Morning Must Reads: February 17

3 minute read

Judge Blocks Immigration Plan

A Texas judge has ordered an injunction on President Obama’s executive actions on immigration, attributing it to a failure to “comply with the Administrative Procedure Act.” The move stalls Obama’s orders, which could spare up to 5 million people from deportation

Mindfulness Boosts Myriad Skills

A new trial published in Developmental Psychology suggests that kids can boost everything from social skills to math scores by improving mindfulness

Ice Storm Hits South

Snow and ice from Mississippi to the Carolinas left 250,000 without power on Tuesday morning, as another storm barreled up the East Coast

Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney Are Getting Married

Gaga, 28, and Kinney, 33, have been dating for about four years, and the boundary-pushing singer has hinted at an engagement in recent months. “He gave me his heart on Valentine’s Day, and I said YES!” the singer wrote on Instagram Monday

Ukraine Truce Hangs by a Thread

The fragile cease-fire in Ukraine appears to be near collapse just 48 hours after being implemented, as separatist fighters and government troops continued to engage in tit-for-tat fighting this week. Western leaders launched fresh appeals for restraint

Grand Jury Indicts Suspect in Chapel Hill Shootings

A North Carolina grand jury indicted Craig Hicks, the man accused of killing three Muslim students, on three counts of murder on Monday. The killings sparked outrage over perceived media religious and racial biases

 

Train Derailment in West Virginia Causes Oil Spill

A train carrying crude oil in southern West Virginia derailed Monday, setting at least one house on fire and spilling oil into the state’s largest river. No injuries have been reported, but authorities ordered residents within a mile and a half of the derailment to evacuate

 

Pharrell Williams Has Deal for ‘Happy’ Picture Book

The Grammy Award–winning performer has an agreement with Putnam Books for Young Readers for four picture books, starting with one inspired by his hit song “Happy.” Putnam announced Tuesday that the first book will be published on Sept. 22

Lance Armstrong Must Pay $10 Million to Dallas Promoter

The disgraced cyclist lost an arbitration award decision Monday in favor of the Dallas company, SCA Promotions, that insured several of his bonuses for winning the Tour de France. His lawyer called the decision “unprecedented.”

Greece and the Euro Zone Dance on the Precipice

Another fraught meeting between Greece and its creditors ended in deadlock on Monday, with the euro zone giving Athens an ultimatum to say by Friday what it will do to keep its bailout deal alive, and Greece continuing to insist that it wants the agreement torn up

Recruiting Site Starts Monitoring 6th Grade Prospects

The recruiting website Rivals.com has begun actively monitoring its first two sixth-grade college-football prospects, it announced on Friday. The site added two Class of 2021 prospects to its database: running back Tyson Thornton and quarterback Daron Bryden

Global Coffee Intake Projected to Rise

As more of the globe turns to the brewed drink, demand for coffee will increase by nearly 25% in the next five years, according to the International Coffee Organization. Populous nations like India and China are increasingly becoming fans of coffee

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com