March 17, 2022

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Maegan Vazquez & Nikki Carvajal of CNN: "Speaking at the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon on St. Patrick's Day at Capitol Hill, [President] Biden said Putin is 'a murderous dictator, a pure thug who is waging an immoral war against the people of Ukraine.'"

** Forget Our Votes; Follow Our Tweets. Mariana Alfaro & Eugene Scott of the Washington Post: "More than two dozen Senate Republicans are demanding that President Biden do more to aid war-torn Ukraine and arm its forces against Russia's brutal assault, after voting last week against $13.6 billion in military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine.... '"We should send more lethal aid to Ukraine which I voted against last week" is making my brain melt,' tweeted Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).... 'They voted to exonerate Trump for this specific reason, which was to withhold aid from Zelensky, and here they are again, opposing aid to Zelensky,' Schatz said. 'So now they're doing it twice.'"

Kathy McCormack of the AP: "New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said Thursday that he will veto a GOP-backed redistricting plan that would tilt the state's 1st Congressional District toward Republicans while solidifying the Democrats' advantage in the 2nd District, shortly after legislators passed the bill.... The Senate's 13-11 vote in favor of the plan on Thursday followed House passage of the bill in January on a vote of 186-164. Republicans lead by a narrow majority in the Legislature. Overturning a veto requires a two-thirds majority in both bodies."

The New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Rescuers on Thursday began pulling some survivors from the wreckage of a theater in the besieged port city of Mariupol, an adviser to the city's mayor said, a day after an attack destroyed the building where hundreds of people were believed to be taking shelter. The extent of casualties was unknown as Russian forces continued to shell the area, he said, hampering recovery efforts. In an overnight address, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine alleged that a Russian aircraft had 'purposefully dropped a huge bomb' on the theater.'... Cease-fire talks between the Russians and Ukrainians were expected to enter their fourth day on Thursday, but increasingly harsh comments by ... Vladimir V. Putin ... were a dim portent for progress, despite conciliatory public statements by negotiators from both sides.... His statements came amid an increasingly brutal war of attrition unfolding on the ground and in the air, with fierce battles raging in the suburbs of Kyiv, Ukrainian forces claiming to have shot down more Russian aircraft, and Russian warships on the Black Sea launching missiles at towns around the southern city of Odessa.... British intelligence reports say that Russian forces have 'made minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days,' and that they 'continue to suffer heavy losses.' Still, Russian forces have taken control of large sections of Ukraine, particularly in the east and south. The battle for the skies above Kyiv raged overnight on Thursday, with the Ukrainian military claiming to have shot down 10 Russian planes and missiles. The remnants of one rocket tore through a residential high-rise and killed at least one person, officials said."

Andrea Rosa of the AP: "Rescuers searched for survivors Thursday in the ruins of a theater blown apart by a Russian airstrike in the besieged city of Mariupol, while a ferocious bombardment left dozens dead in a northern city over the past day, authorities said. Hundreds of civilians had been taking shelter in the grand, columned theater in central Mariupol after their homes were destroyed in three weeks of fighting in the besieged port city. Nearly a day after the airstrike, there were no reports of deaths. With much of the city cut off from the flow of information, there were also conflicting reports on whether anyone had emerged from the rubble. 'We hope and we think that some people who stayed in the shelter under the theater could survive,' Petro Andrushchenko, an official with the mayor's office, told The Associated Press. He said the building had a relatively modern basement bomb shelter designed to withstand airstrikes." ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Michael Luciano of Mediaite: Sen. Rand Paul appeared on a Newsmax show where he opined that Ukraine should pay for the military aid the U.S. is sending them. But, hey, Paul does "have sympathy for Ukraine." MB: Thanks to Akhilleus for the lead, and do see his commentary in today's thread. How is it that Li'l Randy is so dense he doesn't understand that Ukrainians are fighting our war? Ukrainians of every age are the missile fodder that is protecting the people of all Western countries. I believe President Zelensky explained that to, you know, members of Congress yesterday. I feel guilty that all I'm doing is sending money & supplies when little children are dying in this war on the West. And all Randy wants is a check. Oddly enough, it never occurred to him that the check he wants should come from Russia, not Ukraine.

Jacob Knutson of Axios: "President Biden will speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday as 'part of our ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the United States and the PRC,' press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Thursday. Biden and Xi will in part discuss Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine after reports indicated that Moscow had asked China's government for military ​equipment and other assistance to support its war."

Elisha Fieldstadt of NBC News: "American basketball star Brittney Griner's detention in Russia has been extended until May, the Russian state news agency TASS reported, citing the Khimki Court of the Moscow Region.... Griner has been detained for weeks after Russian officials said they found vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow."

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

Michael Shear & Sheryl Stoldberg of the New York Times: "Jeffrey D. Zients, an entrepreneur and management consultant who steered President Biden's coronavirus response through successive pandemic waves and the largest vaccination campaign in American history, plans to leave the White House in April to return to private life, President Biden said in a statement. Mr. Zients will be replaced as the White House coronavirus coordinator by Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and a practicing internist who has urged an aggressive approach to the pandemic in frequent television appearances. Dr. Jha will coordinate the government's Covid-19 response from inside the White House, officials said." An NBC News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ President Biden's statement, via the White House, is here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Thursday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine continued Wednesday, as an airstrike hit a theater in the besieged port city of Mariupol where hundreds of residents were sheltering.... On the square near the destroyed theater, the word 'children' was written in large Russian lettering, satellite photos show. And in the northern city of Chernihiv, where heavy fighting has been ongoing for weeks, 10 people were killed by Kremlin forces while waiting in line for bread, U.S. and Ukrainian officials said.... The attacks come as President Biden for the first time publicly called ... Vladimir Putin a 'war criminal.'"

