1 big thing

Explosions could be heard throughout the country as Russian missile strikes were reported in multiple cities across Ukraine after Vladimir Putin ordered what he called a special military operation to "demilitarize and denazify Ukraine."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told his people to stay strong as Russian forces invaded his sovereign nation by land, air and sea overnight.

• Plus, why more women of color in the U.S. are dying due to pregnancy or childbirth.

Guests: Axios' Zach Basu, and Dr. Melissa Simon, OBGYN at Northwestern Medical.

Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Julia Redpath, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Alex Sugiura, Sabeena Singhani, and Lydia McMullen-Laird. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

Yesterday, President Joe Biden announced the first tranche of sanctions against Russia. He called this moment the “beginning of a Russian invasion” of Ukraine.

Guests: Axios' Zach Basu, Andrew Freedman and Emma Hurt.

Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Julia Redpath, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Alex Sugiura, Sabeena Singhani, and Lydia McMullen-Laird. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops into two Russian-backed separatist regions of Ukraine. Many European and several African countries, in addition to the U.S., have condemned this as a violation of international law and a direct threat to Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Guests: Axios' Dave Lawler, Chelsea Cirruzzo, and Joann Muller.

Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Julia Redpath, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Alex Sugiura, Sabeena Singhani, and Lydia McMullen-Laird. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

Russian skater Kamila Valieva was still allowed to compete despite testing positive for a banned substance before the Olympic games. She was a heavy favorite for the gold - but ended up coming in fourth place yesterday. What does this say about the integrity of the Olympic games -- and what does it mean for the future of figure skating?

Guests: The Washington Post's figure skating analyst Robert Samuels and Axios' Joann Muller and Emily Peck.

Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Julia Redpath, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Alex Sugiura, Sabeena Singhani, and Lydia McMullen-Laird. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

A federal hate crimes trial is underway in Brunswick, Georgia, where Ahmaud Arbery was murdered almost two years ago. The central question in the trial is whether race was the motivating factor for the three white men who killed Arbery, who was Black. But how can prosecutors prove racism?

Guests: Criminal defense attorney Page Pate, and Axios' Tina Reed.

Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Julia Redpath, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Alex Sugiura, Sabeena Singhani, and Lydia McMullen-Laird. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

Nine families who lost loved ones in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School said yesterday that they’d settled for $73 million with Remington Arms, the company that made the AR-15-style weapon the shooter used. The question now is what impact if any this settlement will have on gunmakers and future efforts to hold them accountable for mass shootings.

Guests: Professor of law at UCLA and specialist in gun policy Adam Winkler, Axios' Sara Fischer and Andrew Freedman.

Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Julia Redpath, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Alex Sugiura, Sabeena Singhani, and Lydia McMullen-Laird. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

The USDA confirmed yesterday that it’s blocking imports of avocados from Mexico -- for now -- after a U.S. plant safety inspector received a threatening phone call.

Guests: Telemundo News' Marina Franco, and Axios' Mike Allen and Margaret Harding McGill.

Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Julia Redpath, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Alex Sugiura, Sabeena Singhani, and Lydia McMullen-Laird. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

As more people go back to in-person work, rush hour traffic has started to come back across the country. But the pandemic has changed the timing of our morning commutes.

Guests: Axios' Hans Nichols, Joann Muller, and Neil Irwin.

Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Julia Redpath, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Alex Sugiura, Sabeena Singhani, and Lydia McMullen-Laird. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

New data shows consumer prices are up 7.5% over the past year. That's the worst since 1982. The latest inflation numbers are pouring cold water on President Biden's recent wins on job and wage growth. It shows how the COVID economy remains his biggest obstacle, whether real or psychological.

Guests: Axios' Hans Nichols, Erica Pandey and Kendall Baker.

Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Margaret Talev, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Julia Redpath, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Alex Sugiura, Sabeena Singhani, and Lydia McMullen-Laird. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

This week, a number of democratic governors announced that their states are dropping their mask mandates and ending some COVID restrictions. And at the same time, CDC guidance continues to recommend indoor masking. So what’s driving the governors‘ decisions— politics or science?

Guests: Axios' Mike Allen, Neil Irwin and Ina Fried.

Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Margaret Talev, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Julia Redpath, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Alex Sugiura, Sabeena Singhani, and Lydia McMullen-Laird. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.