Justice Breyer Retires
After Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement announcement on Jan. 26, all eyes have turned to President Joe Biden, who has the opportunity to be the first Democrat in nearly 12 years to nominate a justice to the Supreme Court. However, with Justice Breyer being a progressive, Biden will not have the opportunity to shift ideological demographics in the court. The President has vowed to nominate a Black woman, which would make the nominee the sixth woman to have served as a SCOTUS Justice.
Ukraine-Russia Tensions Rise
Russian President Vladimir Putin has assembled more than 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border, securing a position to strike all of Ukraine with a large-scale invasion, according to the Pentagon. President Joe Biden’s administration and NATO have offered a written response to Russian demands, hoping for de-escalation and continued dialogue on the matter. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been openly critical of U.S. alarmism, claiming war is not wanted nor expected. If war is to break out, the Biden administration has warned that it will hit Russian banks hard, with an option to cut Russia out of the international banking system.
Canadian Trucker Convoy
In the wake of Canada’s vaccine mandates for truckers, a “Freedom Convoy” has emerged, composed of nearly 50,000 people and a “main convoy” of more than 100 semi-trucks and 400 private vehicles. The loosely organized group has arrived in the nation’s capital, Ottawa, and has carried out protests against vaccine mandates, calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation. Trudeau has called the convoy a small minority, saying that 90% of Canada’s truckers are vaccinated.