Helene Cooper, et al., of the New York Times: "... according to American intelligence estimates..., more than 7,000 Russian troop[s have been killed in Russia's war on Ukraine]..., greater than the number of American troops killed over 20 years in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.... And the Russian military has also lost at least three generals in the fight, according to Ukrainian, NATO and Russian officials.... It is a staggering number amassed in just three weeks of fighting, American officials say, with implications for the combat effectiveness of Russian units.... 'Losses like this affect morale and unit cohesion, especially since these soldiers don't understand why they're fighting,' said Evelyn Farkas, the top Pentagon official for Russia and Ukraine during the Obama administration.... One recent [Pentagon intelligence] report focused on low morale among Russian troops and described soldiers just parking their vehicles and walking off into the woods." ~~~

~~~ For Example. Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "Wall Street Journal chief foreign affairs correspondent Yaroslav Trofimov has written a lengthy new report illustrating the serious setbacks Russia is facing in its invasion by focusing on the small city of Voznesens'k, which the reporter writes has 'dealt Russian forces one of the most humiliating defeats of the war.' Although Voznesens'k is a small city of only around 35,000 people, it is located in a strategically important area that could have given Russian forces a back door to assault the key port city of Odessa.... 'Russian survivors of the Voznesensk battle left behind nearly 30 of their 43 vehicles -- tanks, armored personnel carriers, multiple-rocket launchers, trucks -- as well as a downed Mi-24 attack helicopter, according to Ukrainian officials in the city,' [Trofimov] writes. 'Russian forces retreated more than 40 miles to the southeast, where other Ukrainian units have continued pounding them. Some dispersed in nearby forests, where local officials said 10 soldiers have been captured.'... Read the full report here." ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Tim Lister, et al., of CNN: "A theater where hundreds of people had taken shelter in Mariupol was bombed on Wednesday, according to local authorities, as hundreds of thousands of people remain trapped in the coastal Ukrainian city that has been encircled for weeks by Russian forces.... Military strikes also hit a building that houses the Neptune Pool, just over four kilometers (approximately 2.5 miles) from the theater, according to videos shared by a local official. Its authenticity has been confirmed by CNN. Maxim Kach, a Mariupol city government official, said the building was for civilians, with only women and young children hiding within it and not military personnel.... A Ukrainian official accused Russian troops of holding some 400 people captive at Mariupol's Regional Intensive Care Hospital." Included is a satellite image showing the word "children" spelled out in large Russian letters in empty parking lots on two sides of the Drama Theatre.

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "The Treasury Department on Wednesday gave a new international body a list of 50 Russian elites that the United States views as its top priorities for enacting new sanctions, as global law enforcement steps up its hunt for the assets of oligarchs tied to the Kremlin. Treasury officials provided the list to the Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs (REPO) task force, a new multinational body involving the United States and more than a half-dozen allied nations, for the group's first meeting. The task force will pool the resources of the countries' law enforcement divisions to track down the assets of Russian oligarchs stashed overseas, a difficult task complicated by the opaque or complicated financial instruments frequently used by Russian financial elites to hide their holdings from public view. Treasury publicly released 28 of the 50 names on the list, including ... Vladimir Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian mega-billionaire Alisher Usmanov...."

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post suggests a fairly easy way for Americans to help Ukraine's war effort: boycott products made by companies that are funding Russia's war. Milbank lists a number of them, and it's likely you have purchased some of these products. (I have.) Milbank advises, "Go to Jeffrey Sonnenfeld's website via Yale's School of Management to make sure you aren't funding the businesses that are funding Putin's war machine -- and reward the vast majority of companies that share Zelensky's belief that peace is more important than profit.

Raphael Minder & Michael Forsythe of the New York Times: "Spain, which has pledged to seize the suspected superyachts of Russian oligarchs targeted for sanctions..., on Wednesday impounded the third such vessel, one of the world's biggest superyachts, in Spanish territorial waters this week. The ship was impounded in the Spanish port of Tarragona, pending an inspection to establish its exact ownership, Spain's transport ministry said in a statement. The ship, called the Crescent, was registered in the Cayman Islands.... The Crescent, valued by the SuperYachtFan website at $600 million, appears to be the sister ship of the slightly larger, slightly more expensive Scheherazade, a 459-foot superyacht that U.S. officials said could be associated with ... Vladimir V. Putin...."

The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "... President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine delivered an urgent, impassioned plea to Congress on Wednesday for more military aid to defeat Russia, describing the threat his nation faces as an attack on the democratic values championed by the United States.... In a remarkably direct appeal by a wartime leader to policymakers in Washington, Mr. Zelensky addressed lawmakers on a large screen in a movie theater-style auditorium under the Capitol, invoking the memories of Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks -- when the United States came under attack -- as he pleaded for support saying, 'we need you right now.'" Includes reporters' comments on President Zelensky's speech. Missing: the usual snark attacks. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ashley Parker of the Washington Post: "President Biden explicitly called ... Vladimir Putin a 'war criminal' Wednesday, after weeks of avoiding the term and at a time when his administration is still determining whether that label officially applies. Biden made the dramatic accusation seemingly off the cuff, in response to a reporter's shouted question.... 'I think he is a war criminal,' Biden said, after delivering comments on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.... [Press Secretary Jen] Psaki depicted it as a heartfelt remark. 'The president's remarks speak for themselves,' she said. 'He was speaking from his heart and speaking from what we've seen on television, which is barbaric actions by a brutal dictator through his invasion of a foreign country.' She reiterated Wednesday that the State Department is conducting a legal review to determine whether the actions in Ukraine are war crimes."

Kaitlin Collins, et al., of CNN: "President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine.... 'The world is united in our support for Ukraine and our determination to make (Russian President Vladimir) Putin pay a very heavy price,' Biden said before signing a presidential memorandum at the White House to deliver the military assistance.... 'This could be a long and difficult battle. But the American people will be steadfast in our support of the people of Ukraine in the face of Putin's immoral, unethical attacks on civilian population.' According to the White House, the $800 million in security assistance will provide Ukraine with: 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 100 drones, 'over 20 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenade launcher and mortar rounds,' 25,000 sets of body armor, 25,000 helmets, 100 grenade launchers, 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns, 400 shotguns, as well as "2,000 Javelin, 1,000 light anti-armor weapons, and 6,000 AT-4 anti-armor systems.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "The Pentagon will expand the size and scope of weaponry being rushed to Ukraine, the Biden administration said Wednesday, including for the first time armed drones capable of inflicting significant damage to Russian ground units while U.S. officials continue to search for sophisticated antiaircraft systems owned by European allies.... The new aid package approved Wednesday includes 100 Switchblade drones, small unmanned aircraft packed with explosives that crash into targets in 'kamikaze' fashion, said a U.S. official.... The administration has declined to detail what specific additional European surface-to-air missiles could be sent to Ukraine, but [President] Biden said Wednesday that the United States has identified and is helping Ukraine acquire additional 'longer-range antiaircraft systems and the munitions for those systems.'"

Rick Noack of the Washington Post: "Russia was ordered to halt its invasion of Ukraine by the United Nations' top court Wednesday, in a preliminary decision that appeared to have largely symbolic significance. Ukraine initiated the case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague to contest ... Vladimir Putin's official explanation for entering the country as an effort to end a 'genocide' of pro-Russian separatists. The court voted 13 to 2 in favor of ordering Russia to 'suspend' military operations in Ukraine and to prevent armed units that are directed or supported by Russia from taking further action. Of the two judges in opposition, one was from Russia, the other from China." (Also linked yesterday.)

AP: "The Council of Europe on Wednesday expelled Russia from the continent's foremost human rights body in an unprecedented move over Moscow's invasion and war in Ukraine. The 47-nation organization's committee of ministers said in statement that 'the Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the Council of Europe as from today, after 26 years of membership.'... Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted Wednesday that it would have left the body regardless." MB: You can't fire me. I quit. (Also linked yesterday.)

Adela Suliman, et al., of the Washington Post: “Officials from both Russia and Ukraine expressed cautious optimism Wednesday that peace talks were making progress toward ending almost three weeks of fighting across Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address overnight Tuesday that negotiations with Moscow were heading in a 'more realistic' direction, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that there is 'hope for reaching a compromise.' However, both sides also stressed that the talks were difficult, with differences remaining over what neutrality, or security guarantees, for Ukraine would look like." An AP story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I suppose it won't happen, but I think Russia should have to fix what they broke, as much as that is possible. They should pay to repair or replace all the structures they damaged or toppled, and they should pay reparations to people they wounded & to the families of those they murdered. This is not the same as bringing Germany to its knees after WWI. Russia has plenty of oil to pay for damages. In the meantime, since China claims it's ever-so dedicated to preserving the peace, President Biden should ring up President Xi & ask China to enforce no-fly zones, at least over humanitarian corridors throughout Ukraine.

Steve Inskeep of NPR: U.S. "Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that merely stopping the invasion of Ukraine may not be enough for Russia to gain relief from Western economic sanctions. The U.S. also wants an assurance that there will never be another such invasion. In an interview with NPR, Blinken spoke of Western sanctions that cratered the Russian ruble, led global firms to shutter their Russian operations, and closed the Moscow stock market. He said the unplugging of much of Russia's economy from the West is beginning to wreak long-term effects that are 'growing over time.' He insisted that U.S. sanctions against Russia are 'not designed to be permanent,' and that they could 'go away' if Russia should change its behavior. But he said any Russian pullback would have to be, 'in effect, irreversible.'..." (Also linked yesterday.)

Christian Shepherd & Lily Kuo of the Washington Post: "Three weeks into the largest military clash in Europe since World War II, China's effort to displease neither Russia nor the international coalition imposing sanctions on Putin is looking increasingly untenable. A disconnect is growing between the image of neutrality Beijing wants to project and President Xi Jinping's long-term strategy of fostering ties with Russia as a critical partner in the standoff with the United States and its allies. Pressure from Western governments -- and from pockets of Chinese academia and public opinion -- is mounting on the Chinese leadership to use its economic ties with Russia to force a cease-fire. But to do so is a risk for Chinese leaders, who have little experience dealing with geopolitical crises far from their shores." (Also linked yesterday.)

I want to thank the Russian Academy for this Lifetime Achievement Award. -- Hillary Clinton, reacting to Russia's sanctioning her, in a tweet

Lisa Mascaro of the AP: “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited Pearl Harbor and the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on Wednesday as he appealed to the U.S. Congress to do more to help Ukraine's fight against Russia, but acknowledged the no-fly zone he has sought to 'close the sky' over his country may not happen. Livestreamed into the Capitol complex, Zelenskyy said the U.S. must sanction Russian lawmakers and block imports, and he showed a packed auditorium of lawmakers an emotional video of the destruction and devastation his country has suffered in the war." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Counterprogramming. Paul Shinkman of US News: "... Vladimir Putin put forward a comprehensive, if disjointed, defense of Russia's bloody assault on Ukraine three weeks after it began in an apparent recognition of growing international outrage at the brutality of the campaign. In lengthy remarks Wednesday..., Putin lobbed familiar claims at growing international condemnation for the military campaign he launched..., while also appearing to shift some of the responsibility for it. He offered, for example, that the character of the military assault -- ... originated within the Russian military and the general staff.... And, seemingly acknowledging new political fronts he faces at home, he put forward troubling language about the need for 'cleansing of the nation' against those who do not support the Kremlin's policies.... Putin's lengthy remarks took place while ... Volodymyr Zelenskeyy simultaneously addressed the U.S. Congress...." ~~~

     ~~~ Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: "... Vladimir V. Putin on Wednesday referred to pro-Western Russians as 'scum and traitors' who needed to be removed from society, describing the war in Ukraine as part of an existential clash with the United States and setting the stage for an ever fiercer crackdown at home and even more aggression abroad. Comparing the West to Nazi Germany, the Russian leader laced his speech with derision for the 'political beau monde' in Europe and the United States, and for the 'slave-like' Russians who supported it...."

Paul Kirby of BBC News: "When Marina Ovsyannikova burst into Russian living rooms on Monday's nightly news, denouncing the war in Ukraine and propaganda around it, her protest highlighted a quiet but steady stream of resignations from Russia's tightly controlled state-run TV. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked her, appealing to anyone working for what he calls Russia's propaganda system to resign. Any journalist working in what he calls the fourth branch of power risks sanctions and an international tribunal for 'justifying war crimes', he warns."

Marie: Something I think about every day: what if Trump were still president*? ~~~

~~~ Joyce Vance, in an MSNBC column: “The first impeachment [of Donald Trump] is pivotal to understanding the current war in Ukraine, and how narrowly we escaped an American presidency that could have readily aligned itself with Russia over our NATO allies.... Before the [infamous call between Trump & Ukraine's new president Volodymyr Zelensky], Trump had asked his chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to hold back the aid [Congress had allocated to Ukraine. Despite attempts by the White House Office of Legal Counsel & Bill Barr's DOJ to bury the content of the call], the inspector general for the intelligence community, Michael Atkinson (subsequently fired by Trump, in April 2020) advised the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that the director of national intelligence was sitting on a credible whistleblower complaint.... Trump now takes credit for the aid Ukraine received and suggests that if he were president, Ukraine would be better off. Indeed, 62 percent of Americans believe Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if Trump were president.... Had he won [the 2020 election], Trump could have fully denuded NATO and entered into once discussed joint cyber agreements with Moscow. We could have had a president who wouldn't protest Putin's Ukraine ambitions; after all, as Trump said originally, they were 'smart.'"

