Top Items:
Melissa Eddy / New York Times:
Germany puts a stop to Nord Stream 2, a key Russian natural gas pipeline. — Germany halted certification of the pipeline linking the country to Russia in response to the Kremlin's recognition of two separatist regions in Ukraine. — Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that Germany …
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Lili Bayer / Politico:
EU, UK leaders vow sanctions over Putin's recognition of breakaway Ukraine regions — Leaders from the European Union and the United Kingdom vowed Monday to impose sanctions over Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to recognize two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine as independent.
Discussion:
CBS News, Meduza.io, Reuters, Washington Post, BuzzFeed News, Axios, The Guardian, Just Security, Mediaite, New York Post, Politico, Reuters, Outside the Beltway, CNN, Instapundit, Atlantic Council, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, RedState, Macovei, Townhall, National Review, Al Jazeera, UPI, The Moderate Voice, BBC, The Guardian, The Last Refuge, CNBC, eurofieldnotes, Mediaite, The White House, RedState, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, Washington Times, The Hill, Mediaite, TheJournal.ie, The Daily Wire, Power Line, PBS NewsHour, Politico, GoldFix, The Daily Caller, CNN, One America News Network, European Council, The Hill, TheBlaze, Associated Press, TheJournal.ie, Political Wire, Washington Free Beacon, HuffPost, Financial Times, Radio Free Europe/Radio … and UPI
Daniel W. Drezner / Washington Post:
The lose-lose outcome in Ukraine … Monday was a busy day for Vladimir Putin. First he convened a bizarrely scripted security council meeting of the Russian Federation to discuss the situation in Ukraine. One reporter described the debate as “like a Netflix drama” in which some of Putin's lackeys fumbled the script.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Financial Times, Just Security, The Jacked Up Journal, Bloomberg, spiked, New York Post, Metro.co.uk and The Daily Beast
New York Times:
Wooing Allies, Publicizing Putin's Plans: Inside Biden's Race to Prevent War — President Biden made three critical decisions about how to handle Russia's provocations, aiming to prevent armed conflict in Ukraine. — WASHINGTON — In a series of top-secret meetings last October …
Discussion:
The Hill and Nonzero Newsletter
Robert Kagan / Washington Post:
What we can expect after Putin's conquest of Ukraine — Let's assume for a moment that Vladimir Putin succeeds in gaining full control of Ukraine, as he shows every intention of doing. What are the strategic and geopolitical consequences? — The first will be a new front line of conflict in Central Europe.
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
Surprising cracks, if small ones, appear in Kremlin support for Putin on Ukraine — President Vladimir Putin presented a theatrical justification for war with Ukraine on Monday, but initial Russian military actions along the border were limited — and there seemed to be a few small cracks …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, CBS News and Breitbart
Shaun Walker / The Guardian:
Putin's absurd, angry spectacle will be a turning point in his long reign — This was a supreme leader marshalling his minions for a decision that will change the security architecture in Europe and may well lead to horrific war — Sitting alone at a desk in a grand, columned Kremlin room …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, New York Times, Blogs of War, Human Events, Al Jazeera and KRQE-TV
Joseph R. Biden Jr / The White House:
Executive Order on Blocking Property of Certain Persons and Prohibiting Certain Transactions With Respect to Continued Russian Efforts to Undermine the Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Ukraine … By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, OFAC, The Moscow Times, Insider, Informed Comment, Breitbart, New York Times, CBS News, The Daily Caller, Изв …, The White House, Изв …, Mediaite, The Daily Wire, Slate, Task & Purpose, Caitlin's Newsletter, The Daily Caller, NPR, ZNAK.com Ин …, Mediaite, IJR and Common Dreams
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
Putin Chooses a Forever War — Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a long speech full of heavy sighs and dark grievances, made clear today that he has chosen war. He went to war against Ukraine in 2014; now he has declared war against the international order of the past 30 years.
