Today in one sentence: For the third time, the U.S. vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza; the Biden administration is preparing “major sanctions” against Russia in response to the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny; the Supreme Court declined to take up a case challenging an admissions policy aimed at encouraging diversity at a Virginia high school; an FBI informant was indicted on two counts for providing agents allegedly false information about Biden and his son Hunter Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign; and a Manhattan judge ordered Trump to pay $355 million (plus interest) and barred him from serving in a top role of any New York company for three years for fraudulently inflating the values of his properties.

1/ For the third time, the U.S. vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 13 in favor with the U.S. against. The U.K. abstained from voting. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. called the resolution “wishful and irresponsible,” adding that “demanding an immediate, unconditional ceasefire without an agreement requiring Hamas to release the hostages will not bring about a durable peace.” The U.S., meanwhile, proposed its own resolution, which instead calls for a “temporary ceasefire” linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas. (NPR / CNN / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press)

2/ The Biden administration is preparing “major sanctions” against Russia in response to the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Russia claims that Navalny lost consciousness and died after taking a walk in the Arctic prison, where he was serving a combined prison sentence of more than 30 years on charges of extremism and fraud that he denied. “Whatever story the Russian government decides to tell the world, it’s clear that President Putin and his government are responsible for Mr. Navalny’s death,” National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said. The “substantial package” of financial penalties will “come on the eve of the two-year anniversary of the Ukraine war,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan added. Biden, meanwhile, said “Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death.” (Politico / ABC News / Bloomberg / Associated Press / NBC News / New York Times / NBC News)

3/ The Supreme Court declined to take up a case challenging an admissions policy aimed at encouraging diversity at a Virginia high school. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, often ranked the best high school in the country, changed its admissions process in 2020 to boost racial diversity at the school. The new process ended the application fee, allotted a number of seats proportionally among the district’s middle schools, removed standardized tests, and shifted to a more holistic evaluation based on grades, a problem-solving essay and “experience factors,” among other measures. The effect on the first class admitted under the new process increased the percentage of Black students from 1% to 7% and Hispanic students from 3% to 11%. Asian American representation decreased from 73% to 54%. A group of parents, many of them Asian American, filed a lawsuit against the district, alleging that the new process was discriminatory months after the court overturned decades of precedent and effectively ended affirmative action programs in higher education. (Washington Post / ABC News / New York Times / Axios / Associated Press / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)

4/ An FBI informant was indicted on two counts for providing agents allegedly false information about Biden and his son Hunter Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. A federal grand jury indicted Alexander Smirnov with making a false statement and creating a false and fictitious record that Biden and his son each sought $5 million bribes from a Ukrainian company. Congressional Republicans, notably James Comer and Jim Jordan, have repeatedly praised Smirnov as “credible” and put his uncorroborated claims at the center of their impeachment inquiry into Biden. (Associated Press / NBC News / New York Times / Washington Post / ABC News / CNN)

5/ A Manhattan judge ordered Trump to pay $355 million (plus interest) and barred him from serving in a top role of any New York company for three years for fraudulently inflating the values of his properties. Justice Arthur Engoron concluded that Trump, his sons, and two former top finance executives were civilly liable for falsifying records, issuing false documents, and related conspiracy offenses. Engoron also ordered Eric Trump and Trump Jr. to pay $4 million and blocked them from serving as an officer or director for any New York corporation for two years. The company’s former longtime chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg was ordered to pay $1 million. New York Attorney General Letitia James said that with pre-judgment interest, the judgment totals over $450 million. Engoron criticized Trump and the defendants for refusing to admit wrongdoing for years, saying “Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological.” Trump, meanwhile, announced the launch of a line of $399 Trump-branded sneakers. (NBC News / Associated Press / New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / NBC News / Associated Press)