memeorandum: CDC scientist says new metrics to guide Covid-19 restrictions could come as early as Friday (CNN)

5:15 PM ET, February 24, 2022

Top Items:

Ukraine Says Russian Forces Seized Chernobyl; Pentagon Gives Grim Assessment — Biden announces new sanctions: Putin and Russia ‘will bear the consequences’ of their war. — WASHINGTON — President Biden on Thursday said the United States is imposing what he said would be crushing sanctions …

Financial Times:

World leaders divided on whether to eject Russia from Swift payment system — Boris Johnson pushes ‘very hard’ for move while Germany warns against ahead of emergency EU meeting — Western leaders are split on whether Russia should be ejected from the Swift international payments system …

Discussion: Reuters, Washington Examiner, HotAir, The Daily Caller, UPI and The Guardian

NBC News:

Biden has been presented with options for massive cyberattacks against Russia — Biden given Russia cyberattack options, including internet and transportation interruptions — President Joe Biden has been presented with a menu of options for the U.S. to carry out massive cyberattacks designed …

Discussion: The Hill, Gizmodo, National Review, Изв … and Axios

Chris Cillizza / CNN:

A remarkable Republican statement on the Ukraine invasion — (CNN)Elise Stefanik is the third-ranking Republican in the House for one main reason: Her unstinting loyalty to Donald Trump. And she hasn't forgotten that fact. — While many of her GOP colleagues were heavily ridiculing …

Discussion: HuffPost, The Message Box, Newsbusters, Daily Kos, David Weir's Newsletter, The American Independent, Second Nexus, Raw Story, New York Times and CBS News

Washington Post:

Russia-Ukraine live updates: Russia launches attacks across Ukraine; Biden vows ‘consequences’ — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law as explosions were heard throughout the country and Russian forces targeted the capital.

Allison Quinn / The Daily Beast:

Russia Used Beatings and Tricks to Forcibly Send Rookie Troops to Ukraine, Rights Group Says — Mothers of soldiers all across the country say their sons were battered and duped into the war, a human rights organization has claimed. — Russian soldiers from all across the country were deceived …

Discussion: Raw Story, Radio Free Europe/Radio … and TASS

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Trump immediately botches what's happening in Ukraine — If there's one thing Donald Trump and his allies want you to know about what's happening in Ukraine right now, it's that it wouldn't be happening if he were still in charge. — If only he actually knew what was happening.

Discussion: Mock Paper Scissors, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA, Hennessy's View, The Jacked Up Journal, Brain Food and Mediaite

The White House:
Statement by President Biden on Russia's Unprovoked and Unjustified Attack on Ukraine

Wall Street Journal:
Russia Attacks Ukraine, Drawing Broad Condemnation

Politico:
New U.S. sanctions on Russia mainly hit banks, miss energy sector

Discussion: ABC News, VICE, BuzzFeed News, Washington Examiner, Fox News, Breitbart, Mother Jones, The Daily Poster, WTOP News, TheBlaze, Los Angeles Times and The Atlantic

Gideon Rachman / Financial Times:
Putin's war will shake the world

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Atlantic, IJR, Politico, New York Times and Washington Post

Telegraph:
Russia deploys mobile crematoriums to follow its troops into battle

Discussion: NBC News, The Daily Signal, Insider, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner and Washington Post

Michael Pompeo / Fox News:
Putin wants to bring back the Soviet Union. We must not allow that to happen

Discussion: The Atlantic, Raw Story, RedState and Washington Post

Washington Post:
U.S. slaps sanctions on Russian banks, country's elites after military assault on Ukraine

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, Al Jazeera, Fox News and WINK NEWS

Reuters:
China rejects calling Russia move ‘invasion,’ urges citizens in Ukraine to stay home

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Fox News, RedState, Mic, Christopher Six's Pick Six and National Newswatch

Bloomberg:
U.S. Spies Made Right Call on Russia Invasion, Buying Biden Time

Discussion: Blogs of War

Financial Times: Former European leaders resign from Russian corporate boards

Christian Shepherd / Washington Post:
China, seemingly surprised by sudden Ukraine incursion, denies backing Russian attacks

Discussion: Voice of America, The Daily Caller, The National Interest, UPI, The Bulwark, The Diplomat and Beijing to Britain

Invitation / The Economist:
Dmitri Alperovitch on the risks of escalation

Discussion: Al Jazeera

Mike Brest / Washington Examiner:
Russia has ‘every intention of basically decapitating’ Ukrainian government

Discussion: Politico

Matthew Continetti / Washington Free Beacon:
Sanctions Are Not Enough — Column: America needs energy independence and a much larger military to deter Putin

