February 14, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskt on Monday said that he has been informed that Russia will attack on Wednesday. The comments from the Ukrainian leader [were] made in an address to his nation posted on Facebook.... Zelensky wrote in a statement on Facebook that Ukraine will hold a Day of Unity on Wednesday. He said the relevant decree has already been signed. 'We are told that February 16 will be the day of the attack,' he said, according to a Facebook translation of his comments." ~~~

     ~~~ Update: So now I hear on MSNBC that Zelensky is walking back his prediction.

~~~ MEANWHILE, Robyn Dixon, et al., of the Washington Post: "Russian President Vladimir Putin left the door open Monday to further talks with Western leaders on his efforts to end NATO's open door policy, when his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said the scope for dialogue was 'far from exhausted' and called for intensified talks with Washington and NATO. Putin met Lavrov in the Kremlin Monday in what appeared to be a scripted moment on Russia's formal response to the rejection of its key security demands by Washington and NATO -- including its demand that the alliance bar Ukraine from ever joining. Putin opposed 'the endless, in our opinion, and very dangerous expansion of NATO to the East,' but supported the Foreign Ministry's conclusion on a need to keep talking, RIA Novosti reported, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov." An AP story is here.

Accountant Fires Dodgy Client. Ben Protess & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump's longtime accounting firm abruptly cut ties with his family business last week amid ongoing criminal and civil investigations into whether Mr. Trump illegally inflated the value of his assets, court documents filed on Monday show. In a letter to the Trump Organization on Feb. 9, the accounting firm notified the company of its decision and disclosed that it could no longer stand behind annual financial statements it prepared for Mr. Trump. The firm, Mazars USA, compiled the financial statements based on information the former president and his company provided. The letter instructed the Trump Organization to essentially retract the documents, known as statements of financial condition, from 2011 to 2020.... Given what [Mazars] called 'the totality of circumstances,' the letter directed the Trump Organization to notify anyone who received the statements that they should no longer rely on them." An NBC News story is here.

Katelyn Polantz & Chandelis Duster of CNN: "A conservative lawyer who worked with ... Donald Trump has turned over thousands of pages of emails to the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection but is withholding thousands of others, according to court filing Sunday. John Eastman, a law professor who helped craft Trump's false argument that the 2020 election was stolen, has turned over nearly 8,000 pages of emails to the committee while holding back about 11,000 pages because it is what he calls privileged material. The new numbers come before Eastman and House attorneys meet with a federal judge Monday afternoon about the ongoing dispute over a subpoena of Eastman's Chapman University email account.... Eastman still has to sort through an additional 48,000 pages."

Rob Gillies & Ted Shaffrey of the AP: "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has decided to invoke emergency powers to quell the protests by demonstrators who have paralyzed Ottawa and blocked border crossings in anger over the country's COVID-19 restrictions, a senior government official said Monday. The prime minister met virtually with the leaders of Canada's provinces and planned to address the nation late in the afternoon."

Miriam Berger, et al., of the Washington Post: "Police on Monday arrested 11 people and seized guns, body armor and 'a large quantity of ammunition' in Coutts, Alberta, one of several sites around Canada where demonstrators have been protesting coronavirus restrictions, authorities said. The Alberta Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it had learned of a 'small organized group within the larger Coutts protest' that 'had access to a cache of firearms with a large quantity of ammunition' and 'was said to have a willingness to use force against the police if any attempts were made to disrupt the blockade.'"

David Gilbert of Vice: "The Christian crowdfunding site that helped raise $8.7 million for the anti-vax 'freedom convoy' in Canada was hacked on Sunday night, and the names and personal details of over 92,000 donors were leaked online. The database of 92,845 donors is no longer available on the site, but VICE News was able to review a copy of the data. While some of the donors did not provide their names -- such as the person behind the current top donation of $215,000 -- the vast majority did provide them, including American software billionaire Thomas Siebel, who donated $90,000...."

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Molly Nagle of ABC News: "President Joe Biden assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the United States and its allies will respond 'swiftly and decisively' to any further aggression by Russia against Ukraine, according to a White House readout of a phone call between the two leaders. The Sunday morning call took place as U.S. officials continue to warn that an attack from Russia could come 'any day now' and urge all Americans still in Ukraine to leave the country." ~~~

~~~ The New York Times' live updates of developments in the Ukraine crisis are here: "With Russian warships massing off Ukraine;s Black Sea coast and the United States warning that Russian ground forces are poised to strike from multiple directions, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany arrived in Kyiv on Monday as part of an increasingly urgent diplomatic effort to avert a full-scale invasion of Ukraine." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's liveblog is here: "A senior Russian military official said on Monday that Russia was ready to open fire on foreign ships and submarines that illegally enter its territorial waters, the Interfax news agency reported."

David Cohen of Politico: "Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) ... said Sunday that every Republican will ultimately have to say whether they believe the events of the day represented 'legitimate political discourse.'... During its winter meeting in Salt Lake City earlier this month, the RNC accused [Kinzinger & Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.] 'of participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.'"

Guacamole Wars. Mark Stevenson of the AP: "Mexico has acknowledged that the U.S. government has suspended all imports of Mexican avocados after a U.S. plant safety inspector in Mexico received a threat. The surprise, temporary suspension was confirmed late Saturday on the eve of the Super Bowl, the biggest sales opportunity of the year for Mexican avocado growers -- though it would not affect game-day consumption since those avocados had already been shipped." MB: Seems more serious than last week's Gazpacho Conflict.

Michael Scherer & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "... clashes between Republican leaders and the candidates Trump has embraced have been playing out across the country with growing ferocity in recent months, a chaotic sign that Trump's once unchallenged hold on the party and rank-and-file supporters is waning, even if by degrees. The former president's power within the party and his continued focus on personal grievances is increasingly questioned behind closed doors at Republican gatherings, according to interviews with more than a dozen prominent Republicans in Washington and across the country, including some Trump advisers. Many spoke on the condition of anonymity because there remains significant fear of attracting Trump's public wrath.... Behind the scenes Trump has pushed back on aides, and even screamed at advisers, who have told him not to focus so much on re-litigating the last election.... "

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here: "President Biden responded to American frustration with pandemic restrictions, saying that it was still too soon to lift indoor mask mandates, while suggesting that other restrictions may soon be able to end. In the roughly 22-minute interview, some of which was previewed before Sunday, Mr. Biden said that decisions by some state governors last week to begin lifting indoor mask mandates were 'probably premature,' but acknowledged that it was a 'tough call.'" ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates are here: "As Canadian officials announced the reopening of a major border crossing blockaded by 'Freedom Convoy' protesters, demonstrations against vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers continued to fuel spinoff protests around the world.... Demonstrators were en route to Brussels, where convoys from European countries were expected to converge this week -- although warnings from Belgian authorities appear to have kept the rally at bay during Monday morning rush hour. Some groups said they would be arriving by afternoon. The Canadian demonstrations have also inspired protests and heavy police presence in countries and states including New Zealand, France, Australia, Alaska and New York. Meanwhile, concerns that the protests might disrupt the Super Bowl -- Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) suggested truckers should 'clog things up' at the sporting event -- were allayed. A small group appeared outside the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, but no major disruptions were reported, and the L.A. County Sheriff's Department said the gathering was peaceful."

Canada. Sarah Nir of the New York Times: "Canadian law enforcement officials said Sunday that they had reopened a major international bridge that protesters had been blockading for almost a week, raising hopes for industries the unrest had slowed to a near-standstill. As they announced that the Ambassador Bridge, which ties Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, had been reclaimed after a series of arrests in the morning, some hailed it as a victory for a government shaken by the intransigence of anti-vaccine mandate protests that have mushroomed since they began. But in Canada's capital, Ottawa, hundreds of truckers were entering their third week of occupation of the area around Parliament Hill, where they appeared to be emboldened by a growing sense of impunity. Late Sunday, the mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson, revealed back-channel negotiations were underway with the truckers' leadership to remove their convoy from residential neighborhoods, among other measures." The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I have a feeling that if I parked my van in the middle of an Ottawa street, local police would figure out pretty quickly how to get my van & me out of the road. And charge me time & money for their trouble.

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

News Ledes

CNN's live updates of Olympics events are here.

How Not to Handle Another Russian Doping Scandal. New York Times: "The Russian figure skating star at the center of doping questions at the Beijing Olympics will be allowed to continue to compete despite failing a doping test weeks ago, but officials will not conduct an awards ceremony or hand out medals in any event she wins until her case is resolved. The International Olympic Committee took the extraordinary step of serving notice that the athlete, Kamila Valieva, 15, would stay off the podium, as would the other medalists in her events, because of lingering doubts about her eligibility. Valieva became a face of the Games as she helped her Russian team win an earlier competition, and is widely seen as the favorite to win the women's singles event that begins on Tuesday."

February 13, 2022

Late Morning Update:

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

Michael Scherer & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "... clashes between Republican leaders and the candidates Trump has embraced have been playing out across the country with growing ferocity in recent months, a chaotic sign that Trump's once unchallenged hold on the party and rank-and-file supporters is waning, even if by degrees. The former president's power within the party and his continued focus on personal grievances is increasingly questioned behind closed doors at Republican gatherings, according to interviews with more than a dozen prominent Republicans in Washington and across the country, including some Trump advisers. Many spoke on the condition of anonymity because there remains significant fear of attracting Trump;s public wrath.... Behind the scenes Trump has pushed back on aides, and even screamed at advisers, who have told him not to focus so much on re-litigating the last election.... "

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The New York Times is liveblogging developments in the Ukraine/Russia crisis.