Maria Sacchetti & Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday that it will grant temporary protected status, or TPS, to Afghan nationals living in the United States without permanent legal status, adding them to a long list of immigrants waiting for the same protection under the law. Approximately 74,500 Afghans are eligible to apply for the status, which grants them protection from deportation for 18 months and eligibility for a work permit. Afghans residing in the United States as of March 15 are eligible to apply, and they must pay a fee and pass a background check. For most Afghans, the protection is redundant: The vast majority were paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome and allowed to apply for work permits free of charge. DHS said in a statement that this additional protection will mainly affect approximately 2,000 foreign nationals who were not evacuated -- such as international students -- and whose visas could expire and leave them in legal limbo." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Katie Benner, et al., of the New York Times: "In the year after he disclosed a federal investigation into his 'tax affairs' in late 2020, President Biden's son, Hunter Biden, paid off a significant tax liability, even as a grand jury continued to gather evidence in a wide-ranging examination of his international business dealings, according to people familiar with the case.... As recently as last month, the federal grand jury heard testimony in Wilmington, Del., from two witnesses, one of whom was a former employee of Hunter Biden whose lawyer was later subpoenaed for financial records that reflected money Mr. Biden received from a Ukrainian energy company. The investigation, which began as a tax inquiry under the Obama administration, widened in 2018 to include possible criminal violations of tax laws, as well as foreign lobbying and money laundering rules...."

Rachel Siegel of the Washington Post: "The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in the pandemic on Wednesday, while signaling far more hikes and warning that inflation would remain high through the rest of the year. The quarter-point interest rate hike was expected and considered modest, but the Fed more than doubled the number of rate hikes anticipated this year -- for a total of seven -- to help rein in the highest inflation in 40 years. Wednesday marked the first rate hike since 2018. The Fed Board has faced criticism that it has underestimated inflation over the past year, and now even more uncertainty lurks. Energy prices are spiking because of the war in Ukraine, and coronavirus surges are shutting down major Chinese manufacturing hubs, worsening global supply chain snarls that are pushing prices higher."

Carl Hulse of the New York Times: Senate Republicans have been vilifying Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and some other judicial nominees for their work as public defenders, "by suggesting that they acted inappropriately in representing clients accused of serious, sometimes vicious crimes. Democrats say the tactic ignores a fundamental principle of the American justice system -- that everyone has the constitutional right to be represented by counsel-- and effectively seeks to disqualify from the bench anyone who has taken that obligation seriously.... The Republican strategy is a response to a concerted push by the Biden administration to diversify the federal bench by nominating more people with experience in criminal defense work, many of them women of color.... The nomination of Judge Jackson, who would be the first public defender and the first Black woman to sit on the high court, will be the biggest test yet of whether a lawyer who represented accused criminals can draw broad Republican support." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "No politician better exemplifies the triumph of partisanship over duty to country than Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). But unlike some of his more brazen colleagues, he often feels obliged to concoct reasons for his ruthless partisanship, unintentionally revealing that power is his only objective.... He conceded there is 'no question' that President Biden's nominee for the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, is qualified. So ... his reason for opposing her, in all likelihood, is nothing short of ridiculous: Liberal interest groups back her.... White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain weighed in on Twitter: 'Just for the record, Judge Jackson's supporters include the Fraternal Order of Police, conservative former federal judges Tom Griffith and Michael Luttig, a bipartisan group of former Supreme Court clerks, and the International Association of the Chiefs of Police.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Allyson Chiu of the Washington Post: "Sleep experts widely agree with the Senate that the country should abandon its twice-yearly seasonal time changes. But ... unlike the Senate, many sleep experts believe the country should adopt year-round standard time. After the Senate voted unanimously and with little discussion Tuesday to make daylight saving time permanent, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine issued a statement cautioning that the move overlooks potential health risks associated with that time system.... The AASM made this stance clear in 2020 when it released a position statement recommending that the country institute year-round standard time. Its reasoning, in part, is that standard time is more closely associated with humans' intrinsic circadian rhythm, and that disrupting that rhythm, as happens with daylight saving time, has been associated with increased risks of obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and depression."

Anna Phillips of the Washington Post: The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals "on Wednesday lifted a ban blocking the federal government from factoring damage from rising greenhouse gas emissions into its decisions, offering a temporary reprieve for President Biden's plans to tackle climate change.... With sweeping climate legislation stalled in Congress, the administration is counting on these regulations to meet its emissions reduction targets." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Worth bearing in mind: the confederate Supremes are bent on gutting the EPA's regulatory powers anyway.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Lenny Bernstein & Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post: "A surge in coronavirus infections in Western Europe has experts and health authorities on alert for another wave of the pandemic in the United States, even as most of the country has done away with restrictions after a sharp decline in cases. Infectious-disease experts are closely watching the subvariant of omicron known as BA.2, which appears to be more transmissible than the original strain, BA.1, and is fueling the outbreak overseas.... In all, about a dozen nations are seeing spikes in coronavirus infections caused by BA.2, a cousin of the BA.1 form of the virus that tore through the United States over the past three months.... China and Hong Kong ... are experiencing rapid and severe outbreaks, but the strict 'zero covid' policies they have enforced make them less similar to the United States than Western Europe." The article is free to nonsubscribers.

David Shortell, et al., of CNN: "Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, known as the Taoiseach, tested positive for Covid-19 Wednesday while attending a gala in Washington, DC, that had just been addressed by President Joe Biden. Martin left the gathering for The Ireland Funds after his positive result was confirmed, according to PA Media, a UK-based news agency. Irish Ambassador to the US Daniel Mulhall announced the results to the room, a person who attended the dinner told CNN. A White House official said Biden is not considered a close contact of Martin. The pair was set to hold a bilateral meeting at the White House on Thursday, but the official said the schedule will be changed.... In a photo posted online by the Press Association, Martin is seen sitting next to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the event." A Washington Post story is here.

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

Beyond the Beltway

Illinois. Julia Jacobs of the New York Times: "An Illinois appellate court ruled Wednesday that the actor Jussie Smollett be released from jail on bond pending his appeal of his conviction for falsely reporting that he had been the victim of a hate crime. Mr. Smollett was sentenced last week to five months in jail, but his lawyers quickly asked a panel of judges to stay the sentence while they appealed the conviction." An AP report is here.

Ohio. Jessie Balmert & Laura Bischoff of the Columbus Dispatch: "The Ohio Supreme Court struck down the third set of state House and Senate maps late Wednesday, effectively ending any hope of a May 3rd primary with both legislative and statewide races. The decision marks the third time the Ohio Supreme Court has rejected legislative maps drawn by the Ohio Redistricting Commission. Once again, Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, a Republican, was the deciding vote in a 4-3 decision. The Ohio Supreme Court ordered the Ohio Redistricting Commission to draw a new set of state House and Senate maps by March 28. In its decision, the court's majority ... made a suggestion for the next round of mapmaking: draft maps in public, convene frequent meetings and use a different mapmaker.... 'Resolving this self-created chaos ... depends not on the number of hands on the computer mouse but, rather, on the political will to honor the people's call to end partisan gerrymandering,' according to the court's decision."

Texas. Aaron Blake of the Washington Post demonstrates how Texas' latest voter suppression law does in fact work to suppress the vote, and it seems to suppress significantly more Democratic votes than Republican votes. ~~~

     ~~~ Paul Weber & Acacia Coronado of the AP: "Texas threw out mail votes at an abnormally high rate during the nation's first primary of 2022, rejecting nearly 23,000 ballots outright under tougher voting rules that are part of a broad campaign by Republicans to reshape American elections, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. Roughly 13% of mail ballots returned in the March 1 primary were discarded and uncounted across 187 counties in Texas. While historical primary comparisons are lacking, the double-digit rejection rate would be far beyond what is typical in a general election, when experts say anything above 2% is usually cause for attention.... The rejection rate was higher in counties that lean Democratic (15.1%) than Republican (9.1%)."

Washington State, Texas, Poland, Ukraine, Etc. Shea as in Shady. David Gutman of the Seattle Times: "Former Washington state Rep. Matt Shea, the far-right Republican who was found by a House-commissioned investigation to have planned and participated in domestic terrorism, is in a small town in Poland with more than 60 Ukrainian children, trying to facilitate their adoption in America. Shea has said his group helped rescue 62 children and their two adult caregivers from an orphanage in Mariupol, the city in southeastern Ukraine that has been bombarded by Russian forces. But international agencies say, with the chaos and confusion of war, now is not an appropriate time for international adoptions from Ukraine. And Shea's presence, and the lack of information surrounding the American group he's with, has raised concerns among some residents of Kazimierz Dolny, the small Polish town where the children are staying at a hotel-guesthouse.... A House-commissioned report found [Shea] had planned and participated in domestic terrorism against the United States with his involvement in a trio of standoffs against the government." MB: Maybe he's planning to bring the kids to the U.S. to make them foot soldiers in a 21st-century Shea's Rebellion.

