10 things you need to know today: February 14, 2022

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1. U.S. national security adviser warns Russia could invade Ukraine 'any day now'
2. Rams come back to beat Bengals in Super Bowl
3. Key U.S.-Canada border bridge reopened after police arrest protesters
4. Kinzinger says he expects Giuliani to comply with Jan. 6 panel subpoena
5. Luján vows to return to vote on Supreme Court confirmation
6. Super Bowl ads hint at return to pre-pandemic normal
7. 'Ghostbusters' director Ivan Reitman dies at 75
8. Saudi coalition tells civilians to evacuate Yemeni ministries
9. Russia figure skater Kamila Valieva cleared to compete despite drug test
10. Erin Jackson becomes 1st Black woman to take speedskating gold

published 14 February 2022

1. U.S. national security adviser warns Russia could invade Ukraine 'any day now'

President Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, warned Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine as soon as this week. Sullivan told host Jake Tapper on CNN's State of the Union that Russian troops were in place to attack before the Beijing Winter Olympics end on Feb. 20. "A major military action could begin by Russia in Ukraine any day now," Sullivan said. A day earlier, Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia would face "swift and severe costs" if it invades. On Sunday, Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the U.S. and its allies would respond "decisively" to any Russian aggression. The United States, which ordered the evacuation of most of its embassy staff from Kyiv, says Russia has more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine's border.

The Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl with a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The Rams came from behind and sealed the win when wide receiver Cooper Kupp caught a 1-yard pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford with 1:25 left to play. Kupp made eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and was named Super Bowl MVP. After that touchdown, Rams defensive anchor Aaron Donald ended the Bengals' chance for a last-second win by sacking Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. The Rams were the second team in a row to win the Lombardi Trophy in their home stadium, a feat Tampa Bay pulled off last year. The win made the Rams' Sean McVay, 36, the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl.

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Canadian and U.S. authorities officially reopened the Ambassador Bridge after Canadian police on Sunday arrested the more than two dozen remaining protesters blocking traffic across the key trade route linking Windsor, Canada, with Detroit. The border demonstration, which lasted seven days, mirrored a larger protest against COVID-19 restrictions in Ottawa, Canada's capital. The blocking of the border by truckers and other protesters disrupted a major trade route and exacerbated supply-chain problems for automakers, forcing them to slow or stop production at factories on both sides of the border. "Today, our national economic crisis at the Ambassador Bridge came to an end," said Windsor's Mayor Drew Dilkens. The so-called Freedom Convoy has inspired similar convoys in France, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said on CBS's Face the Nation Sunday that the House Jan. 6 committee expects Rudy Giuliani, who served as former President Donald Trump's attorney, to comply with a subpoena to appear before the panel. "He's been subpoenaed," Kinzinger said. "Our expectation is he is going to cooperate because that's the law, that's the requirement. Same as if somebody's subpoenaed to court." He added that "there may be some changes in dates as lawyers do their back-and-forth" and affirmed the committee's commitment to "not rushing" the investigation. Kinzinger, a vocal opponent of Trump, is one of only two Republicans on the Jan. 6 committee, along with Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.). The Republican National Committee punished both for their participation; earlier this month, a resolution to formally censure the two passed without any debate or discussion.

Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), who is recovering from a stroke, said in a video released by his office Sunday that he plans to return to work in "just a few short weeks" to vote on President Biden's nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Biden has said he wants to name his pick by the end of February. Luján's vote could be crucial for Democrats to confirm Biden's nominee in an evenly split, 50-50 Senate. Luján, 49, suffered a stroke in January and had surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. He is recovering at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque and will soon transfer to an inpatient rehabilitation facility.

The ads that aired on NBC during the Super Bowl included commercials for travel, autos, and entertainment companies, hinting at a return to a pre-pandemic normal. Cue Health aired one of several health and wellness ads. Planet Fitness, in its first Super Bowl ad, showed actress Lindsay Lohan putting her party days in the past. Medical technology company Hologic had singer Mary J. Blige encourage women to get medical screenings. There were many first-time Super Bowl advertisers, including cryptocurrency exchanges FTX, Crypto.com, and Coinbase, which captured considerable attention with an ad displaying just a slowly bouncing QR code leading to an online offer of free bitcoin for new customers. NBC charged $7 million for 30-second spots, which gave brands access to the year's biggest TV audience.

Ivan Reitman, the director and producer behind beloved comedies like Ghostbusters and Animal House, died Saturday night in his sleep at his home in Montecito, California. He was 75. His children Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman, and Caroline Reitman said in a statement that their father "taught us to always seek the magic in life. We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world." Reitman's first major hit as a producer was 1978's National Lampoon's Animal House. He became a household name in 1984 when he directed Ghostbusters. In the decades since, several additional Ghostbusters films have been made, with Jason Reitman directing the recent installment, Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said Sunday that civilians should immediately evacuate Yemeni ministries in the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa. The coalition said Houthi forces were launching "hostile operations" from ministry buildings. The coalition said it would destroy one of these sites, which it said had been linked to the latest Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia's Abha international airport. Saudi air defenses on Thursday intercepted an explosives-laden drone heading for the airport. A dozen people at the airport were injured by shrapnel in that attack. Saudi Arabia has been leading the fight against Houthis for seven years, since the group ousted the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Monday that Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva can compete in the individual women's skating events at the Beijing Olympics despite her positive pre-Games drug test. The CAS said it decided against barring Valieva from competition because she is, at 15, a "protected person" under the World Anti-Doping Code, and her drug tests in Beijing have been clean. The panel also believed barring Valieva from competing would cause her "irreparable harm," CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb said. The panel did not rule on the merits of Valieva's case or whether the Russian team will get to keep the gold medal she helped them win in the team skating event. Valieva is favored to win the individual gold.

Erin Jackson won the gold medal in the women's 500 meters speedskating on Sunday, becoming the first Black woman to win a speedskating medal at the Winter Olympics. "Hopefully, this has an effect," Jackson said. "Hopefully, we'll see more minorities, especially in the USA, getting out and trying these winter sports." Jackson, 29, is a former inline and roller derby skater from Ocala, Florida. She switched to ice skating shortly before the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. She adapted so quickly that she made the Olympic team that year, finishing 24th in the 500 in those Games. On Monday, Team USA added to its medal totals when Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor won gold and silver in monobob.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.