memeorandum: Russian forces press closer to Kyiv; U.S. fears capital could fall soon (Washington Post)

6:15 PM ET, February 25, 2022

Top Items:

U.S. Officials Repeatedly Urged China to Help Avert War in Ukraine — Americans presented Chinese officials with intelligence on Russia's troop buildup in hopes that President Xi Jinping would step in, but were repeatedly rebuffed. — WASHINGTON — Over three months …

New York Times:

U.S. to Impose Sanctions on Putin, Official Says — It was unclear whether Russia would engage in talks with Ukraine's leadership. The E.U. sanctioned Mr. Putin, amid growing pressure to isolate him and Russia. — With Russian troops moving on Kyiv, the Kremlin sends mixed signals on talks.

Barak Ravid / Axios:

Zelensky to EU leaders: “This might be the last time you see me alive” — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told EU leaders “this might be the last time you see me alive” during a video conference on Thursday night, two European sources briefed on the call tell Axios.

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Financial Times, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Moscow Times, Mediaite, Streams of Crunchiness, New York Post, Insider, