;)
February 25, 2022
Morning/Afternoon Update:
Colleen Long, et al., of the AP: "President Joe Biden on Friday nominated federal appeals court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, making her the first Black woman selected to serve on a court that once declared her race unworthy of citizenship and endorsed segregation." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times liveblog on Judge Jackson's nomination is here. ~~~
~~~ President Biden begins speaking at about 1:35 min. in. ~~~
~~~ Jake Tapper & Ariane de Vogue of CNN: "President Joe Biden has selected Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee to the Supreme Court, according to a source who has been notified about the decision, setting in motion a historic confirmation process for the first Black woman to sit on the highest court in the nation. Jackson, 51, currently sits on DC's federal appellate court and had been considered the front-runner for the vacancy since Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement. She received and accepted Biden's offer in a call Thursday night, a source familiar with the decision told CNN. Jackson clerked for Breyer and served as a federal public defender in Washington -- an experience that her backers say is fitting, given Biden's commitment to putting more public defenders on the federal bench. She was also a commissioner on the US Sentencing Commission and served on the federal district court in DC, as an appointee of President Barack Obama, before Biden elevated her to the DC Circuit last year." ~~~
~~~ Walking, Chewing Gum. Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "President Biden informed his advisers that he had chosen a Supreme Court nominee on Thursday, according to two people familiar with the selection process." CNN's report is here. ~~~
The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday on Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Russian officials signaled an openness to talks, but President Vladimir V. Putin derided the Ukrainian government and it was unclear under what conditions the Kremlin would consider negotiations. Mr. Putin was becoming increasingly isolated by the international community.... Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, continued to be bombed late Friday, as Russia's invasion passed into its second night."
Emily Rauhala & Michael Birnbaum of the Washington Post: "European Union foreign ministers agreed Friday to freeze the assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the first time the two men have been targeted personally by such measures. The decision, part of a larger round of sanctions approved to punish Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, likely won't be the last step taken against the Kremlin during the conflict, policymakers said.... E.U. foreign policy officials said that it would take some technical work to target the sanctions properly. Neither man will be barred from traveling to the European Union, a step that in some ways would have been more concrete but could also have complicated any diplomatic settlement to the escalating violence that Russia is inflicting on its neighbor." ~~~
~~~ Update. Brett Samuels of the Hill: "The Biden administration will sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top officials in Moscow in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Friday. The move follows an announcement from the European Union earlier in the day that it would sanction Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov directly for the country's attack on neighboring Ukraine." The story is developing at 3:45 pm ET.
Prince of Peace. Nicole Winfield of the AP: "Pope Francis went to the Russian Embassy on Friday to personally 'express his concern about the war' in Ukraine, in an extraordinary, hands-on papal gesture that has no recent precedent. Francis later assured a top Ukrainian Greek Catholic leader he would do 'everything I can' to help. Usually, popes receive ambassadors and heads of state in the Vatican, and diplomatic protocol would have called for the Vatican foreign minister to summon the Russian ambassador. Francis is the Vatican head of state, and for him to leave the walled city state and travel a short distance to the Russian Embassy to the Holy See was a sign of his anger at Moscow's invasion and his willingness to appeal personally for an end to it. Vatican officials said they knew of no such previous papal initiative."
Snake Island Massacre. Dan Lamothe & Paul Sonne of the Washington Post: "As the Russian military pounded targets across Ukraine with an array of bombs and missiles, a small team of Ukrainian border guards on a rocky, desolate island received an ominous message: Give up or be attacked. 'I am a Russian warship,' a voice from the invaders said, according to a recording of the communications. 'I ask you to lay down your arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary deaths. Otherwise, you will be bombed.'... 'Russian warship,' came the [Ukrainians'] reply, 'go f--- yourself.' The Russians opened fire, eventually killing the 13 border guards.... Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said hours later that the island's defenders will be bestowed with the title 'Hero of Ukraine,' the highest honorific the Ukrainian leader can award."
Ryan Nobles, et al., of CNN: "The House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol Hill riot tells CNN it will issue a subpoena to compel testimony from Kimberly Guilfoyle after she ended a virtual interview on Friday. Guilfoyle, who is engaged to Donald Trump Jr. and worked on his father's presidential campaign, 'has information of interest to the Select Committee and has provided documents germane to our investigation,' committee spokesman Tim Mulvey said in a statement."
