February 21, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Vladimir Isachenkov, et al., of the AP: "Russian President Vladimir Putin said he will decide later Monday whether to recognize the independence of separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, a move that would ratchet up tensions with the West amid fears that Moscow could launch an invasion of Ukraine imminently. At the carefully orchestrated, pre-recorded meeting of the presidential Security Council, a stream of top Russian officials argued for recognizing the separatist regions' independence, though some suggested Putin didn't have to do it immediately. It came amid a spike in skirmishes in those regions that Western powers believe Russia could use as a pretext for an attack on the western-looking democracy that has defied Moscow's attempts to pull it back into its orbit." ~~~

     ** The story has been UPDATED: "Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered forces Monday to 'maintain peace' in separatist regions of eastern Ukraine in a further escalation of tensions that followed the Kremlin's recognition of the areas' independence despite warnings of sanctions and international condemnation. The Kremlin decree, spelled out in an order signed by Putin, left unclear when, or even whether, troops would enter Ukraine. But it further fueled fears of an imminent invasion and underscored the steep challenges the U.S. and Western nations face in staving off a military conflict they have portrayed as near-inevitable. The Kremlin's announcement came just hours after Putin, in a rambling, fact-bending discourse on European history, recognized the independence of the eastern separatist regions...."

     ~~~ Marie: Sorta like the U.S. noting that there are many English-speaking people living in Toronto, Ottawa & Montreal, so we'll just "recognize-by-force" that region of Canada as an "independent nation" allied with the U.S. Too bad, Canada, our military is bigger than your military.

Another Democratic President Cleans Up Mess Left by Republican President*. Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "In the year since President Biden halted border wall construction, his administration has been developing plans to put its own stamp on Trump's pet project.... In recent weeks, CBP officials have been soliciting input from ranchers, environmental advocates, landowners and others as the Biden administration prepares to spend hundreds of millions for border wall remediation. The money, which will include unused construction funds, will go to clean up worksites, stabilize areas facing erosion and remedy some of the worst environmental damage, while also allowing CBP to close gaps in the wall. The precise details -- where and how much money -- remain undefined."

Devin Nunes Is in Charge. What Could Go Wrong? Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "'Truth Social, the Trump-created Twitter alternative, went live in Apple's App Store on Sunday night, and would-be users immediately ran into glitches and error messages, [the Daily Beast reported]. 'Around 11 p.m. ET, select users who tried to create accounts were repeatedly met with a red error warning: "Something went wrong. Please try again." Shortly thereafter, around midnight, others were told told...: "Due to massive demand, we have placed you on our waitlist."'... Former Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), now heading up ... Donald Trump's just-launched Twitter competitor 'Truth Social' is saying he hopes to have all of the problems in the service fixed by late March." The Beast story, which is firewalled, is here.

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Marie Note: I had planned to run one of those U.S. presidents morphing videos for Presidents Day, but oddly enough, they all had a president* near the end, so I scrapped my plan.

Vlad the Imperialist. The New York Times' live updates of developments in the Ukraine/Russia crisis are here: "President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia will hold an unscheduled meeting of his Security Council on Monday, the Kremlin said.... Mr. Putin held a second call with President Emmanuel Macron of France at 1 a.m. Moscow time on Monday morning.... Mr. Macron proposed a summit between President Biden and Mr. Putin, the French presidency said, but [Kremlin spokesman Dmitri] Peskov did not confirm that preparations for such a meeting had begun.... At Monday's extraordinary meeting of the Security Council, Mr. Putin would deliver a speech, Mr. Peskov said." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of Ukraine/Russia developments are here.

Dan Lamothe, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed 'in principle' on Sunday to meet, U.S. and French officials said, leaving a narrow window for diplomacy as Russia appeared on the brink of launching a new war in Ukraine. The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said the two leaders had accepted the meeting and it would take place only if an attack doesn't occur. The details of the summit will be worked out this week, when Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov."

