Putin not backing down on Ukraine; Buttigieg urges safety changes after Ohio derailment; NBA players on the move | Hot off the Wire podcast

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On this version of Hot off the Wire:

» Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Western countries of igniting and sustaining the war in Ukraine. He refused any blame for Moscow almost a year after the Kremlin’s invasion of its neighbor that has killed tens of thousands of people.

» President Joe Biden is set to consult with allies from NATO’s eastern flank in Poland as the Russian invasion of Ukraine edges toward an even more complicated stage.

» The Supreme Court is taking up its first case about a federal law that is credited with helping create the modern internet. The law shields Google, Twitter, Facebook and other companies from lawsuits over content posted on their sites by others.

» A severe storm is moving across the nation from the West Coast through the Great Plains and toward the Northeast.

» Home Depot says it’s investing $1 billion in wage increases for its U.S. and Canadian hourly workers.

» Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wants the nation’s freight railroads to immediately act to improve safety while regulators try to strengthen safety rules in the wake of a fiery derailment in Ohio that forced evacuations when toxic chemicals were released and burned.

» In sports, several NBA players were on the move during the All-Star break, Kansas took out TCU in college basketball, Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck had a big night, and a former pro sports owner died.

From the previous version of Hot off the Wire:

» President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine. The trip was a gesture of solidarity coming days before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

» Michigan State University students and faculty have returned to the East Lansing campus, one week after a gunman killed three students and injured five others.

» A new 6.4 magnitude earthquake has killed three people and injured more than 200 in parts of Turkey laid waste two weeks ago by a massive quake that killed tens of thousands.

» Nearly one year after Russia invaded Ukraine, new questions are rising over China’s potential willingness to aid Moscow in the drawn-out conflict.

» Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe said in a speech posted online Monday that he has been removed as the right-wing group’s leader.

» New court filings show the prosecution in the case of a fatal New Mexico film-set shooting has made a stark turnaround that drops the possibility of a mandatory five-year sentence against Alec Baldwin.

» Well-wishes and fond remembrances for former President Jimmy Carter were pouring in a day after he entered hospice care at his home in Georgia.

» A landmark Supreme Court decision on the Second Amendment is upending gun laws across the country, dividing judges and sowing confusion over what firearm restrictions can remain on the books.

» On this week’s AP Religion Roundup, a 103-year old nun reflects on her years as a college basketball fan, and ministers consider using artificial intelligence for writing sermons.