memeorandum: Condemns the ‘Beginning of a Russian Invasion of Ukraine’ (Matina Stevis-Gridneff/New York Times)

7:15 PM ET, February 22, 2022

Top Items:

Only one former secretary of state is praising Putin and criticizing Biden in Ukraine crisis — During a moment of peril in Europe, Pompeo is taking to cable news and social media to praise Russian President Vladimir Putin and chastise the Biden administration.

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Post and Fox News

Alexander Smith / NBC News:

Putin's ‘surreal’ version of Ukrainian history alarms experts — Putin deploys Russian troops into eastern Ukraine — Even seasoned Kremlinologists were alarmed by Russian President Vladimir Putin's belligerent tone as he offered a monologue on why Ukraine has no right to exist.

Discussion: IJR, The Matryoshka Dispatch, The Daily Wire, Thinking about, The Atlantic and KNSD-TV

Associated Press:

World leaders focus on how to punish Russia over Ukraine — BRUSSELS (AP) — With the smell of war in the air over Europe, world leaders got over the shock of Russian President Vladimir Putin's order to deploy troops to separatist regions of eastern Ukraine and they are focused on producing as forceful a reaction as possible.

Politico:

Biden's Putin reading list — Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. — There is no world leader JOE BIDEN has likely spent more time thinking about than VLADIMIR PUTIN. — While GEORGE W. BUSH initially found Putin …

Matina Stevis-Gridneff / New York Times:

Condemns the ‘Beginning of a Russian Invasion of Ukraine’ — Washington and its allies called the Kremlin's recognition of two separatist regions a blunt defiance of international law that risks war. Western officials said Russian troops have entered eastern Ukraine.

Discussion: Politico, VICE, Fox News, Responsible Statecraft, Political Wire, Common Dreams, Breitbart, The Times of Israel, Financial Times, POLITICUSUSA, WHYY, The Daily Caller, The Hub, Rolling Stone and Mediaite

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Biden lowers the hammer on Russia, just as he vowed

Discussion: The White House, Associated Press and Wall Street Journal

The White House:
Fact Sheet: United States Imposes First Tranche of Swift and Severe Costs on Russia

Discussion: Pennsylvania Capital-Star and PBS NewsHour

Washington Post:
Russia-Ukraine live updates: Biden announces sanctions on Russia after moves against Ukraine

Discussion: Task & Purpose, UPI, PREVAIL and Political Wire

Wall Street Journal:
In Ukraine Crisis, Putin Confounded Diplomatic Efforts by Western Leaders

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post and The Times of Israel

U.S. Department of the Treasury:
U.S. Treasury Imposes Immediate Economic Costs in Response to Actions in the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions

Discussion: OFAC, The Daily Caller, National Review and Бло …

Melissa Eddy / New York Times:
Germany puts a stop to Nord Stream 2, a key Russian natural gas pipeline.

BBC:
Five banks and three wealthy Russians hit by UK sanctions

New York Post:
Biden set to announce new sanctions as Russian troops enter Ukraine regions

Discussion: The Hill, Fox News, New York Times, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, Breitbart, Roll Call, Newsbusters, Boston.com, The Guardian and Hackwhackers

Lauren Egan / NBC News:
Biden to address Russian move into Ukraine, as sanctions loom

Discussion: ABC News, KRQE-TV, MSNBC, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, Breitbart and WUFT News

George Prayias / The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show:

Full Interview: President Trump with C&B from Mar-a-Lago — CLAY: We are live from the majestic Mar-a-Lago estate with 45 himself, President Donald Trump, and I'll bring you right in, sir, 'cause I know our audience loves to hear from you. Buck and I have been walking around this estate.

Discussion: New York Times, HuffPost, Insider, Washington Examiner, Vanity Fair, POLITICUSUSA, The Daily Wire and Balloon Juice

David Edwards / Raw Story:

Trump praises Putin's ‘genius’ plan to invade Ukraine: 'You gotta say that's pretty savvy' — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Vladimir Putin a “genius” after the Russian president made moves to take over parts of Ukraine. — Trump made the remarks during an interview with conservative podcaster Buck Sexton.

Discussion: alicublog, Occupy Democrats, Mediaite, Common Dreams and Townhall

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

‘Genius,’ ‘Savvy’: Trump reacts to Putin's moves on Ukraine exactly as you'd expect — Those clamoring for former president Donald Trump's voice in their social media feeds can turn to Liz Harrington, once an attorney for the Republican National Committee and now spokeswoman for him.

