The 7: One week of war; Jan. 6 developments; a historic agreement to fix plastic pollution; and more
| Catch up in minutes. |
 |
| | | | | | | | | Good morning. It's Thursday, March 3, and our reporters are holding another Q&A this morning about the war in Ukraine. Get your questions in or follow along here. Now let's get to the news.  | It's been one week since Russia invaded Ukraine. |  (The Washington Post) | - Where things stand: So far, Ukraine's military has defied the odds, defending a number of key cities against Russian troops and missile attacks. A large Russian convoy headed toward Kyiv, the capital, is struggling with low morale and poor planning.
- The big picture: The war has switched up 75 years of relations among the world's wealthiest and most powerful countries. Western reaction has been swift and negative, with a growing list of boycotts we're tracking here.
| | |  | More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine since the war began. | - That number is already on par with the number of refugees displaced from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan in 2015, and it will keep growing as fighting continues.
- The human toll so far: The U.N. recorded 227 civilian deaths as of yesterday, including 15 children, but the real number is probably much higher.
| | |  | The Jan. 6 committee says Donald Trump may have broken the law. | - The former president and his allies engaged in potential "criminal conspiracy" while trying to overturn the election, according to the House panel investigating the Capitol attack.
- Where we learned this: A court filing to try to get emails from a lawyer involved in the effort to challenge the 2020 election results.
- In other news: A member of the Oath Keepers extremist group became the first Jan. 6 defendant to plead guilty to conspiring against the U.S. government.
| | |  | The U.S. is rolling out a new pandemic plan. | - The big takeaway: The White House said closing schools and businesses is no longer necessary and detailed other ways to deal with the coronavirus.
- One of those plans: If people test positive at a pharmacy, they would immediately get antiviral pills for covid treatment.
- Other pieces: Preparing for new variants and expanding vaccinations worldwide.
| | |  | Smugglers have sawed through the border wall over 3,000 times. | - Maintenance records show that damage to sections built when Trump was president has been more widespread than previously known.
- How smugglers are doing it: Using inexpensive power tools. They cut the steel beams near the ground, which lets them swing open.
| | |  | Lawmakers want to make schools post all lesson materials online. | - These transparency bills, being pushed in at least 17 states and Congress, would require teachers to list all the books, articles, handouts and videos they plan to use that year.
- Why? The goal, at least in part, is to let parents who distrust their kids' schools examine what they're being taught, particularly around race or other potentially divisive topics.
| | |  | Countries will try to find a solution to plastic pollution. | You're all caught up. See you tomorrow. But before you go … it's Women's History Month. To celebrate, The Post is publishing four crossword puzzles created entirely by women. Check out this week's here, and I'll be back with another next Thursday.  (Jordan Robertson for The Post) | Do you know someone who would like this newsletter? Share it with them. Prefer push notifications? Download The Post's app to get one when The 7 publishes. | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| |  | | You received this email because you signed up for The 7 or because it is included in your subscription. | | | | | | |
Email 