Rachel Pannett of the Washington Post: "After a call between President Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Saturday produced no breakthrough, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will take his turn try to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine with meetings in Kyiv and Moscow. Scholz, who has faced criticisms his government is not doing enough to support Ukraine, is due to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Monday and with Putin in Moscow on Tuesday, as Western allies scramble to deter a possible Russian attack. Diplomats and citizens of Western countries were departing Kyiv on Sunday after U.S. warnings that an invasion could happen at any time."

Steve Hendrix, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden in an hourlong call on Saturday warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of 'swift and severe costs' if Russia attacks Ukraine, the White House said. The conversation came as most personnel began evacuating from the U.S. embassy in Kyiv amid intensifying warnings that Moscow could launch an immediate assault." The AP's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Tattling on Vlad. Julian Barnes & Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "In recent weeks, the Biden administration has detailed the movement of Russian special operation forces to Ukraine's borders, exposed a Russian plan to create a video of a faked atrocity as a pretext for an invasion, outlined Moscow's war plans, warned that an invasion would result in possibly thousands of deaths and hinted that Russian officers had doubts about Mr. Putin. Then, on Friday, Jake Sullivan, President Biden's national security adviser, told reporters at the White House that the United States was seeing signs of Russian escalation and that there was a 'credible prospect' of immediate military action.... All told, the extraordinary series of disclosures -- unfolding almost as quickly as information is collected and assessed -- has amounted to one of the most aggressive releases of intelligence by the United States since the Cuban missile crisis.... In effect, the administration is warning the world of an urgent threat, not to make the case for a war but to try to prevent one." ~~~

~~~ TikTok Intel. Paul Sonne, et al., of the Washington Post: "Russian President Vladimir Putin and top Russian officials for months have been denying that Moscow is preparing to mount an invasion of neighboring Ukraine. But videos posted to TikTok and other social media platforms tell another story. In areas of Russia and Belarus near the Ukrainian border, onlookers have uploaded hundreds of videos showing sophisticated Russian weaponry and military vehicles speeding by on railways, highways and local roads toward positions near Ukraine.... The scenes..., military analysts say, appear to indicate that the Russian buildup could be entering its final stages before an invasion. Here is what they are watching."

Marie: A while back, we learned comedian Dave Chapelle thinks "comedy" includes making fun of trans people. Now, we learn Chapelle doesn't seem to like poor people, either, or at least he made a potent NIMBY pitch (NYT link) against them in the Ohio town where he owns a home. I'm sorry to say, Dave Chapelle appears to be a dick.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Rand Paul Is a Dick. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "As many anti-vaccine and anti-mandate protesters in trucks continue to paralyze Canada's capital and block border crossings, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he hopes truckers would come to the United States as soon as this weekend to clog up streets in Los Angeles during the Super Bowl or next month to Washington.... 'Civil disobedience is a time-honored tradition in our country, from slavery to civil rights to you name it.... I hope the truckers do come to America, and I hope they clog up cities.'... Paul's feelings toward the trucker convoy are much different than his sentiments about Black Lives Matter protests in recent years. After a crowd of D.C. protesters in 2020 yelled at Paul to say the name of Breonna Taylor, who was shot by police in Louisville, the senator claimed his 'life was in danger' and denounced Black Lives Matter demonstrators as a 'crazed mob.'"

Canada. Miriam Berger, et al., of the Washington Post: "A standoff between police and protesters from the self-styled 'Freedom Convoy' opposing coronavirus vaccine mandates continued Sunday near a vital U.S.-Canada border crossing, even as crowds reportedly started shrinking overnight and one arrest was made. After law enforcement enforced an injunction ordering truckers and their supporters to leave, and ticketed and towed vehicles, a defiant core of protesters mostly remained on foot as temperatures dropped below freezing. The blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, a key trade corridor that connects Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, which has disrupted traffic and the flow of goods since Monday, has not ended. Disruptions are still plaguing other vital cross-border arteries -- from Coutts, Alberta, which connects to Montana, to Surrey, British Columbia, which connects to Washington state." ~~~

~~~ Rob Gillies & Mike Householder of the AP: "A tense standoff at a U.S.-Canadian border crossing crucial to both countries' economies appeared to be dissolving peacefully Saturday as Canadian police moved in to disperse the nearly weeklong blockade and demonstrators began leaving without resistance. Many demonstrators drove away from the Ambassador Bridge spanning the river between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, as scores of police approached shortly after dawn. They had spent the night there in defiance of new warnings to end the blockade, which disrupted the flow of traffic and goods and forced the auto industry on both sides to roll back production." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The story has been updated. New Lede: "Protesters opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions withdrew their vehicles from a key U.S.-Canadian border bridge Saturday though access remained blocked while other demonstrations ramped up in cities across Canada, including the capital, where police said they were awaiting more officers before ending what they described as an illegal occupation."

