Tuesday morning news: February 21, 2023

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Biden in Kyiv » President Biden is in Warsaw today after making an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday.

Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he vividly recalled their phone call when Russian tanks rolled across the border one year ago this week.

BIDEN: You told me that you could hear the explosions in the background. And the world was about the change. I asked you, how can I be of help? You said, “Gather the leaders of the world. Ask them to support Ukraine.”

Biden spent more than five hours in the Ukrainian capital, talking over next steps in the war with Zelenskyy. The two leaders also honored fallen Ukrainian soldiers and Biden met with staff at the US Embassy in Ukraine.

National security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters:

SULLIVAN: We did notify the Russians that President Biden would be traveling to Kyiv. We did so some hours before his departure.

Sullivan said they notified the Kremlin for—quote— “deconfliction purposes.”

Another earthquake » AUDIO: [Cars honking]

Sirens and horns blared in the Turkish province of Hatay after another earthquake struck near the Syrian border on Monday.

The 6.3-magnitude quake was blamed for three deaths, hundreds of injuries, and it toppled several more buildings.

Turkey has felt some 6,000 aftershocks since a pair of devastating earthquakes struck earlier this month.

Landslides, flooding in Brazil » Rescue crews are working to locate missing people in Brazil after heavy rain this weekend triggered landslides and flooding.

Hundreds of people are without shelter in the northern state of Sao Paulo. At least 36 people have died.

AUDIO: There are still people buried. Firefighters are working and we are all hoping to find someone alive.

A city hall worker in the Sao Sebastio is saying that firefighters are hoping to find survivors buried in a landslide.

The city recorded nearly two feet of rain in 24 hours—double the expected precipitation for an entire month.

DeSantis in blue state cities » Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is kicking off a pro-police tour of major cities in blue states.

In New York City on Monday, he spoke to a gathering of police officers who feel unsupported and let down by their local government. He said every city and state must support law enforcement…

DESANTIS: To support policies that keep communities safe, and to abandon this woke nonsense like just releasing these criminals or electing prosecutors that don’t follow the law.

DeSantis also criticized President Biden’s handling of the border crisis saying Biden seems more fixated on problems in Ukraine than on troubles at home.

The governor is widely expected to run for president in 2024. According to some polls, he’s already the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.

Israel protests, changes » The Israeli parliament is one step closer to overhauling the country’s legal system. Lawmakers voted Monday in favor of legislation that would give parliament the power to override Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority vote.

Critics say the legislation will erode democracy. One demonstrator in front of the Israeli parliament said the bill would turn the country into what he called a pure dictatorship.

AUDIO: Because all the power will be with the government, with the head of the government, and we’ll all be without rights.

NETANYAHU: [Hebrew]

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies argue the bill would restore the country’s balance of power.

Woman able move long paralyzed limbs after electrode treatment » A woman paralyzed for roughly a decade can now move her limbs, thanks to a medical breakthrough.

Heather Rendulic suffered a stroke that partially paralyzed her left side until a research team from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University implanted an electrical device near her spine.

RENDULIC: Everything we did just blew me out of the water, blew my mind that, you know, this technology was helping me improve in ways that I didn't think were possible post-stroke.

The device helped her regain her ability to use her previously paralyzed left hand and arm.

The study offers hope to other victims of stroke paralysis.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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