked cables.

“Every house, every street, every checkpoint, we will fight to the death if necessary,” said Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

As Ukrainians attempted to flee Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv, a Ukrainian police officer could be seen running while holding on to a child as the sound of artillery echoed nearby. The invasion has sent 1.7 million people fleeing Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of resorting to “medieval siege” tactics in places.

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1 teen dead, 2 wounded in shooting outside Iowa high school

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One teenager was killed and two others were critically wounded after gunfire that appeared to come from a passing vehicle struck them outside an Iowa school, authorities said.

Des Moines police said in a news release Monday that potential suspects have been detained in the shooting on the grounds of East High School, near Des Moines’ downtown, about a half mile, from the Capitol. No charges were immediately filed.

Sgt. Paul Parizek told KCCI-TV that calls started pouring in around 2:50 p.m. Monday, shortly before classes were scheduled to dismiss for the day.

Police didn't identify those shot but said a 15-year-old male had died. He was not a student at East.

The other two shot were females aged 16 and 18, who both attend East. They were hospitalized in critical condition.

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Morgan Wallen wins at ACM Awards; Lambert wins top prize

Morgan Wallen won album of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Monday night for “Dangerous: The Double Album,” a year after he was removed from the ACMs ballot after he was caught on camera using a racial slur.

Wallen made no direct reference to the issue and his absence from recent awards shows as accepted the trophy at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, but may have hinted at it.

“To my son, this award will signify that his daddy was a fighter,” Wallen said, finishing his speech by enthusiastically thanking the fans in attendance.

Miranda Lambert took home the night's top prize, entertainer of the year, for the first time after losing out in five previous years, but was not in Las Vegas to accept it.

“I cannot believe I’m not there to celebrate,” Lambert said in a video message from London, “it’s the first time I’ve missed the ACMs in 17 years. I've been waiting a long time for this”

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