France. Deutsche Welle: "Protesters in cars and vans converged on Paris to protest the government and for a variety of populist causes.... Parisian police mobilized on Saturday, firing tear gas at one point on the Champs Elysees and issuing more than 200 citations in an effort to disrupt French motorists from converging on the city. Despite police efforts, by early afternoon Saturday, vehicles involved in the so-called protest convoy had made it past police and caused traffic jams around the Arc de Triomphe in the center of the city.... The primary demands of the French protesters are for the government to withdraw the vaccine pass requirement to enter many public places and for assistance with energy bills as costs soar." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

Pennsylvania Senate Race. Joe Levine of the New York Post: "A tree-trimming company partly owned by Dr. Oz and his wife Lisa's family was fined $95 million by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency over a scheme to knowingly employ illegal immigrants. The fine against Asplundh Tree Experts Co. was the largest ever levied in ICE history according to a 2017 agency press release.... The company was co-founded by Carl Asplundh, the maternal grandfather of Lisa Oz and remains controlled by family members. Dr. Oz is listed as a 'shareholder' in the company.... Dr. Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and Oprah protege, injected some star power into a closely-watched GOP Senate primary in Pennsylvania.... 'Neither Dr. Oz nor Lisa Oz have even worked at the company or had any involvement in decision-making regarding its business practices, period,' said campaign spokeswoman Erin Perrine." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Not long ago, Asplundh spent about half a day removing trees from around power lines that run across my property. As far as I heard, the workers all spoke with standard American accents. P.S. I can't believe I'm citing a New York Post story. I wonder if Rupert Murdoch has a dog in the Pennsylvania Senate hunt -- a dog not named "Oz."

Texas. Fredreka Schouten of CNN: "A federal judge has temporarily blocked several Texas counties from pursuing criminal charges against public officials who encourage voters to use mail ballots in next month's primary election. The preliminary injunction marks a victory for officials in Harris County, home to Houston, who argued that the controversial provision in a new Texas election law barred them from helping voters.... US District Court Judge Xavier Rodriguez rejected arguments from the Texas Attorney General's Office that blocking enforcement of that provision could sow confusion among voters, who already have begun to mail in ballots ahead of the state's March 1 primary. The injunction 'does not affect any voting procedures,' Rodriguez wrote. 'It simply prevents the imposition of criminal and civil penalties against officials for encouraging people to vote by mail if they are eligible to do so.'" ~~~

~~~ Alexa Ura of the Texas Tribune: "A new Texas law that keeps local election officials from encouraging voters to request mail-in ballots likely violates the First Amendment, a federal judge [Xavier Rodriguez] ruled late Friday.... The injunction applies to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and local county prosecutors in Harris, Travis and Williamson counties."

News Ledes

CNN's live updates of the Winter Olympics are here. The AP's liveblog is here.

February 12, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Steve Hendrix, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden in an hourlong call on Saturday warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of 'swift and severe costs' if Russia attacks Ukraine, the White House said. The conversation came as most personnel began evacuating from the U.S. embassy in Kyiv amid intensifying warnings that Moscow could launch an immediate assault." The AP's story is here.

Rob Gillies & Mike Householder of the AP: "A tense standoff at a U.S.-Canadian border crossing crucial to both countries' economies appeared to be dissolving peacefully Saturday as Canadian police moved in to disperse the nearly weeklong blockade and demonstrators began leaving without resistance. Many demonstrators drove away from the Ambassador Bridge spanning the river between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, as scores of police approached shortly after dawn. They had spent the night there in defiance of new warnings to end the blockade, which disrupted the flow of traffic and goods and forced the auto industry on both sides to roll back production."

Joe Levine of the New York Post: "A tree-trimming company partly owned by Dr. Oz and his wife Lisa's family was fined $95 million by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency over a scheme to knowingly employ illegal immigrants. The fine against Asplundh Tree Experts Co. was the largest ever levied in ICE history according to a 2017 agency press release.... The company was co-founded by Carl Asplundh, the maternal grandfather of Lisa Oz and remains controlled by family members. Dr. Oz is listed as a 'shareholder' in the company.... Dr. Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and Oprah protege, injected some star power into a closely-watched GOP Senate primary in Pennsylvania.... 'Neither Dr. Oz nor Lisa Oz have even worked at the company or had any involvement in decision-making regarding its business practices, period,' said campaign spokeswoman Erin Perrine." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Not long ago, Asplundh spent about half a day removing trees from around power lines that run across my property. As far as I heard, the workers all spoke with standard American accents. P.S. I can't believe I'm citing a New York Post story. I wonder if Rupert Murdoch has a dog in the Pennsylvania Senate hunt -- a dog not named "Oz."

Canada. Rob Gillies & Mike Householder of the AP: "A tense standoff at a U.S.-Canadian border crossing crucial to both countries' economies appeared to be dissolving peacefully Saturday as Canadian police moved in to disperse the nearly weeklong blockade and demonstrators began leaving without resistance. Many demonstrators drove away from the Ambassador Bridge spanning the river between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, as scores of police approached shortly after dawn. They had spent the night there in defiance of new warnings to end the blockade, which disrupted the flow of traffic and goods and forced the auto industry on both sides to roll back production."

France. Deutsche Welle: "Protesters in cars and vans converged on Paris to protest the government and for a variety of populist causes.... Parisian police mobilized on Saturday, firing tear gas at one point on the Champs Elysees and issuing more than 200 citations in an effort to disrupt French motorists from converging on the city. Despite police efforts, by early afternoon Saturday, vehicles involved in the so-called protest convoy had made it past police and caused traffic jams around the Arc de Triomphe in the center of the city.... The primary demands of the French protesters are for the government to withdraw the vaccine pass requirement to enter many public places and for assistance with energy bills as costs soar."

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The New York Times is liveblogging developments in the Ukraine/Russia crisis. ~~~