Jonathan Edwards of the Washington Post: "As Russian forces closed in on Ukraine, Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday downplayed the conflict.... The host of the network's top-rated show ... called the situation between the two nations 'a border dispute.'... On Thursday night, Carlson backpedaled, recharacterizing what he had called a 'border dispute' two days earlier as a conflict that 'could become a world war.'... Carlson also shifted his tone on Putin. After Russian troops had invaded and were bombing Ukrainian cities, Carlson said of Putin: 'He is to blame for what we're seeing tonight in Ukraine.'" MB: Where was the part where TuKKKer said, "I was wrong"?
Crappergate, Ctd. Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "A House committee on Friday expanded its investigation into ... Donald J. Trump's destruction and removal of White House documents, demanding more information about classified material found at Mr. Trump's property in Florida and reports that aides had discovered documents in a White House toilet during his time in office. In a letter to the national archivist, Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, Democrat of New York and the chairwoman of the Oversight Committee, said the panel was seeking a detailed description of the contents of 15 boxes recovered from Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump's Palm Beach compound, including their level of classification, and all records that he 'had torn up, destroyed, mutilated or attempted to tear up, destroy or mutilate.' She also said the panel wanted documents 'relating to White House employees or contractors finding paper in a toilet in the White House, including the White House residence.' The letter also sought information about the findings of any federal inquiries into the classified material and any communications with Mr. Trump about the Presidential Records Act or White House policies on record-keeping."
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Putin's Abomination
The Washington Post's live updates of developments in the Russian invasion of Ukraine are here: "Rockets struck Kyiv early Friday morning, according to several Ukrainian officials, as the United States warned that Russian forces were just 20 miles outside the capital and cautioned that the city could fall quickly. An air raid siren went off about 7 a.m. local time and at least one residential building in the capital caught fire after being hit by rocket debris, Kyiv's mayor said. Multiple explosions were heard earlier in the day." ~~~
~~~ The AP's live updates are here. The Guardian's updates are here.
Emma Graham-Harrison & Luke Harding of the Guardian: "Fighting has reached the outskirts of Kyiv, following a night of missile attacks on Ukraine's capital to prepare for a major Russian assault on the city. Heavy gunfire and explosions could be heard in a residential district of the capital on Friday morning and Ukrainian officials have warned that Russian military vehicles are approaching the city from the north-west. The Ukrainian defence ministry said Russian forces had entered the Obolon district of Kyiv, about six miles from the centre of the city. In a statement posted online, it advised residents to report the movements of Russian troops and to 'prepare molotov cocktails in order to neutralise the enemy'."
Michael Schwirtz, et al., of the New York Times write a summary of Day 1 of Russia's invasion of Ukraine: "By Thursday's end, Russian special forces and airborne troops were pushing into the outskirts of Kyiv. While the ultimate goal of Russia's president, Vladimir V. Putin, and his generals remained unclear, American officials assessed that the end game was likely the replacement of President Volodymyr Zelensky's government with a Russian-controlled puppet regime.... In a short video message addressing the nation, Mr. Zelensky, unshaven and wearing a T-shirt, added that Russian saboteurs had entered Kyiv and that he was 'target No. 1' for Russian forces, followed by his family.... The lethal realities spurred tens of thousands of Ukrainians to flee by car or bus on Thursday toward the far-western part of the country, which was deemed safer, snarling the roads, and there were long lines at gas stations."
Aamer Madhani, et al., of the AP: "President Joe Biden ordered broad new sanctions targeting Russia on Thursday..., declaring that Russian leader Vladimir Putin 'chose this war' and his country will bear the consequences. The sanctions target Russian banks, oligarchs and high-tech sectors, Biden said. The United States and its allies will block assets of four large Russian banks, impose export controls and sanction oligarchs. Biden also said the U.S. will be deploying additional forces to Germany to bolster NATO after the invasion of Ukraine, which is not a member of the defense organization. Approximately 7,000 additional U.S. troops will be sent." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Ellen Nakashima & Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Thursday announced an unprecedented package of sweeping sanctions and export controls coordinated with European and Asian allies to punish and isolate Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. No country as large as Russia, with an economy as large as Russia's -- ranked 12th, according to the International Monetary Fund -- has been hit with such massive international sanctions.... The Biden administration and allies in Europe and Asia are also cutting off Russia's access to key components crucial to their emerging and high-tech industries." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
Edward Wong, et al., of the New York Times: President Biden's announcement of "tough new sanctions" against Russia "was accompanied by a blizzard of sanctions from other countries announced on Thursday. Britain adopted penalties largely in line with the American ones, with additions such as barring Aeroflot, the Russian airline, from operating in its territory. The European Union announced measures including bans on large bank deposits in the European Union and halts in many technological exports to Russia, including semiconductors. Japan and Australia also unveiled various sanctions." Experts predict the effect sanctions may have on the Russian economy.
Hans von der Burchard & Jacopo Barigazzi of Politico: "Even as they agreed at an emergency summit to what they called a 'massive and painful' package of economic penalties in response to Moscow's shocking military assault on its neighbor, [European Union] leaders shunned a plea from Ukraine to kick Russia out of the SWIFT international payments system. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had made a heartfelt online appeal for Russia to be excluded from the Belgium-based network.... But while the United States, Britain and some EU capitals have all indicated they favor a ban, other EU countries such as Germany, Italy and Austria have signaled they do not want to play all their sanctions cards at this stage. Part of the reason, officials say, is that European countries use SWIFT to pay for Russian gas, on which they are highly dependent."
Marie: I noticed an item in one of the live updates that former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul was urging the U.S. to sanction Belarus for its participation in the Russian invasion. Apparently, Treasury was listening: ~~~
~~~ U.S. Treasury: "As part of the United States' serious and expansive response to Russia's further invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning 24 Belarusian individuals and entities due to Belarus's support for, and facilitation of, the invasion. Today's action focuses on Belarus's defense sector and financial institutions, two areas in which Belarus has especially close ties to Russia. Belarus has become increasingly reliant on Russia for economic, political, and military support in recent years as the regime has clung to power following the fraudulent August 2020 presidential election."
Yuras Karmanau, et al., of the AP: "Ukrainian officials said their forces were battling Russians on a multiple fronts, but had suffered dozens of deaths and also had lost control of the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant, scene of the world's worst nuclear disaster.... Ukraine's health minister said 57 Ukrainians were killed in the invasion and 169 more were wounded. It was not clear how many were civilians, although earlier in the day it had said 40 soldiers had died." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ William Branigin, et al., of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian authorities said Thursday that Russian forces have captured the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the scene of a 1986 meltdown that sent a radioactive cloud over parts of Europe and left a no man's land of contaminated soil and other fallout, which remains dangerous.... 'Our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated,' [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky said on Twitter. 'This is a declaration of war against the whole of Europe.' The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, recalling the catastrophe that ranks as the world's worst nuclear power plant accident, said the Russian attack 'may cause another ecological disaster.' If the war continues, it said, Chernobyl 'can happen again in 2022.'" ~~~
~~~ Update. Ivan Nechepurenko of the New York Times: "Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday that its paratroopers had taken control of the territory around the former Chernobyl nuclear plant in northern Ukraine and were working with Ukrainian guards to ensure the safety of its facilities, contradicting Ukrainian claims that Russian forces were holding the plant's personnel hostage."
Dasha Litvinova of the AP: "Shocked Russians turned out by the thousands Thursday to decry their country's invasio of Ukraine as emotional calls for protests grew on social media. Some 1,745 people in 54 Russian cities were detained, at least 957 of them in Moscow. Hundreds of posts came pouring in condemning Moscow's most aggressive actions since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.... As sirens blasted in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, and large explosions were heard there and in other cities, Russians were signing open letters and online petitions demanding the Kremlin halt the assault.... Several Russian celebrities and public figures, including some working for state TV, spoke out against the attack. Yelena Kovalskaya, director of a state-funded Moscow theater, announced on Facebook she was quitting her job, saying 'it's impossible to work for a killer and get paid by him.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: "For most of his 22-year rule, Vladimir V. Putin presented an aura of calm determination at home -- of an ability to astutely manage risk to navigate the world's biggest country through treacherous shoals. His attack on Ukraine negated that image, and revealed him as an altogether different leader: one dragging the nuclear superpower he helms into a war with no foreseeable conclusion, one that by all appearances will end Russia's attempts over its three post-Soviet decades to find a place in a peaceful world order." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Sergei Kuznetzov & Zoya Sheftalovich of Politico: "Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday launched an all-out assault on Ukraine with missiles, warplanes and tanks that threatens to push Europe into its biggest conflict since World War II.... Ukraine warned that Moscow was turning to propaganda tricks by suggesting that Russian troops were not meeting resistance and by exhorting Ukrainians to lay down their weapons. Kyiv insisted that its troops were locked in heavy fighting, had shot down seven warplanes, destroyed dozens of armored vehicles and killed dozens of enemy soldiers.... In a sign of the desperate straits Ukraine is facing against a stronger adversary, however, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for a general mobilization. The country also put out an appeal for blood donors as news began to filter in of dozens of Ukrainian casualties across the country." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Kevin Granville & William Davis of the New York Times: "The price of oil jumped as high as $105 a barrel, European natural gas futures soared 50 percent, and global stock indexes fell on Thursday as Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, extending market turmoil that had been driven by fears of a full-scale attack. The impact on financial and commodity markets from Russia's overnight attack was immediate and broad, starting in Asia, where the Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 3.2 percent. In Germany, the DAX index slid more than 4 percent, and the broader Stoxx Europe 600 was about 3.5 percent lower." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Putin Threatens Nuclear War. John Daniszewski of the AP: "It has been a long time since the threat of using nuclear weapons has been brandished so openly by a world leader, but Vladimir Putin has just done it, warning in a speech that he has the weapons available if anyone dares to use military means to try to stop Russia's takeover of Ukraine.... It kindled visions of a nightmarish outcome in which Putin's ambitions in Ukraine could lead to a nuclear war through accident or miscalculation. 'As for military affairs, even after the dissolution of the USSR and losing a considerable part of its capabilities, today's Russia remains one of the most powerful nuclear states,' Putin said, in his pre-invasion address early Thursday. 'Moreover, it has a certain advantage in several cutting-edge weapons. In this context, there should be no doubt for anyone that any potential aggressor will face defeat and ominous consequences should it directly attack our country.'"
Miriam Berger of the Washington Post looks into the history behind Vladimir Putin's false claim that he was invading Ukraine to "denazify" the country. MB: But Putin was not the only politician who hit on a crazy "justification" for unprovoked war. ~~~
Mr. Potato Head Explains Why Putin Invaded Ukraine
Marie: Some readers here have asked why Putin would invade Ukraine. Others have offered explanations or pointed them toward analysts' assessments. But I, Marie Burns, will direct you to the True Answer, as delivered by that font of knowledge and wisdom, Senator Potato Head: ~~~
~~~ "He can't feed his people. It's a communist country, so he can't feed his people, so they need more farmland." -- Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) ~~~
~~~ This comes as a surprise to me because (1) I thought Russia quit being a communist country 30 years ago, and (2) as a somewhat sparsely-populated country with the most landmass on Earth, Russia is not short on farmland. In fact, Russia is renting out farmland to other countries. ~~~
Okay, Maybe Not Farmland. Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post: "Vladimir Putin's brutal and tragic attack on Ukraine is about more than his own delusions of grandeur. It is also a lesson for the Russian people about what happens to those who insist on seeking Western-style democracy.... So Putin has both rational and irrational motives for the unspeakable crime he is committing.... From all indications, Russia's leader wants to be remembered as Putin the Great, who reversed the 'catastrophe' and restored the Russian empire -- first czarist, then Soviet, then dismembered -- to its rightful glory.... [Putin] took the position that the 2014 Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine was nothing but an illegal coup."
Isaac Stanley-Becker, et al., of the Washington Post: "Leading Republicans on Thursday assailed Russia for plunging Europe into its first major land war in decades -- isolating ... Donald Trump, the de facto standard-bearer of their party, in his praise for the country's authoritarian leader. From Capitol Hill to the campaign trail, prominent GOP voices, including some close Trump loyalists, vowed that Russian President Vladimir Putin would pay a severe price for ordering a military offensive against Ukraine, even as the party sought to blame President Biden for the crisis. Meanwhile, Republican leaders strained to articulate an alternative policy to counter Russia's revanchist campaign -- at once insisting on more severe measures and opposing the deployment of U.S. forces, which Biden has said is not an option."
Michael Grynbaum & Katie Robertson of the New York Times assess how cable news handled the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Margaret Sullivan of the Washington Post: "As Russia prepared to invade Ukraine, the biggest star on Fox News was busy ... defend[ing] the murderous instigator Vladimir Putin while disparaging legitimate heroes like Alexander Vindman, the Ukrainian-born retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former White House national security aide.... In 2020, Fox's own lawyers successfully made the case in court that [Tucker] Carlson shouldn't be taken seriously. And a Trump-appointed federal judge agreed. U.S. District Court Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil echoed Fox's own arguments ... [that] the whole tenor of Carlson's show makes it clear to viewers that he is not stating 'actual facts' about his topics.... 'Fox persuasively argues, that given Mr. Carlson's reputation, any reasonable viewer "arrive[s] with an appropriate amount of skepticism" about the statement he makes.' That's the problem, of course. Too many in Carlson's audience simply don't arrive with that measure of doubt or disbelief. They swallow his nonsense whole." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: I can't find a "free" article that tells us how TuKKKer Kremlin Karlson dealt with the Russian invasion, but apparently he toned down his praise of Putin Thursday night.
Persona Non Grata. Javier Hernández of the New York Times: "Carnegie Hall and the Vienna Philharmonic announced on Thursday that the Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, a friend and prominent supporter of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, would no longer lead a series of concerts there this week amid growing international condemnation of Mr. Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Gergiev, who had been slated to conduct the Philharmonic in three high-profile appearances at the hall beginning Friday evening, has come under growing scrutiny because of his support for Mr. Putin, whom he has known for three decades and has repeatedly defended.... The extraordinary last-minute decision to replace a star maestro apparently over his ties to Mr. Putin -- just days after the Philharmonic's chairman insisted that Gergiev would be appearing as an artist, not a politician — reflected the rapidly intensifying global uproar over the invasion."
David McCabe of the New York Times: "The Justice Department on Thursday sued to block a $13 billion acquisition of a health technology company by a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, in the latest move by the Biden administration to clamp down on corporate consolidation. The agency argued that a deal by UnitedHealth to buy the health tech firm Change Healthcare would give UnitedHealth sensitive data that it could wield against its competitors in the insurance business. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. New York and Minnesota also joined the lawsuit."
Vimal Patel of the New York Times: "A group founded by the former N.F.L. quarterback Colin Kaepernick started this week to offer free secondary autopsies for families of people who died under 'police-related' circumstances. A certified autopsy can be prohibitive, sometimes costing $5,000 or more, so those without means have had to rely on the official inquiry conducted by a medical examiner or coroner. But proponents of a second autopsy argue that forensic pathology is not an exact science, and that medical experts can have differing opinions that are sometimes colored by bias."
Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) has asked his investigations chief to oversee the ongoing probe into ... Donald Trump and his business practices, a day after the abrupt resignations of two veteran attorneys who had been leading the case. Susan Hoffinger, also an experienced litigator and recent addition to Bragg's executive team, will captain what has been described as a squad of about 25 lawyers, paralegals and analysts. Over more than three years, the group has pored through millions of records relating to Trump and operations at the Trump Organization, his family-run company, focusing most recently on whether assets were illegally overvalued to secure better terms on loans and insurance rates, and undervalued to get tax breaks." ~~~
~~~ Kara Scannell of CNN: "On Thursday, [Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's] office reiterated that the investigation is ongoing and said Susan Hoffinger, a former prosecutor and experienced white-collar defense attorney he recruited, would oversee the probe. There were discussions within the office over the strength of the case. Some prosecutors believed there is sufficient evidence to charge, while others were skeptical that they could win a conviction at trial, in part because of the difficulty in proving criminal intent, one person familiar with the matter said. Multiple factors are at play, including New York state law, which makes it hard to bring such a case, as well as the lack of a key cooperator."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here.
Yasmeen Abutaleb of the Washington Post: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will soon loosen its mask guidelines by weighing metrics such as hospital capacity and coronavirus admissions, rather than simply looking at case counts, so more people can feel comfortable going maskless in indoor public spaces, according to two senior administration officials and two people familiar with the plans. The change comes weeks after numerous states, including those led by Democratic governors, announced plans to lift mandates as omicron cases drop sharply. But states have long been pressing the agency for better guidelines to inform their decisions to ease restrictions, the officials said. The CDC could announce the new guidelines as soon as Friday, according to the Associated Press." The article is free to nonsubscribers.
Beyond the Beltway
Florida. Matt Lavietes of NBC News: "Florida's House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would prohibit 'classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity' in the state's primary schools. The legislation -- titled the Parental Rights in Education bill but dubbed by critics the "Don't Say Gay" bill -- heads to the state's Republican-held Senate, where it is expected to pass. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is running for re-election and is widely considered to be a potential 2024 presidential candidate, has previously signaled his support for the legislation and is expected to sign it into law."
Michigan. Corey Williams of the AP: "A judge on Thursday ordered the parents of a 15-year-old boy charged with killing four students at his Michigan high school to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges. Rochester Hills District Court Judge Julie Nicholson said following the preliminary examination for Jennifer and James Crumbley that she found enough evidence to send their case to circuit court. They are charged with involuntary manslaughter and accused of making the gun used in the shooting available to the teen. The couple is also accused of failing to intervene when he showed signs of mental distress at home and at school."
Minnesota. Tim Arango, et al., of the New York Times: "Three former Minneapolis police officers were found guilty on Thursday of federal crimes for failing to intervene as another officer killed George Floyd by pressing his knee on his neck for more than nine minutes. The case was an extraordinarily rare example of the Justice Department prosecuting officers for their inaction while another officer used excessive force. The verdicts signal to police departments across America that juries may become more willing to convict not just officers who kill people on the job, but also those who watch them do it. A federal jury determined that the officers -- Tou Thao, 36; J. Alexander Kueng, 28; and Thomas Lane, 38 -- had willfully violated Mr. Floyd's constitutional rights by not providing medical care when he lost a pulse and that two of them were also guilty of not intervening to stop a fellow officer, Derek Chauvin, from planting his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck."
Oklahoma. Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Senator James M. Inhofe, Republican of Oklahoma, has told officials in his state that he will step down at the end of this Congress, vacating a seat he has held since 1994 with four years remaining in his term. Mr. Inhofe, 87, was poised to announce his plans on Monday, according to two Oklahoma Republicans who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment in advance. His retirement is unlikely to affect the balance of power in the 50-50 Senate, given Oklahoma's solidly Republican leanings.... By announcing his intention next week, he will assure that he can be replaced in a special election in November." Politico's report is here.
News Ledes
Washington Post: "Monique Hanotte, who as a Belgian teenager risked her life to help escort 135 Allied airmen out of German-occupied France and Belgium during World War II, died Feb. 19 in the Belgian city of Nivelles. She was 101.... The unarmed Belgian resistance -- two-thirds of them women of all ages -- hid, clothed, fed and created false documents for downed airmen, and then guided more than 800 of them on a long, dangerous trail through France, over the rugged Pyrenees to Spain, and finally into the British territory of Gibraltar, from which they would be flown to England.... Around 160 members of the network, including many women, were captured by the Gestapo, often tortured, executed or sent to German concentration or extermination camps."
New York Times: "Sally Kellerman, the willowy, sultry-voiced actress and singer whose portrayal of Maj. Margaret (Hot Lips) Houlihan in the 1970 dark comedy 'MASH' earned her an Oscar nomination, died on Thursday at an assisted-living facility in Los Angeles. She was 84."
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Reader Comments (20)
Unstable genius, or just unstable?
For years Russian tea leaf readers have promoted the idea of Vladimir Putin as a shrewd tactician with a sure, if ill intentioned, hand on the tiller. After all, goes the thinking, he was a long-time KGB agent. He’d never be reckless and unsound. I’ve never been sure why a background as a murderous, paranoid, duplicitous KGB agent is a guarantee of wise and competent statecraft, but that’s just me. But the murderous and paranoid parts have surely come to dominate Putin’s worldview.
Let’s look at the scales here. How do things balance out for Putin?
On the one hand, he might—might—succeed in bombing parts of Ukraine into submission which provides his megalomania and paranoia some measure of justification for such a cowardly attack on a neighboring state. He was, no doubt, hoping, like all bullies, to show the rest of the kids in class that he’s ready and able to beat up on smaller kids any time he wants.
On the other side of the scales, what do we have? Swift and severe consequences. Crippling sanctions that could quickly pancake the Russian economy. Just wondering how his predatory oligarch pals will like that. Russia, overnight, has become a pariah state, again. Putin’s hatred and fear of NATO—part of the reason for this invasion was to prevent Ukraine’s membership in that organization—should be off the dial by now because he’s succeeded in unifying NATO countries in a way they haven’t been in decades. Putin and his puppet Trump have tried to divide and weaken NATO, but they’ve only succeeded in making it stronger and more committed. Surely not a good thing for a narcissistic autocrat.
Then there’s Ukraine. Even if he “wins” the first round, there is every chance that Putin could be creating a new Afghanistan, complete with a well equipped underground of committed fighters. No one fights harder than a people who have been invaded. What’s he gonna do then, tie Ukrainians down on a road and drive tanks over them the way Russia did in Afghanistan? That will surely still the resistance. Not.
So, on the one hand, he gets an ego boost. On the other, a ruined economy, fierce opposition from the West (and perhaps, eventually, China, when they’ve had it with his fucking things up), a guerrilla war in a state he wants to force back into a new Soviet Union, which could last years, and a resurgent NATO.
Is this the result one would expect from a shrewd tactician? Certainly not. This is the work of a maniac. An unstable whack job. And given his only lightly veiled threat to employ nuclear weapons, who can now say Putin’s not stupid enough for that?
People too often see what they want to see. Like all those idiots who assured us that a lifetime of narcissistic, greedy, lying gangster actions on the part of Donald Trump would miraculously morph into responsible leadership, those who have assured us of Putin’s steady hand simply haven’t been paying attention.
The guy is nuts. And that’s not good for anyone.
How about that Yelena Kovalskaya, director of a state-funded Moscow theater? I find that the human spirit gets refreshed by her so public embrace of peace.
