The Briefing 02-21-14

1. In shadow of Olympics, Ukrainian civil war taking place under sponsorship of Russia

Pull Out of Sochi to Protest the Kiev Massacre, Wall Street Journal (Bernard-Henri Levy)

E.U. Imposes Sanctions Despite Russian Criticism, New York Times (Stephen Lee Myers and Stephen Castle)

Leaders Want to Keep Russia’s History in Positive Light, USA Today (Doug Stanglin and Anna Arutunyan)

2. Probability Russian men die before age 55 up to 25% due to Vodka

Vodka blamed for high death rates in Russia, BBC (Tulip Mazudmar)

Vodka ‘to blame for high death risk in Russian men’ The Telegraph (Associated Press)

3. Tennessee abortion stats and Alabama abortion debate reveal worldview divide

Tennessee Abortion Numbers Drop in Past Decade, The Tennessean (Anita Wadhwani)

Abortion is Hot Topic at Capital, Times Daily (Mary Sell)

4. Federal judge rulings on same-sex marriage could ‘ripple across the south’

Gay Marriage Rulings Could Ripple Across the South, Time Magazine (Michael A. Lindenberger)

5. Chinese soldiers outgrowing Chinese equipment

China Considers Larger Tanks as Soldiers Pile on Pounds, Financial Times (Charles Clover)