~~~ Matthew Lee of the AP: "The United States is set to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv as Western intelligence officials warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is increasingly imminent. U.S. officials said the State Department plans to announce early Saturday that virtually all American staff at the Kyiv embassy will be required to leave ahead of a feared Russian invasion. A small number of officials may remain in Kyiv but the vast majority of the almost 200 Americans at the embassy will be sent out or relocated to Ukraine's far west, near the Polish border, so the U.S. can retain a diplomatic presence in the country." ~~~

~~~ Katie Rogers & Andrew Kramer of the New York Times: "The United States warned on Friday that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia could mount a major military assault on Ukraine at any moment, suggesting a crisis that had been building for months has reached a critical phase. The Pentagon, which has ruled out deploying troops to defend Ukraine, sent 3,000 soldiers to neighboring Poland on Friday as tensions mounted, reinforcing the U.S. military personnel being dispatched to help NATO allies. A host of countries, fearing an imminent invasion, told their citizens to leave Ukraine. And President Biden spent more than an hour on a call with allies to discuss 'diplomacy and deterrence,' the White House said. Ukraine warned that drills by Russia and Russian-backed separatists had left the country all but encircled and its ports effectively blockaded, the latest evidence of a shift in tone after weeks in which Ukraine's leaders had downplayed the threat of an attack. With the United States pushing for a diplomatic solution, Mr. Putin and Mr. Biden will speak by phone on Saturday.... U.S. officials have picked up intelligence that Russia is considering Wednesday as the possible date for the start of military action...." A Politico report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Jim Heintz of the AP: "Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden are to hold a high-stakes telephone call on Saturday as tensions over a possibility imminent invasion of Ukraine escalated sharply.... Before talking to Biden, Putin is to have a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with him in Moscow earlier in the week to try to resolve the crisis." ~~~

     ~~~ Shane Harris, et al., of the Washington Post: "The United States has obtained new intelligence that suggests Russia is planning to stage an attack that it would falsely blame on Ukraine to justify invading the country, possibly as early as next week, according to multiple U.S. and European officials who have reviewed the intelligence or been briefed on it. The intelligence about a 'false flag' operation was discussed in a quickly convened meeting in the White House Situation Room on Thursday evening and helped prompt renewed calls from the Biden administration for all Americans to leave Ukraine immediately, according to officials familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence." ~~~

~~~ John Hudson & David Stern of the Washington Post: "With Russian warships and tanks encircling his country amid dire warnings from the United States about an impending invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has shown himself to be resistant to the pressure he faces from Russia -- and from Europe, too. On Friday, Zelensky's aides returned home to Kyiv after facing off with Russian counterparts in Berlin during the latest round of talks, brokered by France and Germany, aimed at ending the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.... 'The Ukrainians presented a very hard position,' said Russian envoy Dmitry Kozak, noting that it was impossible to reconcile conflicting interpretations of an accord, known as the Minsk agreements, designed to halt the fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists."

Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Biden on Thursday said he rejected the accounts and findings of an Army investigative report in which military officials reportedly criticized Biden administration officials for failing to grasp the situation in Afghanistan as U.S. forces withdrew.... The [Washington] Post reported earlier this week that the Army report stretches thousands of pages and contains sworn testimony from commanders involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan last summer." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

"One of the Worst Human Beings." Steve Benen of MSNBC: "When [Sen. Josh] Hawley [R is for Russia] ...suggest[ed] that the White House give Vladimir Putin the NATO commitments the Russian autocrat wants, Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger called Hawley 'one of the worst human beings,' and a self-aggrandizing 'con artist.' Soon after, the editorial board of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch told readers that Hawley is 'grossly unfit' for office. This week..., Politico reported: 'Frustrations with Sen. Josh Hawley's monthslong slow-walking of Pentagon nominees boiled over on Thursday, as one top Democrat [-- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.) --] slammed the Missouri Republican for hamstringing the military as it responds to the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine."

