March 6, 2022

Afternoon Update:

A Murder of Crows, a Conspiracy of Ravens, A Convoy of Loons. AP: "A large group of truck drivers and their supporters who object to COVID-19 mandates began their mobile protest in the Washington, D.C., area Sunday, embarking on a drive designed to snarl traffic and make their objections known to lawmakers. Protesters staged at the Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland during the weekend before heading down a single lane of Interstate 81. Their plan was to drive onto the Capital Beltway, circle it twice and then return to Hagerstown, news outlets reported.... The Washington Post reported that convoy organizer Brian Brase intends for protesters to travel on the beltway every day during the upcoming week until its demands are met." MB: Should endear them to everyone who has to take the Beltway to work.

If Trump Were Calling the Shots Again. Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump mused Saturday to the GOP's top donors that the United States should label its F-22 planes with the Chinese flag and 'bomb the s--t out of Russia.' He also praised North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as 'seriously tough,' claimed he was harder on Vladimir Putin than any other president, reiterated his false claims that he won the 2020 election, urged his party to be 'tougher' on supposed election fraud, disparaged a range of prominent party opponents and called global warming 'a great hoax' that could actually bring a welcome development: more waterfront property. 'And then we say, China did it, we didn't do it, China did it, and then they start fighting with each other and we sit back and watch,' he said of labeling U.S. military planes with Chinese flags and bombing Russia, which was met with laughter from the crowd of donors...." ~~~

