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Haley's losses, Ukraine's casualties and time's quirks

 
Today's POLITICS story

Trump wins South Carolina, Haley loses big donor 

What happened?
Former President Donald Trump beat Nikki Haley 60% to 40% in Saturday's South Carolina Republican primary. On Sunday, Americans for Prosperity Action — the political organization financed by Charles Koch — said it will stop supporting Haley's campaign financially, after pouring millions into her effort to defeat Trump.

Who said what?
Haley "continues to have our strong endorsement," AFP chief executive Emily Seidel said. But "we don't believe any outside group can make a material difference to widen her path to victory." Obviously "40% is not 50%," but "40% is not some tiny group," Haley said Saturday night. "Huge numbers" of GOP primary voters "are saying they want an alternative." "I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now," Trump said in his victory speech.

The commentary
Losing AFP is a blow, but "campaigns don't end as much as they run out of money, and Haley has plenty of that," Politico said. Haley's campaign is now "more a protest against Trump than a viable bid for the nomination," but "there's nothing wrong with that," Jim Geraghty said at The Washington Post. "There's no downside for Haley" to keep warning Republicans she's the far safer bet.

What next?
Michigan holds its primary election on Tuesday. Haley has pledged to stay in the race through Super Tuesday on March 5.

 
 
Today's INTERNATIONAL story

Zelenskyy says 31,000 troops dead in 2 years of war

What happened?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday gave a rare official military death toll, two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion.

Who said what?
Roughly "31,000 Ukrainian military personnel have been killed in this war," Zelenskyy said. "Not 300,000, not 150,000, not whatever Putin and his deceitful circle have been lying about. But nevertheless, each of these losses is a great sacrifice for us." He put Russia's losses at 180,000 killed and 320,000 injured.

The commentary
Kyiv "keeps casualty figures closely guarded so as to not dampen public morale" or give Russia information on troop strength, The Washington Post said. U.S. officials "put the losses much higher," The New York Times said, estimating at least 70,000 Ukrainians have been killed, with Russia's casualties "about twice as high."

What next?
Zelenskyy said Ukraine's fate depends on Western aid, and "we will not lose this war if we get the weapons." President Joe Biden will press congressional leaders Tuesday to send him a Senate-approved aid bill with $60 billion for Ukraine.

 
 
Today's SCIENCE Story

Why Thursday is a leap day

What happened?
We get a bonus day this week — not a holiday, but a 29th day in February, as happens every leap year.

How we got here
Julius Caesar, "dealing with major seasonal drift" in Roman calendars, introduced the Julian calendar in 46 BCE, counting a year as 365.25 days and adding an extra day every four years, The Associated Press said. But a year is actually 365.242 days, so Pope Gregory XIII knocked out a leap year every hundred years — except years divisible by 400, like 2000. The 1582 Gregorian calendar "remains in use today" and, while its "gnarly math" is not perfect, it reduced "drift to mere seconds."

The commentary
"Without the leap years, after a few hundred years we will have summer in November" and Christmas in summer, said Younas Khan, a physics instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Some people treat Feb. 29 "as a free day" to do things "they've long been putting off," Phil Plait said at Scientific American. "I think that's a pretty good idea because, after all, catching up is what leap day is all about," astronomically speaking.

What next?
There will be leap days every four years until the next skip year, 2100 — or till the Gregorian calendar is changed.

 
 

It's not all bad

Finland used to have one of the highest suicide rates in the world but has halved its numbers in the past three decades. Initiatives, including a nationwide suicide prevention project that ran between 1986 and 1996, played a pivotal role in reducing suicide mortality by 13%. Early detection of depressive disorders and better treatments are also thought to be key to the country's success. Experts believe Finland's approach could become a model for suicide prevention in other countries.

 
 
Under the radar

An abandoned luxury complex in Los Angeles has become a site for social media stunts and triggered debate over the value of artistry versus vandalism. It is also a big nuisance for the city. 

The origins
Oceanwide Plaza was supposed to house a hotel and condominiums, costing real estate developer China Oceanwide Holdings $1 billion, said Business Insider. But the company ran out of money in 2019, leaving the towers deserted.

They have since attracted scores of graffiti artists who tag the 53-story buildings, as well as BASE jumpers who film themselves parachuting off the complex. The tags received global attention when the 2024 Grammy Awards were held nearby. "I guarantee you tragedy will take place there if that place is not boarded up," L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said to a local TV station. 

L.A.'s graffiti community has been "ecstatic" over what they accomplished, said The Hollywood Reporter. While some have praised the spontaneous art, others call it "vandalism" and a "massive eyesore." 

The response
Last week, Councilman Kevin de León called for Oceanwide to hire better security and remove the graffiti. Oceanwide did not respond, leaving L.A.'s city council to approve a proposed $4 million to achieve those ends.

People are entitled to dislike graffiti, but they should "respect the effort to use the space,” Stefano Bloch, a professor at the University of Arizona, said to the Los Angeles Times. "It's people making use of the things that others neglect."

 
 
On this day

February 26, 1919

Congress establishes the Grand Canyon National Park along the Colorado River in northwest Arizona. The Grand Canyon itself had been declared a national monument 11 years prior. Today, the national park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the U.S., attracting an estimated five million visitors every year.

 
 
TODAY’S newspaperS

After his win in South Carolina's Republican primary, former President Donald Trump is "set to move on" to the general election, USA Today says on Monday's front page. Trump's win "deepens his hold" on the GOP nomination, The Wall Street Journal says, but challenger Nikki Haley's continuing campaign has become a "vehicle for discontent" with Trump, The Washington Post says. The New York Times features a different kind of "Florida Man," one who's "in on the joke, and ready to make a game of it" in the "first-ever Florida Man Games."

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

Keep the change

Visitors to the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska, are being asked not to throw their change into enclosures after more than 70 coins were found inside an alligator named Thibodaux. The coins were discovered during a routine checkup of the 36-year-old gator, and he immediately underwent an emergency procedure to remove them. Thibodaux, a rare white leucistic alligator with translucent skin and blue eyes, has recovered and is back in his coin-free habitat.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Catherine Garcia, Justin Klawans, Theara Coleman, Harold Maass and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top:  Jeff Kowalsky / AFP via Getty Images; Viacheslav Ratynskyi / Anadolu via Getty Images; Gam1983 / iStock / Getty Images Plus; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images