memeorandum: De Blasio's anti-rich policies are driving wealthy people out of NYC (Michael Goodwin/New York Post)

3:10 PM ET, March 2, 2014

Top Items:

Ben Judah / Politico:

Why Russia no longer fears the West — The West is blinking in disbelief - Vladimir Putin just invaded Ukraine. German diplomats, French Eurocrats and American pundits are all stunned. Why has Russia chosen to gamble its trillion-dollar ties with the West?

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, The Week and Fox News

David Remnick / News Desk:

Putin Goes to War — Vladimir Putin, the Russian President and autocrat, had a plan for the winter of 2014: to reassert his country's power a generation after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He thought that he would achieve this by building an Olympic wonderland on the Black Sea for fifty …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Liberal Values, Guardian, Power Line, kyivpost.com and RT

Elizabeth Piper / Reuters:

Putin takes on West over Ukraine: who blinks first? — (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken a gamble on Ukraine and is betting that U.S. President Barack Obama will blink first. — Wounded by a personal political defeat in a battle for influence over Russia's Slavic neighbor …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The PJ Tatler

Yahoo! News:

Ukraine mobilizes after Putin's ‘declaration of war’ — KIEV/BALACLAVA, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukraine mobilized for war on Sunday and Washington threatened to isolate Russia economically, after President Vladimir Putin declared he had the right to invade his neighbor in Moscow's biggest confrontation with the West since the Cold War.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and CNN

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Making Russia Pay? It's Not So Simple — WASHINGTON — President Obama has warned Russia that “there will be costs” for a military intervention in Ukraine. But the United States has few palatable options for imposing such costs, and recent history has shown that when it considers its interests at stake …

Discussion: The Mahablog

Dana Davidsen / CNN:

Lawmakers call for suspension of Russia from G8, swift action against Putin — (CNN) - As the crisis in Ukraine escalates, with Russian troops moving into the Crimean peninsula on Saturday, U.S. lawmakers are pushing for decisive action against Russian President Vladimir Putin to end …

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press and The Week

New York Times:

Ukraine Finds Its Forces Are Ill Equipped to Take Crimea Back From Russia — KIEV — The new government of Ukraine called an emergency session of its national security council on Saturday in the face of the Russian military's seizure of Crimea, but the leaders are facing a grim reality …

Discussion: ABC News, CNN, Associated Press, Hinterland Gazette, The PJ Tatler, Talking Points Memo and National Review

The White House:

Readout of President Obama's Call with President Putin — President Obama spoke for 90 minutes this afternoon with President Putin of Russia about the situation in Ukraine. President Obama expressed his deep concern over Russia's clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity …

Discussion: Washington Post, Power Line, Weekly Standard and The Gateway Pundit

CBC News:
Ukraine crisis: Harper recalls ambassador, tells Putin to withdraw

Discussion: American Spectator, The Agonist, Wall Street Journal and New York Times

Timothy Snyder / The New York Review of Books:
Ukraine: The Haze of Propaganda

Discussion: Guardian and National Review

Marco Rubio / Politico:
8 Steps Obama Must Take to Punish Russia

Discussion: ThinkProgress, peacefare.net, Washington Free Beacon, New York Times, RIA Novosti, The PJ Tatler, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Hugh Hewitt Show and PJ Media

John Stanton / BuzzFeed:
House Ukraine Caucus Chair: “Some Group Had To Step In To Mediate”

Discussion: AMERICAblog News, Talking Points Memo and The Raw Story

Scott Wilson / Washington Post:
Ukraine crisis tests Obama's foreign policy focus on diplomacy over military force

Discussion: Right Turn

William Booth / Washington Post:
Pro-Russia leader of Crimea claims military control, appeals to Putin for assistance

Discussion: ThinkProgress, CNN, News Desk, The Moderate Voice, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway and Daily Kos

Eric Bradner / Politico:
GOP senators seek trade actions against Russia

Discussion: peacefare.net and National Review

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

The Terms of Our Surrender — IT now seems certain that before too many years elapse, the Supreme Court will be forced to acknowledge the logic of its own jurisprudence on same-sex marriage and redefine marriage to include gay couples in all 50 states. — Once this happens …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Raw Story and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Michael Goodwin / New York Post:

De Blasio's anti-rich policies are driving wealthy people out of NYC — Money — it's the root of all evil. Behind every great fortune lies a great crime. Or at least an unfair advantage. — That's the gist of the liberals' creed and justification for their war on wealth.

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Brace Yourself for Hillary and Jeb — WASHINGTON — OY. By the time the Bushes and Clintons are finished, they are going to make the Tudors and the Plantagenets look like pikers. — Before these two families release their death grip on the American electoral system …

Discussion: Althouse and Vox Popoli

Greg Clary / CNN:

Rep. Issa says IRS's Lois Lerner will testify — (CNN) - Lois Lerner, former director of tax exempt organizations for the IRS, will testify this week on Capitol Hill, Rep. Darrell Issa said Sunday. — Issa said he received word from Lerner's attorney that she will provide testimony …