     ~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "The audience laughed. A joke, perhaps! But also one about something that might well violate international law. And that's if you can get past the idea that Russia would ever mistake F-22s -- a highly recognizable airplane that the Chinese don't use -- for Chinese aircraft." MB: Speaking of false flags! Trump's a genius. Why, think where we'd be if he made Lindsey Graham his secretary of defense and the two of them put their heads together. Okay, dead. We'd all be dead. But other than that.

~~~~~~~~~~

Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Sunday in Russia's war are here: "... President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Sunday called on the entire nation to resist the Russian invasion. He cheered the courage of protesters who filled the streets of occupied cities and towns, saying that 'every meter of our Ukrainian land won by protest and humiliation of the invaders is a step forward, a step toward victory.' Russian forces appeared to be struggling in their primary objective of encircling and capturing Kyiv, the capital. There has been fierce fighting just north of the city, where the Ukrainian military says it is successfully defending its position. The Ukrainians say they are also halting the Russian advance from the east, with the Russians bogged down in clashes around an airport.... Zelensky ... warned the residents of Odessa to be ready for an aerial bombardment." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates are here: "Pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine's National Guard accused each other of failing to establish a humanitarian corridor out of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Sunday, the second time the sides have attempted to arrange it. Ukraine 24 television showed a fighter of the Azov Regiment of the National Guard who said Russian and pro-Russian forces that have encircled the port city of about 400,000 continued shelling the areas that were meant to be safe. The Interfax news agency cited an official of the Donetsk separatist administration who accused the Ukrainian forces of failing to observe the limited ceasefire." ~~~

     ~~~ CNN's live updates are here: "More than 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine have crossed into neighboring countries in 10 days, UN refugee agency commissioner Filippo Grandi said Sunday. In a Twitter post, Grandi called it 'the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.'... The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed 'several attacks on health care [centers] in Ukraine, causing multiple deaths and injuries,' WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Sunday."

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Eleven days after it began, the war in Ukraine is entering a more treacherous phase, with Russian forces employing siege tactics and pummeling civilian infrastructure in an attempt to suppress Ukrainian resistance. A rocket blast ripped through homes south of Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. Russia is responding to the surprising 'scale and strength' of Ukrainian resistance by targeting populated areas of several cities -- Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Mariupol -- in an apparent effort to 'break Ukrainian morale,' Britain's Defense Ministry said Sunday, noting that Russia deployed 'similar tactics' in Chechnya in 1999 and in Syria in 2016.... The financial fallout for Russia continued to mount, with Visa and Mastercard announcing Saturday that they would suspend transactions in Russia."

Lara Jakes of the New York Times: "With a line of refugees streaming into Poland behind them, the top American and Ukrainian diplomats met at Ukraine's border on Saturday in a brief but extraordinary encounter to assess what additional support and protection the United States might deliver to address Russia's invasion, which appeared certain to continue. The Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, thanked U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken for 'coming here to Ukraine, literally.' The two men stood at the border where, over the course of one hour, hundreds of refugees had crossed into Poland by foot in bone-chilling temperatures. For Mr. Blinken, the brief meeting was a chance to take stock of the humanitarian disaster -- Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II -- caused by the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, in his invasion of Ukraine. For Mr. Kuleba, it was a moment to remind the world anew, in stark terms, of the possibility of an enduring conflict with high numbers of human casualties and the rupture of the global order if foreign assistance stopped short of what Ukraine was demanding."

Alexander Ward & Paul McCleary of Politico: "The U.S. remains in discussions with Poland to potentially backfill their fleet of fighter planes if Warsaw decides to transfer its used MiG-29s to Ukraine, four U.S. officials tell Politico. The ongoing talks, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleads with Congress for help, underscore the frantic push to find weapons to equip Ukrainian forces as they continue to fight off the massive Russian invasion. As Poland weighed sending its warplanes to Ukraine last week, Warsaw asked the White House if the Biden administration could guarantee it would provide them with U.S.-made fighter jets to fill the gap. The White House said it would look into the matter. The Biden administration didn't oppose the Polish government giving Kyiv the MiGs, which could potentially escalate tensions between NATO and Moscow. Poland, for now, has held on to its fighter jets."

AFP: "Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in cities including Santiago, Vancouver Paris and New York in support of Ukraine, demanding an end to Russia's invasion. The protesters rallied on Saturday against Russian ... Vladimir Putin's attack.... One of the largest rallies to demand the withdrawal of Russia's troops from Ukraine on the invasion's 10th day was in Zurich, where organisers believed 40,000 people took part, Switzerland's ATS news agency reported."

The New York Times' live updates of developments Saturday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "As his troops continued to run into stiff resistance in Ukraine..., Vladimir V. Putin of Russia delivered an ominous message to Ukrainians on Saturday, telling government leaders they might lose their statehood and likening the withering sanctions imposed on his country to a 'declaration of war.' 'The current leadership needs to understand that if they continue doing what they are doing, they risk the future of Ukrainian statehood,' Mr. Putin said. He also said any third-party countries that tried to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be considered enemy combatants. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has beseeched Western countries to declare such a no-fly zone." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ An AP story is here.

From CNN live updates Friday: "The US Embassy in Kyiv said on Friday that Russia committed a war crime by attacking a nuclear power plant in Ukraine." Marie: Later Friday, I heard on the teevee that the U.S. was downplaying the accusation, even to the point of telling other U.S. embassies not to retweet it. According to the same CNN item, "There is a loud and growing chorus of calls for the International Criminal Court to pursue Vladimir Putin. On Wednesday, the court said it would ;immediately proceed with an active investigation of possible war crimes following Russia's invasion of Ukraine." But this seems to be a general charge against Russia. Could we please stop being so squeamish? Let every country on Earth charge Putin personally with war crimes. Let him know that if he leaves Russia, any other country where he lands will lock him up & try him, in that order. He needs to understand that sanctions are going to him him in places outside his pockets. Trying to avoid hurting his puti-putin feelings is not working, is it? Unlike Lindsey Graham, I don't want to deprive him of his life; I want to deprive him of his freedom for the rest of his sickening natural life. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy implored U.S. lawmakers on Saturday to do more to force Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and end the war on his country -- including the establishment of a no-fly zone, additional direct aid and a ban on oil imports from Moscow. In a private Zoom call with Senate and House members, Zelenskyy expressed appreciation for the actions taken so far by the U.S. and NATO allies as Russia continues assaulting Ukraine, including sanctions and weapons transfers, according to five people who participated in the call. But Zelenskyy made a direct appeal for more, those people said, including planes, drones and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. The Ukrainian leader also urged the U.S. to ban Russian oil imports -- a cause with bipartisan support on the Hill but plenty of domestic political volatility -- and target its sanctions regime directly at the Russian people, the people said. He called on lawmakers to pressure eastern-flank NATO partners to approve the transfer of planes that Ukrainian pilots are already trained to fly." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ WTF Is the Matter with These Asses? Haley Talbot, et al., of NBC News: "Two Republican senators are facing criticism after tweeting photos of a video call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy even though participating lawmakers were told to not share pictures on social media while it was in progress. Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Steve Daines of Montana posted pictures of Zelenskyy on their Twitter accounts during the Zoom meeting Saturday morning, writing that they were on a call with him. Democratic Reps. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and Jason Crow of Colorado criticized the senators on Twitter. Phillips noted that the 'Ukrainian ambassador very intentionally asked each of us on the Zoom to NOT share anything on social media during the meeting to protect the security of President Zelenskyy.' 'Appalling and reckless ignorance by two U.S. Senators,' Phillips wrote." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Someone should warn Marco & Steve not to put their fingers in a light socket because lives might depend upon it. With any luck, both of them will run, not walk, to the nearest outlet.

Michael Crowley & Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times: "Russia said on Saturday that it had detained an American basketball player -- later identified as Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner -- on drug charges, entangling a U.S. citizen's fate in the dangerous confrontation between Russia and the West over Ukraine.... Also on Saturday, the State Department, which for weeks had warned Americans against traveling to Russia, released an updated advisory urging U.S. citizens to leave the country immediately, citing the invasion in Ukraine, the 'potential for harassment against U.S. citizens by Russian government security officials' and the limited ability of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to assist American citizens in the country.... Video released by Russia's Customs Service showed ... [footage of events that] occurred in February, according to the Customs Service, raising the possibility that Griner, 31, has been in custody for at least several days." An ABC News story is here. MB: Stupid to think it was okay to travel to Russia.

Ten Days in February. Mark Landler, et al., of the New York Times: "In a few frantic days, the West threw out the standard playbook that it had used for decades and instead marshaled a stunning show of unity against Russia's brutal aggression in the heart of Europe.... [Ten] days in February shook the world, upending long-held assumptions, sundering decades of productive engagement, and wiping out billions of dollars of investment in Russia. It was anything but normal. Much as the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 set off a tumultuous cascade of changes across Europe, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has brought the West to a comparable, if far more ominous, historical reckoning.... It has reverberated not just in the councils of state, but also in corporate suites, cultural institutions and sports leagues -- to say nothing of city streets from Mexico City to Madrid, where tens of thousands of demonstrators have waved the yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flag and chanted against Russia's aggression."

Dave Phillips of the New York Times: "... a surge of American veterans ... say they are now preparing to join the fight in Ukraine, emboldened by the invitation of the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who earlier this week announced he was creating an 'international legion' and asked volunteers from around the world to help defend his nation against Russia.... After years of serving in smoldering occupations, trying to spread democracy in places that had only a tepid interest in it, many are hungry for what they see as a righteous fight to defend freedom against an autocratic aggressor with a conventional and target-rich army.... A number of mainstream media outlets, including Military Times and Time, have published step-by-step guides on joining the military in Ukraine.... The risk of unintended escalation has led the U.S. federal government to try to keep citizens from becoming freelance fighters, not just in this conflict, but for centuries.... Despite the risks -- both individual and strategic -- the United States government has so far been measured in its warnings."

Kelsey Ables of the Washington Post: "In the wake of Russia's crackdown on news coverage and the imposition of a new law criminalizing reporting that accurately characterizes the Ukrainian invasion, some international news outlets have taken to technology to circumvent the news blackout, pointing readers to VPNs (virtual private networks), the encrypted Tor browser and even old-fashioned radio.... Media outlets including the BBC, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) have been blocked by the Kremlin, along with several Ukrainian sites, Twitter and Facebook.... But some outlets are refusing to be silenced.... Circumventing censorship is sometimes low-tech. In China, social media users have taken to posting upside-down screenshots of articles on platforms such as Weibo (akin to Twitter). Russian readers still have access to RFE/RL's newsletter 'The Week In Russia,' for instance, because email has not been restricted." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Turning my laptop upside-down? That's about my speed. (In fact, I did it once when somebody sent me an upside-down document, until it dawn on me I could flip the doc 180 degrees.)

Ben Collins & Natasha Korecki of NBC News: "Twitter has banned more than 100 accounts that pushed the pro-Russian hashtag #IStandWithPutin for participating in 'coordinated inauthentic behavior,' days after the hashtag trended on Twitter amid the invasion in Ukraine." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Laura & TuKKKer host SNL's cold open (with special guest stars!). (See also Akhilleus' commentary below.):

Senate Republicans Threaten U.S. Faith & Credit, Ukraine. Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "Senate Republicans have issued a series of early threats against a still-forming deal to fund the federal government, signaling that they could delay the package -- which may include emergency aid to Ukraine -- over concerns about excessive spending and vaccine mandates.... In the first letter, sent Thursday, eight GOP [senators] ... demanded 'appropriate time' to read and review any funding bill. It also called for an official analysis by the Congressional Budget Office to assess the impact of the legislation on inflation and the federal debt.... In the second note, sent Friday, 10 Republicans revived their campaign against federal vaccine and testing requirements." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Zach Montague of the New York Times: "The founder of America's Frontline Doctors, an activist group known for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories about the pandemic and Covid vaccines, has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 last year. According to a filing from the Justice Department, the doctor, Simone Gold, stood by as a Capitol Police officer was assaulted and dragged to the ground in front of her. She then entered the Capitol and delivered a speech in the National Statuary Hall denouncing vaccine mandates and lockdowns. On Thursday, according to the filing, Dr. Gold pleaded guilty to one count of entering a restricted building...." (Also linked yesterday.)

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times write an account of how the Manhattan D.A.'s criminal investigation into Donald Trump's business practices unravelled. It is "drawn from interviews with more than a dozen people knowledgeable about the events [and attempts to pull] back a curtain on one of the most consequential prosecutorial decisions in U.S. history. Had the district attorney's office secured an indictment, Mr. Trump would have been the first current or former president to be criminally charged. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "Donald Trump was aware long before he took the stage at the 'Save America' rally on 6 January that he would not march to the Capitol to protest the congressional certification of Joe Biden's election win, according to his White House private schedule from that day. The former president started his nearly 75-minute long speech at the Ellipse by saying he would go with the crowd to the Capitol, and then repeated that promise when he said he would walk with them down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol.... The newly-released private schedule indicates Trump deliberately lied to his supporters, raising the spectre that he made a promise he had no intention of honoring so that they would descend on the Capitol and disrupt Congress from certifying Biden as president."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

New Jersey, Where Murder & Politics Mix. Tracey Tully of the New York Times: "... in May 2014, [Sean Caddle, a New jersey campaign consultant,] ... hired two men to kill a friend and colleague, Michael Galdieri. Mr. Caddle, 44, has been cooperating with the F.B.I. since at least the fall, federal court records show, but the motive for the murder remains unclear. The revelations, combined with a family's request to reopen an investigation into the unsolved 2014 deaths of a couple prominent in state Republican politics, in light of what relatives called 'eerily similar' circumstances to the murder-for-hire killing, have sent tremors through New Jersey political circles.... At the center of the mystery are Mr. Caddle and Mr. Galdieri, both of whom built careers in the shadows of powerful senators, mayors and councilmen in Hudson County, N.J., a famously bare-knuckle political proving ground. Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, and Raymond Lesniak, a retired Democratic state senator, were among his many clients, election records show."

News Ledes

We Are Iowa: "Officials said seven people were killed, including two children, when tornado-spawning thunderstorms swept through central Iowa. Emergency management officials in Madison County said four were injured and six people were killed Saturday when the tornado touched down near the town of Winterset. Among those killed were two children under the age of five.Another death was confirmed in Lucas County."

March 5, 2022

Afternoon Update:

The New York Times' live updates of developments Saturday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "As his troops continued to run into stiff resistance in Ukraine..., Vladimir V. Putin of Russia delivered an ominous message to Ukrainians on Saturday, telling government leaders they might lose their statehood and likening the withering sanctions imposed on his country to a 'declaration of war.' 'The current leadership needs to understand that if they continue doing what they are doing, they risk the future of Ukrainian statehood,' Mr. Putin said. He also said any third-party countries that tried to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be considered enemy combatants. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has beseeched Western countries to declare such a no-fly zone."

From CNN live updates Friday: "The US Embassy in Kyiv said on Friday that Russia committed a war crime by attacking a nuclear power plant in Ukraine." Marie: Later Friday, I heard on the teevee that the U.S. was downplaying the accusation, even to the point of telling other U.S. embassies not to retweet it. According to the same CNN item, "There is a loud and growing chorus of calls for the International Criminal Court to pursue Vladimir Putin. On Wednesday, the court said it would immediately proceed with an active investigation of possible war crimes following Russia's invasion of Ukraine." But this seems to be a general charge against Russia. Could we please stop being so squeamish? Let every country on Earth charge Putin personally with war crimes. Let him know that if he leaves Russia, any other country where he lands will lock him up & try him, in that order. He needs to understand that sanctions are going to him him in places outside his pockets. Trying to avoid hurting his puti-putin feelings is not working, is it? Unlike Lindsey Graham, I don't want to deprive him of his life; I want to deprive him of his freedom for the rest of his sickening natural life.

Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy implored U.S. lawmakers on Saturday to do more to force Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and end the war on his country -- including the establishment of a no-fly zone, additional direct aid and a ban on oil imports from Moscow. In a private Zoom call with Senate and House members, Zelenskyy expressed appreciation for the actions taken so far by the U.S. and NATO allies as Russia continues assaulting Ukraine, including sanctions and weapons transfers, according to five people who participated in the call. But Zelenskyy made a direct appeal for more, those people said, including planes, drones and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. The Ukrainian leader also urged the U.S. to ban Russian oil imports -- a cause with bipartisan support on the Hill but plenty of domestic political volatility -- and target its sanctions regime directly at the Russian people, the people said. He called on lawmakers to pressure eastern-flank NATO partners to approve the transfer of planes that Ukrainian pilots are already trained to fly." ~~~