Way Beyond

Iran/U.K. Karla Adam & Liz Sly of the Washington Post: "Two British Iranians who spent years in prison in Iran are on their way back to the United Kingdom, a development that suggests that a revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal could be imminent. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a charity worker, and Anoosheh Ashoori, a retired civil engineer, 'will return to the U.K. today,' Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Wednesday. She also said that a third person, Morad Tahbaz, who has British, Iranian and American citizenship, has been 'released from prison on furlough' to his house in Tehran." (Also linked yesterday.)

News Lede

The New York Times reports new details on the man who shot homeless people in New York City & Washington, D.C.

March 16, 2022

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Kaitlin Collins, et al., of CNN: "President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine.... 'The world is united in our support for Ukraine and our determination to make (Russian President Vladimir) Putin pay a very heavy price,' Biden said before signing a presidential memorandum at the White House to deliver the military assistance.... 'This could be a long and difficult battle. But the American people will be steadfast in our support of the people of Ukraine in the face of Putin's immoral, unethical attacks on civilian population.' According to the White House, the $800 million in security assistance will provide Ukraine with: 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 100 drones, 'over 20 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenade launcher and mortar rounds,' 25,000 sets of body armor, 25,000 helmets, 100 grenade launchers, 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns, 400 shotguns, as well as "2,000 Javelin, 1,000 light anti-armor weapons, and 6,000 AT-4 anti-armor systems.'" ~~~

Rick Noack of the Washington Post: "Russia was ordered to halt its invasion of Ukraine by the United Nations' top court Wednesday, in a preliminary decision that appeared to have largely symbolic significance. Ukraine initiated the case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague to contest ... Vladimir Putin's official explanation for entering the country as an effort to end a 'genocide' of pro-Russian separatists. The court voted 13 to 2 in favor of ordering Russia to 'suspend' military operations in Ukraine and to prevent armed units that are directed or supported by Russia from taking further action. Of the two judges in opposition, one was from Russia, the other from China."

Adela Suliman, et al., of the Washington Post: "Officials from both Russia and Ukraine expressed cautious optimism Wednesday that peace talks were making progress toward ending almost three weeks of fighting across Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address overnight Tuesday that negotiations with Moscow were heading in a 'more realistic' direction, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that there is 'hope for reaching a compromise.' However, both sides also stressed that the talks were difficult, with differences remaining over what neutrality, or security guarantees, for Ukraine would look like." An AP story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I suppose it won't happen, but I think Russia should have to fix what they broke, as much as that is possible. They should pay to repair or replace all the structures they damaged or toppled, and they should pay reparations to people they wounded & to the families of those they murdered. This is not the same as bringing Germany to its knees after WWI. Russia has plenty of oil to pay for damages. In the meantime, since China claims it's ever-so dedicated to preserving the peace, President Biden should ring up President Xi & ask China to enforce no-fly zones, at least over humanitarian corridors throughout Ukraine.

Steve Inskeep of NPR: U.S. "Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that merely stopping the invasion of Ukraine may not be enough for Russia to gain relief from Western economic sanctions. The U.S. also wants an assurance that there will never be another such invasion. In an interview with NPR, Blinken spoke of Western sanctions that cratered the Russian ruble, led global firms to shutter their Russian operations, and closed the Moscow stock market. He said the unplugging of much of Russia's economy from the West is beginning to wreak long-term effects that are 'growing over time.' He insisted that U.S. sanctions against Russia are 'not designed to be permanent,' and that they could 'go away' if Russia should change its behavior. But he said any Russian pullback would have to be, 'in effect, irreversible.'..."

Christian Shepherd & Lily Kuo of the Washington Post: "Three weeks into the largest military clash in Europe since World War II, China's effort to displease neither Russia nor the international coalition imposing sanctions on Putin is looking increasingly untenable. A disconnect is growing between the image of neutrality Beijing wants to project and President Xi Jinping's long-term strategy of fostering ties with Russia as a critical partner in the standoff with the United States and its allies. Pressure from Western governments -- and from pockets of Chinese academia and public opinion -- is mounting on the Chinese leadership to use its economic ties with Russia to force a cease-fire. But to do so is a risk for Chinese leaders, who have little experience dealing with geopolitical crises far from their shores."

I want to thank the Russian Academy for this Lifetime Achievement Award. -- Hillary Clinton, reacting to Russia's sanctioning her, in a tweet

The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "... President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine delivered an urgent, impassioned plea to Congress on Wednesday for more military aid to defeat Russia, describing the threat his nation faces as an attack on the democratic values championed by the United States.... In a remarkably direct appeal by a wartime leader to policymakers in Washington, Mr. Zelensky addressed lawmakers on a large screen in a movie theater-style auditorium under the Capitol, invoking the memories of Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks -- when the United States came under attack -- as he pleaded for support saying, 'we need you right now.'" Includes reporters' comments on President Zelensky's speech. Missing: the usual snark attacks.

Lisa Mascaro of the AP: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited Pearl Harbor and the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on Wednesday as he appealed to the U.S. Congress to do more to help Ukraine's fight against Russia, but acknowledged the no-fly zone he has sought to 'close the sky' over his country may not happen. Livestreamed into the Capitol complex, Zelenskyy said the U.S. must sanction Russian lawmakers and block imports, and he showed a packed auditorium of lawmakers an emotional video of the destruction and devastation his country has suffered in the war." ~~~

AP: “The Council of Europe on Wednesday expelled Russia from the continent’s foremost human rights body in an unprecedented move over Moscow’s invasion and war in Ukraine. The 47-nation organization’s committee of ministers said in statement that 'the Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the Council of Europe as from today, after 26 years of membership.'... Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted Wednesday that it would have left the body regardless.” MB: Yeah, you can't fire me. I quit.

Maria Sacchetti & Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday that it will grant temporary protected status, or TPS, to Afghan nationals living in the United States without permanent legal status, adding them to a long list of immigrants waiting for the same protection under the law. Approximately 74,500 Afghans are eligible to apply for the status, which grants them protection from deportation for 18 months and eligibility for a work permit. Afghans residing in the United States as of March 15 are eligible to apply, and they must pay a fee and pass a background check. For most Afghans, the protection is redundant: The vast majority were paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome and allowed to apply for work permits free of charge. DHS said in a statement that this additional protection will mainly affect approximately 2,000 foreign nationals who were not evacuated -- such as international students -- and whose visas could expire and leave them in legal limbo." CNN's report is here.

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

Carl Hulse of the New York Times: Senate Republicans have been vilifying Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and some other judicial nominees for their work as public defenders, "by suggesting that they acted inappropriately in representing clients accused of serious, sometimes vicious crimes. Democrats say the tactic ignores a fundamental principle of the America justice system -- that everyone has the constitutional right to be represented by counsel -- and effectively seeks to disqualify from the bench anyone who has taken that obligation seriously.... The Republican strategy is a response to a concerted push by the Biden administration to diversify the federal bench by nominating more people with experience in criminal defense work, many of them women of color.... The nomination of Judge Jackson, who would be the first public defender and the first Black woman to sit on the high court, will be the biggest test yet of whether a lawyer who represented accused criminals can draw broad Republican support." ~~~

~~~ Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "No politician better exemplifies the triumph of partisanship over duty to country than Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). But unlike some of his more brazen colleagues, he often feels obliged to concoct reasons for his ruthless partisanship, unintentionally revealing that power is his only objective.... He conceded there is 'no question' that President Biden's nominee for the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, is qualified. So ... his reason for opposing her, in all likelihood, is nothing short of ridiculous: Liberal interest groups back her.... White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain weighed in on Twitter: 'Just for the record, Judge Jackson's supporters include the Fraternal Order of Police, conservative former federal judges Tom Griffith and Michael Luttig, a bipartisan group of former Supreme Court clerks, and the International Association of the Chiefs of Police.'"

Karla Adam & Liz Sly of the Washington Post: "Two British Iranians who spent years in prison in Iran are on their way back to the United Kingdom, a development that suggests that a revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal could be imminent. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a charity worker, and Anoosheh Ashoori, a retired civil engineer, 'will return to the U.K. today,' Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Wednesday. She also said that a third person, Morad Tahbaz, who has British, Iranian and American citizenship, has been 'released from prison on furlough' to his house in Tehran."

~~~~~~~~~~

Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.

The Washngton Post's live updates of developments Wednesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to renew his plea for air support to protect the skies over Ukraine and push back against Russia's attacks in a virtual speech to U.S. lawmakers Wednesday -- as he has with other Western allies in recent days. The Biden administration has so far resisted Kyiv's call to establish a no-fly zone in Ukraine, worried it could inflame tensions and risk a broader global conflict with nuclear-armed Russia. The White House is, however, set to announce another $800 million in security assistance Wednesday, a senior administration official said, as part of a U.S. government spending bill Biden signed Tuesday that will provide $13.6 billion in new aid to Ukraine.... In the besieged port city of Mariupol, hundreds of people, including doctors and medical personnel, are being held inside a regional hospital, according to Ukrainian officials. As many as 3 million people have fled the war-torn country since the invasion began -- half of them children."

