Show Notes: Ukrainian Refugee Crisis, Record Gas Prices, & Biden's Energy Ban

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Clip of the day: Remember, the average electric vehicle costs over $56K. Now to Mayor Pete.

TheBlaze @theblaze

Pete Buttigieg wants people to simply buy an electric car so they don't have to worry about rising gas prices.

Refugee Crisis

At least 21 civilians were killed overnight in the Ukrainian city of Sumy as Russia continued its indiscriminate shelling of key areas. A temporary ceasefire is in effect until 9 PM to allow civilians to evacuate the area. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has largely been leveled as the humanitarian crisis devolves. Over 700,000 Ukrainians are without electricity as much of the country has temperatures below freezing this time of year. Here’s more:

• Humanitarian convoy comes under fire. - CNN

• Two million people fled Ukraine. - WSJ

• Why the letter Z is a pro-war symbol. - CNN

• Putin sends nearly 100% of Russian forces at the border into Ukraine. - Politico

• Beijing is re-writing the Ukraine narrative. - Axios

• Republicans call for a pause on climate-related regulation, citing the Ukraine conflict. - WSJ

• Putin’s next move. - Axios

Biden Bans Russian Oil

The Biden administration is set to ban Russian oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal according to multiple sources. The ban comes as gas prices in the United States hit a record high of $4.17 per gallon. The previous record of $4.11 was set in 2008.

• Gas increased by $0.55 per gallon in the past week. - CNN Business

• The average price for a gallon of gas in California is $5.44. - Axios

• The price of oil jumped again on the news of banned Russian energy. - CNBC

The Quinnipiac Poll

Quinnipiac released a fascinating poll before Biden announced his plan to ban Russian energy products. Here’s a quick summary.

• Americans say 71 - 22 percent that they would support a ban on Russian oil even if it meant higher gasoline prices in the United States.

• There is broad support (79 - 14 percent) for a U.S. military response if Russian President Vladimir Putin goes beyond Ukraine and attacks a NATO country.

• Americans think 60 - 28 percent that Putin is willing to use nuclear weapons against NATO countries.

• Here’s how long Americans expect the war in Ukraine to last: 44 percent say months, 23 percent say years, 19 percent say weeks.

Supreme Court Rejects GOP Redistricting Plans

In a significant win for Democrats, the Supreme Court rejected redistricting plans for North Carolina and Pennsylvania. This likely gives North Carolina an additional Democratic house seat.

The rest of the news

• China sets daily COVID case record as Omicron surges. - WSJ

• London Metal Exchange halts nickel trading after 250% spike. - Bloomberg

• Russia warns of $300 per barrel of oil. - CNBC

• COVID can damage the brain according to UK scientists. - Nature

• NFL suspends a Falcons player for gambling on games. - Yahoo

• Opposition parties set to topple the Pakistani government. - Nikkei

• China considers buying a stake in multiple Russian energy commodity firms. - Bloomberg

• British spies are using a gay dating app to track Putin’s soldiers. - Dailymail