~~~ WTF Is the Matter with These Asses? Haley Talbot, et al., of NBC News: "Two Republican senators are facing criticism after tweeting photos of a video call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy even though participating lawmakers were told to not share pictures on social media while it was in progress. Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Steve Daines of Montana posted pictures of Zelenskyy on their Twitter accounts during the Zoom meeting Saturday morning, writing that they were on a call with him. Democratic Reps. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and Jason Crow of Colorado criticized the senators on Twitter. Phillips noted that the 'Ukrainian ambassador very intentionally asked each of us on the Zoom to NOT share anything on social media during the meeting to protect the security of President Zelenskyy.' 'Appalling and reckless ignorance by two U.S. Senators,' Phillips wrote." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Someone should warn Marco & Steve not to put their fingers in a light socket because lives might depend upon it. With any luck, both of them will run, not walk, to the nearest outlet.

Ben Collins & Natasha Korecki of NBC News: "Twitter has banned more than 100 accounts that pushed the pro-Russian hashtag #IStandWithPutin for participating in 'coordinated inauthentic behavior,' days after the hashtag trended on Twitter amid the invasion in Ukraine."

Senate Republicans Threaten U.S. Faith & Credit, Ukraine. Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "Senate Republicans have issued a series of early threats against a still-forming deal to fund the federal government, signaling that they could delay the package -- which may include emergency aid to Ukraine -- over concerns about excessive spending and vaccine mandates.... In the first letter, sent Thursday, eight GOP [senators] ... demanded 'appropriate time' to read and review any funding bill. It also called for an official analysis by the Congressional Budget Office to assess the impact of the legislation on inflation and the federal debt.... In the second note, sent Friday, 10 Republicans revived their campaign against federal vaccine and testing requirements."

Zach Montague of the New York Times: "The founder of America's Frontline Doctors, an activist group known for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories about the pandemic and Covid vaccines, has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 last year. According to a filing from the Justice Department, the doctor, Simone Gold, stood by as a Capitol Police officer was assaulted and dragged to the ground in front of her. She then entered the Capitol and delivered a speech in the National Statuary Hall denouncing vaccine mandates and lockdowns. On Thursday, according to the filing, Dr. Gold pleaded guilty to one count of entering a restricted building...."

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times write an account of how the Manhattan D.A.'s criminal investigation into Donald Trump's business practices unravelled. It is "drawn from interviews with more than a dozen people knowledgeable about the events [and attempts to pull] back a curtain on one of the most consequential prosecutorial decisions in U.S. history. Had the district attorney's office secured an indictment, Mr. Trump would have been the first current or former president to be criminally charged.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Saturday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Ukrainian officials accused Russia of breaching a cease-fire meant to allow civilians to flee Saturday, less than three hours after both sides announced the temporary truce in the southern cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha. The city council in Mariupol -- one of the key ports on Ukraine's southern coast that Russian troops are pushing to conquer -- had advised residents to evacuate, telling drivers to 'fill the vehicles as much as possible.' Then the officials sharply pivoted, urging people to hunker down and accusing Russia of continuing to shell both the city and what was supposed to be a peaceful exit route. Besieged cities needed the cease-fire to restore basic services such as electricity and tap water, Ukrainian officials said, and to bring in medical supplies that Russia's blockades have cut off. The lack of necessities during nonstop bombardment is compounding what local leaders have called a humanitarian 'catastrophe.' Russia denied breaking the cease-fire, accusing Ukraine of using civilians as 'human shields.'" ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's liveblog for Saturday is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian has a full story on the aborted evacuation of Mariupol. ~~~

     ~~~ CNN's live update for Saturday are here: "Russia is poised to deploy up to 1,000 more mercenaries to Ukraine in the coming days and weeks, as a senior Western intelligence official warned Moscow could 'bombard cities into submission,' an escalation that could lead to significant civilian casualties. The US has already seen 'some indications' that Russian mercenaries may be involved in Moscow's invasion of Ukraine 'in some places,' a senior defense official said earlier this week, but it wasn't clear exactly where or in what numbers.... Other officials have noticed a shift in Russian strategy from military targets to civilians, with more attacks becoming focused on population centers." ~~~ "The United States flew B-52 Stratofortress bombers over NATO's eastern flank on Friday, exercising with the German and Romanian militaries in a sign of unity as the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its second weekend."

Helene Cooper & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "Some 14 wide-bodied aircraft transported a bristling array of Javelin antitank missiles, rocket launchers, guns and ammunition to an airfield near Ukraine's border on Friday, as the United States and European allies ramped up their efforts to give the Ukrainian military a leg up in battling a foreign enemy that far outguns it.... The American weaponry ... was part of a $350 million package that [President] Biden authorized on Saturday.... What began as a trickle -- with only two or three planes arriving a day -- is now a steady flow, the official said, with 14 loads from one airfield alone.... The United States has delivered nearly 70 percent of the $350 million package to Ukraine's military, a senior Pentagon official said on Friday. It expects to complete the entire shipment in the next week or so.... The weapons have quickly found their way into the hands of Ukrainian soldiers..., U.S. officials said on Friday." ~~~

~~~ Karoun Demirjian & Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "The United States drastically enhanced its shipments of lethal military aid and protective equipment to Ukraine as the prospect of a Russian invasion became more apparent and then a reality, according to a declassified accounting of transfers and sales reviewed by The Washington Post. The list indicates that as early as December, the Pentagon was equipping Ukrainian fighters with arms and equipment useful for fighting in urban areas, including shotguns and specialized suits to safeguard soldiers handling unexploded ordnance. Over the last week, the Biden administration has increased such shipments.... The list of materiel reviewed by The Post generally tracks with the administration's broad public statements about the transfers."

David Sanger of the New York Times: "When President Biden met in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon with Sauli Niinisto, the president of the non-NATO member and increasingly nervous Finland, Mr. Biden ... said, 'President Obamaused to say, "We'd be all right if we left everything to the Nordic countries."'... Mr. Niinisto nodded, and replied, 'Well, we usually don't start wars.'... [Finland] is rethinking its relationship with Washington, NATO and the West.... The invasion of Ukraine has made it consider seriously, for the first time, whether it should be a member of NATO.... Even if the Finns decided to try to make the leap to full NATO membership -- which still seems a reach -- figuring out how they would move to formal membership is beyond tricky.... Just as the invasion of Ukraine began, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, warned that any such move would carry 'serious military-political repercussions.'"

Harry Taylor of the Guardian: "A Sky News crew has been evacuated back to the UK from Ukraine after journalists were shot during an ambush by a suspected Russian 'death squad' on Monday. The team of five were attacked while out in a car, after unsuccessfully trying to visit the town of Bucha near Kyiv. Chief correspondent with Sky News, Stuart Ramsay, along with camera operator Richie Mockler were shot -- Ramsay in the lower back while Mockler took two rounds in his body armour.... Eventually the group ... managed to escape from the car and jump down an embankment at the side of the road. They eventually found refuge in a nearby garage, and were rescued under the cover of darkness hours later by Ukrainian police. The journalists were later told that the gunmen were a saboteur Russian reconnaissance squad."

Jill Colvin of the AP: "Former Vice President Mike Pence urged Republicans to move on from the 2020 election and declared that 'there is no room in this party for apologists for Putin' as he further cemented his break from ... Donald Trump. Pence, in a speech Friday evening to the party's top donors in New Orleans, took on those in his party who have failed to forcefully condemn ... Vladimir Putin for his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine."

What If ...? Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "Former national security adviser John Bolton told The Washington Post Friday that he thinks ... Donald Trump would have pulled the United States out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization had he been reelected in 2020. Bolton, in an interview with Post opinions editor at large Michael Duffy, said the former president came close to pulling the United States out of NATO in 2018, a claim he originally made in a memoir published in 2020. In his book, Bolton wrote that he had to convince Trump not to quit NATO in the middle of a 2018 summit.... During his presidency, Trump frequently sought to undermine the [NATO] alliance, accusing its members of being 'delinquents' and repeatedly telling aides he wanted to leave it.... Trump has recently tried to revise his history with NATO, saying Monday that there 'would be no NATO' if it hadn't been for him." The Raw Story has a summary report here.

Gina Harkins & Julian Mark of the Washington Post: "Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) was sharply criticized by fellow lawmakers on both sides of the aisle Thursday after saying that the 'only way' to end the crisis in Ukraine is for Russians to assassinate President Vladimir Putin." MB: Just to give you an idea of how irresponsible Graham's exhortation was, "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called Graham's remarks 'dangerous' and 'unhinged.'"; When even Miss Margie is doling out (correct) lessons on responsibility, you know you are way over the line. (To be fair, Greene has aligned herself with white supremacists, who love Putin.) ~~~

~~~ Sergio Olmos, in the Guardian, explores why so many American right-wing extremists see Vladimir Putin as the white man's hero.

Sarah Ellison of the Washington Post: "Several major media organizations said Friday that they would limit activity in Russia, hours after ... Vladimir Putin signed a measure into law criminalizing news coverage that accurately portrays the country's bloody incursion into Ukraine as an 'invasion.' Bloomberg said it will 'temporarily suspend our news gathering inside Russia.'... CBS and ABC both said they would not broadcast from Russia at least for the day because of the new regulations.... CNN, meanwhile, said the network 'will stop broadcasting in Russia' -- effectively cutting off its signal in the country -- 'while we continue to evaluate the situation and our next steps moving forward.'"

The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

From CNN's live updates Friday, also linked below: "Russia has used cluster bombs, widely banned artillery in Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday. 'We have seen the use of cluster bombs and we have seen reports of use of other types of weapons which would be in violation of international law,' Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels on Friday.... Cluster bombs -- which not only deliver an initial explosion on impact but also contain multiple smaller bombs that spread over a wide area -- are largely condemned by the international community due to the risk of civilian casualties when they're used in populated areas. US President Joe Biden's envoy to the United Nations [Linda Thomas Greenfield] has accused Russia of preparing to use banned weapons, including 'cluster munitions and vacuum bombs,' in Ukraine. And she issued a stark warning to invading Russian soldiers.... CNN teams in Ukraine have also spotted Russian thermobaric 'vacuum bombs' launchers this past week." (Also linked yesterday.)

Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "A public health rule that has kept many undocumented migrants from entering the country during the pandemic suffered a blow on Friday, when a federal appeals court said it could no longer be used to expel families to countries where they would face persecution or torture. The ruling, issued by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, partially affirmed an earlier decision in an ongoing lawsuit and applies only to migrant families traveling with minor children. Although it allowed the Biden administration to keep the rule in place, the three-judge panel questioned whether it was still necessary, noting that it 'looks in certain respects like a relic from an era with no vaccines, scarce testing, few therapeutics and little certainty.' Later on Friday, a federal judge in the Northern District of Texasissued a rule that dealt another blow to the Biden administration -- ordering the government to stop exempting migrant children who arrive at the border without a parent or guardian from the public health rule. The administration has seven days to file an appeal."

