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Every weekend, Asia Pacific Daily will provide you with a run-down of the latest hot news.
This week, the following hot news you should know:
**Top 1 |**Report claiming Biden admin was preparing to spend $30M on 'crack pipes' is false, HHS says
A slew of prominent conservative political figures and conservative news outlets recently fueled a viral false report that claimed the Biden administration was preparing to spend $30 million in federal funds to distribute free crack pipes.
But that claim is not true, the Biden administration says.
The origin of the claim was a misleading report from the Washington Free Beacon, which cites a Department of Health and Human Services grant program that provides funds for "safe smoking kits" but made a misleading claim that "crack pipes" were part of them.
The program referenced in the report stems from a notice published in December on the website of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which is part of HHS.
**Top 2 |**Ketanji Brown Jackson endorsed by fellow clerks, Supreme Court insiders
They labored together in the shadows of legal giants on the nation's highest court, seeing firsthand what it takes to be a justice. Now, a group of two-dozen former law clerks from the 1999 Supreme Court term want one of their own to don a black robe.
In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, obtained first by ABC News, the former clerks extoll the intellect and character of Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson with whom they served.
The letter comes as Jackson faces questions about her experience and qualification following nomination by President Joe Biden last month as the first Black woman ever elevated to the Supreme Court.
**Top 3 |**Rep. Ilhan Omar introduces bill named for Amir Locke to curb no-knock warrants
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., introduced a bill on Tuesday calling for strict limitations on no-knock warrants in drug-related investigations.
The bill, named for Amir Locke, would also ban "quick-knock" warrants, nighttime warrants, and the use of explosive devices, chemical weapons, and military grade firearms while warrants are carried out.
Locke, a Black Minnesota native, was 22 when he was fatally shot by Minneapolis SWAT officer Mark Hanneman during an early morning execution of a no-knock search warrant on Feb. 2.
**Top 4 |**US documenting Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilians but stopping short of calling them war crimes
Russia is hitting civilian targets in Ukraine, killing innocent people and destroying hospitals, schools and critical infrastructure like running water, electricity and gas, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken alleged Wednesday.
But President Joe Biden and his administration have stopped short of accusing the Kremlin of conducting war crimes in its invasion of Ukraine so far, with the top U.S. diplomat saying instead they are "looking very closely at what's happening" and "documenting it."
The U.S. and its NATO allies continue to provide Ukraine with assistance, including anti-aircraft missiles known as Stingers, a senior U.S. official confirmed. But that lethal military aid, overwhelming condemnation at the United Nations and the flight of Western businesses and crippling sanctions, including new ones announced Wednesday, have yet to change Vladimir Putin's calculus as he seeks to topple Ukraine's government.
**Top 5 |**Biden to signal new phase in pandemic as learning to live safely with COVID
President Joe Biden's first State of the Union address will be a remarkable scene: A maskless president speaking to more than 500 invited lawmakers packed cheek-to-jowl in the historic House chamber, also allowed to go without masks so long as they got tested first.
Case numbers and hospitalization levels have plummeted. Three-fourths of U.S. adults are now fully vaccinated with a growing number of people getting boosted. Rapid tests are finally widely available. And life-saving therapeutics including new anti-viral pills are growing in supply.
With such optimism on public display, Biden's address will signal a new phase in the pandemic. It also will be a tacit acknowledgement that the virus, at any moment, could come roaring back to life.
**Top 6 |**GOP leaders condemn Greene, Gosar for attending white nationalist event
Days after GOP Reps. Paul Gosar and Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared at an event organized by a white nationalist, Republican party leaders are condemning them for attending.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement Monday criticizing white supremacist hate.
Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters Monday afternoon that he found Greene and Gosar's attendance "unacceptable."
**Top 7 |**UN adopts resolution on emergency General Assembly session on Ukraine
The United Nations Security Council voted Sunday to hold a rare emergency special session of the General Assembly to discuss Russia's military action in Ukraine.
The meeting will be convened on Monday, and is set to give all 193 members of the global body the opportunity to express their views on the ongoing conflict.
The vote by the 15-member council was procedural, and the resolution convening the General Assembly session was adopted with 11 "yes" votes. Russia voted "no" while the United Arab Emirates, India and China abstained.
**Top 8 |**GOP Sen. Tom Cotton won't condemn Trump's praise of Putin
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has refused to condemn former President Donald Trump's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin amid his invasion of Ukraine.
Trump called the actions of the Russian president "genius" and "savvy" during an interview with the conservative radio program "The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show" on Tuesday. And on Saturday night at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump finally condemned the invasion but also said, "The problem is not that Putin is smart, which of course he’s smart. But the real problem is that our leaders are dumb."
Stephanopoulos pressed Cotton, who he noted has been steadfast in his opposition to Putin, to condemn the comments.
**Top 9 |**France announces 300m euros in aid for Ukraine
France will send aid of 300 million euros ($337.56 million) to Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday.
The announcement of the funding came in a letter from Macron to the French National Assembly, in which he stressed France's support for Ukraine.
Also on Friday, French Minister for the Economy Bruno Le Maire announced that under EU sanctions, Russian political and economic personalities owning property on French territory would be identified and blocked.
**Top 10 |**Moscow ready to cooperate with "all constructive forces" on settlement in Ukraine
Moscow is preparing for negotiations with "all constructive forces" on a settlement in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Russia emphasized its readiness for a quick settlement in Ukraine for the sake of peace and stability, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Lavrov informed Cavusoglu about Russia's current military operation in Ukraine, reiterating the aim of ensuring "the security of the civilian population and demilitarizing Ukraine," said the statement.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
