memeorandum: Assange wins first stage in effort to appeal US extradition (Danica Kirka/Associated Press)

9:45 AM ET, January 24, 2022

Top Items:

Biden Weighs Deploying Thousands of Troops to Eastern Europe and Baltics — The president is also considering deploying warships and aircraft to NATO allies, in what would be a major shift from its restrained stance on Ukraine. — WASHINGTON — President Biden is considering deploying …

Washington Post:

U.S. threatens use of novel export control to damage Russia's strategic industries if Moscow invades Ukraine — The Biden administration is threatening to use a novel export control to damage strategic Russian industries, from artificial intelligence and quantum computing to civilian aerospace …

Discussion: The Hill, CNN and Radio Free Europe/Radio …

Fiona Hill / New York Times:

It's Not Just About Ukraine. Putin Wants to Evict the U.S. From Europe. — Ms. Hill was an intelligence officer on Russia and Eurasian affairs for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and served on the National Security Council under President Donald Trump. — We knew this was coming.

Discussion: UPI, National Review, Foreign Policy, Fox News, WTOP News, Dana's Newsletter, Wide World of News, One America News Network, CBS News and KXAN-TV

Marc Santora / New York Times:

Virus Live Updates: Omicron's Spread Could End ‘Emergency Phase’ of Pandemic, W.H.O. Says — The variant offers “hope for stabilization and normalization,” according to the global agency. In the U.S., Dr. Anthony S. Fauci warned against overconfidence but said that things were “going in the right direction.”

Discussion: France 24

NATO:

NATO Allies send more ships, jets to enhance deterrence and defence in eastern Europe — NATO Allies are putting forces on standby and sending additional ships and fighter jets to NATO deployments in eastern Europe, reinforcing Allied deterrence and defence as Russia continues its military build-up in and around Ukraine.

Discussion: news.com.au, New York Times, Bloomberg and Radio Free Europe/Radio …

Courtney Kube / NBC News:
Biden weighs troop deployment near Ukraine as U.S. orders embassy families out, issues travel warnings

Discussion: Politico, CNN and The Daily Wire

United States Department of State:

Senior State Department Officials On Posture of U.S. Embassy Kyiv — MODERATOR: Thank you very much, and thanks to everyone for joining this call, especially on a Sunday evening on such short notice. — As a reminder at the top, the briefing today is on background.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Diplopundit, U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, Breitbart, Politico and Radio Free Europe/Radio …

Axios:
State Department orders evacuation of U.S. diplomats' families from Ukraine

Discussion: Insider, travel.state.gov, Washington Examiner, Voice of America, Breaking911, The Daily Caller, Townhall and TheBlaze

John Hudson / Washington Post:
State Department orders diplomats' families to leave U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, citing ‘threat of Russian military action’

Discussion: CBS News, New York Post and Politico

Natasha Bertrand / CNN:
State Department reduces staff at US embassy in Ukraine, orders some family members to leave

Discussion: The Daily Wire and One America News Network

Emma Bowman / NPR:
State Department orders families of embassy staff to leave Ukraine

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, New York Times, The Guardian, TASS and Townhall

Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:

Top Jan. 6 Investigator Fired From Post at the University of Virginia — Democrats in Virginia denounced the action as a partisan move aimed at helping former President Donald J. Trump undercut the investigation of the Capitol riot. — The top staff investigator on the House committee scrutinizing …

Discussion: Politico

Washington Post:

Va.'s new attorney general fires U-Va. counsel who was on leave working as top investigator for Jan. 6 panel — Virginia's new Republican attorney general has fired University of Virginia's counsel, who was on leave from the job to work as the top investigator for U.S. House …

Discussion: Insider, Talking Points Memo, Associated Press, The Hill and Raw Story

Andy Kroll / Rolling Stone:

Start the Steal: New MAGA Emails Reveal Plot to Hand Arizona to Trump — Exclusive emails obtained by Rolling Stone expose an attempt to recertify the state as a victory for Donald Trump — and reveal top Trumpworld figures were complicit — The technology was complicated, but the plan was simple …

Discussion: Raw Story

Jane C. Timm / NBC News:
Arizona Republicans propose major changes to elections after GOP review finds no fraud

Discussion: New York Magazine, FiveThirtyEight, Los Angeles Times, IJR, Punchbowl News and The Dispatch

Associated Press:
Democrats make surprising inroads in redistricting fight

Discussion: Tampa Bay Times

John Harwood / CNN:
No, Biden and Trump are not alike on election legitimacy

Discussion: NBC News, Ineptocracy Chronicles, HuffPost, Politicking Etc., Bloomberg and Washington Examiner

Reuters:

Taiwan reports new large-scale Chinese air force incursion — Taiwan on Sunday reported the largest incursion since October by China's air force in its air defence zone, with the island's defence ministry saying Taiwanese fighters scrambled to warn away 39 aircraft in the latest uptick in tensions.

