Russia's new threat, holy holidays, honoring Jackie Robinson: 5 things to know Friday

Editors
·5 min read
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After losing warship, Russia promises to ramp up missile attacks in Kyiv

Russia's Defense Ministry on Friday promised to ramp up "the scale of missile attacks" on Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv in response to the nation's "diversions on the Russian territory." The statement comes a day after Russian authorities accused Ukrainian forces of launching airstrikes on residential buildings in one of the country's regions on the border with Ukraine. Meanwhile, the storied Russian warship Moskva, whose history goes back to the Cold War, sank into the Black Sea Thursday in the latest blow to Moscow's war effort. Losing the vessel represents a military setback and symbolic defeat for Russia. A Ukrainian official said on Telegram that Ukraine's forces struck the Moskva with two missiles. Russia has acknowledged the ship sank, but blamed other factors. In a video address late Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised his nation's bravery and said Ukraine should be proud of having survived 50 days under Russian attack when the Russians "gave us a maximum of five."

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Passover and Good Friday are here, and they're historically late

Friday marks the beginning of Passover, a Jewish holiday that celebrates the Exodus, the liberation of Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Also known as Pesach, the holiday happens every year during the month of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, which typically falls around March or April. It’s celebrated for eight days, except in Israel where it’s celebrated for seven. This year’s Passover starts Friday and ends April 23. Friday is also Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday. The two holidays are later than usual this year — Easter Sunday is uncommonly late, falling on April 17 for the first time in 62 years. Both holidays are linked to the moon: Easter occurs after the Paschal Moon, and the Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles.

Jackie Robinson Day honors the trailblazer and baseball legend

Players and organizations across Major League Baseball will honor Jackie Robinson Friday, the 75th anniversary of Robinson breaking the major league color barrier. Robinson made history – and helped usher in the civil rights movement – in 1947 when he made his Brooklyn Dodgers debut against the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. As part of Jackie Robinson Day, all major league players, managers, coaches and umpires will wear Robinson's No. 42 in Dodger blue for the first time. MLB retired Robinson's number in 1997 and all uniformed personnel have worn 42 on Jackie Robinson Day since 2009. The Dodgers will play at home in Los Angeles Friday night, facing the Cincinnati Reds (10:10 p.m. ET, Apple TV+). They will be joined by Robinson's 99-year-old widow, Rachel, and her son David. Earlier in the day, several Dodgers players will take part in events in Pasadena, California, where Robinson grew up.

Final two NBA playoff spots up for grabs with play-in tournament games

After two solid nights of action earlier this week, the NBA's play-in tournament will conclude Friday night with two more win-or-go-home matchups as the last teams to take part in the playoffs will be decided. First, in an Eastern Conference matchup, Darius Garland and the Cleveland Cavaliers will host Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). The Cavaliers may have injured center and second leading scorer Jarrett Allen for the game. Allen fractured his left middle finger on March 6 and has missed 19 consecutive games. The winner of the game will be the East's No. 8 seed and face the Miami Heat in the first round. Later in the Western Conference, CJ McCollum and the New Orleans Pelicans visit Los Angeles to play Paul George and the Clippers (10 p.m. ET, TNT). The winner of that matchup will be the No. 8 seed in the West and earn a best-of-seven clash with the Phoenix Suns, who finished the regular season 64-18, the NBA's best record.

Coachella returns to kick off festival season

Music festival season begins Friday as the Coachella Music and Arts Festival gets underway in Indio, California. The festival is making its post-COVID return after being canceled in 2020 and 2021, but has already had to replace one of its top headliners after Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) dropped out earlier this month. Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd will fill the Sunday headlining spot in his place. Coachella runs April 15-17 and April 22-24 this year, with Harry Styles and Billie Eilish as the other major headliners.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Russia's new threat, honoring Jackie Robinson: 5 things to know Friday