Discussion:
CNN, Mediaite, BizPac Review, Quillette, Reuters, ABC News, HotAir, Florida Phoenix, RedState and Washington Post
Walter Russell Mead / Wall Street Journal:
Why Putin Is Outfoxing the West
Why Putin Is Outfoxing the West
Discussion:
Washington Post, Wide World of News and New York Times
Senator Ted Cruz:
Sen. Cruz Issues Statement after Putin Escalates Aggression Against Ukraine and Deploys Troops
Sen. Cruz Issues Statement after Putin Escalates Aggression Against Ukraine and Deploys Troops
Discussion:
Letters from an American, Postcards from the End and CNN
Lucy Fisher / Telegraph:
Oligarchs lobby Foreign Office in bid to avoid sanctions
Oligarchs lobby Foreign Office in bid to avoid sanctions
Discussion:
New York Post
BBC:
Five banks and three wealthy Russians hit by UK sanctions
Five banks and three wealthy Russians hit by UK sanctions
Discussion:
Insider, Politico, Bloomberg, Financial Times, The Guardian and Houston Public Media
Reuters:
Syria supports Putin's recognition of Ukraine breakaway regions
Syria supports Putin's recognition of Ukraine breakaway regions
Discussion:
Politico and Political Wire
Robyn Dixon / Washington Post:
In long speech, Putin recognizes two Ukrainian regions as independent, a potential pretext for war
In long speech, Putin recognizes two Ukrainian regions as independent, a potential pretext for war
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, CBS News, NBC News, Insider, The Guardian, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, KNSD-TV and Newsy
Associated Press:
World leaders focus on how to punish Russia over Ukraine
World leaders focus on how to punish Russia over Ukraine
Discussion:
Insider, Fox News, Associated Press, Gotrade Daily, Politico, WTOP News, Vox and The Guardian
CNN:
Putin moves in eastern Ukraine could be opening phase of possible large-scale invasion, multiple US and western officials say
Putin moves in eastern Ukraine could be opening phase of possible large-scale invasion, multiple US and western officials say
Stephen Fidler / Wall Street Journal:
Putin's Endgame: Unravel the Post-Cold War Agreements That Humiliated Russia
Putin's Endgame: Unravel the Post-Cold War Agreements That Humiliated Russia
Discussion:
Intervals In Time, The Home Stretch and From the Right
Mary Louise Kelly / NPR:
Why Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons — and what that means in an invasion by Russia
Why Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons — and what that means in an invasion by Russia
Discussion:
The Unz Review, Fox News, The Daily Wire and Politico
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Rick Scott pushes own GOP agenda as McConnell holds off — Senate Republican leaders have no plans to release an alternative agenda as they try to win back the majority this fall. So Rick Scott is pursuing his own plan. — The Florida Republican senator is devising a conservative blueprint …
Discussion:
The Dispatch, Raw Story and The Guardian
Jill Lawrence / USA Today:
Canadian truckers' COVID ‘freedom’ fight is absurd next to Ukraine's struggle with Russia — Canadian truckers are fighting for the right to shun a lifesaving vaccine while Ukrainians are fighting for their lives. … There's nothing like a real crisis to expose the folly of one that's fake …
Discussion:
Desperate Middleground, Associated Press, Politico, Mediaite, We Love Trump and Toronto Star
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New York Times:
The Long Crusade of Clarence and Ginni Thomas — The Supreme Court justice and his wife battled for years for a more conservative America. New reporting shows how far she was willing to go after Donald Trump's 2020 election loss. — The call to action was titled “Election Results and Legal Battles: What Now?”
Discussion:
Raw Story and POLITICUSUSA
Michael R. Bloomberg / Bloomberg:
San Francisco Shows Democrats Have a Seismic Challenge Ahead — The political earthquake that just occurred in San Francisco should be a dire warning to the national Democratic Party, because the same fault line stretches across the country and the tremors are only increasing.
Discussion:
Washington Times
Fox News:
Bob Beckel, former co-host of ‘The Five,’ dead at 73 — The Democratic strategist was a founding co-host of the long-running Fox News show — Sean Hannity reflects on the life of Bob Beckel — Bob Beckel, a Democratic strategist and former co-host of “The Five,” has died at age 73.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Wire, NOQ Report, BizPac Review, Conservative Brief, Mediaite, The Wrap, Deadline, Hollywood Reporter and TVNewser
Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:
Got a Covid Booster? You Probably Won't Need Another for a Long Time — A flurry of new studies suggest that several parts of the immune system can mount a sustained, potent response to any coronavirus variant. — As people across the world grapple with the prospect of living …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Balloon Juice, HotAir and Political Wire
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Democrats tune out national news during Biden era — A new poll from Gallup and the Knight Foundation finds that younger Democrats are driving a huge decline in national news consumption in the U.S. — Why it matters: It marks the first time since the study began in early 2018 …