Daily Briefing: Ukraine authorities begin 'criminal proceedings'

Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY
·5 min read

The death toll from a Russian missile strike in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro has risen to at least 40. Also in the news: Two bodies remain missing in the ruins of a crashed passenger plane in Nepal. We take a look at the best photos from the 2023 Australian Open.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author.

Let's go with Tuesday's headlines

Civilian strike shows Kremlin is digging in

Ukraine authorities began "criminal proceedings" Monday against Russian soldiers blamed for the missile strike that devastated a nine-story apartment building in Ukraine and killed at least 40 people, one of Moscow's deadliest attacks on civilians away from battle areas.

One thing to know: Western analysts pointed to signs indicating the Kremlin is digging in for a drawn-out war after almost 11 months of fighting.

  • Seventy-two apartments were destroyed in the attacks and 236 were damaged, leaving hundreds of Ukrainians homeless in the dead of winter. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, called the strike, and others like it, “inhumane aggression” because it directly targeted civilians.

  • The Kremlin appears to be preparing to conduct a decisive strategic action in the next six months intended to regain the initiative and end Ukraine’s string of operational successes, a Washington-based think tank warns.

People watch as emergency workers continue to search the remains of a residential building that was struck by a Russian missile Saturday on January 16, 2023 in Dnipro, Ukraine.
People watch as emergency workers continue to search the remains of a residential building that was struck by a Russian missile Saturday on January 16, 2023 in Dnipro, Ukraine.

Nepal to send data recorder from crash to France

Nepalese authorities on Tuesday began returning to families the bodies of victims of a flight that crashed Sunday in the foothills of the Himalayas, killing at least 70 of the 72 people aboard. Officials said they were sending the aircraft’s data recorder to France for analysis as they try to determine what caused the country’s deadliest plane accident in 30 years. Searchers found the plane’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder on Monday, and combed through debris scattered down a gorge in search of the people who remain missing, but are presumed dead. One body was found Tuesday, and two remain missing. Read more

A woman wails as she waits to receive the body of a relative, victim of a plane crash, at a hospital in Pokhara, Nepal, Monday, Jan 16, 2023.
A woman wails as she waits to receive the body of a relative, victim of a plane crash, at a hospital in Pokhara, Nepal, Monday, Jan 16, 2023.

More news to know now

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Former GOP state candidate arrested in drive-by shooting case

Failed Republican state legislative candidate Solomon Pena was arrested Monday in connection with a series of drive-by shootings targeting the homes of Democratic lawmakers in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Authorities say Pena was angry over losing the election last November and made baseless claims that the election was “rigged” against him. Pena was the “mastermind” of what appears to be a politically motivated criminal conspiracy leading to four shootings at or near the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators between early December and early January, officials said. Read more

Solomon Pena, center, a Republican candidate for New Mexico House District 14, is taken into custody by Albuquerque Police officers, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in southwest Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Solomon Pena, center, a Republican candidate for New Mexico House District 14, is taken into custody by Albuquerque Police officers, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in southwest Albuquerque, New Mexico.

How to tell if a recession hits in 2023

The mild slump that most economists expect in 2023 will result from more jabs to an economy that has withstood a flurry so far but will finally be nudged over the edge. Such a nuanced shift raises a pointed question: How will we even know we’re in a recession? What will it look and feel like? There’s little doubt there will be some pain as hundreds of thousands of workers likely lose their jobs. As a result, those employed will worry they might get laid off themselves and pull back spending. But don’t expect the trauma of the past two recessions, which each threw millions of people out of work. Read more

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Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference after the Federal Reserve announced that it would raise interest rates by a 0.5 percentage point to 4.5.
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference after the Federal Reserve announced that it would raise interest rates by a 0.5 percentage point to 4.5.

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Alarming number of high schools don't employ athletic trainers

When Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field early in a game against Cincinnati on Jan. 2 and required life-saving CPR, he was saved by the quick action of a certified athletic trainer. Bills’ assistant trainer Denny Kellington, who performed CPR on Hamlin, has been hailed as a hero. But what if no athletic trainer had been present? One in three American high schools don’t have access to a certified athletic trainer, according to the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA). And it's been that way since NATA first started tracking data about a decade ago. Read more

A fan holds sign bearing the likeness of Buffalo Bills trainer Denny Kellington during practices before an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Orchard Park, New York.
A fan holds sign bearing the likeness of Buffalo Bills trainer Denny Kellington during practices before an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Orchard Park, New York.

📷 Photo of the day: Best photos from the 2023 Australian Open 📷

The tennis is in full swing at the Grand Slam tournament that began this week at Melbourne Park. The Australian Open features players such as Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz who made breakthroughs in 2022. Click here to see more photos from the court.

American Frances Tiafoe, the No. 16 seed, serves during his first-round victory over Germany's Daniel Altmaier.
American Frances Tiafoe, the No. 16 seed, serves during his first-round victory over Germany's Daniel Altmaier.

One more thing

Stephanie Inge and Rhonda Eick gather outside Graceland to pay their respects to Lisa Marie Presley on January 13, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Stephanie Inge and Rhonda Eick gather outside Graceland to pay their respects to Lisa Marie Presley on January 13, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine, Russia, Damar Hamlin, Australian Open, inflation, Lisa Marie Presley: Daily Briefing