Everything leading up to the actual invasion appears to be taking place. All of these false-flag operations, all these provocations to create justifications -- all that is already in train. -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on CNN, Sunday ~~~

~~~ David Sanger of the New York Times: "When President Biden declared on Friday he was convinced President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had decided to attack Ukraine 'in the coming week, in the coming days,' the skeptics among American allies suddenly fell quiet. Hours before, Mr. Biden had informed them that American intelligence agencies had just learned that the Kremlin had given the order for Russian military units to proceed with an invasion. Now the debate has shifted to how Mr. Putin will do it: in one massive nationwide attack; a series of bites that dismantle the country, piece by piece; or a pythonlike squeeze. That last option is made all the easier with the news Sunday morning that Belarus is allowing Russian troops to remain indefinitely, where they can menace Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. Mr. Putin might be betting that he can shatter Ukraine's economy and oust its government without having to immediately roll in tanks."

Lori Hinnant, et al., of the AP: "Russia on Sunday rescinded earlier pledges to pull tens of thousands of its troops back from Ukraine's northern border, a move that U.S. leaders said put Russia another step closer to what they said was the planned invasion of Ukraine.... Russia's action extends what it said were military exercises, originally set to end Sunday, that brought an estimated 30,000 Russian forces to Belarus, Ukraine's neighbor to the north. They are among at least 150,000 Russian troops now deployed outside Ukraine's borders, along with tanks, warplanes, artillery and other war materiel."

Christoph Koettl of the New York Times: "Satellite imagery collected this weekend shows an apparent shift in Russia's military deployment around Ukraine. In contrast to the large-scale deployments visible in imagery over recent weeks, some smaller deployments are now visible. Several units or troops have been deployed outside of bases or training grounds, with some positioned along tree lines, according to an analysis by Maxar Technologies, who released the imagery.... The new findings come after U.S. intelligence officials claimed that 40 to 50 percent of the more than 150,000 Russian forces surrounding Ukraine have moved out of staging and into combat formation."

John Hudson & Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "The United States has informed the United Nations it has credible information showing that Moscow is compiling lists of Ukrainians 'to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation,' according to a letter to the U.N. human rights chief obtained by The Washington Post on Sunday night. The letter alleges that Moscow's post-invasion planning would involve torture, forced disappearances and 'widespread human suffering.' It does not describe the nature of the intelligence that undergirds its assessment."

Catherine Kim of Politico: "Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said Sunday that he's recently seen changes in Russian President Vladimir Putin's behavior, saying that he now sounds more 'decisive' [in making demands of Finland] than in the past. Niinistö ... has been in close contact with Putin.... For decades, Finland has kept a delicate balance in its relationship with Russia, having been invaded by the Soviet Union in 1939. The country, which borders Russia, stayed scrupulously neutral throughout the Cold War, becoming neither part of the Warsaw Pact nor of NATO.... While Niinistö emphasized his country wasn't planning on a dramatic change in its relationship with Russia, he suggested Russia's actions are making Finnish people rethink joining NATO.... However, he emphasized that Finland doesn't feel threatened by Russia as of now."

Okay Then, Screw You All. Biden Plays Hardball with Oil & Gas. Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "The Biden administration is indefinitely freezing decisions about new federal oil and gas drilling as part of a legal brawl with Republican-led states that could significantly impact President Biden's plans to tackle climate change. The move, which came Saturday, was a response to a recent federal ruling that blocked the way the Biden administration was calculating the real cost of climate change...."

Havana Syndrome Strikes the White House. Scott Pelley of CBS News/"60 Minutes": "Since 2016, U.S. government officials overseas and their families have reported sudden, unexplained, brain injuries with symptoms of vertigo, confusion and memory loss. The CIA, FBI and State Department are investigating a theory that some of these officials were injured by an unseen weapon. Who might be targeting Americans and why are unknown. Incidents have been reported in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, but our reporting has found senior national security officials who say they were stricken in Washington and on the grounds of the White House." Includes transcript & video.

Cancun Cruz v. Mexico. AP: "Sen. Ted Cruz [R-Texas] has accused Mexico of 'undermining the rule of law,' and Mexico's government shot back on Friday, saying at least candidates in Mexico concede defeat when they lose elections. The exchange came after ... [Cruz] claimed earlier this week there was "deepening civil unrest in Mexico and the breakdown there of civil society, the breakdown of the rule of law." Cruz was referring to recent killings of journalists and politicians in Mexico. Responding in a letter to Cruz late Thursday, Mexico's ambassador to the United States wrote, 'I invite you to look at what happened in our national election.... Without exception, all of the political parties accepted the results and got on with the task of strengthening our democracy and freedom of expression,' Ambassador Esteban Moctezuma wrote. That was a clear reference to Sen. Cruz's actions after the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, that left several people dead in the immediate aftermath, hundreds facing charges and millions of dollars in property damage. Cruz was one of a handful of GOP senators who continued to champion... Donald Trump's false claims of voter fraud even after the riot...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Now where is Ted going to go the next time Texas has a crisis & he's in need of a hideout/vacation spot?

About Those Swiss Bank Accounts. Jesse Drucker & Ben Hub bard of the New York Times: "... an extraordinary leak of data from Credit Suisse, one of the world's most iconic banks, is exposing how the bank held hundreds of millions of dollars for heads of state, intelligence officials, sanctioned businessmen and human rights abusers, among many others. A self-described whistle-blower leaked data on more than 18,000 bank accounts, collectively holding more than $100 billion, to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. The newspaper shared the data with a nonprofit journalism group, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and 46 other news organizations around the world, including The New York Times. The data covers accounts that were open from the 1940s until well into the 2010s but not the bank's current operations.... The leak shows that Credit Suisse opened accounts for and continued to serve not only the ultrawealthy but also people whose problematic backgrounds would have been obvious to anyone who ran their names through a search engine. Swiss banks have long faced legal prohibitions on taking money linked to criminal activity, said Daniel Thelesklaf, the former head of Switzerland's anti-money laundering agency. But, he said, the law generally hasn't been enforced." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ The OCCRP summary report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Rats! Anabelle Timsit of the Washington Post: "A rodent infestation at a Family Dollar warehouse has prompted the discount store chain to recall a wide range of products sold at hundreds of stores throughout the southern United States. Health concerns about the rat infestation at an Arkansas distribution center have also led to the temporary closure of more than 400 stores in six states. Family Dollar, which is owned by the retail giant Dollar Tree, announced a voluntary recall late Friday of some products that came from the West Memphis facility." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Tara Bernard of the New York Times: "Bernie Madoff's sister, Sondra Wiener, and her husband were found dead on Thursday in their home in Boynton Beach, Fla., in what the authorities said was an apparent murder-suicide. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a 911 call and found Ms. Wiener, 87, and her husband, Marvin, 90, both dead from gunshot wounds." Messages on the sheriff's social media accounts suggest Mrs. Weiner was the shooter, though the medical examiner has not yet made a determination of causes of death.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Secrets of the CDC. Apoorva Mandavilli of the New York Times: "For more than a year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has collected data on hospitalizations for Covid-19 in the United States and broken it down by age, race and vaccination status. But it has not made most of the information public.... Two full years into the pandemic, the agency leading the country's response to the public health emergency has published only a tiny fraction of the data it has collected, several people familiar with the data said. Much of the withheld information could help state and local health officials better target their efforts to bring the virus under control.... Kristen Nordlund, a spokeswoman for the C.D.C., said the agency has been slow to release the different streams of data 'because basically, at the end of the day, it's not yet ready for prime time.... Another reason is fear that the information might be misinterpreted, Ms. Nordlund said."

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

Florida. DeSantis: Saving Lives of Children & Teachers Will Cost You. Richard Luscombe of the Guardian: "Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, is backing a controversial proposal to strip $200m in education funding from Democratic counties that defied his executive order last year banning mask mandates in schools.... The plan, which some analysts believe is almost certainly unconstitutional, was part of a budget bill that passed the Republican-dominated Florida house on Wednesday. It was immediately attacked by teachers unions, school districts and education advocates, who say the penalties will strip further resources from classrooms in a state already in the bottom four of per-student spending nationally."

Canada. Natalie Kitroeff & Sarah Nir of the New York Times: "Police officers on Saturday cleared out the central area of a sprawling demonstration in Ottawa, moving from truck to truck and arresting protesters as they continued to subdue the occupation that has disrupted the Canadian capital for weeks." This is an update of a story linked below. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

Oregon. Sergio Olmos, et al., of the New York Times: "One person was killed and five others were wounded in a shooting on Saturday night during a protest in Portland against killings by police officers. The Portland Police Bureau said a woman was dead when officers arrived. Two men and three other women were taken to a nearby hospital, the police said. Information on their conditions was not immediately released. The shooting took place near a park in Portland that has been the staging ground for a number of protests against police killings in recent years." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Wisconsin, Michigan. Adam Zagoria of the New York Times: "After Wisconsin routed his team, 77-63, Sunday afternoon, Michigan Coach Juwan Howard slapped Joe Krabbenhoft, a Wisconsin assistant coach, in the head during the postgame handshake line, precipitating a scrum between the two teams." ~~~

02-20-2022

Afternoon Update:

From today's New York Times live updates of developments in the Ukraine/Russia crisis: "U.S. intelligence learned last week that the Kremlin had given the order for Russian military units to proceed with an invasion of Ukraine, information that prompted President Biden to announce that President Vladimir V. Putin had made the decision to attack, U.S. officials said." The updates also were linked earlier (below).

About Those Swiss Bank Accounts. Jesse Drucker & Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "... an extraordinary leak of data from Credit Suisse, one of the world's most iconic banks, is exposing how the bank held hundreds of millions of dollars for heads of state, intelligence officials, sanctioned businessmen and human rights abusers, among many others. A self-described whistle-blower leaked data on more than 18,000 bank accounts, collectively holding more than $100 billion, to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. The newspaper shared the data with a nonprofit journalism group, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and 46 other news organizations around the world, including The New York Times. The data covers accounts that were open from the 1940s until well into the 2010s but not the bank's current operations.... The leak shows that Credit Suisse opened accounts for and continued to serve not only the ultrawealthy but also people whose problematic backgrounds would have been obvious to anyone who ran their names through a search engine. Swiss banks have long faced legal prohibitions on taking money linked to criminal activity, said Daniel Thelesklaf, the former head of Switzerland's anti-money laundering agency. But, he said, the law generally hasn't been enforced." ~~~

     ~~~ The OCCRP summary report is here.

Rats! Anabelle Timsit of the Washington Post: "A rodent infestation at a Family Dollar warehouse has prompted the discount store chain to recall a wide range of products sold at hundreds of stores throughout the southern United States. Health concerns about the rat infestation at an Arkansas distribution center have also led to the temporary closure of more than 400 stores in six states. Family Dollar, which is owned by the retail giant Dollar Tree, announced a voluntary recall late Friday of some products that came from the West Memphis facility."

Oregon. Sergio Olmos, et al., of the New York Times: "One person was killed and five others were wounded in a shooting on Saturday night during a protest in Portland against killings by police officers. The Portland Police Bureau said a woman was dead when officers arrived. Two men and three other women were taken to a nearby hospital, the police said. Information on their conditions was not immediately released. The shooting took place near a park in Portland that has been the staging ground for a number of protests against police killings in recent years."

Canada. Natalie Kitroeff & Sarah Nir of the New York Times: "Police officers on Saturday cleared out the central area of a sprawling demonstration in Ottawa, moving from truck to truck and arresting protesters as they continued to subdue the occupation that has disrupted the Canadian capital for weeks." This is an update of a story linked below.

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The New York Times' live updates of developments in Ukraine are here. The Washington Post's live updates are here. The Guardian's live updates are here.

Souad Mekhennet, et al., of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky forcefully demanded stronger actions from world leaders as the threat of full-scale attack by Russia intensifies amid increased shelling in the eastern separatist regions of his country. 'The security architecture of our world is brittle, it is obsolete,' Zelensky said on Saturday during a defiant speech at a security conference in Munich. He accused governments of 'egotism,' 'arrogance' and 'appeasement' as he urged Western leaders to publicly state their plans for sanctions on Russia, saying that after the war begins would be too late. 'Action is needed,' he insisted, adding that 'this is not about war in Ukraine, this is about war in Europe.'"

Lori Hinnant & Jim Heintz of the AP: "Hundreds of artillery shells exploded along the contact line between Ukrainian soldiers and Russia-backed separatists, and thousands of people evacuated eastern Ukraine, further increasing fears Sunday that the volatile region could spark a Russian invasion." ~~~