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Attorney John Eastman, the architect of Donald Trump's legal strategy to overturn the 2020 election, urged a federal judge Friday to slow down the Jan. 6 select committee's push to obtain documents they say could show the former president criminally conspired to subvert the democratic process. The committee, in an explosive court filing on Wednesday, said ... it has amassed evidence showing that Eastman's work for Trump amounted to a potential criminal conspiracy to obstruct Congress and defraud the U.S. public. Eastman said granting the committee's request would amount to a historic legal finding that Trump -- when he was the sitting president -- committed a crime. And this, he said, in effect turned him into a 'pseudo-defense attorney for the former president.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: You do have to give the guy props in the twisted-logic department (which is, after all, what much of right-wing "legal expertise" amounts to these days). Of course Eastman's argument is nonsense; if Judge David Carter rules for the committee, he would not be ruling that Trump had committed a crime, but could (but not necessarily would) opine that the committee had gathered documents that suggest Trump may have committed a crime or crimes. For one thing, the judge is not presiding over a criminal trial. And since the committee has no prosecutorial authority -- even if they've presented the proverbial smoking gun to the judge -- the judge could rule on whether or not Trump had committed a crime.

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Friday reinstated the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted of helping carry out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. The vote was 6 to 3, with the court's three liberal members in dissent. The bombings, near the finish line of the marathon, killed three people and injured 260, many of them grievously. Seventeen people lost limbs. A law enforcement officer was killed as the brothers fled a few days later. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Dzhokhar's older brother and accomplice, died after a shootout with the police. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, in Boston, upheld Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's convictions in 2020 on 27 counts. But the appeals court ruled that his death sentence should be overturned because the trial judge had not questioned jurors closely enough about their exposure to pretrial publicity and had excluded evidence concerning Tamerlan Tsarnaev." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

George Will of the Washington Post: "Floundering in his attempts to wield political power while lacking a political office, Donald Trump looks increasingly like a stray orange hair to be flicked off the nation's sleeve.... He is an entertainer whose repertoire is stale."

Dalton Bennett & Jon Swaine of the Washington Post "reviewed more than 20 hours of video filmed for [a] documentary ... [about Roger Stone] which is to be released later this year.... In addition to interviews and moments when Stone spoke directly to the camera, they also captured fly-on-the-wall footage of his actions, candid off-camera conversations from a microphone he wore and views of his iPhone screen as he messaged associates on an encrypted app.: The video includes episodes on & around January 6, 2021. MB: This is a long report but was more interesting reading than I would have expected, given the subject matter. For instance, Stone was furious at Trump for not pardoning some of Stone's clients, a venture on which Stone would have made a bundle had Trump come through. For some reason, Trump listened to White House counsel Pat Cipolone, according to Stone, who advised Trump against pardoning Stone's gallery of criminal clients. Stone was furious Trump wasn't corrupt enough: he described "Trump as 'a disgrace' and expressing support for him to be impeached. 'He betrayed everybody,' Stone said." The real problem, I would guess, is that Stone didn't offer Trump a big enough cut of pardon pie à la mode.

