1/ For the third time, the U.S. vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 13 in favor with the U.S. against. The U.K. abstained from voting. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. called the resolution “wishful and irresponsible,” adding that “demanding an immediate, unconditional ceasefire without an agreement requiring Hamas to release the hostages will not bring about a durable peace.” The U.S., meanwhile, proposed its own resolution, which instead calls for a “temporary ceasefire” linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas. (NPR / CNN / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press)

2/ The Biden administration is preparing “major sanctions” against Russia in response to the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Russia claims that Navalny lost consciousness and died after taking a walk in the Arctic prison, where he was serving a combined prison sentence of more than 30 years on charges of extremism and fraud that he denied. “Whatever story the Russian government decides to tell the world, it’s clear that President Putin and his government are responsible for Mr. Navalny’s death,” National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said. The “substantial package” of financial penalties will “come on the eve of the two-year anniversary of the Ukraine war,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan added. Biden, meanwhile, said “Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death.” (Politico / ABC News / Bloomberg / Associated Press / NBC News / New York Times / NBC News)

3/ The Supreme Court declined to take up a case challenging an admissions policy aimed at encouraging diversity at a Virginia high school. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, often ranked the best high school in the country, changed its admissions process in 2020 to boost racial diversity at the school. The new process ended the application fee, allotted a number of seats proportionally among the district’s middle schools, removed standardized tests, and shifted to a more holistic evaluatio...