~~~ Isabelle Khurshudyan & Steve Hendrix of the Washington Post: "For the Ukrainians living in the eastern Donbas region, where conflict between Ukrainian government forces and the separatists they say are Russian proxies has been a daily reality since 2014, the threat of a fresh invasion didn't faze them much. But the sharp upswing in firing from the separatists' side over the past three days has shaken even the war-weary. They now fear that the Russian-backed forces will continue to hammer their homes as a way to provoke Ukrainian troops, who are under instruction not to open fire.... 'We have no doubt in our minds where this shelling is coming from and who is firing it,' [resident Diana] Levenets said, pointing to the hills where the separatist forces are posted. 'We can literally see where it's coming from.' The shelling in the government-controlled side of the Donbas region has increased 'tenfold' since Thursday, the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement."

Jim Heintz, et al., of the AP: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, facing a sharp spike in violence in and around territory held by Russia-backed rebels and increasingly dire warnings that Russia plans to invade, on Saturday called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him and seek resolution to the crisis. 'I don't know what the president of the Russian Federation wants, so I am proposing a meeting,' Zelenskyy said at the Munich Security Conference, where he also met with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Zelenskyy said Russia could pick the location for the talks. 'Ukraine will continue to follow only the diplomatic path for the sake of a peaceful settlement.' There was no immediate response from the Kremlin.' (Also linked yesterday.)

Holy Guacamole! Avocado War Ends! Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: “The United States lifted a temporary ban on avocados from Mexico on Friday, allowing exports of the fruit to resume, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. The ban had been issued on Feb. 11 after a verbal threat was made to a U.S. inspector working in the country. That prompted the U.S.D.A. to warn that the suspension would 'remain in place for as long as necessary to ensure the appropriate actions are taken' to secure the safety of inspection service personnel working in Mexico" MB: That would be me, standing out in front of Market Basket in the cold, waving tiny American & Mexican flags in celebration of the Avocado Peace Accord of 2022.

Josh Dawsey & Jonathan O'Connell of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's company is angling to host events at his golf courses for the controversial Saudi golf league, according to three people familiar with the matter, potentially handing Trump a lucrative business partnership with an oppressive regime he defended as president. At least two of Trump's courses in Bedminster, N.J., and Doral, Fla., could be named as sites for the nascent tour.... As president, Trump frequently defended the Saudi government even as it committed a wide range of human right abuses, including the 2018 murder of Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi and the imprisonment and execution of gay citizens."

Fox “News": All the Crap That's Fit to Pull from Social Media. Michael Luciano of Mediaite: "Jesse Watters Primetime ran with a fake story involving the U.S. ambassador to Germany that actually drew two members of Congress into a Twitter spat on Friday. Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) quote-tweeted a video of Ambassador Amy Gutmann at a meeting in Germany. It ... features overlaying text claiming she is being told to stand between the U.S. and German flags, but that 'she doesn't know which flag is the U.S. flag.' The idea that Gutmann doesn't know which flag is the U.S. one is obviously absurd. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) seized upon the tweet and called out Banks, saying, 'You can't be a bigger ass than this guy.'... Nevertheless, Jesse Watters ran with the story on his Fox News primetime show." Somehow, Swalwell & Watters changed the story to assert that Gutmann couldn't ID the German flag, still absurd because Gutmann's father is a native of Germany. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I wish some news show would invite Jim Banks on the teevee and make him explain how a U.S. Congressman, someone we're supposed to respect, would try to humiliate a U.S. ambassador abroad by posting an unsubstantiated lie about her. Give that SOB a "homina, homina" moment. The quality of our representatives mirrors the quality of the people who elect them, and for the most part, the Republicans are, well, as Hillary might say, deplorable.

QWho? A Couple of Loons. David Kirkpatrick of the New York Times: "... two teams of forensic linguists say their analysis of the Q texts shows that [South African software developer Paul] Furber, one of the first online commentators to call attention to the earliest messages of Q, actually played the lead role in writing them.... [QAnon booster Ron] Watkins appears to have taken over from Mr. Furber at the beginning of 2018. Both deny writing as Q. The studies provide the first empirical evidence of who invented the toxic QAnon myth, and the scientists who conducted the studies said they hoped that unmasking the creators might weaken its hold over QAnon followers.... QAnon has been linked to scores of violent incidents, many of the attackers who stormed the Capitol last year were adherents, and the F.B.I. has labeled the movement a potential terrorist threat."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

New Mexico, et al. The Teacher Wore Camo. Erica Green of the New York Times: "For the last month, dozens of soldiers and airmen and women in the New Mexico National Guard have been deployed to classrooms throughout the state to help with crippling pandemic-related staff shortages. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has also enlisted civilian state employees -- herself included -- to volunteer as substitute teachers. New Mexico has been the only state to deploy National Guard troops in classrooms. But since the fall, when districts around the country began recruiting any qualified adult to take over classrooms temporarily, several other states have turned to uniformed personnel. National Guard members in Massachusetts have driven school buses, and last month, police officers in one city in Oklahoma served as substitutes."