Kaitlan Collins, et al., of CNN: "President Joe Biden is expected to announce an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday, a White House official told CNN, bringing the total to $1 billion announced in just the last week. The package of military assistance will include anti-tank missiles and more of the defensive weapons that the US has already been providing, including Javelin anti-tank and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.... The assistance, however, will stop short of the no-fly zone or fighter jets that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said are necessary to sustain Ukraine's fight against Russia. News of the additional assistance, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, comes as the White House continues to face intense pressure from Congress and Zelensky to find new ways to aid Ukraine."

Darryl Coote of UPI: "The U.S. Senate late Tuesday unanimously passed legislation condemning ... Vladimir Putin and his regime for invading Ukraine as well as calls for investigations into alleged crimes committed amid the ongoing war. The bipartisan resolution, introduced early this month by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., was passed by a voice vote to condemn the ongoing violence and 'support any investigation into war crimes, crimes against humanity and systematic human rights abuses' levied by Putin and his military against Ukraine."

Guts in a Time of War. Azi Paybarah of the New York Times: "President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the leaders of three NATO-member countries who traveled into the war-torn capital of Ukraine for an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday and urged others to do the same. The leaders from Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia who traveled to Kyiv 'fear nothing,' Mr. Zelensky said after the meeting, adding, 'I am sure that with such friends, with such countries, with such neighbors and partners, we will really be able to win.' The leaders discussed not only increasing sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, but also 'plans to rebuild our country after the end of hostilities,' Mr. Zelensky's office said, projecting an air of confidence despite a brutal campaign that has already driven more than two million Ukrainians to seek refuge in neighboring countries." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Journalist Michael Weiss pointed out on Chris Hayes' show last night that the oft-reported claim that Russian troops have "surrounded" Kyiv is not true. For instance, these leaders traveled by train across Ukraine to and from Kyiv in a pre-announced visit. Obviously, they penetrated Russia's supposed blockade of Kyiv.

"The Horror of the Russian Invasion." Greg Jaffe & Meg Kelly of the Washington Post: "In the more than two weeks that it has been cut off from the outside world, Mariupol, the southern Ukrainian port city, has become synonymous with the horror of the Russian invasion. It is a place of overflowing morgues, newly dug mass graves and bodies in some cases buried under rubble or left in the streets where they fell. Hundreds of people fled Mariupol for the second straight day via a humanitarian corridor on Tuesday, but Ukrainian officials told Reuters that those who escaped were a small fraction of the 200,000 trapped in the city and in need of urgent assistance. Russian forces have continued to block a much-needed aid convoy from getting in, Ukrainian officials said."

Eshe Nelson, et al., of the New York Times: "Russia is teetering on the edge of a possible sovereign debt default, and the first sign could come as soon as Wednesday.... On Wednesday, $117 million in interest payments on dollar-denominated government debt are due. But Russia is increasingly isolated from global financial markets, and investors are losing hope that they will see their money. As the government strives to protect what's left of its access to foreign currency, it has suggested it would pay its dollar- or euro-denominated debt obligations in rubles instead. That has prompted credit rating agencies to warn of an imminent default. The Russian currency has lost nearly 40 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar in the past month. Even if the payments were made, economic sanctions would make it difficult for Western lenders to access the rubles if they are in Russian bank accounts."

Chernobyl. digby has republished, without attribution, a large chunk of a Wall Street Journal story about conditions inside the Chernobyl nuclear facility. "Since Feb. 23, Chernobyl's technicians and support staff have been working nonstop. After arriving at 9 p.m. for a single night shift to monitor electrical transmission levels and the temperature inside the plant's gigantic sarcophagus housing radioactive waste, they are approaching 500 hours on the job -- snatching sleep on chairs in front of beeping machinery and on piles of clothes next to workstations. Their diet has dwindled to porridge and canned food, prepared by a 70-year-old cook who at one point collapsed from exhaustion. Their phones have been confiscated and they are trailed by Russian soldiers through the nuclear plant's labyrinth of reinforced-concrete corridors.... The picture that emerges is of a skeleton crew of nuclear technicians that has been working under duress for nearly three weeks." MB: I was able to find & access the WSJ story, which is firewalled. Maybe you can, too. Try Google if my link doesn't work.

Elizabeth Dwoskin, et al., of the Washington Post: "In the first four days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, viewership of more than a dozen Russian state-backed propaganda channels on YouTube spiked to unusually high levels. Just a couple of weeks later, it dropped to zero after YouTube blocked those channels globally, helping derail one of the most powerful propaganda engines in the world. Two dozen media channels backed by the Russian government on Facebook experienced similar spikes in traffic, according to a Washington Post data analysis, then plummeted as the company instated a ban in Europe. The muffling of the megaphone of the Russian state media, which has falsely framed the country's invasion of Ukraine as 'special operation' intended to protect Russian-speaking Ukrainians from Nazis, marks an unprecedented move by the social media giants to stop the spread of misinformation. And early signs show it may be working.... Facebook's regional ban appears to have been less effective than YouTube's global ban.&"

Valeriya Safronova of the New York Times: "A Russian state television employee who stormed a live broadcast on Monday was interrogated by the police for 14 hours and fined by a Moscow court on Tuesday. 'I spent two days without sleep,' the woman, Marina Ovsyannikova, said in a video recorded outside of the courtroom on Tuesday by Mediazona, an online news site. 'I wasn't allowed to contact my relatives or people close to me,' Ms. Ovsyannikova said, adding that she was not allowed 'access to any legal representation, so I was in a fairly difficult position.' Ms. Ovsyannikova, who worked for Channel 1 in Moscow, was detained on Monday after she burst onscreen during a popular news show, yelling, 'Stop the war!' and holding up a sign that read, 'They're lying to you here.'"

We Had No Idea! Qin Gang, China's ambassador to the U.S., in a Washington Post op-ed: "Assertions that China knew about, acquiesced to or tacitly supported this war are purely disinformation.... Wielding the baton of sanctions at Chinese companies while seeking China's support and cooperation simply won't work.... Some people are linking Taiwan and Ukraine to play up the risks of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait. This is a mistake. These are totally different things. Ukraine is a sovereign state, while Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory. The Taiwan question is a Chinese internal affair.... Our ultimate purpose is the end of war and support regional and global stability." MB: Okay then.

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

David Sanger, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden will travel to an extraordinary NATO summit meeting in Brussels on March 24 and will also attend the European Union's summit meeting the same day, White House and European officials said on Tuesday. The high-stakes gathering is to discuss ongoing deterrence and defense efforts in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Oliver Darcy of CNN: "Pierre Zakrzewski, a longtime Fox News photojournalist, was killed while reporting in Ukraine when a vehicle he was traveling in with correspondent Benjamin Hall came under fire, the network said on Tuesday.... Hall remains hospitalized in Ukraine, [Fox News Media CEO Suzanne] Scott said. Zakrzewski was a veteran war photojournalist who had 'covered nearly every international story for Fox News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria,' Scott said. Scott said that Zakrzewski had been reporting from Ukraine since February." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The story has been updated. New lede: "A Monday attack on a Fox News crew reporting near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv left two of the network's journalists dead and its correspondent severely injured, the channel said on Tuesday. Killed in the attack were Pierre Zakrzewski, a 55-year-old longtime war photojournalist, and Oleksandra 'Sasha' Kuvshynova, a 24-year-old Ukrainian journalist working as a consultant for the network. Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall was seriously injured and remains hospitalized." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Now that Russians have slaughtered his own colleagues, does Tucker Carlson still think it's a good idea to back Putin? ~~~

Maegan Vazquez of CNN: "Russia on Tuesday imposed sanctions against a wide range of American officials, including President Joe Biden.... According to a statement issued Tuesday by the Russian Foreign Ministry, the government is adding the following individuals to a 'stop list,' barring them from entering Russia: Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Biden national security adviser Jake Sullivan, CIA Director William Burns, White House press secretary Jen Psaki, deputy national security adviser Daleep Singh, USAID Director Samantha Power, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Adewale Adeyemo and US Export-Import Bank President Reta Jo Lewis. The 'stop list' also includes other non-governmental individuals, including the President's son, Hunter Biden, and former US presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton." Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: I'm miffed that -- as far as I know! -- Russia has not sanctioned me. ~~~

     ~~~ Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "The sanctions on the American officials are expected to bar them from traveling to Russia and freeze any assets they hold there. But it's unlikely many top Democratic officials will be affected by thos measures. At the White House news briefing on Tuesday, [press secretary Jen] Psaki mocked the Russian sanctions as ineffectual.... 'I'd first note that President Biden is a "junior," so they may have sanctioned his dad, may he rest in peace,' Psaki said. 'None of us are planning tourist trips to Russia and none of us have bank accounts we won't be able to access, so we will forge ahead.' The probably ineffectual nature of the Russian sanctions underscores the massive advantage the United States has over Russia in economic and financial power.... Adam Smith, a sanctions expert who served in the Obama administration, pointed out that many U.S. officials will see being hit by Russian sanctions as a badge of honor."