John Wagner & Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "Former attorney general William P. Barr said in an interview [with Lester Holt of NBC News] broadcast Friday that he believes that ... Donald Trump is 'responsible in the broad sense of that word' for what transpired at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when a violent mob interrupted Congress's count of electoral college votes. '... It appears that part of the plan was to send this group up to the Hill,' Barr said.... 'I think the whole idea was to intimidate Congress, and I think that that was wrong.'... NBC said that Trump provided a statement in response to its interview of Barr in which Trump called Barr's book 'fake' and described Barr as a 'coward,' a 'big disappointment' and 'lazy.'" ~~~

~~~ Bill Barr, a Hero in His Own Mind. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "Have you heard about how Bill Barr saved democracy? It's all there -- in this new book by, er, Bill Barr. In excerpts published Thursday in the Wall Street Journal..., Donald Trump's former attorney general recounts how he bravely stood up to Trump about his bogus claims of election fraud.... Had Barr spoken out publicly about Trump's 'clown show,' perhaps he could have punctured the 'big lie' before it resulted in the Jan. 6 insurrection.... Barr is just the latest in the parade of former Trump officials to wash their hands of him long after their public condemnation would have done any good.... But nobody in the administration did more to enable Trump's deceptions and assaults on democracy than Barr.... Mass deception is the tool of the autocrat. And Bill Barr gave it his blessing."

Ellie Silverman & Emily Davies of the Washington Post: "... about 1,000 vehicles converged at a speedway in Hagerstown, Md. under the rallying cry of 'freedom.' The truckers and supporters are now the closest they have been to the nation's capital, where they want to hold lawmakers 'accountable' for the government's pandemic-responses. But it's not clear what they will do next to accomplish their goals." And the group's "organizers" admit they don't know. An NBC News report is here.

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Another Draconian "Voter Fraud" Bill. Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "The Florida Senate passed a sweeping new bill overhauling the state's electoral process, adding new restrictions to the state election code and establishing a law enforcement office dedicated solely to investigating election crimes. The bill, which passed 24-14, now goes to the state's House of Representatives, where it could pass as soon as next week and land on the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, who is expected to sign it.... The core of the bill is the establishment of a permanent election crimes office within the Department of State, which would make Florida one of the first states to have an agency solely dedicated to election crimes and voter fraud, despite such offenses being exceedingly rare...."

March 4, 2022

Late Morning Update:

The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here.

From CNN's live updates Friday, also linked below: "Russia has used cluster bombs, widely banned artillery in Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday. 'We have seen the use of cluster bombs and we have seen reports of use of other types of weapons which would be in violation of international law,' Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels on Friday.... Cluster bombs -- which not only deliver an initial explosion on impact but also contain multiple smaller bombs that spread over a wide area -- are largely condemned by the international community due to the risk of civilian casualties when they're used in populated areas. US President Joe Biden's envoy to the United Nations [Linda Thomas Greenfield] has accused Russia of preparing to use banned weapons, including 'cluster munitions and vacuum bombs,' in Ukraine. And she issued a stark warning to invading Russian soldiers.... CNN teams in Ukraine have also spotted Russian thermobaric 'vacuum bombs' launchers this past week."

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Friday reinstated the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted of helping carry out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. The vote was 6 to 3, with the court's three liberal members in dissent. The bombings, near the finish line of the marathon, killed three people and injured 260, many of them grievously. Seventeen people lost limbs. A law enforcement officer was killed as the brothers fled a few days later. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Dzhokhar's older brother and accomplice, died after a shootout with the police. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, in Boston, upheld Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's convictions in 2020 on 27 counts. But the appeals court ruled that his death sentence should be overturned because the trial judge had not questioned jurors closely enough about their exposure to pretrial publicity and had excluded evidence concerning Tamerlan Tsarnaev." CNN's report is here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Putin's War Gets Dirtier

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Friday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Ukraine entered a second week of war against ... Vladimir Putin's invading forces with parts of the country's largest nuclear plant on fire and its southern cities encircled by the Kremlin's troops, as the humanitarian catastrophe wrought by Russia's assault becomes increasingly apparent. Later in the morning, Ukraine's nuclear inspectorate said Russian forces had captured the plant, which is a key supplier of the country's electricity. A regional military leader said nuclear safety at the Zaporizhzhia site was 'ensured as of now,' while local authorities said the fire was extinguished as of 6:20 a.m. local time. Washington and Kyiv said there had been no increase in radiation levels. Ukrainian officials said the blaze broke out after Russian shelling, while President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of 'nuclear terror.'" ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates are here. A roundup of the top stories as of 1:00 pm Ukraine time is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The AP's live updates for Friday are here. CNN's live updates are here: "NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg denounced on Friday the 'brutal' Russian invasion of Ukraine, and condemned attacks on civilians and on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar, southeastern Ukraine.... 'This just demonstrates the recklessness of this war and the importance of ending it and the importance of Russia withdrawing all its troops and engaging good faith in diplomatic efforts,' Stoltenberg [said]."

William Broad, et al., of the New York Times: "A fire broke out early Friday at a complex in southern Ukraine housing Europe's largest nuclear power plant after Russian troops fired on the area, the Ukrainian government said. Security camera footage verified by The New York Times showed a building ablaze inside the Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex near a line of military vehicles. The videos appeared to show people in the vehicles firing at buildings in the power plant. Ukraine's state emergency service later said the blaze went out after 6 a.m. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine accused the Russian military of deliberately attacking the complex and said an explosion there would have been 'the end for everybody, the end of Europe.'... The fire had not affected essential equipment at the plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Twitter, citing its communication with the Ukrainian government. It said that personnel at the plant were 'taking mitigatory actions.'... President Biden spoke with Mr. Zelensky about the fire.... Local reports later said that emergency crews had gained access." An AP story is here. MB: CNN reports that Ukrainian plant personnel are operating the plant "at gunpoint."

Loveday Morris, et al., of the Washington Post: "A Russian siege and hours of shelling have battered rail links and bridges in a key Ukrainian port, its mayor said Thursday, cutting off water, power and food to the city. 'They impede the supply of food, create a blockade for us,' Vadym Boichenko, the mayor of Mariupol, wrote in a Telegram message. As workers waited for a respite from the barrage to begin restoring electricity, the city council said it would try to negotiate a cease-fire and a safe corridor to bring in supplies and evacuate civilians.... The city of more than 400,000, which lies on the Sea of Azov near the Russian border, remained under Ukrainian control but was encircled by Russian troops, Deputy Mayor Sergei Orlov said. Russia was slashing access to Ukrainian ports to extend control over the country's southern coastline."

Missy Ryan & Emily Rauhala of the Washington Post: "Secretary of State Antony Blinken will highlight Western unity in confronting Russia's invasion of Ukraine during a tour of Europe this week, as the Biden administration seeks to deter ... Vladimir Putin from widening his military assault. The top diplomat, in a visit [to Brussels] as well as Moldova, Poland, and the Baltic states, will also bring a message of American support to countries within closest reach of Russia's military...."

Hamed Aleaziz of BuzzFeed News: "The Biden administration will allow Ukrainians in the US to apply for temporary protected status, shielding them from deportation and allowing them to obtain work permits as Russia continues to invade and bombard their home country, officials announced Thursday."

Andrew Kramer of the New York Times: "Unshaven and wearing a military T-shirt, a haggard President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Thursday hosted his first news conference since the war began, inviting journalists into his office building, now fortified with sandbags. In an animated briefing, Mr. Zelensky, whose defiance has made him a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion, laid out the state of negotiations with Russia, voiced pride in his people, pleaded for a no-fly zone and spoke frankly about fear of dying. Beyond the answers Mr. Zelensky provided to questions, pulling a chair close to attending journalists, the news conference seemed intended to signal that his battered government is at least still functioning a week into the war, despite increasingly dire conditions in Kyiv.... Mr. Zelensky's negotiator at the talks [with Russia], Mykhailo Podolyak, said later Thursday negotiations wrapped up with an agreement on cease-fire corridors for civilians to escape heavy combat, but no progress on a settlement."

Howard Altman of Military Times: "Ukraine armed forces have been striking that long line of Russian troops heading to Kyiv while the Russians have used thermobaric weapons against Ukrainian cities, the head of Ukraine's defense intelligence agency tells Military Times.... Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon on the condition of anonymity, a senior defense official said the Pentagon has indications Ukraine forces are targeting the convoy...." (Also linked yesterday.)