Katherine Huggins of Mediaite: "Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-NM) compared Canada's handling of vaccine mandate protesters to 'an authoritarian regime like Venezuela' and said she will introduce legislation to temporarily grant asylum to Canadians protesting vaccine requirements." MB: Here I thought I'd never be one to protest against asylum-seekers. This country doesn't need more white wingers & nutters. ~~~

~~~ Canada. Get Out! Rob Gillies & Robert Bumsted of the AP: "Police aggressively pushed back protesters in Canada's besieged capital on Saturday, seizing control of trucks and clearing the streets in front of Parliament, the heart of the protests. Scores of trucks left under the increasing pressure, raising authorities' hopes for an end to the three-week protest against the country's COVID-19 restrictions and the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Authorities took control of the street in front of Parliament Hill which has been occupied by protesters and their trucks since late last month and had been turned into a carnival on weekends." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Natalie Kitroeff & Sarah Nir of the New York Times: "Canadian police officers advanced on demonstrators [in Ottawa] at gunpoint, smashing truck windows and arresting protesters in front of the country's Parliament building, an aggressive escalation in the government's effort to finally end the protests that have roiled the nation's capital for three weeks. Officers in riot gear, brandishing batons and rifles, pushed to regain the area around Parliament, expanding an operation that began on Friday to remove parked trucks that have blocked the city's downtown core. In the heart of the encampment, the police pushed people back with batons, and toppled over a table displaying dubious information about vaccine injury. They advanced methodically truck by truck, shoving protesters back, some people getting pushed over by the police, as demonstrators shouted, 'Shame on you!'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

U.K. Guardian: "The Queen [Elizabeth II] has contracted Covid, Buckingham Palace has announced. The monarch, 95, has tested positive for the virus and is experiencing 'mild cold-like symptoms' but expects to continue carrying out light duties this week." At 7 am ET, this is a breaking story; it will be updated.

Beyond the Beltway

Texas, et al. Freeedumb Does Not Include Academic Freedom. Nick Anderson & Susan Svrluga of the Washington Post: "Appalled at efforts to limit what they can teach about race and other sensitive subjects, faculty leaders at prominent public universities around the country have rallied in recent weeks behind resolutions to reaffirm academic freedom and denounce legislation that would undermine it[.]... The latest skirmish has erupted in Texas. On Monday, the Faculty Council of the University of Texas at Austin approved, on a 41-to-5 vote with three abstentions, a resolution rejecting 'any attempts by bodies external to the faculty to restrict or dictate the content of university curriculum on any matter, including matters related to racial and social justice.'... PEN America, an organization that advocates the freedom to write, is tracking 113 bills across the country that it describes as proposed 'educational gag orders.' More than 40 touch on higher education. How many will be enacted is unclear."

Way Beyond

France. Timothy Bella & Kelsey Ables of the Washington Post: "Jean-Luc Brunel, the former head of a French model agency who was accused of rape in the 1990s and later of supplying young girls to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, was found hanged in his Paris prison cell early Saturday, French prosecutors confirmed to local media. The 76-year-old was found dead in his cell at around 1 a.m. Saturday during an overnight check by guards at La Santé prison in Paris, prosecutors told Le Monde. Brunel was being held as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged rape of minors and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation. Several models had accused him of sexual assault and rape, and French police had interviewed many potential witnesses in the case. Brunel had denied the allegations.... Brunel's attorneys ... told Le Monde that the apparent suicide of their client 'was notdriven by guilt, but by a deep sense of injustice.'" The Guardian's report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

News Lede

AP: "The terrarium of a Winter Games that has been Beijing 2022 came to its end Sunday, capping an unprecedented Asian Olympic trifecta and sending the planet's most global sporting event off to the West for the foreseeable future, with no chance of returning to this corner of the world until at least 2030.... On Sunday night, Xi [Jinping] and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach stood together as Beijing handed off to Milan-Cortina, site of the 2026 Winter Games. 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' echoed as dancers with tiny, fiery snowflakes glided across the stadium...."

February 19, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Jim Heintz, et al., of the AP: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, facing a sharp spike in violence in and around territory held by Russia-backed rebels and increasingly dire warnings that Russia plans to invade, on Saturday called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him and seek resolution to the crisis. 'I don't know what the president of the Russian Federation wants, so I am proposing a meeting,' Zelenskyy said at the Munich Security Conference, where he also met with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Zelenskyy said Russia could pick the location for the talks. 'Ukraine will continue to follow only the diplomatic path for the sake of a peaceful settlement.' There was no immediate response from the Kremlin."

Canada. Get Out! Rob Gillies & Robert Bumsted of the AP: "Police aggressively pushed back protesters in Canada's besieged capital on Saturday, seizing control of trucks and clearing the streets in front of Parliament, the heart of the protests. Scores of trucks left under the increasing pressure, raising authorities' hopes for an end to the three-week protest against the country's COVID-19 restrictions and the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Authorities took control of the street in front of Parliament Hill which has been occupied by protesters and their trucks since late last month and had been turned into a carnival on weekends." ~~~

~~~ Natalie Kitroeff & Sarah Nir of the New York Times: "Canadian police officers advanced on demonstrators [in Ottawa] at gunpoint, smashing truck windows and arresting protesters in front of the country's Parliament building, an aggressive escalation in the government's effort to finally end the protests that have roiled the nation's capital for three weeks. Officers in riot gear, brandishing batons and rifles, pushed to regain the area around Parliament, expanding an operation that began on Friday to remove parked trucks that have blocked the city's downtown core. In the heart of the encampment, the police pushed people back with batons, and toppled over a table displaying dubious information about vaccine injury. They advanced methodically truck by truck, shoving protesters back, some people getting pushed over by the police, as demonstrators shouted, 'Shame on you!'"

Timothy Bella & Kelsey Ables of the Washington Post: "Jean-Luc Brunel, the former head of a French model agency who was accused of rape in the 1990s and later of supplying young girls to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, was found hanged in his Paris prison cell early Saturday, French prosecutors confirmed to local media. The 76-year-old was found dead in his cell at around 1 a.m. Saturday during an overnight check by guards at La Santé prison in Paris, prosecutors told Le Monde. Brunel was being held as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged rape of minors and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation. Several models had accused him of sexual assault and rape, and French police had interviewed many potential witnesses in the case. Brunel had denied the allegations.... Brunel's attorneys ... told Le Monde that the apparent suicide of their client 'was not driven by guilt, but by a deep sense of injustice.'" The Guardian's report is here.