Many Returns of the Year. Lisa Rein & Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "Nearly 24 million taxpayers are still waiting for the Internal Revenue Service to process their tax returns from last year -- a number far larger than previously reported by the agency -- with many refunds being held up for ten months or more.... The backlog will probably further slow service in the 2022 filing season; the Treasury Department, the IRS's parent agency, warned in January that it expected its response to be subpar this year.... A group of 30 Senate Republicans wrote in a Thursday letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig. They pointed to a raft of delayed returns, some dating back to the 2019 filing season.... But some Republicans simultaneously are working to block any new federal aid that might help the agency, and the letter did not endorse any spending. The IRS's productivity plummeted >during the coronavirus pandemic as thousands of employees worked from home for months without access to returns, audits and other business -- difficulties that followed years of budget cuts. The federal stimulus measures also added to the agency's workload, as it emphasized getting relief money to millions of Americans. Paper returns took the greatest hit, as mail piled up on trucks outside closed offices for months."

Archives Threatened to Call the DOJ, Sic Congress on Trump. Gabby Orr, et al., of CNN: "In May 2021, the realization that important items from [Donald] Trump's time in office ... were not transferred to the Archives at the end of his presidency prompted NARA officials to contact Trump's team.... In a statement on Thursday, Trump claimed..., 'The papers were given easily and without conflict and on a very friendly basis.'... [But] in a series of interviews with CNN, a half-dozen people familiar with the matter described a tense situation that took nearly eight months to resolve -- beginning with NARA's outreach in May and ending with its retrieval of the boxes from Mar-a-Lago last month. In the end, it may have been a threat that ended the impasse. At one point, the Archives notified a member of Trump's team that it planned to alert Congress and the Department of Justice of the matter if it wasn't quickly resolved...."

"Projection Is Always the Sincerest Form of Trumpism." Chris Truax of the Bulwark: "... in the before times back in 2020, Nancy Pelosi made brief headlines for tearing up a copy of Trump's speech at the State of the Union address.... [MAGA world freaked out.] Matt Gaetz even filed a formal complaint with the House Ethics committee and asked that Pelosi be referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution.... To cap it all off, Donald Trump himself condemned Pelosi for her 'illegal' actions. 'Well, I thought it was a terrible thing when she ripped up the speech. First of all, it's an official document. You're not allowed -- it's illegal what she did.' Of course..., the copy of his speech that Trump handed to Pelosi was not an 'official record.' As a legal matter, it was simply a piece of paper and her personal property. And now, almost exactly two years to the day later, President Trump has been referred to the Department of Justice for -- and I have tears in my eyes as I write this -- ripping up official documents.... When most countries face a wave of populist authoritarianism, it's being led by an Orban or a Mussolini. Ours is being led by Elmer Fudd, a leader so incompetent and so ... actively stupid that it almost beggars description." (Also linked yesterday.)

Ron Charles of the Washington Post reviews Donald Trump's picture book: "Images are the perfect lexicon for Trump to articulate a fantastical revision of his four chaotic years in office. Freed from the complexities of language or the context of history, the former president spins a dreamscape of adulation and triumph.... It's remarkable how effectively this presentation captures Trump's wandering mind and self-sabotaging bitterness.... No moment, no matter how celebratory, can calm this author's need to lash out at his perceived enemies.... Below a photo of an intimate dinner party that includes Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Mark Zuckerberg, Trump writes, 'Mark Zuckerberg would come to the White House and kiss my ass.'"

Jason Leopld & Anthony Cormier of BuzzFeed News: "The Department of Justice released a new version of the Mueller report Friday afternoon that reveals for the first time that former special counsel Robert Mueller considered charging Donald Trump Jr. with a misdemeanor 'computer intrusion' crime for accessing a website using a password he obtained from WikiLeaks. The new version of the report on Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election also said that Mueller declined, citing insufficient evidence, to charge the political operative Roger Stone with crimes related to the hacking of Democratic National Committee computers and email accounts. And the report 'did not establish' that the Trump campaign's then-director of national security, JD Gordon, was acting on behalf of Russia when he arranged for changes to the Republican platform during the 2016 convention. The new version of the Mueller report contains nearly a dozen new unredacted passages and was released in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by BuzzFeed News in 2019."

Jonathan Partlow of the Washington Post: "A federal judge restored protections for gray wolves in much of the country, reversing a decision by the Trump administration that stripped Endangered Species Act protections and exposed the animals to aggressive hunting in areas where they were nearly killed off years ago. The decision by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White in Northern California immediately reimposes safeguards for wolf populations in the Lower 48 outside of northern Rocky Mountain states -- one of the hotbeds of wolf hunting -- and puts federal officials in charge of managing wolf populations in places such as the Great Lakes region, the Pacific coast and other parts of their range."

