The Russia Complaint: Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed yesterday that the United States is trying to suck Russia into an unwanted fight over Ukraine  while thwarting his country’s demands for a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. 

  Although he has massed 130,000 troops and supporting vehicles on three sides of Ukraine, Putin said of the US that “Their most important task is to contain Russia’s development.” He said, “Ukraine is just an instrument of achieving this goal.” Putin did, however, leave the door open to further diplomacy.

  With all those troops threatening his country thousands of miles from the US, Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kuleba told National Public Radio that Americans need to care because, “If Russia succeeds here in Ukraine, that will send a clear message to everyone who wants to rewrite rules on which the world is based, that this is possible.” 

  Kuleba said Russian domination over Ukraine would tell the world “That the United States and the democratic coalition led by the United States are incapable to maintain the current world order. That they are weak. And if you behave in a bold, aggressive way, you will eventually succeed.”

  He said, “We don’t need your boots on the ground, but help us to fight this war diplomatically, militarily. And we will defend the current world order led by the United States and other democratic countries in this part of the world.”

Real Money: America’s national debt hit $30 trillion for the first time yesterday just as the economy quakes and the cost of living is spiking. 

  The big push over the top was the result of $5 trillion in borrowed money spent during the pandemic to pay for expanded jobless benefits, support for small businesses and stimulus payments. The debt is now larger than the entire economy a level of negative spending not done since World War II.

Last Pass: Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady, the winner of seven Super Bowls in 22 seasons and considered the greatest of all time, announced his retirement from professional football at age 44.

  It came after what appeared to be a false start with a retracted announcement over the weekend.

  Brady said in an Instagram post, “If a 100% competitive commitment isn’t there, you won’t succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game.” Therefore, he said, “I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.”

  He is married to the model Gisele Bündchen and has three children.

  Brady came to the NFL out of virtual nowhere. He was not the greatest during college at Michigan and was a sixth round draft pick. A scouting report said, “Poor build…Gets knocked down easily” and “Skinny, lacks great physical stature and arm strength.”

  But Brady had focus and determination. He later said on his website,   

“I just remember thinking, whichever team picked me, I was going to make the other 31 regret it.” 

  Brady made the others regret not picking him winning six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Viral News: The US has hit the mark of 75 million total cases of Covid-19. Deaths have surpassed 890,000. 

Seize the Vote: In the weeks following his loss in the 2020 election, Donald Trump made efforts to use national security agencies to seize voting machines in a search for evidence of vote fraud and possibly overturn the election, The NY Times reports. 

  Trump actually considered ordering the Pentagon to take control of voting machines, but was advised not to, the paper says. In one instance Trump directed his lawyer, former federal prosecutor, and New York Mayor  Rudy Giuliani, to ask the Department of Homeland Security if it could legally take control of voting machines in key swing states, the Times reports. Trump also asked Attorney General William Barr whether the Justice Department could seize the machines, a suggestion that Barr immediately shot down, The Times says.

Standing Corrected: ABC has suspended Whoopi Goldberg from “the View” after she said on air that the Nazi extermination of Jewish people was “not about race.”

  When a co-host responded that the Holocaust was driven by white supremacy, Goldberg said, “But these are two white groups of people.” She went on, “This is white people doing it to white people, so y’all going to fight amongst yourselves.” 

  The Nazis clearly thought Jews were an inferior race, regardless of skin color.

  “While Whoopi has apologized, I’ve asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments,” ABC President Kim Godwin said in a statement. “The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities.”

 The Spin Rack: A police officer and campus safety officer were killed yesterday by a gunman at Bridgewater College in Virginia. The gunman was captured. — President Biden is expected today to unveil a plan to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least half over the next 25 years. — The Washington Football Team, formerly the Washington Redskins, is expected to announce its new name today. — Although profits were up mor than 30 percent in the last three months of 2021, Starbucks says rising costs are forcing the company to raise prices.

Cannon Fire: Actor and talk show host Nick Cannon announced last September that his therapist told him to abstain from sex after producing four children with three different women in under a year. Cannon said he would remain celibate until 2022. 

  He then announced that he and model Bre Tiesi, former wife of NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel, were expecting their first child together. She is Cannon’s fifth baby mama. No word on what his therapist says now.

-30-