Fox "News": All the "News" That's Fit to Pull from Social Media. Michael Luciano of Mediaite: "Jesse Watters Primetime ran with a fake story involving the U.S. ambassador to Germany that actually drew two members of Congress into a Twitter spat on Friday. Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) quote-tweeted a video of Ambassador Amy Gutmann at a meeting in Germany. It ... features overlaying text claiming she is being told to stand between the U.S. and German flags, but that 'she doesn't know which flag is the U.S. flag.' The idea that Gutmann doesn't know which flag is the U.S. one is obviously absurd. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) seized upon the tweet and called out Banks, saying, 'You can't be a bigger ass than this guy.'... Nevertheless, Jesse Watters ran with the story on his Fox News primetime show." Somehow, Swalwell & Watters changed the story to assert that Gutmann couldn't ID the German flag, still absurd because Gutmann's father is a native of Germany.

~~~~~~~~~~

The New York Times' live updates of the Ukraine crisis are here. The Washington Post's live updates are here.

Vladimir Isachenkov, et al., of the AP: "U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday that he is 'convinced' Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine, including an assault on the capital, Kyiv, as tensions spiked along the militarized border with attacks that the West called 'false-flag'operations meant to establish a pretext for invasion. In Ukraine, a humanitarian convoy was hit by shelling, and pro-Russian rebels evacuated civilians from the conflict zone. A car bombing hit the eastern city of Donetsk, but no casualties were reported. After weeks of saying the U.S. wasn't sure if Putin had made the final decision to invade, Biden said that assessment had changed, citing American intelligence. 'As of this moment I'm convinced he's made the decision,' Biden said. 'We have reason to believe that.' He reiterated that the assault could occur in the 'coming days.' Meanwhile, the Kremlin announced massive nuclear drills to flex its military muscle, and Putin pledged to protect Russia's national interests against what it sees as encroaching Western threats." The Washington Post's report is here. ~~~

Katie Lillis & Kevin Liptak of CNN: "Multiple US and western government officials tell CNN that the US has intelligence that Russia has drawn up lists of current political figures that it would target for removal in the event it invades Ukraine and topples the current government in Kyiv. Sources familiar with the intelligence say the target lists are part of Russian planning to replace the current administration in Kyiv with a more Russia-friendly government, bolstering a previous disclosure by the British government identifying pro-Moscow figures it said Russia planned to install. The most likely outcome for those politicians and public figures whom Moscow has targeted to be ousted in the event Kyiv falls, these sources say, is jail or assassination."

Constituent Service. President Biden tells attendees at a National Association of Counties meeting about a time when he was a county official:

Rachel Siegel of the Washington Post: "The Federal Reserve on Friday overhauled its trading rules for policymakers and staffers, rewriting previous guidelines that central bankers said were insufficient amid the resignations of three top policymakers. The rules mirror a general outline offered by Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome H. Powell in October. But the additional details reflect tougher standards and the culmination of a review that sought to regain public trust after the financial activities of top officials -- including regional bank presidents Eric Rosengren and Robert Kaplan, and Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida -- came under heightened scrutiny."

Lock Him Up. Luke Broadwater & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "The National Archives confirmed on Friday that it had found classified information among documents that ... Donald J. Trump had taken with him to his home in Florida from the White House and that it had consulted with the Justice Department about the matter.... The National Archives said in its letter [to Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), chair of the House Oversight Committee,] on Friday that the Trump White House had failed to turn over records that included 'certain social media records.' [The national archivist David] Ferriero also wrote that 'some White House staff conducted official business using nonofficial electronic messaging accounts that were not copied or forwarded into their official electronic messaging accounts.' The archives said it was in the process of obtaining some of those records.... The former president's use of cellphones to conduct official business also could have led to large gaps in the official White House logs of his calls on Jan. 6, 2021.... If Mr. Trump did not preserve cellphone records and failed to turn them over to the National Archives, that could also be a violation of the law." An AP story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: No doubt if you had waltzed away with 15 boxes of government property, including classified docs, you'd be wearing an orange jumpsuit today. On the other hand, you probably would not have had a "staff" you could blame for the theft nor lawyers who might keep you out of jail until you croaked.

Katelyn Polantz, et al., of CNN: "Civil lawsuits seeking to hold Donald Trump accountable for the January 6, 2021, insurrection can move forward in court, a federal judge said Friday in a ruling outlining how the former President could conceivably be responsible for inciting the attack on the US Capitol. Trump's statements to his supporters before the riot 'is the essence of civil conspiracy,' Judge Amit Mehta wrote in a 112-page opinion, because Trump spoke about himself and rallygoers working 'towards a common goal' of fighting and walking down Pennsylvania Avenue. 'The President's January 6 Rally Speech can reasonably be viewed as a call for collective action,' Mehta said." ~~~

     ~~~ Zoe Tillman of BuzzFeed News: "The ruling, which Trump is expected to appeal, preserves a trio of lawsuits filed by Democrats in Congress and US Capitol Police officers that accuse Trump of conspiring to disrupt Congress's certification of the Electoral College results and interfere with the peaceful transfer of power." ~~~