Ask Google daily world oil consumption: 97 million barrels. Vladdy is going to need some big price hikes to pay for his war. At 69 years old and with his background, I wonder if he has CTE, Chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ukraine: perhaps Putin is looking at this from the longer term reconciliation of Tsarist Russia. What if Maine (or Texas) decided they were an independent country with a unique culture? I think Putin is stirring up western Russia to demonstrate to all of Russia that they better stay in Moscow's orbit. That particularly applies to the Russian far east that is heavily influenced by China. The decay of the Soviet built cities next to the newly built Chinese cities is hard to miss. Hard to miss also is the dilution of NATO (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO#/media/File:NATO_partnerships.svg) by including countries with nothing to do with "North Atlantic". The way NATO acts reminds me of the NFL and the 'win at any cost' mind-set. Until the Russian oligarchs (and their money) are unwelcome in London, NYC, and Geneva, this conflict is serious only for the 'little people' who remain resident in the war zones. And those of us who care about peace.
SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY:
Paul Krugman takes up the matter of sanctions on Russia; many he says, won't be sufficient. The world's advanced democracies, however, have another powerful financial weapon –-IF they're willing to use it. They can go after the vast overseas wealth of the oligarchs who surround Putin and help him stay in power. But––-this will effect ALL money launderers––looking at you Brits and Yanks–-and others. Ultra wealthy people all over the world have money hidden in off shore accounts. It's hard to leave the bed of luxury even though the one you sleep with is the enemy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/opinion/russia-ukraine-sanctions-offshore-accounts.html
The two N.Y.T.'s reporters that headline said "assess how cable news handled the first day of the invasion" did no such thing. Fox and CNN were the only ones they featured. MSNBC had a two hr. special with Rachel Maddow covering this and much of the history of Russia itself. And by the way––Michael Mc Faul was one of her guests and he made the same points as Krugman.
A little naive maybe about America's past wonderfulness, but mostly on point I thought.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/02/25/why-winning-a-second-cold-war-with-russia-is-harder-than-you-think/
AK: Your "He (Putin) was, no doubt, hoping, like all bullies, to show the rest of the kids in class that he's ready and able to beat up on smaller kids any time he wants" spurned me on to look into his youth. If you recall I had said because he was short in statue this led to his need as a kid to figure out how to upscale this problem–-he was perhaps the one who got beat up––-and became the bully by other means.
So here's Frontline on PBS that took up this question and presents Putin's childhood, rife with hardship yet he learned how to be a wily street fighter and scrappy underdog. Kinda fits, don't it?
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/interviews/theme/vladimir-putins-early-life/
An article yesterday (I forget where) quoted a number of war apologists in Russia, justifying the invasion with a variety of BS assertions. Many of them cast Russia as an historical victim and they're through with taking it. The one quote that astonished me was some placeman saying that reporters should not focus on (something) but rather study up on the roots of the "Mongol-Tatar Yoke."
Wow. Eight centuries worth of butt-hurt over the fact that Genghis Khan and descendents ran a protection racket over the dissociated and weak principalities and duchies from the steppes to west of the Urals.
It's a long story, but when Stalin&Co (DBA Beria Removals) reorganized (don't say "liquidated") ethnic polities in the 30's, the erstwhile-influential Tatars in Crimea were put in box cars and moved to Uzbek SSR, dumped in the middle of nowhere and told to start their new community there. Crimea was "cleansed" of Tatars.
After Stalin, Beria and the USSR went to the dust heap, lots of Tatars returned to Crimea.
Clearly, many Russians still resent the descendents of Mongols and Tatars (who are pretty much the same thing, Turkic invaders from the east) sullying "Russian" dirt. Even though "Russia" didn't exist until after the Mongols came through. And even though Crimea and most of Ukraine were never "Russia" until the 18th century.
One of the reasons our ancestors came here was to escape from and forget about a lot of the ethno-religious bullshit and carnage THEIR ancestors put up with for centuries. We Americans tend to forget history, which is a luxury we may not be able to afford. Out there in all the "old countries", history continues to stoke revenge and fear. Russians still resent Mongols. So Vladimir (whose transliterated name means "Lord of the World") is ensuring to his people that he will keep the Yellow Horde down. Making Russia Great Again.
Marie referred to TTuberville as "... that font of knowledge & wisdom, Senator Potato Head."
I assume that font is Comic Sans.
Don't forget to tip your server ...
@Patrick: Ha, ha. Ya got me. I had to look it up, but turns out "font of knowledge" is a mondegreen. I had to look that up, too, as I figured "mondegreen" was something like kale. It isn't.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/25/investing/elon-musk-brother-insider-stock-sale-investigation/index.html
Guess I'm not the only one who doesn't trust Elon....
