While you were sleeping, we compiled the biggest stories of the day in one place. Each story has a quick and easy summary, so you're prepared for whatever the day brings. Just click on the links if you want to know more!
1. Russia-Ukraine war: Key things to know about the conflict
Russian troops were keeping up pressure on Ukraine's capital city and air raid sirens were heard across the besieged country overnight, even as both nations were expected to resume diplomatic talks.
The attacks on the capital Monday came a day after Russia escalated its offensive by shelling areas close to the Polish border. The fighting, now in its third week, continued to exact a human toll.
A pregnant woman and her baby died after Russia bombed the maternity hospital where she was meant to give birth.
Award-winning American journalist Brent Renaud was killed by Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Irpin, police in Kyiv said in social media posts on Sunday. Another American journalist, Juan Arredondo, was wounded.IMAGE OR VIDEO HERE.
2. Bucking retirement: Brady is back
After a very short retirement, NFL superstar quarterback Tom Brady announced his return, pledging to play another season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady took to social media Sunday, announcing his decision to return to the field in the upcoming season.
"These past two months I've realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands," Brady wrote on Twitter. "That time will come. But it's not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I'm coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG."
3. Disney or DeSantis: Who runs Florida?
Walt Disney Co. is suspending its political donations in Florida. The company’s CEO received huge blowback for not using Disney’s vast influence in the state to try to quash a recently passed Republican bill that would prevent teachers from instructing early grades on LGBTQ issues.
Shortly after, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday accused the company of being friendly with communist China.
As the bill awaits the governor's signature, Disney has pledged to donate millions of dollars to LGBTQ+ organizations.
4. March Madness: Miami is going dancing again
The Hurricanes are the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA tournament and will face Southern California (26-7, 14-6 Pacific 12 Conference) in a first-round game Friday in Greenville, South Carolina.
This will be the first NCAA tournament appearance for Miami since 2018 and fifth under head coach Jim Larranaga, who recently received a contract extension that will keep him at the school through the 2025-26 season.
The Hurricanes (23-10, 14-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) finished fourth in the ACC standings and earned a double-bye in the conference tournament, losing to top-seeded and seventh-ranked Duke in the semifinals.
5. Play ball: Spring training returns
Baseball fans across the country breathed a collective sigh of relief Thursday after owners and players finally came to terms on a labor agreement, ending the 99-day lockout and giving way to the start of spring training.
Although fans will miss out on about two weeks of spring training games, and the regular season won't start until April 7, teams will still play a full 162-game schedule. Players had to report to spring training by Sunday.
All of the teams that hold spring training in Florida will be playing other squads that train nearby. This is a similar to the "pod-like" schedule that was held last year due to the pandemic.
Fans can start buying tickets now with the first spring training games beginning next week on March 17.
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On This Day In History
On March 14, 1879, Albert Einstein is born, the son of a Jewish electrical engineer in Ulm, Germany. Einstein’s theories of special and general relativity drastically altered human understanding of the universe, and his work in particle and energy theory helped make possible quantum mechanics and, ultimately, the atomic bomb.
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