     ~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post: In deciding that lawsuits brought by members of Congress against Donald Trump could go forward, D.C. District Judge Amit Mehta wrote, "'... the court concludes that the Complaints establish a plausible §1985(1) conspiracy involving President Trump. That civil conspiracy included the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, [Proud Boys leader Enrique] Tarrio, and others who entered the Capitol on January 6th with the intent to disrupt the Certification of the Electoral College vote through force, intimidation, or threats.'... [Mehta pointed out that] in November and December, Trump supporters came to Washington to protest and, each time, scattered incidents of violence broke out afterward.... '... '[I]t is at least plausible to infer that, when he called on rally-goers to march to the Capitol, the President did so with the goal of disrupting lawmakers' efforts to certify the Electoral College votes,' Mehta writes."

Bad Hair Day Week.Jill Colvin of the AP: "... Donald Trump faced one legal setback after another this week as a judge ruled he must sit for a deposition in New York to answer questions about his business practices, his accounting firm declared his financial statements unreliable, another judge rejected his efforts to dismiss conspiracy lawsuits and the National Archives confirmed that he took classified information to Florida as he left White House. Whatever happens, said Jeffrey Jacobovitz, a Washington lawyer..., 'I think the weeks will get worse for him.'"

George Conway in the Washington Post: "... maybe, just maybe, this time will be different. On Thursday, a judge in New York ordered [Donald] Trump, along with his daughter Ivanka and his son Donald Jr., to testify within 21 days at civil depositions in the New York attorney general's investigation of potential fraud at the Trump Organization ... because[, the judge noted,] prosecutors have unearthed 'copious evidence of possible financial fraud' in Trump's business.... [The accounting firm] Mazars said that 10 years of Trump's financial statements, from 2011 to 2020, 'should no longer be relied upon,' and that Trump should tell that to the people he gave them to.... [Mazars'] letter was an unmitigated disaster for Trump.... All this could threaten Trump;s livelihood -- his all-important mogulhood -- in a way no setback ever has before.... Could this be, at long last, the beginning of the end for Trump? As always, don't bet on it -- but this time, don't be surprised if it is."

Chauncey DeVega of Salon: "Donald Trump ... continues to threaten his 'enemies' with lethal violence.... His threats should be taken seriously.... Last Saturday..., Donald Trump ... literally threaten[ed] Hillary Clinton and her campaign staff with death.... How did the American mainstream news media respond to Trump's latest death threats? With some polite fact-checking, but largely with silence. That amounts to permission or even encouragement of more such threats.... In many respects, Trumpism thrives on encouraging all kinds of anti-social and destructive behavior, up to and including murder and mob violence.... As a group, the millions of Americans who voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 -- and there were even more the second time -- were searching for a type of liberation through destruction." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: DeVega is right. I found Trump's threat against Hillary, et al., on a "back page" of the NBC News site. The writer, Steve Benen, cited the threat but did not comment on it. I never saw it on an MSM front-page story. (That doesn't mean it wasn't there; I don't always read entire stories, and the threat could have been down there in Graf 13.)

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A second federal judge has ordered Stewart Rhodes -- founder and leader of the extremist group Oath Keepers -- to remain jailed pending trial on a charge of seditious conspiracy for allegedly guiding a months-long effort to use political violence to prevent the swearing-in of President Biden. U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta of Washington on Friday denied Rhodes's renewed request for bond pending a July trial, calling his case the most serious brought against nearly 750 federal defendants charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.... 'He presents a clear and continuing danger in my view,' Mehta said...." ~~~

     ~~~ Hannah Rabinowitz, et al., of CNN: "... on Friday ... prosecutors revealed new Signal app messages where Rhodes allegedly called January 6 'the final nail in the coffin of our republic' and instructed his followers to prepare for violence. The messages from the encrypted app, which were presented during hearings Wednesday and Friday, allegedly show how Rhodes advocated for ... Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. If Trump didn't, prosecutors allege, Rhodes repeatedly suggested that his followers should be ready to act without Trump's support.... Prosecutors used the messages as evidence that Rhodes is too dangerous to be let out of jail while he awaits trial."

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to decide whether the Biden administration can end a Trump-era immigration program that forces asylum seekers arriving at the southwestern border to await approval in Mexico. The court put the case on a fast track, scheduling arguments for April. A decision will probably arrive by the end of the court's current term in late June or early July.... After the policy was put in place at the beginning of 2019, tens of thousands of people waited in unsanitary tent encampments for immigration hearings. There have been widespread reports of sexual assault, kidnapping and torture. Soon after he took office, President Biden sought to end the program. Texas and Missouri sued.... Last August, Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, in Amarillo, ruled [against the Biden administration].... The Biden administration promptly asked the Supreme Court to intervene, but it refused to block Judge Kacsmaryk's ruling, which required it to restart the program."

Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "The wife of a Navy engineer pleaded guilty Friday to helping her husband try to sell secrets about U.S. nuclear submarines to a foreign country -- a high-profile espionage case that will send her to prison for up to three years, significantly less time than her husband faces. The guilty plea by Diana Toebbe, 46, was expected after her husband, Jonathan Toebbe, pleaded guilty Monday in the same case. His plea deal calls for a prison sentence of roughly 12 to 17½ years. Both pleaded guilty to conspiring to communicate restricted data, a charge that carried a potential life prison sentence."

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Michael Grynbaum, et al., of the New York Times: Before then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) sat for an interview about Covid-19, he "had told a senior CNN executive, Allison Gollust, about subjects that he'd like to be asked about on air, according to several people familiar with the matter. Ms. Gollust, CNN's longtime chief of communications and marketing and a former top aide of the governor, passed along the topics to CNN producers and then reported back to the governor. 'Done,' she wrote. On Tuesday, Ms. Gollust was forced to resign from CNN after an internal investigation found a trove of written communications between her and Governor Cuomo.... Jeff Zucker, who at the time was CNN's president, was aware of many of the communications between Ms. Gollust and the governor.... It is unusual ... for a senior executive to be involved in that pre-interview process -- especially when that executive previously worked for the person who's being interviewed."

