Raccoon dogs may have been linked to the pandemic. What are they? The wild animals are more similar to foxes than to domesticated dogs. Data that suggested a link between raccoon dogs and the origins of the COVID pandemic was removed from an international database. Read more on NPR

Putin visits Crimea to mark the anniversary of its annexation from Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to the Black Sea peninsula to mark the ninth anniversary of its annexation from Ukraine. Russia’s move in 2014 was denounced as illegal by most of the world. Read more on NPR

Trump claims that he will be arrested next week The claim comes as a New York prosecutor considers charging him in connection with hush money paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. There has been no announcement of plans for an indictment. Read more on NPR

Military surgeon Jiang Yanyong, the doctor who spoke the truth about SARS In 2003, Dr. Jiang Yanyong watched in disbelief as Chinese officials downplayed how SARS was spreading in China. He took the risky step of alerting the media to the cover-up. Read more on NPR

Police didn’t get defunded but many large departments are shrinking A new study finds that some police forces are losing officers at a faster pace since 2020. In New Orleans, there’s a grudging acceptance that it’s time to offload some duties to civilians. Read more on NPR