Discussion: New York Times, Insider, New York Post, FOX News Radio, Metro.co.uk, Vanity Fair, Democrats, The Moderate Voice, Tom's Newsletter, CyberDisobedience, Second Nexus and WFLA-TV

Washington Post:

Biden interviews at least two Supreme Court contenders as announcement nears … President Biden is in the final stages of making his first nomination to the Supreme Court — having completed interviews with at least two leading contenders — and West Wing officials have begun advising outside allies …

Discussion: ABC News, CNN, The Hill, USA Today, Townhall, Washington Examiner and CBS News

Mark Joseph Stern / Slate:

The Supreme Court Just Teed Up a Direct Assault on Civil Rights Law — The Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that it will decide whether civil rights laws violate the First Amendment when they “compel an artist to speak or stay silent.” By doing so, the court formally commenced …

Discussion: Axios, Gizmodo, National Review, SCOTUSblog, Roll Call, Washington Blade, Fox News, The Daily Caller, CBS News and Jezebel

Lawrence Hurley / Reuters:
U.S. Supreme Court formally ends Trump's fight over Capitol attack records

Discussion: Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Al Jazeera and Common Dreams

John Kruzel / The Hill:
Supreme Court turns away Trump's appeal in dispute with House Jan. 6 panel

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, UPI, HotAir, CBS News, We Love Trump, The Guardian, Washington Examiner, Fox News, Daily Kos, The Daily Wire, Conservative Brief, Mock Paper Scissors, Washington Times and POLITICUSUSA

Grant Stern / Occupy Democrats:
DENIED: Supreme Court formally slams door on Trump's bid for secrecy

Discussion: The Hill, CNN, Raw Story and Greensburg Tribune-Review

Oriana Gonzalez / Axios:
Supreme Court ends Trump bid to shield records from Jan. 6 panel

Discussion: Law & Crime and Insider

Ian Millhiser / Vox:
The Supreme Court will hear a big case about whether religion is a license to discriminate

Discussion: Reason and Raw Story

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Supreme Court to decide web designer's duty to work on same-sex wedding site

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Washington Post and National Review

Caroline Vakil / The Hill:
McConnell says he didn't think Biden's announcement to nominate Black woman to SCOTUS was ‘inappropriate’

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Insider and National Review

Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:

The Culture War Has Democrats Facing Electoral Demise in Rural America. Can They Stop the Bleeding? — New survey of rural voters shows what's driving the party's increasingly barren showings, and potential avenues for recovery — 65% of rural voters view the Democratic Party unfavorably — including 48% who do so strongly.

Discussion: HotAir, The Hill, Townhall and Political Wire

Michael R. Bloomberg / Bloomberg:
San Francisco Shows Democrats Have a Seismic Challenge Ahead

Discussion: The Daily Wire, TheBlaze, Fox News, The Daily Caller, POLITICUSUSA, IJR and Washington Times

Sean Murphy / Associated Press:

US House candidate sorry for intoxication during sleepover — OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A U.S. House candidate in Oklahoma has apologized after reports that she became intoxicated at a Valentine's Day weekend sleepover for middle-school-aged girls, berated several of the children and vomited in a hamper.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, National Review, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Mediaite and Washington Post

Jonathan V. Last / The Triad:

Reality Is a Tank — Vladimir Putin has been clear-eyed about the world. We're the ones who lost touch with reality. — 1. Putin Is Winning — There's a lot of “OMG Putin is a madman how could he do this!” today. Here is the single most daft expression I've seen from a serious person:

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 …

Thomas Zimmer / The Guardian:
The Republican party is abandoning democracy. There can be no ‘politics as usual’

Discussion: Raw Story and The Liberty Loft

Beverley McLachlin / Globe and Mail:

The Ottawa truck convoy has revealed the ugly side of freedom … Beverley McLachlin is a former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and served as Chief Justice from 2000 to 2017. — During the truck convoy protests, we have watched banners demanding “freedom” waving over big rigs parked in front of Parliament.

Drew Harwell / Washington Post:

Trump's Truth Social's disastrous launch raises doubts about its long-term viability … Former president Donald Trump, a longtime critic of how Democrats debuted healthcare.gov, is facing a bungled website launch of his own. — His long-promised social network, Truth Social …

Discussion: The Daily Dot, Raw Story, Wall Street Journal and CNN, more at Techmeme »

Barbara McQuade / Just Security:

United States v. Donald Trump — A “Model Prosecution Memo” on the Conspiracy to Pressure Vice President Pence — The following memorandum is a model “prosecution memo” analyzing potential charges against former President Donald Trump for his efforts to pressure Mike Pence to abuse …

Discussion: Raw Story

CBC News:

Ottawa convoy protest organizer Tamara Lich denied bail — Judge was not convinced she would go home and follow conditions — Tamara Lich, a major organizer of the so-called Freedom Convoy, was denied bail Tuesday morning in Ottawa. — Lich, the Alberta woman behind a now-halted GoFundMe campaign …

Discussion: Al Jazeera, Breitbart, RedState, BizPac Review and Small Dead Animals