Richard Goldstein of the New York Times: "When [Gail] Halvorsen died on Wednesday at 101, he was remembered as the original 'Candy Bomber' of the [Berlin] airlift, a defiance of Soviet power by the United States, Britain and France that also symbolized reconciliation between the German people and the Allies in the wake of World War II.... Lieutenant Halvorsen and his two crewmen joined with fellow American airmen to drop a total of 23 tons of candies, chocolate and chewing gum wrapped in tiny parachutes from their planes while preparing to touch down at Tempelhof airfield with vast quantities of other supplies in an effort to break a Soviet land blockade of Berlin's Allied-occupied western sectors.... The airlift, which continued for 15 months, claimed the lives of 31 American airmen and 39 British fliers in accidents, but it thwarted the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's attempts to drive the West from the city. By the time it ended in September 1949 (the Soviet blockade had been lifted the previous May), Allied pilots had flown more than 277,000 missions, sometimes buzzed by Soviet fighters, to supply the city's western sectors with 2.3 million tons of food, flour, coal, medicine and construction equipment."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Canada. Miriam Berger, et al., of the Washington Post: "Ottawa's Interim Police Chief Steve Bell told reporters that authorities had arrested at least 100 people [participating in the so-called 'Freedom Convoy'] for various offenses, including mischief, as of Friday afternoon. They included several convoy organizers and boosters. Police said they also had towed 21 vehicles. Bell said officers were carrying out a 'methodical and well-resourced plan' and would work until 'the residents and community have their entire city back.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is very bad news for Mike Lindell & his Parachuting Pillows Plan (see yesterday's page).

Beyond the Beltway

Minnesota. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times: "The former police officer [Kimberly Potter] who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday, far less than the standard of about seven years for manslaughter, after a judge said leniency was warranted because the officer had meant to fire her Taser and not her gun.... It is quite likely that Ms. Potter will be released from prison after about 14 months.... Mr. Wright's relatives said they were outraged by the leniency of the two-year sentence Ms. Potter received.... 'They were so tied up into her feelings and what's going on with her that they forgot about my son being killed,' [Mr. Wright's father Arbuey Wright] said.... Ben Crump, a lawyer representing Mr. Wright's family, said many people have been sentenced to longer terms in prison for selling marijuana." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: CNN played video of the judge, Regina Chu, fighting back tears because she had to sentence good-hearted Kim to any prison time. She had no tears for Daunte.

Minnesota. Katharine Seelye of the New York Times: "Representative Jim Hagedorn, a second-term Minnesota Republican who was a staunch ally of ... Donald J. Trump and who joined with other members of his party in seeking to overturn the election of Joseph R. Biden Jr., died on Thursday. He was 59."

Nebraska. Paul Hammel & Aaron Sanderford of the Nebraska Examiner: "State Sen. Mike Groene announced that he was resigning Friday afternoon, just a couple of hours after denying accusations that he took sexually inappropriate photographs of a female legislative aide.... Groene, 66, said that he is dropping out of the race for University of Nebraska Board of Regents, a campaign he announced only two days ago.... The Nebraska Sunrise News reported that Kristina Konecko, who had worked on and off for Groene for six years, had lodged a complaint over photos of herself that she had discovered on Groene's laptop computer.... 'The pictures appeared to have been taken by Groene and then emailed from him to other parties with email captions of a sexual nature,' the website reported."

Texas. Neena Satija of the Washington Post: "At least 19 Austin police officers ... are facing criminal charges for allegedly using excessive force on protesters during the summer of 2020, according to their union president -- an unusually high number that reflects District Attorney José Garza's year-old effort to crack down on police misconduct.... Before Garza took office, fewer than half a dozen Austin officers had been indicted in the previous 20 years."

Wisconsin. Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Assembly Republicans sought Friday to jail the chairwoman of the state Elections Commission, Racine's mayor and other officials as part of their months-long review of the 2020 presidential election. The court filing marked the latest shift in approach for Michael Gableman, a former state Supreme Court justice who is leading the review for the Republicans.... On Friday Gableman intensified his efforts, telling Waukesha County Circuit Judge Ralph Ramirez he should incarcerate those mayors and others if they don't sit for interviews with him behind closed doors. The officials have said they are willing to talk to Gableman but don't believe he should be able to do so out of the view of the public." MB: It's almost as if these public officials think Judge Gableman is a partisan hack who will mischaracterize their responses. ~~~

~~~ Where the Cheeseheads Are Crackpots. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "... more than 15 months after ... Donald J. Trump lost the state by 20,682 votes, an increasingly vocal segment of the Republican Party is getting behind a new scheme: decertifying the results of the 2020 presidential election in hopes of reinstalling Mr. Trump in the White House.... The Republican effort to overturn the election results here is picking up steam ... and spiraling further from reality as it goes. The latest turn, which has been fueled by Mr. Trump, bogus legal theories and a new candidate for governor, is creating chaos in the Republican Party.... If Wisconsin pulls back its electoral votes, [state representative & gubernatorial candidate Timothy] Ramthun said, other states may follow." MB: Somehow, I don't think the Bidens are packing their bags.

News Ledes

CNN's live Olympics coverage is here. The AP's live updates are here.