Elahi Izadi & Sarah Ellison of the Washington Post: "[A] federal jury on Friday afternoon began deliberating the [defamation] case [Sarah Palin brought against the New York Times], the first libel case against the Times to get to trial in the United States in nearly two decades. Since Palin, the 2008 Republican nominee for vice president, is a public figure, her lawyers must prove not only that the Times defamed her but that the paper was motivated by 'actual malice.' If they prevail, either now or on appeal, the case could upend the long-standing protections afforded journalists writing about prominent people."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Sharon LaFraniere & Noah Weiland of the New York Times: "In a striking reversal, federal regulators said on Friday that they would wait for data on how well three doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine work in children younger than 5 before deciding whether to authorize the vaccine for that age group. The decision by the Food and Drug Administration most likely rules out shots for roughly 18 million of the nation's youngest children until at least April. The Biden administration had been hoping to expand vaccination to those 6 months through 4 years of age as early as next week. They are the only Americans not yet eligible for shots. Pfizer-BioNTech asked for the delay after the companies discovered that the Omicron wave had led to a far higher rate of infection than they had previously recorded among young volunteers in their clinical trial. The new data underscored that the Omicron variant was better than the earlier Delta variant at evading the vaccine's protection, and it showed that two doses, which had already fallen short by another measure, were not effective enough." The AP report is here.

Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on Friday for some people with weakened immune systems, recommending they get a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine three months after completing the initial series of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shots, rather than the current interval of five months." The article is free to nonsubscribers.

Canada. Maite Simon, et al., of the Washington Post: "An Ontario court on Friday ordered protesters to end their blockade of a key bridge connecting Canada with the United States as the country headed into a third weekend of 'Freedom Convoy' demonstrations.... Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz gave protesters until 7 p.m. to end the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, the busiest crossing on the U.S.-Canada border and a vital supply route between automakers on both sides. It was not immediately clear what would happen at 7 p.m." An AP report is here. ~~~

~~~ Get Out! The Canadian trucker "protest" situation is so dire, the New York Times is running a liveblog: "Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, declared a state of emergency for the entire province on Friday, as the police in Ottawa braced for thousands of protesters to descend for the third consecutive weekend of a crisis that has disrupted international supply chains. 'With a protest, you make your point and you go back home. I know that's what the vast majority did,' Mr. Ford said at a news conference. 'My message to those still in Ottawa, those still in our border crossing, to those who brought their children: Please take them home. And it's time to do so peacefully.' Otherwise, 'there will be consequences, and they will be severe,' he said, adding, 'Your right to make a political statement does not outweigh the right of thousands of workers to make a living.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

France. Thomas Adamson of the AP: "Paris police intercepted at least 500 vehicles attempting to enter the French capital Saturday, in defiance of a police order, to take part in protests against virus restrictions inspired by Canada's horn-honking 'Freedom Convoy.' The police said on Twitter that several convoys were stopped from entering at key city arteries and over 200 motorists were handed tickets. Elsewhere, at least two protesters were detained amid a seizure of knives, hammers and other objects in one central Parisian square. Some 7,000 officers have been mobilized for the weekend protests. Police have created checkpoints, deployed armored personnel carriers and set up water cannons to brace the city for the protests. So far, the police blockade action has seemed effective." ~~~