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Mic, Townhall and National Review

Associated Press:
Live updates: Ukraine leader: Russians checked outside Kyiv

Tyler Olson / Fox News:
McCarthy, Schumer and other top congressional leaders condemn Russian war on Ukraine: ‘Reckless and evil’

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Defense One, Politico and Salon

Wall Street Journal:
How Ukraine Was Betrayed in Budapest

Rosalind Mathieson / Bloomberg:
EU Leaders Give Green Light to Sanctions Package: Ukraine Update

Discussion: Newsweek, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, Avery, Political Wire and The Guardian

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

Now is the time to remember what Fox's own lawyers said about Tucker Carlson … As Russia prepared to invade Ukraine, the biggest star on Fox News was busy doing what he does best: being thoroughly and appallingly wrong. — He defended the murderous instigator Vladimir Putin …

Discussion: Deadline, Media Matters for America, No More Mister Nice Blog, Second Nexus, Kansas Reflector, claytoonz, The Wrap, Above the Law and HillReporter.com

Christopher Cadelago / Politico:
Biden faces another global crisis. This one resonates differently at home.

Discussion: HotAir, New York Magazine, Fox News, National Review and Washington Examiner

Anton Troianovski / New York Times:

Russians Now See a New Side to Putin: Dragging Them Into War — The autocrat who has steered Russia for 22 years was embraced by many Russians for what they saw as his rationality and astute risk management. That image has been upended. — MOSCOW — Russians thought they knew their president.

Discussion: HotAir, Meduza.io, Mother Jones and Associated Press

Dasha Litvinova / Associated Press:

Hundreds arrested as shocked Russians protest Ukraine attack — MOSCOW (AP) — Shocked Russians turned out by the thousands Thursday to decry their country's invasion 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.

Discussion: Washington Post, BuzzFeed News, The Atlantic, Associated Press and Common Dreams

The White House:

FACT SHEET: Joined by Allies and Partners, the United States Imposes Devastating Costs on Russia — Russia to Face Massive Costs from its Isolation from the Global Financial and Trade System and Cutting-Edge Technology — Today, the United States, along with Allies and partners …

Discussion: Insider, Supply Chain Dive, The Last Refuge, Common Dreams, The Daily Caller, The Atlantic, Washington Post and Daily Kos

U.S. Department of the Treasury:
U.S. Treasury Announces Unprecedented & Expansive Sanctions Against Russia, Imposing Swift and Severe Economic Costs

Discussion: Meduza.io

Craig Monger / 1819news:

Tuberville reflects on first year in office, addresses situation with Russia … Your browser does not support the audio element. — This week, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville spoke to the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce to give essential updates from Washington D.C.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

Caitlin Owens / Axios:

CDC to update masking guidance as soon as Friday — The CDC plans to announce as soon as tomorrow that it has created new metrics for determining when people should use masks and take other COVID precautions, according to sources familiar with the plan, including a source involved in developing the system.

Discussion: ABC7

CNN:
CDC scientist says new metrics to guide Covid-19 restrictions could come as early as Friday

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Dave Michaels / Wall Street Journal:

SEC Probes Trading by Elon Musk and Brother in Wake of Tesla CEO's Sales — Investigation looks partly at Kimbal Musk's trades before brother's pledge to sell based on Twitter poll — WASHINGTON—The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether recent stock sales …

Discussion: Forbes, The Daily Beast, Bloomberg, The Verge, New York Post and CNBC

Politico:

Inhofe to retire from Senate, teeing up special election in Oklahoma — Sen. Jim Inhofe is expected to announce his retirement in the coming days, according to a person familiar with his plans, likely triggering a special election to replace him this fall. — The 87-year-old Oklahoma Republican …

Discussion: National Review, Townhall and KFOR-TV

Wall Street Journal:

Jared Kushner's New Fund Looks to Profit From His Middle East Diplomacy — One pitch to a bank included slide listing Abraham Accords, Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative and trade deals involving North America and China — RIYADH, Saudi Arabia— Jared Kushner has toured Persian Gulf monarchies …

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

Matthew Lee / Washington Post:

US expels Russia's No. 2 diplomat at Washington embassy — WASHINGTON — The United States has expelled Russia's second-ranking diplomat in Washington in retaliation for the Russian expulsion of the No. 2 U.S. diplomat in Moscow earlier this month, a senior State Department official said Thursday.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Post and Political Wire

Bryan Metzger / Insider:

The Federal Election Commission let Trump off the hook for allegedly using $2.8 million in charitable donations to veterans for political purposes — The FEC won't investigate Trump for possible campaign finance violations related to a veterans fundraiser.