Rick Noack of the Washington Post: "... Vladimir Putin called French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, in what appeared to have been a markedly more tense exchange than previous conversations between the two leaders. The 90-minute call failed to deliver a diplomatic breakthrough, and a senior French official said it left Macron convinced that 'the worst is yet to come' and that Putin aims to take control of all of Ukraine. 'Your country will pay dearly because it will end up as an isolated country, weakened and under sanctions for a very long time,' Macron told Putin, according to a French official, who added that Macron 'called on Vladimir Putin to not lie to himself.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Anton Troianovski & Valeriya Safronova of the New York Times: "As ... Vladimir V. Putin wages war against Ukraine, he is fighting a parallel battle on the home front, dismantling the last vestiges of a Russian free press. On Thursday, the pillars of Russia's independent broadcast media collapsed under pressure from the state. Echo of Moscow, the freewheeling radio station founded by Soviet dissidents in 1990 and that symbolized Russia's new freedoms, was 'liquidated' by its board. TV Rain, the youthful independent television station ... said it would suspend operations indefinitely. And Dmitri A. Muratov, the journalist who shared the Nobel Peace Prize last year, said that his newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which survived the murders of six of its journalists, could be on the verge of shutting down as well. 'Everything that's not propaganda is being eliminated,' Mr. Muratov said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: On CNN, a young Ukrainian woman said she had written on social media to some of her Russian friends about Russia's brutal war on Ukraine, and they didn't believe her. So it would appear that many Russian people, not just old folks in the steppes, are not getting the news.

Ellen Nakashima, et al., of the Washington Post: "Some key countries in East Asia are joining with the West to take what is for them the exceptional step of imposing significant financial sanctions, officials and analysts say, brought together by outrage at Russia's invasion of Ukraine and concern over China's growing aggression in the region. 'We want to demonstrate what happens when a country invades another country,' said one Japanese official, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Clifford Krauss of the New York Times: "Lukoil, Russia's second-largest oil company, appeared to distance itself from ... Vladimir V. Putin on Thursday by calling for a 'fast resolution' to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The statement most likely reflects the company's desire to protect its extensive overseas operations, which include a network of more than 200 franchised gas stations in states like New York and New Jersey. Lukoil is one of the most recognizable Russian brands in the United States. Many lawmakers in Washington are pressing the Biden administration to ban the purchase of Russian oil by U.S. companies and to impose sanctions on Russian energy companies. Shares of Lukoil on the London Stock Exchange have fallen more than 40 percent since mid-February."

Tiffany Hsu of the New York Times: "As Russia is trying to cut off the flow of information in Ukraine by attacking its communications infrastructure, the British news outlet BBC is revisiting a broadcasting tactic popularized during World War II: shortwave radio. The BBC said this week that it would use radio frequencies that can travel for long distances and be accessible on portable radios to broadcast its World Service news in English for four hours a day in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and in parts of Russia.... Millions of Russians are also turning to the BBC, the broadcaster said. The audience for the BBC's Russian language news website reached a record 10.7 million in the past week, more than tripling its weekly average so far in 2022, the company said. Visitors to BBC's English language website from within Russia surged 252 percent to 423,000." ~~~

     ~~~ So Then. Sian Cain of the Guardian: "Access to BBC websites has been restricted in Russia, hours after the corporation brought back its shortwave radio service in Ukraine and Russia to ensure civilians in both countries can access news during the invasion.... According to Globalcheck, a service that tracks internet censorship..., the availability of the entire BBC website was at 17% of normal levels in Russia, which suggests some services have been blocked. BBC Russia also reported that Meta, formerly known as Facebook, also appeared to be blocked, as was Google Play."

Jeremy Barr of the Washington Post: "The production company behind RT America will close up shop and lay off employees, signaling a potential end for the Kremlin-funded media outlet aimed at U.S. audiences.... In the United States, RT America has lately covered Russia's bloody invasion of Ukraine as a minor incursion intended for defensive purposes, drawing increasingly loud criticism.... On Tuesday, the cable television distributor DirecTV cut ties with the network.... YouTube, TikTok and Facebook parent company Meta have all blocked access to RT content on their platforms in Europe.... While RT America's audience in the United States is hard to quantify, and was probably modest, the network received significant distribution via the amplification of social media posts by conservative media companies." CNN's report is here.

Larry Neumeister of the AP: "A former CNBC and Fox News employee has been arrested in London for his work as a television producer for a Russian media baron tied to aggression in Ukraine over the past eight years, particularly in Crimea, U.S. prosecutors announced Thursday. Jack Hanick, 71, also known as 'John,' was arrested in London on Feb. 3 in what U.S. Attorney Damian Williams described as the first-ever criminal indictment charging a violation of U.S. sanctions resulting from Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.... Williams said Hanick worked for years for Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev -- the founder of a Russian Orthodox news channel, Tsargrad TV -- even after U.S. sanctions banned U.S. citizens from working for or doing business with him."

Amy Wang & Eugene Scott of the Washington Post: "President Biden signed into law Thursday a bill that ends forced arbitration in workplace sexual assault and harassment cases, allowing survivors to file lawsuits in court against perpetrators. In a White House ceremony with members of Congress, Vice President Harris and former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson in attendance, the president said the secrecy of arbitration benefits companies, not victims, and keeps many of those impacted in the blind about an issue that needs more illumination.... The new law will nullify agreements between employees and their employers in which the employees waive their rights to sue in the case of sexual assault or harassment and instead are required to settle their disputes by arbitration."

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Biden said Wednesday night that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is carrying out 'a cynical and dangerous campaign' by directing state officials to investigate families for child abuse if they allow their children to medically transition genders. 'This is government overreach at its worst,' Biden said in a statement. 'Like so many anti-transgender attacks proliferating in states across the country, the Governor's actions callously threaten to harm children and their families just to score political points. These actions are terrifying many families in Texas and beyond. And they must stop.' Biden said his administration is taking several steps to protect transgender children in Texas. Among them was an invitation Wednesday by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra for families to contact the department's civil rights office if they were 'targeted by a child welfare investigation because of this discriminatory gubernatorial order.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Michael Schmidt & Julian Barnes of the New York Times: "A career National Security Council staff member under ... Donald J. Trump, who was pushed out of her position after she refused to go along with an effort to use the powers of the federal government to silence one of Mr. Trump's chief critics, has been rehired for the post by President Biden, two people briefed on the matter said on Wednesday. The staff member, Ellen Knight, had told a federal judge in 2020 that senior White House lawyers had pressured her to falsely claim that a book by Mr. Trump's former national security adviser, John R. Bolton, contained classified information to keep its contents from becoming public." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jacob Bogage & Lisa Rein of the Washington Post: "The Internal Revenue Service plans to hire 10,000 employees in a push to cut into its backlog of tens of millions of tax returns by recruiting for jobs across the agency that have gone unfilled for years, according to four people familiar with the plan.... The agency plans to use money from its existing budget, a large share of it from coronavirus stimulus funding, to pay for the new hires, to be made over the next two years. The number of new jobs would represent a 14 percent increase in the IRS workforce.... The IRS entered the tax season this year with 24 million unprocessed paper returns and correspondence, almost all dating back to the 2020 filing season.... A government official said the IRS does not expect to resolve the backlog until the end of 2022."

Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had a terse reaction on Thursday to GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) heckling President Biden during his State of the Union address on Tuesday: 'I think they should just shut up.'... '"Let me just say this. I agree with what Sen. Lindsey Graham said: "Shut up."'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The Washington Post's report is here.

Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "The House on Thursday passed a bill that would expand health-care eligibility for veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other toxins during their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill, which could provide health coverage for up to 3.5 million veterans, was passed on a vote of 256 to 174, with 34 Republicans joining all Democrats.... The U.S. military used burn pits throughout Iraq and Afghanistan to dispose of waste, medical and hazardous materials, and jet fuel, exposing veterans to toxins that have caused long-lasting medical problems. Veterans who have been exposed often face difficult disability benefit claims processes with the Department of Veterans Affairs to get necessary health care.... 'Tax cuts for the rich, cancer for our veterans,' [Speaker Nancy Pelosi said of Republicans' priorities.]"

Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico returned to work in the Senate on Thursday morning, barely a month after suffering a major stroke that left him hospitalized for weeks and sent a chill through fellow Democrats clinging to a 50-50 majority. Luján, 49, walked in and out of a Senate Commerce Committee meeting without assistance, where he was greeted with a bipartisan standing ovation." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Katie Benner & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The Justice Department is facing mounting pressure to prosecute ... Donald J. Trump after the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack laid out its argument for a potential criminal case on Wednesday night, placing Attorney General Merrick B. Garland squarely in the middle of a politically charged debate over how to hold Mr. Trump accountable for efforts to overturn the election.... In publicly sharing its work, the committee has only escalated expectations that Mr. Trump will be prosecuted, regardless of whether its evidence meets the standard that a federal prosecutor must clear to secure a unanimous guilty verdict.... However, the filing was not necessarily a path to prosecution. The committee made its claim in the context of the court fight that prompted it -- a dispute over a subpoena for documents written by [right-wing lawyerJohn] Eastman. The standard it must meet to invoke crimes is much lower than it would be for prosecutors to win a criminal conviction, legal specialists said." A related Politico story is here.

Rosalind Helderman, et al., of the Washington Post: "A data expert for ... Donald Trump's campaign told him bluntly not long after polls closed in November 2020 that he was definitely going to lose his campaign for reelection. In the weeks that followed, multiple top officials at the Justice Department informed Trump that they had closely examined allegations of fraud ... -- and had found them simply untrue. And in the days leading up to the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, even Trump's loyal vice president, Mike Pence, repeatedly conveyed to Trump that he did not believe the Constitution gave him the power to overturn the election.... These and other new details were included in a legal brief filed late Wednesday by lawyers for the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol as they began to build a case that Trump was knowingly misleading his followers about the election and pressuring Pence to break the law in the weeks and hours before the assault. According to the panel and others, at least 11 aides and close confidants told Trump directly in the weeks after the election that there was no fraud and no legal way to overturn the result.... [Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said in an interview,] '... all of this evidence makes it certain that [Trump] had consciousness of guilt as he proceeded to try to overthrow the election result.'"

Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "On Wednesday night, we got the first formal indication of [the House January 6 committee's] primary target: establishing that ... Donald Trump committed two federal crimes in his efforts to retain power despite losing the 2020 presidential election.... [In this post,] we'll walk through the case presented by the committee in the document produced on Wednesday. We'll also contextualize it with other recent legal activity that hints at more significant culpability for Trump allies and maintains a risk of civil repercussions for the former president." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Uh, Barr Didn't Exactly Resign. ~~~

     ~~~ Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr said ... Donald Trump became furious after Barr told him there was no evidence that the 2020 election was fraudulent. 'I told him that all this stuff was bulls[hit]... about election fraud. And, you know, it was wrong to be shoveling it out the way his team was, Barr said in an interview with NBC News's Lester Holt...." Gregorian's account covers pretty much everything Barr said in the clip above. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) There is a longer excerpt of Holt's interview here, wherein Barr again lets us know what a swell guy he is. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Rep. Adam Schiff, (D-Calif.), appearing on MSNBC, pointed out that when Trump's own attorney general told Trump he had lost the election, and further laid out point by point how each conspiracy theories Trump was pushing was bullshit, Trump could no longer pretend his actions to overturn the elections were based on a belief the results were fraudulent. Therefore, Barr has provided even more proof of Trump's consciousness of guilt & criminal intent.

Felicia Sonmez & Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob has issued a subpoena to Kimberly Guilfoyle, the partner of Donald Trump Jr. In a statement, the panel's chairman, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), said the committee had subpoenaed Guilfoyle to testify because she had'backed out of her original commitment to provide a voluntary interview.'" The Guardian's story is here.

Guardian & Agencies: "Donald Trump has reached an agreement with the the New York attorney general's office that will temporarily spare him from having to answer questions under oath as part of an investigation into his business, as the former president's appeal process in the case continues."

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: Guy Wesley "Reffitt, 41, is the first defendant out of more than 700 to go on trial in connection with the Capitol attack, and in the past two days the prosecution has documented how he drove to Washington with a fellow member of a Texas militia and, armed with a pistol, led a pro-Trump mob in an advance on the police outside the building.... On Thursday, [his] son, Jackson Reffitt, faced his father from the witness stand in Federal District Court in Washington, testifying against him in a remarkable tableau that captured the painful rupture in one family -- and in some ways the nation -- caused by the events of Jan. 6, 2021. 'He said, "If you turn me in, you're a traitor,"' Jackson Reffitt told the jury.... '"And traitors get shot."'"

Jan Hoffman of the New York Times: "Members of the billionaire Sackler family and their company, Purdue Pharma, have reached a deal with a group of states that had long resisted the company's bankruptcy plan -- a crucial step toward funneling billions of dollars from the family's fortune to addiction treatment programs nationwide, according to a court filing on Thursday. If Judge Robert Drain, who has presided over Purdue's bankruptcy proceedings in White Plains, N.Y., approves the agreement, the Sacklers would pay as much as $6 billion to help communities address the damage from the opioid crisis. In return, Sackler family members would get the prize they insisted upon for nearly three years: an end to all current and future civil claims against them over the company's prescription opioid business."

Beyond the Beltway

Florida, Where Women, Gays & Teachers Are Second-Class Citizens. Patricia Mazzei & Alexandra Glorioso of the New York Times: "Florida legislators voted to ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy on Thursday, a move that would severely restrict access to the procedure in a state that for decades has been a refuge for women from across the South.The bill -- modeled after a similar abortion ban in Mississippi that the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to uphold -- now heads to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis as part of a sweeping push by Republicans to put the state at the forefront of the nation's culture wars. Other legislation on the verge of passage includes banning instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity in some elementary school grades, and allowing parents to sue public school districts if students believe that their teacher sought to make them feel discomfort about a historical event because of their race, sex or national origin." The AP's report is here.

Idaho, Where Women Are Second-Class Citizens. Caroline Kitchener of the Washington Post: "The Idaho Senate on Thursday approved a Republican bill to ban abortion after six weeks, positioning Idaho to become the first state to copy the restrictive Texas law that has prohibited most abortions in the state. The vote was 28 to 6.... If it passes the Republican-led House and is signed by Gov. Brad Little (R), Idaho's abortion ban could take effect as early as April, several months before the Supreme Court is expected to rule in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the case that will determine the constitutionality of Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban and determine the future of Roe." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Assuming the Supremes rubber-stamp the Mississippi abortion law, we will have "two Americas" under the law, one where women are valued and one where women & minorites are the pawns of white men. The Republican party is forcing the United States back into the dark ages that most Americans are too young to remember. I don't think they're going to like it.

Kentucky, Where It's Okay for Cops to Shoot up the Neighborhood. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times: "The only officer to be charged for his actions during the fatal police raid on Breonna Taylor's apartment was found not guilty on Thursday of endangering three of Ms. Taylor's neighbors by firing bullets into their home during the botched operation. Jurors acquitted the former officer, Brett Hankison, whose bullets did not strike anyone, on all three counts of wanton endangerment after deliberating for about three hours."

Wisconsin. Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "A divided state Supreme Court approved election maps Thursday that were drawn by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers but will let Republicans keep the upper hand in races for the Legislature. Thursday's decision was 4-3, with Justice Brian Hagedorn breaking from conservatives and joining liberals to form a majority. The decision built off of a November ruling that said the justices would make as few changes as possible to the maps that have been in place since 2011. Those maps are heavily Republican, so the November ruling ensured whatever maps the justices chose also tilted that way. Sixty of the 99 Assembly seats will lean Republican and 22 of the 33 state Senate seats will lean Republican, according to a December analysis of the maps by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Those margins are similar to what Republicans enjoy now."

News Ledes

CNBC: "Job growth accelerated in February, posting the biggest monthly gain since July as the employment picture got closer to its pre-pandemic self. Nonfarm payrolls for the month grew by 678,000 and the unemployment rate was 3.8%, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. That compared with estimates of 440,000 for payrolls and 3.9% for the jobless rate. In a sign that inflation could be cooling, wages barely rose for the month, up just 1 cent an hour, or 0.03%, compared with estimates for a 0.5% gain. The year-over-year increase was 5.13%, well below the 5.8% Dow Jones estimate as more lower-wage workers were hired and 12-month comparisons helped mute more recent gains."

Washington Post: "A massive explosion and fire leveled a Silver Spring-area apartment building Thursday morning, sending 10 people to the hospital and leaving others missing as authorities searched the smoldering rubble. Three people were rushed to the hospital in critical condition, while seven others suffered less serious injuries, Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said at a Thursday afternoon news conference. Goldstein said several people remained unaccounted for and that K-9s had alerted people might trapped below the collapsed jumble of brick, steel, glass and concrete at the Friendly Garden Apartments. About 100 people were displaced by the explosion, including 35 in the building that was destroyed.... Two other apartment buildings were damaged in the six-building complex and are not safe to inhabit for the time being.... The cause of the blast was under investigation...."