News Information and Media Site: Nyet ready to make nice

THE BIG STORY

There are new safety concerns about Russia's COVID vaccine, which is already being distributed worldwide

Let's start with the background first: Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, was approved for use in Russia in August, before clinical trials were completed. However, that gamble appeared to have paid off as a paper published in the Lancet medical journal indicated it was 91.6% effective.

Sputnik V was set to play a part in the global vaccination efforts, with other countries beginning to authorize it for use. But that process hit a roadblock this week after Brazilian health officials recommended against importing the vaccine, raising questions about its effectiveness and safety.

The incident has had extraordinary escalations, with the vaccine's Russian backers threatening legal action for defamation. The Brazilian officials responded by releasing recordings and documents supporting their position.

Despite the pushback from Russia, Brazil's regulation experts are respected internationally for being thorough. And for Brazil to raise concerns while a highly contagious coronavirus variant is currently killing around 2,500 Brazilians a day, is significant.

Here's the larger problem: the angry exchanges have raised questions about the safety of the shots and doubts about its maker's willingness to answer them. That poses a big headache for dozens of countries that have already accepted donations of the vaccine from Russia in hopes of accelerating their vaccination programs.

A medical specialist holds a vial of the Sputnik V vaccine in Moscow on Jan. 18. Shamil Zhumatov / Reuters

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

Three people were killed after a crowded smuggling boat overturned near the US-Mexico border

Authorities said three people died and 27 others were injured after an overcrowded boat capsized off the coast of San Diego this weekend.

San Diego firefighters and lifeguards, along with the US Coast Guard and US Customs and Border Protection officers, responded to pull people from the water and search the area.

According to San Diego lifeguard chief James Gartland, Sunday's incident was a mass rescue operation that included lifeguards using CPR on three victims, seven water rescues, and one cliff rescue.

Authorities believe the boat was being used to smuggle people into the US. It wasn't immediately known where the boat had departed from.

SNAPSHOTS

Game of Thrones actor Esmé Bianco is suing Marilyn Manson for rape and abuse. Bianco, best known for her role as Ros in Game of Thrones, alleges she was whipped, cut, electrocuted, berated, deprived of food and sleep, and forced to perform sex acts without her consent.

Details of a fateful call between Rudy Giuliani and the Ukrainians have been secret for years. Here's the full transcript. The call, which happened three days before Trump's infamous call with Volodymyr Zelensky, gained renewed relevance after federal authorities raided Giuliani's home and offices. We're publishing the transcript for the first time.

An influencer who went viral for claiming her kids were almost kidnapped at a craft store is now facing criminal charges. Katie Sorensen, a parenting influencer, claimed in a series of Instagram videos that her children were nearly kidnapped at a Michael's store. She has been charged with giving false information to police. Her next court date will be May 13.

HARD TO ROOT OUT

In his first 100 days, Biden called out the country's deeply embedded racism. Eradicating it will be harder.

Racism is not something that can be eliminated by executive order. But that didn't stop President Joe Biden from trying. On his first day in office, Biden signed an order declaring that advancing "equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity" were the responsibility of the federal government.

That executive order has become an integral part of the administration's work — it tasked federal agencies with assessing whether their practices perpetuate inequality, and it acknowledged that systemic racism has historically created inequities.

But while that start has been promising, as Ryan Brooks explores, the early days of Biden's presidency have been consistently interrupted by reminders of the very racism and violence he's tasked the government with rooting out — and how difficult it will be to change the systems perpetuating racism rather than just softening their effects.

HORSIN' AROUND

The most famous horse race in America also breeds an underground economy

This weekend, Medina Spirit won the 147th Kentucky Derby, the famous horse race that bills itself as "the greatest two minutes in sport." The race is exciting, and its attendees wear the most elaborate outfits.

But right outside of the race, a whole separate economy springs up — people living in downtown Louisville, where the race is held, may not be able to afford tickets, but charging out-of-towners for parking is lucrative.

Photographer Lili Kobielski spoke to those competing to park cars. One person told Kobielski, "We've been parking cars here since 1978. We've made $2,000 in a weekend parking cars, but it's been a couple of years….It's my home repair income."

Enjoy these photos of the action outside the action. This photo made me laugh:

A man carries a woman through a Louisville neighborhood on their way home from the derby. Lili Kobielski for BuzzFeed News

Turn your attention towards something that makes you feel calm,

Elamin

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