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. Biden heads to Europe as West plans new sanctions
President Joe Biden's trip to Europe comes at a critical moment for the war in Ukraine, which could become a bloody stalemate as Russia pummels cities with airstrikes and artillery.
Biden departs Wednesday on a four-day trip. Biden will will meet with allies during a long day of meetings in Brussels on Thursday. NATO, the European Union and the Group of Seven nations are holding summits that day.
Western leaders are expected to unveil the latest round of sanctions to pressure Moscow to end the war. Biden could also announce plans for the U.S. to permanently maintain an increased number of troops in NATO countries near Ukraine, four people familiar with the discussions told NBC News.
2. Florida, Utah and Indiana Republican governors diverge on transgender girls in sports
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb both vetoed a ban on transgender students playing girls' sports this week.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis already signed a transgender athlete bill last year, but waded into fresh controversy on Tuesday with a proclamation honoring the collegiate swimmer who recently placed second to University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title.
The governor's proclamation states that "since she is a native Floridian from Sarasota, I, Ron DeSantis, Governor of the State of Florida, do hereby declare in Florida that Emma Weyant is the rightful winner of the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's 500-yard Freestyle."
3. 4 students hit by car while waiting for school bus in Royal Palm Beach
Four Palm Beach County students were taken to nearby hospitals Tuesday morning after authorities said the children were hit by a car while waiting for their school bus.
Two of the children suffered critical injuries and two are in serious condition, according to an official crash report from the sheriff's office.
The sheriff's office said Angel Antonio Lopez, 57, was driving a 2018 Alfa Romero Stelvio north on Crestwood Boulevard South and lost control, drove onto a sidewalk, and struck four students.
Residents living nearby said they've wanted a stop light at the intersection for years.
4. Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson defends judicial record
Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee directly questioned Supreme Court justice nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for hours on Tuesday, with a long portion of the hearing focusing on her sentencing of child pornography offenders.
A handful of conservative lawmakers have accused Jackson of handing down lighter sentences in child pornography cases she presided over. When asked about those cases by Durbin on Tuesday, she firmly pushed back.
"Nothing could be further from the truth," Jackson said. "In every case, it's important to me that children's voices are represented in my sentence."
Several media outlets, including The Associated Press, have shot down claims that Jackson's child pornography sentences were lighter than other judges.
5. Man attacked by tiger in South Florida...again
Preliminary investigation indicates the tiger was in an enclosure at Wooten's Everglades Airboat Tours being fed by its caretaker. A 50-year-old man, another employee of Wooten's who was not authorized to be with the tiger, entered the tiger's enclosure.
According to deputies, the tiger attacked the man, causing injuries to both of his arms. The man was taken to a nearby hospital. His condition is unknown at this time.
Tuesday's incident marks the second tiger attack reported in less than three months in Collier County.
In December 2021, a man was seriously injured after being attacked by a tiger at the Naples Zoo when he entered an unauthorized area near a tiger inside its enclosure.
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On This Day In History
On March 23, 1839, the initials “O.K.” are first published in The Boston Morning Post. Meant as an abbreviation for “oll korrect,” a popular slang misspelling of “all correct” at the time, OK steadily made its way into the everyday speech of Americans.
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