Putin should be pleased. For several years now, we have been inclined to compare Trump to Hitler. Now Putin is the politician more often compared to Hitler -- and with good reason. Trump is still nothing more than a frustrated real estate man. After all, Trump the chump wanted merely to buy Greenland, not invade it.
@Marie and Patrick
Funny, yes, and I had to look up mondegreen, too, so I learned something (a word my computer doesn't know or believe), but "font" is just fine.
Maybe its use suggests some of us are no longer spring chickens, but....in my case, that's kinda obvious.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/columnists/mcintyre/bal-ask-the-old-editor-font-or-fount-20150908-story.html.
And something I learned very young. At the baptismal font in fact.
The "weather" is stormy. I am watching nothing about the invasion, not because I don't believe it--and don't condemn it-- but because, like all of you, I am so exhausted by horrible people in politics that I have reached my limit. Vlad and Crazy45: two flocks of a feather. I imagine the ex-presidunce is soooo jealous of all the press Vlad is getting, as he swings his vorpal sword (yeah, I don't mean sword--) everywhere. At least when 45 opens his mouth, everyone understands what crap he is saying. Vlad: not so much. (Had to laugh at that 20-foot table last week-- talk about stupid...) Charlie's readers have ventured into the religious questions around this invasion, and that is too dense for me. I gathered that the Russian Orthodox church is somehow tied up with the Ukrainian Orthodox people, and American evangelicals as well as conservative Catholics world-wide. Tooooo much. We are talking centuries of crap... Back to novels...
The reaction, or lack thereof, of many on the Right to the death and distruction in Ukraine is just an extention of how they feel about life in general for everybody but themselves. A million dead Americans from covid-19 is no big deal. Gun deaths in general are just the price others have to pay for wingers to enjoy their Freedom. Police shootings mostly happen to minorities and the poor, so not their problem.
Wherever there is preventable death you will probably find a Conservative there to make it worse and probably to cheer it on.
@Ken Winkes: I too have always assumed it was "font" as in "baptismal font." But see the Grammarist. I expect Patrick & the Grammarist are right, and I was wrong.
Marie,
Guess I learned TWO things. Apparently the Old Editor I linked and I were both wrong.
Will try to mend my ways.
Just counting down the minutes until the Traitors attack Biden’s SCOTUS nominee as an incompetent darkie who hates her white betters and won’t abide by white supremacist demands like the other confederates on the court. Mitch McConnell has already denounced her. Big surprise.
One of the attributes of English is that it changes with use, a strength not a weakness. But it often causes us older folk to huff about younger (i.e., lesser) writers' "misuse" of proper usage. Such as using "less" when "fewer" is called for; "farther" when "further" was the proper usage; "infer" for "imply"; and more.
I confess I had no problem with "font of wisdom" and was not seeking to imply (THERE's bad usage -- two verbs where one would do the whole job!) a malapropism. My humor was aimed at Mrs. Tuberville's little boy Tommy, and that his ignorance is comical.
Further, the heart of comedy is grief, and there is much sad about Tommy, but that's for another day.
Or is that "farther?"
Let's not forget the English is a nymphomanic language, eagerly taking foreign words, maybe tweaking the spelling or pronunciation in adopting it. After all, how many of us refer to our boss as the "Honcho" or "chow down" for the mid day meal before a short siesta?
On language and its diversions.
Yes, I'm a traditionalist, if occasionally an ignorant one. Had good teachers who would have qualified as "marms" in a slightly earlier time, and "proper" English was valued in my family.
When I became an English teacher, it might have been an accident of circumstance, but it was not much of a leap.
Do understand that language changes over time and that for my/our generation that change has been more rapid than of yore. Some of those changes make me uncomfortable and when linguists like James McWhorter get into their anything goes mode, I growl a bit and catch myself slipping into a what's the world coming to mode that fits me better every year.
Think I mentioned it here before, but for many reasons still have fond memories of Eric Sevareid, one of which was a radio essays built around his arch referral to the "between you and I" generation.
All that said, I did learn something about the difference between "font" and "fount."
But I may have to unlearn it--fast.
https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacred-music-and-art/baptismal-water-and-pathogens
The bishops are now calling for flowing water in a "font."
Would that make them a "fount" after all?
@Patrick: no offense taken. Not only did a learn to correctly use a common idiom, I learned a new word. Further, I learned, after a bit of trial-and-error, to use html code to switch to a font Squarespace doesn't give me, as a revision to the Tuberville box above proves.