Nation
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas admitted to hospital with infection

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WASHINGTON – Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas has been hospitalized for the past two days and is being treated for an infection, court officials said Sunday.
Thomas, the most senior associate justice on the high court, is being treated with intravenous antibiotics, the court said, and his symptoms are improving.
The Supreme Court said Thomas was admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., on Friday after experiencing flu-like symptoms. Court officials said Thomas expects to be released in a day or two.
30 years:Thomas celebrates three decades on a court moving in his direction
President George H.W. Bush nominated Thomas in 1991 to fill the seat that had been held by Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall. Thomas, who is 73 and the only African American on the Supreme Court, was previously a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
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Several of the justices have had health run-ins during this term, mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic. Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh tested positive for COVID-19 days before the justices returned to the courtroom in the fall. In November, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch called in sick with a stomach bug.
The extent of Thomas’ symptoms was not clear.
The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on Monday. Court officials said Thomas intends to take part in considering cases through court records and recordings of oral argument for the days he cannot be there in person or remotely.
Thomas, a stalwart of the court’s conservative wing, celebrated his 30-year anniversary on the Supreme Court last fall. His supporters say that the 6-3 advantage conservatives now enjoy on the court has meant the high court is just beginning to catch up with some of his positions on guns, abortion and other hot-button issues.
Already one of the longest-serving justices in history, and one of its most prolific, Thomas has also become more vocal in the past few years. He abandoned his penchant for silence during oral argument when the justices switched to virtual sittings because of the pandemic and he has continued to speak up with probing questions after they returned to in-person arguments in the courtroom last year.
Today, Thomas is often the first justice to jump in with a question at argument.
Thomas was raised by his grandparents in the Jim Crow South of the 1950s. He told an audience at Harvard Law School in 2013 that his childhood// friends and neighbors were “not lettered people” but “treasured education in a way that a person who was hungry would treasure food.”
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Nation
I'm among the rideshare drivers living in fear, demanding safer work conditions

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Uber, Lyft made safety improvements, but many of those protect riders more than drivers. But drivers are also in danger.

Naomi Ogutu
Opinion contributor
I’ve been a rideshare driver in New York City for six years, and I take pride in my job and helping my passengers get where they need to go safely. But my safety is not a guarantee. I’m a mom of three. I need to know that I’ll make it home to my kids at the end of each night.
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Business
'A bad déjà vu': Under the crush of Western sanctions, Russians fear a return to dark economic days

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Harsh sanctions from Western nations on Russia have reminded citizens of the country’s 1998 debt crisis.
By Anna Nemtsova
USA TODAY
- McDonalds and other American businesses have closed in Russia amid its invasion into Ukraine.
- One expert estimates more than 200,000 Russians have left the country since the start of the war.
- To counter economic turmoil, Putin has demand “unfriendly” countries pay for natural gas exports in rubles.
The once bustling corner of Moscow’s central Tverskaya Street looked deserted on Wednesday, as Russia’s first-ever McDonald’s franchise – opened in 1990 in a move that symbolized the Soviet Union’s opening to the West – shut its doors.
A large mural depicting a giant, Soviet-era medal – the Order of Victory, the highest military decoration awarded in World War II — loomed over over the empty sidewalk.
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Nation
Saint Peter's embodies wackiness and uncertainty of this NCAA Tournament | Opinion

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The lone No. 1 seed still alive heading into the Elite Eight, Kansas needs only a win against No. 10 Miami (Fla.) to book a spot in the Final Four.
No. 2 Duke and coach Mike Krzyzewski can make one last Final Four and chase one final national championship by beating No. 4 Arkansas.
No. 2 Villanova can reach the national semifinals for the third time in six tournaments by winning what should be a defense-dominated brawl against No. 5 Houston.
And after beating No. 4 UCLA in the Sweet 16, No. 8 North Carolina is one win from reaching the Final Four under first-year coach Hubert Davis.
If everything goes according to plan, this year’s Final Four will consist of some of the biggest names in the history of the sport.
But the last week has taught us that this year’s NCAA Tournament will inevitably deviate from the script.
So look for the Jayhawks to be shocked in the Elite Eight, as the Bill Self collection of tournament collapses adds another painful chapter. Based on how things have gone through three rounds, Arkansas is a lock to send Krzyzewski into retirement one game shy of the Final Four. Villanova may be a two-time champion under Jay Wright, but the Wildcats will be smothered by Houston.

And, of course, the Tar Heels will lose to the team that embodies the wackiness and uncertainty of this entire tournament.
Saint Peter’s stands at the precipice of another outlandish achievement: being the first No. 15 seed — the first seed lower than No. 11, in fact — to reach the Final Four.
The Peacocks will be the underdog once again come Sunday, when they’ll match against a deeper and more talented opponent with decades of history to more than overshadow the Peacocks’ three-game run.
But beating another college basketball giant will simply take what we already know the Peacocks can bring to the table: Saint Peter’s reached the Elite Eight with energy, aggressiveness and composure, following the model set by unflappable coach Shaheen Holloway, and that same combination will give the Peacocks a chance at etching themselves into an even more permanent place in NCAA Tournament history.
“We’re happy but don’t mistake, we’re not satisfied, we’re not satisfied at all,” said guard Doug Edert. “The job is not finished. We feel like we belong and the more games we win the more confidence we build.”
That sounds like bad news for the Tar Heels, who might’ve righted the ship after a poor start to ACC play but could be the latest blueblood to the Peacocks’ formula.
At some point, the magic has to run out — for Saint Peter’s, which somehow keeps stacking upsets of higher-ranked opponents, and for the tournament at large, which has been wackier than ever but could suddenly snap back to the status quo.
But this March has not gone according to plan. Several big names lost early. Others failed to get out of the second round. The story of this year’s tournament has been upsets, shockers, letdowns, unpredictable officiating and unpredictability, period — why should the next two days be any different?
Follow colleges reporter Paul Myerberg on Twitter @PaulMyerberg
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