U.K. Mark Landler of the New York Times: "The British government said on Tuesday that it had imposed sanctions on more than 370 individuals it described as oligarchs, political allies or propagandists for ... Vladimir V. Putin..., a major new crackdown that brings it closer in line with the European Union on an issue that has long dogged Britain. The sanctions, announced by the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, include a travel ban and will freeze the assets of prominent Russians in business and government, including some of the wealthiest oligarchs and most senior officials in the Kremlin." (Also linked yesterday.)

Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "Donald Trump attempted to distance himself from Vladimir Putin in a new interview with David Drucker of the conservative Washington Times. 'I'm surprised -- I'm surprised. I thought he was negotiating when he sent his troops to the border. I thought he was negotiating,' Trump said. 'And then he went in -- and I think he's changed. I think he's changed. It's a very sad thing for the world. He's very much changed.'" MB: Trump's surprise is no surprise. This is hardly the first time Trump believed Putin over U.S. intelligence agencies, who warned for weeks that Russia was about to attack Ukraine. ~~~

it's just shocking how nice, kind, lovely, selfless, decent, sensible, and even-tempered people can suddenly, without warning, and completely unexpectedly become destructive, out-of-control sociopaths pic.twitter.com/qBbL6c7BYI

— George Conway🌻 (@gtconway3d) March 16, 2022

The Manchin Veto Claims Another Victim. Jeanna Smialek & Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "President Biden will withdraw his nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin to serve as the Federal Reserve's top bank regulator on Tuesday, after a Democratic senator [Joe Manchin] said he would join Republicans in voting against her, most likely dooming her chances of confirmation. Ms. Raskin earlier on Tuesday sent a letter to the White House asking to withdraw her name from consideration to be the Fed's vice chair for supervision, according to two people familiar with the decision. The New Yorker earlier reported the existence of the letter. 'Sarah was subject to baseless attacks from industry and conservative interest groups,' Mr. Biden said in a statement released on Tuesday afternoon.... [Raskin's withdrawal] could pave the way toward confirmation for the White House's other Fed picks. Republicans ... were holding up the White House's four other Fed nominees, including Jerome H. Powell, who is seeking confirmation to a second term as Fed chair." The AP's story is here.

Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "The Senate confirmed Shalanda Young on Tuesday to serve as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, giving the agency permanent leadership for the first time in more than a year as it prepares the second budget of the Biden administration. The Senate approved Ms. Young, who is the first Black woman to head the agency, with a vote of 61 to 36. The vote came nearly a year after Ms. Young was confirmed as deputy budget director and began serving as the acting head of the agency."

Luke Broadwater & Amelia Nierenberg of the New York Times: "... on Tuesday, with almost no warning and no debate, the Senate unanimously passed legislation to do away with the biannual springing forward and falling back that most Americans have come to despise, in favor of making daylight saving time permanent. The bill's fate in the House was not immediately clear, but if the legislation were to pass there and be signed by President Biden, it would take effect in November 2023." Politico's story is here. MB: Marco Rubio proposed the legislation; it might be the only useful thing he's ever done in the Senate.

Insurrection -- The Movie. Kyle Cheney of Politico: "The Jan. 6 select committee has obtained footage from a documentary film company that captured crucial moments during the run up to the assault on the Capitol -- including snippets of an encounter between leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. The documentary company, Goldcrest Films International, obtained key footage while filming outside the Capitol on Jan. 6 and following members of the mob inside. But most notably, the crew was present during a 30-minute meeting between Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers Founder Stewart Rhodes, an exchange that has become of interest to federal prosecutors."

Lachlan Markay of Axios: "The Republican National Committee is suing its own email vendor, Salesforce, in a last-ditch effort to stop it from turning over extensive internal data to the Jan. 6 select committee.... The RNC is seeking an emergency injunction to block the software giant from complying with a subpoena from the panel investigating the Capitol riot by a 10am ET Wednesday deadline."

Christiana Lilly & Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A federal judge Tuesday ordered Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio, a longtime leader of the Proud Boys far-right group, to remain jailed pending trial on charges that he conspired with followers who planned in advance to threaten Congress and battle police at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. U.S. Magistrate Judge Lauren F. Louis of Miami ordered Tarrio to be held after federal prosecutors argued that he and co-defendants 'directed and encouraged' the actions of Proud Boys members who formed 'the tip of the spear' in the breach of the U.S. Capitol. Tarrio poses a risk of flight and danger to the community, prosecutors said, citing his purported efforts to evade law enforcement and discourage witnesses from cooperating."

Spencer Hsu & Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: "U.S. judges including those appointed by Republican presidents are increasingly sentencing defendants who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the Capitol to three-year terms of court supervision, fearing they could be misled into committing political violence in the 2024 presidential election....James 'Les' Little, 52, pleaded guilty in February after telling the FBI that he saw President Biden's election victory as 'the second Bolshevik revolution' and warned agents and the Democratic Party of civil war if it were not overturned.... Little is the 15th Jan. 6 defendant sentenced this year to probation through Nov. 5, 2024.... [U.S. District Judge Royce] Lamberth, a Ronald Reagan appointee, [who sentenced Little,] is among a growing number of judges who warn that the damage to democracy from last year's assault on the peaceful transfer of presidential power is persisting as Trump has continued to whip a majority of Republican Party officials to embrace his false election fraud charges. Judges have also raised concerns about elected officials who continue to play down the violence of [the Jan. 6] attack...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I feel sorry for the probation officers who are stuck with trying to supervise these nitwits.

Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "... one of the key goals of the Constitution was to curb the power of the states and leash them to the broader authority of a new national government led by a powerful legislature and an unusually strong elected executive. A month before he arrived in Philadelphia as one of 55 delegates to a convention called to amend the Articles of Confederation, James Madison ... wrote a detailed critique of the existing American government, homing in on what he thought was its most glaring weakness: the states themselves.... [Madison's writings provide] a useful corrective in light of emerging theories like the 'independent state legislature' doctrine..., which rests on a states-centric view of the Constitution that falls apart on cursory contact with the history in question.... Remembering that the Constitution was written in significant part to weaken and undermine state governments is, I think, the first step toward asserting the power of Congress, not just over the states but over institutions, like the courts, whose power has run far ahead of our system's checks and balances." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Bouie is stating the obvious here, but it's a necessary statement because confederates don't know what we all learned in school: that the vaunted Founders wrote the Constitution to correct the weaknesses inherent in the Articles of Confederation, which established a form of government (or rather governments) that threatened the very concept of "one nation." Donald Trump if fond of saying, "We won't have a country any more if...," wherein the "if" clause gives him something he wants (like making him winner of the election he lost). But we would not have a country at all if the Constitution had not replaced the Confederation. Instead, there would be a bunch of more-or-less independent states, with only a few -- like maybe California, New York and Texas -- having anything like international power.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Laurie McGinley, et al., of the Washington Post: "Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its partner, BioNTech, filed Tuesday for emergency authorization of a second booster shot of their coronavirus vaccine for people 65 and older, an effort to bolster waning immunity that occurs several months after the first booster, the companies announced. The submission to the Food and Drug Administration includes 'real world data' collected in Israel, one of the few countries that has authorized a second booster for older people. The decision from the FDA could come relatively quickly, especially if officials conclude the data is straightforward and does not have to be reviewed by a panel of outside vaccine experts." Access is free to nonsubscribers.

Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post: "As many as 16 million low-income Americans, including millions of children, are destined to fall off Medicaid when the nation's public health emergency ends, as states face a herculean mission to sort out who no longer belongs on rolls that have swollen to record levels during the pandemic."Marie: What a sad irony that the coronavirus, for all of the millions of Americans it sickened and the hundreds of thousands it killed, it made us -- for a brief time -- a better nation in terms of caring for the poor and the sick. Soon we'll be entirely back to being the cheap-assed nation we were, leaving the most vulnerable -- children and the sickly -- without enough support from the rest of us. (Also linked yesterday.)

Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday, according to a statement from the White House. 'My symptoms are mild and I'm grateful to be both vaccinated and boosted,' Mr. Emhoff wrote on Twitter, encouraging others to get vaccinated and boosted as well. Mr. Emhoff's positive result forced Ms. Harris to back out of an event at the White House with President Biden about equal pay, according to Sabrina Singh, a spokeswoman for Ms. Harris, who said the vice president was skipping the event 'out of an abundance of caution.' Ms. Harris tested negative for the virus on Tuesday, Ms. Singh said." CNN's story is here.

Beyond the Beltway

Georgia Senate Race. Life is a Mysterious Mystery! Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "Herschel Walker, the leading candidate for the Republican Senate nomination in Georgia, questioned evolution at an event over the weekend, asking why apes still exist if humans have evolved from them. Walker made the remark Sunday during an appearance at Sugar Hill Church in Sugar Hill, Ga.... As The Washington Post's 'Dear Science' columnists discussed at length in 2016, humans did not evolve from chimpanzees or any other great apes that are living today. Rather, humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor that lived about 10 million years ago. They are now on different evolutionary tracks. During the Sunday event, Walker also appeared to question in vitro fertilization and other forms of assisted reproductive technology. 'And then, the conception of a baby,' Walker said. 'Let me tell you, science can't do that. They're still trying to do it, but they can't, because there has to be a God.'" The Huffington Post's story is here.