~~~ Back in the U.S.S.A. Kiera Butler of Mother Jones: "Heartened by the size and disruption of the Canada protest, activists in the United States are now planning their own domestic convoys. On Telegram, leaders of the California anti-vaccine group Freedom Angels Foundation are urging followers to create national and local convoys, and calling on those who can't participate to donate supplies. Telegram threads from Southern California planning groups obtained by Mother Jones show that these groups, like their Canadian counterparts, have attracted extremists, including prominent white nationalists. Parents are heavily involved, too, offering the use of family vehicles and enlisting their children for moral support.... Overtly racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic comments are a constant theme.... A source who follows the convoy-organizing groups closely marveled a the way parents seemed to be in thrall to extremist leaders. 'These people are PTA presidents, moms, everyday families,' the source said. 'And they are working together with white nationalists.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Ali Velshi of MSNBC said on-air that these "plans" are mostly "aspirational," and that there doesn't seem to be much actual planning going on. ~~~

~~~ Ben Collins of NBC News: "There is growing momentum in the U.S. anti-vaccination community to conduct rallies similar to Canada's 'Freedom Convoy' that has paralyzed Ottawa, Ontario, and the effort is receiving a boost from a familiar source: overseas content mills. Some Facebook groups that have promoted American 'trucker convoys' similar to demonstrations that have clogged roads in Ottawa are being run by fake accounts tied to content mills in Vietnam, Bangladesh, Romania and several other countries, Facebook officials told NBC News on Friday....[A Meta] spokesperson noted that the majority of the content posted in these groups came from real accounts and that the company has removed the groups tied to foreign content mills."

Beyond the Beltway

Alabama. Nick Anderson of the Washington Post: "The University of Alabama is removing the name of an early 20th century governor who was also a Ku Klux Klan leader from a building on its campus in Tuscaloosa, under a plan approved Friday that reserves the naming honor exclusively for the university's first Black student, Autherine Lucy Foster. The decision capped a zigzag course for the university's trustees on the question of what to call what had long been known as Bibb Graves Hall.... The racial reckoning that arose in higher education in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, led the University of Alabama System's trustees to form a working group to study campus names. That led to a proposal, which trustees approved Feb. 3, to rename the building Lucy-Graves Hall.... But an uproar arose over the idea that the pioneering Black student's name would be paired with that of a White supremacist. On Friday, trustees reversed course and voted unanimously to remove the Graves name entirely."

Mississippi. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "A White father and son in Mississippi were charged this week after they were accused of chasing and shooting at a Black FedEx driver in an incident that the driver's attorney says was a 'copycat crime' of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. FedEx driver D'Monterrio Gibson said he was delivering packages on his route in Brookhaven, Miss., on Jan. 24 when two White men with whom he had not interacted chased him in a pickup truck for about seven minutes and fired at least five shots at the van he was driving. Gibson, who said he was driving a Hertz van at the time but was in his full FedEx uniform, told reporters Thursday that he believes that Brandon Case and his father, Gregory Case, chased and shot at him because he is Black and thought he didn't belong in the neighborhood.... Gibson and his attorneys are calling for a federal hate-crimes probe, saying local police are not taking the case seriously.... Gibson and his attorney also expressed their displeasure with FedEx.... Moore said Gibson remains on unpaid leave...." CNN's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Maybe FedEx could not afford to pay Gibson. According to the Googles (no link), "FedEx Chairman and CEO Frederick Smith had total reported compensation of $14,235,537 for FY 21, including an option award of $8.8 million and a cash bonus of $3.4 million."

Ohio Secretary of State Race. David Gilbert of Vice: "A QAnon influencer and convicted grifter who claims she can time travel, who led a campaign to replace elected officials with QAnon supporters, and who misrepresented her expertise in an election lawsuit before the Supreme Court, now wants to become Ohio's next Secretary of State. And Terpsehore Maras isn't even trying to hide her affiliation to QAnon. Launching her official YouTube and Facebook campaign pages this week, Maras, who is known to her followers simply as Tore and is also known by numerous other aliases, uploaded a logo, replacing the 'o' in 'Secretary of State' with a Q." MB: Terpsehore? Really?

Texas. Where Your Vote Doesn't Count. Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: "A restrictive new voting law in Texas has sown confusion and erected hurdles for those casting ballots in the state's March 1 primary, with election administrators rejecting early batches of mail ballots at historic rates and voters uncertain about whether they will be able to participate. In recent days, thousands of ballots have been rejected because voters did not meet a new requirement to provide an identification number inside the return envelope. In Harris County, the state's most populous county and home to Houston, election officials said Friday that 40 percent of roughly 3,600 returned ballots so far have lacked the identification number required under Senate Bill 1, as the new law is known."

Wisconsin. Zach Montellaro of Politico: "Wisconsin's state Supreme Court is letting a ban on drop boxes in the state go into effect for the state's spring local elections. The state's highest court rejected a motion on Friday for a temporary stay of a lower court's order banning drop boxes in the state, in a lawsuit brought by a conservative organization in the state. The court broke 4-3..., with the state's conservative justices all siding against extending the stay and the liberal-leaning justices voting to extend it."

Way Beyond

Afghanistan. CBS News/AFP: "Two international journalists who were on an assignment for the United Nations refugee agency have been detained in the Afghan capital, the UNHCR said on Friday.... One of the journalists is Andrew North, a British former BBC correspondent who has covered Afghanistan for about two decades and has traveled regularly to the war-ravaged country to report on its deteriorating humanitarian crisis.... Khalil Hamraz, a spokesman for the Taliban's intelligence agency, told CBS News' Ahmad Mukhtar that the group didn't know who had detained the journalists." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Editor's Note: Yesterday, I wondered if it wasn't stupid for French President Emmanuel Macron to refuse to take a Covid test in Russia because he didn't want Russia to get hold of his DNA. I expressed skepticism that Macron wouldn't otherwise leave his DNA on various surfaces. But I heard on the teevee that U.S. presidents do have a clean-up entourage that follows them around when they visit other countries wiping the presidents' DNA off surfaces & picking up water bottles, etc.