Discussion: The Daily Wire, UPI, The National Interest, WTOP News and The Guardian

Financial Times:
China's extended naval reach in western Pacific fuels Taiwan tensions

Discussion: Sky News and CNN

Hannah Natanson / Washington Post:

Seven school boards sue to stop Gov. Youngkin's mask-optional order on the day it takes effect — Seven school boards — including one overseeing the largest and most prominent district in the state — are suing to stop Gov. Glenn Youngkin's (R) mask-optional order on the day it is supposed to take effect …

Discussion: Washington Monthly and WAVY-TV

Hannah Natanson / Washington Post:
Youngkin's mask-optional order divides Virginia schools and parents, threatening chaos

Discussion: NBC4 Washington

Megan Specia / New York Times:

Julian Assange Can Appeal Decision to Extradite Him to U.S., U.K. Court Rules — The WikiLeaks founder has argued that American prison conditions would be harmful to his mental health. He faces a lengthy sentence if convicted on espionage charges. — LONDON — A British court ruled …

Discussion: CNBC, Insider, Bloomberg and One America News Network

Danica Kirka / Associated Press:
Assange wins first stage in effort to appeal US extradition

Discussion: Breitbart, UPI, Raw Story, Richard Medhurst's Newsletter, Hollywood Reporter, Metro.co.uk, Al Jazeera, TheJournal.ie, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, WTOP News and CNN

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Palin v. New York Times pushes new boundaries on libel suits — More than a decade after Sarah Palin found herself roundly mocked by the nation's media elite as a small-town rube during her stint as Sen. John McCain's populist vice presidential running mate, the former Alaska governor …

Discussion: Reuters

Reuters:
Sarah Palin set to battle New York Times at defamation trial

Discussion: National Review, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, RedState, The Hill, Vanity Fair, Washington Times, NPR and CNN

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
Sarah Palin v. New York Times Spotlights Push to Loosen Libel Law

Discussion: Associated Press, more at Mediagazer »

Olivia Beavers / Politico:

Tom Emmer's on a roll. He won't say where to. — Tom Emmer has the hottest political hand in the House GOP right now. And if he can win a sizable majority this fall, he'll have even more chips to cash in. — Halfway through his second cycle as House Republicans' campaign chief …

Benjamin Siegel / ABC News:
House Republicans tout infrastructure funding they voted against

Discussion: Los Angeles Times

Kara Voght / Rolling Stone:

'I'm a Full Anti-Vaxxer Now': How the Conspiracists Are Winning Over Fresh Converts — When thousands of protesters gathered on the National Mall on Sunday morning to protest Covid vaccine mandates, they did so, they insisted, to preserve personal freedoms.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

Washington Post:
Anti-vaccine activists march in D.C. — a city that mandates covid vaccines — to protest mandates

Discussion: wusa9.com, The Dispatch, The Hill, RedState, UPI and WTOP News

Joshua Tait / The Bulwark:

Long Before Hungary, the Right Was Fixated on Another Country — Just as they're now doing with Viktor Orbán, conservatives once fell head over heels for Francisco Franco. — Prominent conservatives have discovered Hungary and its “twenty-first century dictator,” Viktor Orbán.

Reuters:

Exclusive: Iran nuclear agreement unlikely without release of U.S. prisoners, negotiator says — The United States is unlikely to strike an agreement with Iran to save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal unless Tehran releases four U.S. citizens Washington says it is holding hostage, the lead U.S. nuclear negotiator told Reuters on Sunday.

Discussion: Bloomberg

NBC News:

Democrats face double-digit enthusiasm deficit ahead of midterms — WASHINGTON — If it's Monday ... President Biden meets with members of his administration to discuss lowering prices for families. ... The Latest NBC News poll finds Americans in a grim mood. ... The U.S. weighs troop deployment near Ukraine. ...

Discussion: RedState, TheBlaze and The Hill