It appears that US President Joe Biden is really getting under the skin of Russian President Dictator Vladimir Putin. These leaders of the world two preeminent superpowers have been trading barbs for weeks now, and on a range of subjects.  The latest focus of their fury has to do with the Kremlin’s continued aggression against Ukraine, where Russian military forces are lining just over the border, with “invasion stripes” painted on their vehicles to prevent friendly fire. This is a tacit admission that there will be fire, and Biden isn’t going to stand for it. The US first sent warships in the direction of the Black Sea in an attempt to deter Putin from poking the bear.  The Russian government responded by blocking the entrance to the area and warning that America’s maneuvers were “adversarial”. Biden responded by sanctioning Russia over a major hacking attack that took place months ago. Now, just ahead of what is believed to be an inevitable Russian invasion of Ukraine, Putin is once again puffing out his chest. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his annual State of the Nation speech, warned on Wednesday against provoking his country, promising a swift retaliation against anyone who crossed “red lines.“ Moscow will respond “harshly,” “quickly” and “asymmetrically” to foreign provocations, Putin told an audience of Russia’s top officials and lawmakers, adding that he “hoped” no foreign actor would cross Russia’s “red lines,” according to a Reuters translation. Russia is also facing international condemnation for their treatment of journalist Alexei Navalny, who is believed to be at death’s door at a Russian prison hospital.  Joe Biden has said that Russia would “pay a price” if Navalny were to perish in custody of the government.

On Tuesday, Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin was seen on video kneeling on the neck of Floyd for nearly 9 minutes as the restrained man slowly suffocated, in a moment that has haunted our nation for a year. Now that Chauvin is off to prison, and a likely, lengthy appeals process, the Department of Justice is now hoping to find out exactly what went wrong in Minneapolis, and whether or not there is some systemic issue with the police department itself. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday that the Justice Department will be conducting an investigation of law enforcement in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd. The announcement comes one day after a Hennepin County jury found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of second degree murder for killing Floyd. “Yesterday’s verdict in the state criminal trial does not address potentially systemic policing issues in Minneapolis,” Garland said during a press conference. Garland said the probe will be a “fully comprehensive review” that will look into whether the Minneapolis Police Department has a “pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing.” He specificed that this includes “using excessive force, including during protests,” as well as “discriminatory conduct and whether its treatment of those with behavioral health disabilities is unlawful.” The DOJ will utilize their civil rights division in the investigation, and the Attorney General said that the move could protect “good cops” from their not-so-pristine peers in the precinct. “I strongly believe that good officers do not want to work in systems that allow bad practices,” Garland said. “Good officers welcome accountability because accountability is an essential part of building trust with the community and public safety requires public trust.” Chauvin was moved to prison on Wednesday, and promptly…