Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day.
(Want to get this newsletter in your inbox? Here’s the sign-up.)
Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday.
1. President Biden said a Russian invasion of Ukraine “remains distinctly possible,” but vowed to give diplomacy “every chance.”
Biden’s remarks came hours after President Vladimir Putin of Russia said his country had decided to “partially pull back troops” from Ukraine’s border. Biden said that American officials had not verified that claim.
In a meeting this morning with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Putin said he was seeking a “diplomatic path” to resolving the tense standoff with the West but would continue pushing for a rollback of NATO in Eastern Europe and a guarantee that Ukraine would not join the alliance.
Putin’s calculus, according to a U.S. official, is most likely shifting as he weighs the costs of an invasion and what he will get from negotiations. Deciphering his next move is testing U.S. intelligence agencies.
2. Families of Sandy Hook shooting victims reached a $73 million settlement in their lawsuit against Remington, the manufacturer of the gun used in the attack.
The agreement, reached with the families of five children and four adults killed in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, appears to be the largest such settlement involving a gun maker and relatives of mass shooting victims.
The families contended that Remington violated state consumer law by promoting the weapon in a way that appealed to so-called couch commandoes and troubled young men, like the gunman who stormed into the elementary school. It was a novel strategy that resulted in a significant setback for the firearm industry.
3. Ottawa’s police chief resigned as protests dragged on in the Canadian capital.
Peter Sloly’s resignation came after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the rare step of declaring a national public order emergency. The police have been criticized for a sluggish response to the trucker protests that have paralyzed downtown Ottawa for almost three weeks.
Traffic started flowing again at a border crossing in Alberta, however, after protesters began leaving the site following several arrests and weapons seizures. A small protest cell in the province had been prepared to use violence to maintain a blockade, the police reported.
Much of the trucker convoy’s significant financial support seems to come from wealthy Canadians, though one of the biggest contributions was made in the name of an American tech entrepreneur.
4. Prince Andrew settled a sexual abuse lawsuit brought against him by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims.
The amount that Andrew will pay has not been disclosed. The lawsuit was brought by Virginia Giuffre, a woman who accused him of raping her when she was under 18 at Epstein’s mansion in Manhattan, on his private island and in London. The parties agreed to keep the financial terms of the settlement confidential, according to a statement attached to a court filing.
The deal came just weeks before Andrew was scheduled to sit for a deposition, in which he would have been questioned by Giuffre’s lawyers. Andrew did not admit to any of Giuffre’s accusations against him in the statement that announced the settlement.
Wider questions about Andrew’s finances and behavior continue to plague the royal family.
5. Kamila Valieva had three heart drugs in the blood sample she provided before the Beijing Games, a document shows.
The 15-year-old Russian figure skater was cleared to continue competing in the Beijing Games even though trimetazidine, a banned substance, was found in her system. According to documents filed at her hearing and reviewed by The Times, the sample from December also contained traces of two other heart medications, hypoxin and L-Carnatine. Those drugs are not banned.
A top official from the International Olympic Committee said that Valieva was defending herself by suggesting that she ingested the banned drug by mistake.
The news came hours after Valieva skated into first place, even after tumbling out of her opening triple axel in the short program. The final free skate is Thursday.
6. A woman of mixed race appears to be the third person ever to be cured of H.I.V., using a new transplant method.
The woman, who also has leukemia, was treated using a method that involves umbilical cord blood, which is more widely available than the adult stem cells typically used in bone marrow transplants. The previous cured patients received bone marrow transplants for treatment.
Umbilical cord blood does not need to be matched as closely to the recipient. Most donors in registries are of Caucasian origin, so allowing for only a partial match has the potential to cure dozens of Americans who have both H.I.V. and cancer each year, scientists said.
In other health news, a new study suggests that vaccination during pregnancy protects infants from being hospitalized for Covid.
7. What’s happening on Mars?
A year into its mission on the planet, the Perseverance rover has investigated a crater that was once a Lake Tahoe-sized body of water, deployed a robotic helicopter, tested technology for generating oxygen and taken rock samples that will be brought back to Earth. And the mission is only getting started.
Perseverance isn’t alone up there — China and the United Arab Emirates have also had a successful 12 months of research on Mars.
Elsewhere in the solar system, a piece of old rocket is expected to crash into the Moon next month. The debris, it turns out, probably came from a Chinese rocket and not from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, as was previously reported.
8. “The Gilded Age” is exploring a chapter of history rarely seen in film and television: an elite class of 19th century Black New Yorkers.
The period drama wanted to depict this group — Black men and women who had careers, money and influence — with historical accuracy. This is how its cast and creative team worked to portray them with dignity.
“What does the average person know about the Black elite in New York in the 1880s? The answer is very little if anything,” said Erica Armstrong Dunbar, the show’s historical consultant.
In other arts news, the daring and imaginative Heartbeat Opera returns with an updated version of their take on Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” Already inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this adaptation “is even more powerful,” our critic writes.
9. The new secret to your chicken recipe: animal cells.
Companies around the world are racing to bring laboratory-grown meat to consumers, a market that could reach $25 billion by 2030. They argue that growing meat in tanks is a way to lessen the environmental impact of industrial meat production. Opponents say the process ignores both culture and nature, and could be scientifically risky.
Good Meat, the first company in the world to sell cultivated meat, had its debut in 2020 at a private club in Singapore, which tucked the meat in a bao bun or crisped it atop a waffle. If lab-grown meat isn’t your thing, this Opinion Video explores another possible solution to the climate crisis — eating insects.
And hold the guacamole: The U.S. temporarily banned avocados from Mexico, citing a threat to U.S. safety inspectors in the country.
10. And finally, go big if you don’t stay home.
With Omicron cases ebbing, the travel industry is looking for a significant rebound this spring and summer. Travel agents and operators have reported a big increase in bookings in recent weeks. So what should you expect (pending another variant)?
Our Travel desk looked at some trends you can expect to see: Fewer travel restrictions with more people on planes; extended-stay options at hotels and more automation; overpriced and scarce rental cars; big city destinations; all-inclusive resorts beyond the beach; couples retreats; education-friendly family travel; and luxury expedition voyages.
As one Expedia spokesman put it: “Travel is no longer just about ‘going somewhere.’”
Have an adventurous night.
Angela Jimenez compiled photos for this briefing.
Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern.
Want to catch up on past briefings? You can browse them here.
What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com.
Here are today’s Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. If you’re in the mood to play more, find all our games here.