Ohio Senate Race. Blake Hounshell & Leah Askarinam of the New York Times: "The leading Republican candidate in the Ohio Senate primary employed offensive stereotypes about Asian people in a 2013 podcast, citing a widely discredited book, 'The Bell Curve,' that has drawn allegations of racism and sloppy research. The Senate candidate, Mike Gibbons, a financier who has poured millions of dollars of his own money into his campaign, made the comments during a discussion of how to do business in China. The remarks ... come as Republican candidates grapple with how to address a topic that has inflamed their voters, many of whom blame Beijing for a coronavirus pandemic...." Gibbons objected to the idea that "Asians" were especially intelligent: "They're very good at copying," he said.

Ides of March 2022

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

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

David Sanger, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden will travel to an extraordinary NATO summit meeting in Brussels on March 24 and will also attend the European Union's summit meeting the same day, White House and European officials said on Tuesday. The high-stakes gathering is to discuss ongoing deterrence and defense efforts in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine." CNN's report is here.

Oliver Darcy of CNN: "Pierre Zakrzewski, a longtime Fox News photojournalist, was killed while reporting in Ukraine when a vehicle he was traveling in with correspondent Benjamin Hall came under fire, the network said on Tuesday.... Hall remains hospitalized in Ukraine, [Fox News Media CEO Suzanne] Scott said. Zakrzewski was a veteran war photojournalist who had 'covered nearly every international story for Fox News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria,' Scott said. Scott said that Zakrzewski had been reporting from Ukraine since February."

U.K. Mark Landler of the New York Times: "The British government said on Tuesday that it had imposed sanctions on more than 370 individuals it described as oligarchs, political allies or propagandists for ... Vladimir V. Putin..., a major new crackdown that brings it closer in line with the European Union on an issue that has long dogged Britain. The sanctions, announced by the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, include a travel ban and will freeze the assets of prominent Russians in business and government, including some of the wealthiest oligarchs and most senior officials in the Kremlin."

Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post: "As many as 16 million low-income Americans, including millions of children, are destined to fall off Medicaid when the nation's public health emergency ends, as states face a herculean mission to sort out who no longer belongs on rolls that have swollen to record levels during the pandemic." Marie: What a sad irony that the coronavirus, for all of the millions of Americans it sickened and the hundreds of thousands it killed, it made us -- for a brief time -- a better nation in terms of caring for the poor and the sick. Soon we'll be entirely back to being the cheap-assed nation we were, leaving the most vulnerable -- children and the sickly -- without enough support from the rest of us.

Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "... one of the key goals of the Constitution was to curb the power of the states and leash them to the broader authority of a new national government led by a powerful legislature and an unusually strong elected executive. A month before he arrived in Philadelphia as one of 55 delegates to a convention called to amend the Articles of Confederation, James Madison ... wrote a detailed critique of the existing American government, homing in on what he thought was its most glaring weakness: the states themselves.... [Madison's writings provide] a useful corrective in light of emerging theories like the 'independent state legislature' doctrine..., which rests on a states-centric view of the Constitution that falls apart on cursory contact with the history in question.... Remembering that the Constitution was written in significant part to weaken and undermine state governments is, I think, the first step toward asserting the power of Congress, not just over the states but over institutions, like the courts, whose power has run far ahead of our system's checks and balances." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Bouie is stating the obvious here, but it's a necessary statement because confederates don't know what we all learned in school: that the vaunted Founders wrote the Constitution to correct the weaknesses inherent in the Articles of Confederation, which established a form of government (or rather governments) that threatened the very concept of "one nation." Donald Trump if fond of saying, "We won't have a country any more if...," wherein the "if" clause gives him something he wants (like making him winner of the election he lost). But we would not have a country at all if the Constitution had not replaced the Confederation. Instead, there would be a bunch of more-or-less independent states, with only a few -- like maybe California, New York and Texas -- having anything like international power.

~~~~~~~~~~

Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "The heads of three governments in the European Union -- the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia -- are set to travel to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.... The visit comes as fierce fighting rages across Ukraine, including in the besieged capital, where a suspected Russian missile attack on another apartment building Tuesday killed at least two people. Officials were once again struggling to get humanitarian aid to the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, which is surrounded by Russian troops. Videos captured blasts striking at least three locations in the heart of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Monday night. A United Nations agency said more than 3 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion nearly three weeks ago." ~~~

~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Tuesday are here.

John Ismay of the New York Times: "American intelligence officials have discovered that the barrage of ballistic missiles Russia has fired into Ukraine contain a surprise: decoys that trick air-defense radars and fool heat-seeking missiles. The devices are each about a foot long, shaped like a dart and white with an orange tail, according to an American intelligence official. They are released by the Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles that Russia is firing from mobile launchers across the border, the official said, when the missile senses that it has been targeted by air defense systems. Each is packed with electronics and produces radio signals to jam or spoof enemy radars attempting to locate the Iskander-M, and contains a heat source to attract incoming missiles.... Photographs of the dart-shaped munitions began circulating on social media two weeks ago. They had stumped experts and open-source intelligence analysts...."

Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "National security adviser Jake Sullivan issued a direct warning to his Chinese counterpart Monday about the potential consequences of any assistance that Beijing might provide Russia in its war with Ukraine, officials said, following Moscow's recent request for military equipment and aid. The seven-hour meeting in Rome between Sullivan and Yang Jiechi, planned several weeks ago, took on added urgency as Russia's war against Ukraine dragged into its third full week without any signs of winding down." ~~~

     ~~~ Kevin Liptak, et al., of CNN: "The US has information suggesting China has expressed some openness to providing Russia with requested military and financial assistance as part of its war on Ukraine, a Western official and a US diplomat told CNN, and is conveying what it knows to its NATO allies. It is not yet clear whether China intends to provide Russia with that assistance, US officials familiar with the intelligence tell CNN.... That leaves open a troubling possibility for American officials -- that China may help prolong a bloody conflict that is increasingly killing civilians, while also cementing an authoritarian alliance in direct competition with the United States."

~~~ Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Prosecutors say a 'documentary film crew' was present when Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes met for 30 minutes in an underground parking garage on Jan. 5, 2021. The details, revealed in a Justice Department court filing on Monday, provide new evidence of the encounter between the two groups, whose leaders played a key role in the breach of the Capitol the following day.... The new details suggest Tarrio played a more direct role than previously understood in orchestrating the events that occurred on Jan. 6, when top Proud Boys leaders were at the vanguard of a mob that overran police lines and threatened the presidential transfer of power." According to DOJ, Tarrio wiped all his phone messages, installed a new encrypted message app, and used the phones of associates to make some phone calls. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So these guys were so sure they would be regarded as heroes that they allowed (or engaged) a film crew to record their meeting at the same time Tarrio was trying to make sure authorities couldn't trace his phone calls. How much sense does that make?

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "A bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday will release legislation calling for the Treasury Department to offer cash rewards for information that leads to the seizure of assets held by sanctioned Russian oligarchs, the latest attempt to escalate financial pressure against the Kremlin over the invasion of Ukraine. The proposal would give President Biden the authority to make an emergency declaration enabling federal authorities to confiscate -- and then liquidate -- holdings of Russian oligarchs or other financial elites linked to the Russian government. The bill would also allow the money raised by selling those assets to then be given to the Ukrainian government to assist in that country's reconstruction or finance its military. Typically, sanctions law allows the federal government to only freeze the assets of sanctioned individuals, not seize them."

The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine met again on Monday for another round of talks aimed at finding a way out of the war, even as Russian forces broadened their devastating offensive and the Kremlin insisted that it would not pull back until 'all plans' for the invasion are fulfilled. Mykhailo Podolyak, a member of Ukraine's delegation, said Monday afternoon that the talks had taken a 'technical pause,' and would resume on Tuesday.... China dismissed U.S. allegations that Russia had asked it for military equipment and economic support.... Kyiv was hit by heavy artillery strikes on Monday morning, after days of severe fighting in the suburbs." (Also linked yesterday.)

Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: "A state television employee burst onto the live broadcast of Russia's most-watched news show on Monday evening, yelling, 'Stop the war!' and holding up a sign that said, 'They're lying to you here,' in an extraordinary act of protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The woman, Marina Ovsyannikova, worked for Channel 1, the state-run television channel whose news broadcast she stormed, according to a Russian rights group that is giving her legal support. The group also released a video in which Ms. Ovsyannikova says she is 'deeply ashamed' to have worked to produce 'Kremlin propaganda.'... Ms. Ovsyannikova was detained after the protest and was being held at a small police station at Moscow's Ostankino broadcasting center.... The moment went viral online in Russia, despite the Kremlin's recent efforts to block dissent on the internet. Within hours, Ms. Ovsyannikova's Facebook page had more than 26,000 comments, with many people thanking her or praising her for her bravery in Russian, English and Ukrainian." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Mary Ilyushina & Adela Suliman of the Washington Post: "A day after she burst onto a live news broadcast on Russian state television holding a sign denouncing the war in Ukraine, lawyers with human rights groups told The Washington Post they are unable to locate producer Marina Ovsyannikova, more than 12 hours after she was detained. The Russian Investigative Committee, the country's main government investigative body, has begun 'a pre-investigation check' against Ovsyannikova over allegations of breaking into the studio, Russia's state-run Tass news agency reported Tuesday -- which could be a first step toward eventual charges. Citing an unidentified source, Tass reported that she could also face charges of 'discrediting' the actions of Russia's armed forces." A Guardian story is here.

