In today’s Bwoglines, some conflicts de-escalate, others attempt to, and the rest do not.

Happening in the World: In a nationally televised speech that aired Tuesday, President Biden asked Putin once more to avoid the “needless death and destruction” that war with Ukraine would cause. President Biden implored Putin to engage in diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict and emphasized that neither the United States nor NATO “seek to destabilize Russia.” While Biden warned of steep economic penalties for Russia in the event of an invasion, he reaffirmed that American troops would not take direct part in the conflict. (Reuters)

Happening in the US: Virginia Giuffre, a key figure in the crusade against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, settled with Prince Andrew out of court following a yearlong lawsuit. In the civil suit, Giuffre alleged that Prince Andrew was one of the men to whom Epstein trafficked her and that Andrew engaged in sexual acts with her despite knowing that she was underage. Prince Andrew still categorically denies all of Giuffre’s allegations, and he “intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights,” according to the two parties’ joint statement. (CNN)

Happening in NYC: On Sunday, a 35-year-old woman named Christina Yuna Lee was fatally assaulted in her Chinatown apartment. Police identified the man who murdered her as Assamad Nash, a 25-year-old man with a record of prior misdemeanor arrests. Lee was a graduate of Rutgers University who worked as a senior creative producer at Splice, a music creation platform. Some fear that Lee’s murder is part of a pattern of race-based violence against Asian Americans in New York City. (NYT)

Happening in our Community: The Human Rights Institute is hosting an event today from 12:10 to 1:10 pm titled “Addressing a Legacy of Abuse at Guantanamo Bay: Ending Twenty Years of Injustice.” Panelists at the talk include Mansoor Adayfi, an activist and former Guantanamo detainee; Alka Pradhan, a human rights attorney with a history of representing Guantanamo inmates; and Terry Rockefeller, a founding member of the anti-war organization 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Register here.

Biden and Putin via Wikimedia Commons