How to Rationalize a Greedy, Immoral Decision. The best thing I can do as an individual is show compassion for the people, my employees, franchisees and customers without judging them because of the politicians in power.... The vast majority of Russian people are very clearheaded and understand the dark gravity of the situation they're in. And, at the end of the day, they appreciate a good pizza. -- Christopher Wynne ~~~

~~~ Julie Creswell of the New York Times: "Papa John's International said last week that it was suspending all of its corporate operations in Russia, following in the footsteps of other high-profile American brands like McDonald's and Starbucks. However, the 190 Papa John's restaurants in the country are still open and selling pizzas. And they have no plans to stop. These Papa John's shops are primarily owned by Russians through a franchise agreement with a company controlled by Christopher Wynne, a Colorado native who has lived part time and worked in the country since the early 2000s. And even as the war with Ukraine continues and numerous global food brands and retailers suspend operations and stop selling goods in Russia, little has changed with his operation, said Mr. Wynne, 45."

Koch Is Bullish on Russia. Judd Legum of Popular Information: "Koch Industries, the conglomerate run by right-wing billionaire Charles Koch, has numerous ongoing business operations in Russia.... The limited public comments made by Koch subsidiaries operating in Russia indicate that their business activities have continued." (Also linked yesterday.) To put the Koch position re: Putin into proper perspective, see also Akhilleus' commentary is yesterday's thread.

U.K. Sky News: "Police with riot shields have entered a luxury property in central London reportedly owned by billionaire Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, after it was occupied by squatters. Police responded to the scene in Belgrave Square after squatters took over the property on Monday morning. A Ukrainian flag was hung from a window and a banner read 'this property has been liberated'. Mr Deripaska, a 54-year-old industrialist who founded the aluminium giant Rusal, was added to the UK government's sanctions list on 10 March, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The fate of his property portfolio in Britain remains unclear after the government said his assets would be frozen." (Also linked yesterday.)

BBC Panorama: "A BBC investigation has uncovered new evidence about the corrupt deals that made Roman Abramovich's fortune. The Chelsea owner made billions after buying an oil company from the Russian government in a rigged auction in 1995. Mr Abramovich paid around $250m (£190m) for Sibneft, before selling it back to the Russian government for $13bn in 2005.... The Russian billionaire was sanctioned by the UK government last week because of his links to ... Vladimir Putin. Mr Abramovich's assets have been frozen and he has been disqualified as a director of Chelsea Football Club."

Robert Costa, now of CBS News: "Senator Mitt Romney, of Utah, offered more than 200 Republican donors a stark message on the fragility of American democracy during private remarks on Monday night at a fundraiser in Northern Virginia.... Attendees described Romney, the GOP's 2012 presidential nominee, as delivering the remarks as a warning for the group, which included many longtime members of the Republican establishment, as the U.S. confronts Russia's invasion of Ukraine and as ... Donald Trump continues to exert power inside the Republican Party. Romney was the introductory speaker at a closed fundraiser for Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming."

Burgess Everett of Politico: "Sen. Joe Manchin will oppose Sarah Bloom Raskin's nomination to the Federal Reserve Board, imperiling her already stalled bid to win confirmation. Raskin's nomination is stuck in the Senate Banking Committee amid a GOP boycott of a committee vote on her nomination, effectively blocking her confirmation from advancing to the Senate floor." MB: Raskin is married to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Emily Cochrane & Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "Mr. Manchin, a West Virginian who has close ties to the fossil fuel industry and has rejected much of President Biden's climate agenda, cited [Raskin's] statements on climate and energy policy, and pointedly noted that the board 'is not an institution that should politicize its critical decisions.'... The White House vowed on Monday to press ahead with her nomination, with a spokesman emphasizing Ms. Raskin's qualifications and outside support.... [But] Without [Manchin's] support, Ms. Raskin, a former Fed governor and Obama administration official, is unlikely to secure the votes needed to clear the Senate unless a Republican breaks ranks and votes to back her."

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A document found by federal prosecutors in the possession of a far-right leader contained a detailed plan to surveil and storm government buildings around the Capitol on Jan. 6 last year, people familiar with the document said on Monday. The document, titled '1776 Returns,' was cited by prosecutors last week in charging the far-right leader, Enrique Tarrio, the former head of the Proud Boys extremist group, with conspiracy. The indictment of Mr. Tarrio described the document in general terms, but the people familiar with it added substantial new details about the scope and complexity of the plan it set out for directing an effort to occupy six House and Senate office buildings and the Supreme Court last Jan. 6.... The plan closely resembles what actually unfolded when the Capitol was stormed by a pro-Trump mob...." ~~~

~~~ Katelyn Polantz & Hannah Rabinowitz of CNN: "The Justice Department said Monday that Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys, should remain in jail as he awaits trial, pointing to his leadership of the far-right group from afar during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and pride in their destructiveness.... Monday's filing also revealed a new detail about an alleged meeting Tarrio had with Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, and others at a parking garage in Washington, DC, on January 5. Rhodes and other Oath Keepers are facing seditious conspiracy charges in a separate January 6 case.... A federal judge in Florida on Tuesday is set to decide whether Tarrio stays detained." ~~~

~~~ Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Prosecutors say a 'documentary film crew' was present when Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes met for 30 minutes in an underground parking garage on Jan. 5, 2021. The details, revealed in a Justice Department court filing on Monday, provide new evidence of the encounter between the two groups, whose leaders played a key role in the breach of the Capitol the following day.... The new details suggest Tarrio played a more direct role than previously understood in orchestrating the events that occurred on Jan. 6, when top Proud Boys leaders were at the vanguard of a mob that overran police lines and threatened the presidential transfer of power." According to DOJ, Tarrio wiped all his phone messages, installed a new encrypted message app, and used the phones of associates to make some phone calls. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So these guys were so sure they would be regarded as heroes that they allowed (or engaged) a film crew to record their meeting at the same time Tarrio was trying to make sure authorities couldn't trace his phone calls. How much sense does that make?

MEANWHILE, Back at the Ellipse.... Danny Hakim & Jo Becker of the New York Times: "Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, said in an interview published [in the Washington Free Beacon] on Monday that she attended the Jan. 6, 2021, rally at the Ellipse in Washington." ~~~

     ~~~ CNN's report, by Ariane de Vogue is here. Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See also his commentary in today's thread; he seems, well, skeptical of Ginni's protestations, like this one: "Clarence doesn't discuss his work with me, and I don't involve him in my work."

Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors in Manhattan on Monday accused a Russian tycoon of scheming to make $1 million in illegal campaign donations to federal and state political candidates in the United States to gain favorable licensing decisions for a cannabis business venture. The prosecutors said the donations by the businessman, Andrey Muraviev, 47, were at the heart of an illegal campaign finance scheme conducted in the months before the 2018 midterm elections that also involved two Soviet-born businessmen, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, and two other co-defendants. Mr. Parnas and Mr. Fruman were allies of Rudolph W. Giuliani..., and assisted Mr. Giuliani in his efforts to undermine Joseph R. Biden Jr. when he was a leading Democratic presidential candidate.... Mr. Muraviev is believed to be in Russia and remains at large...."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

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

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "Now that the omicron wave is over, a couple of new analyses of state-by-state data both point to an inescapable conclusion: Living in states run by a Republican governor is dangerous to your health. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, consultant Doug Haddix reported Sunday that since July 1 (when the lifesaving vaccine was widely available), the 14 states with the highest death rates were all run by Republican governors.... The states with the lowest death rates, by contrast, were all run by Democrats -- or, in the case of Vermont, Maryland and Massachusetts, by moderate Republican governors who had heavily Democratic legislatures and embraced vaccines and masks.... Florida residents were, since vaccines have been widely available, nearly seven times as likely to die from covid-19 as residents of D.C.... This raises a question: How does Ron DeSantis sleep at night?" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Milbank is making the false assumptions that DeSantis has a conscience and is able to think of someone besides himself.

Beyond the Beltway

Idaho. Kate Zernike of the New York Times: "Idaho on Monday became the first state to adopt a copycat of an unusual new Texas law that relies on ordinary citizens to enforce a ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy as a way of getting around court challenges to its constitutionality. The Idaho House, led by Republicans, approved the bill, 51-14, and sent it to Gov. Brad Little. Mr. Little, a Republican, has already signed a separate law restricting abortion that passed last year. The bill was the latest display of confidence from anti-abortion activists and lawmakers across the country. Both sides of the abortion debate anticipate that by summer, the Supreme Court could pare back or overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion."

Ohio. Jack Zuckerman of the Ohio Capital Journal: "Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law Monday removing training, background check and permitting requirements to carry a concealed weapon in Ohio. When the law takes effect in 90 days, all Ohioans aged 21 and older who are lawfully allowed to possess a weapon will be able to carry it concealed on their persons. Prior law required them to undergo eight hours of training, a background check, and an application through their local sheriff."

News Lede

Washington Post: "A D.C. man whose family said he struggles with mental illness and sometimes lived on the streets was arrested Tuesday and charged in a series of attacks on homeless men that rattled vulnerable communities in the District and New York."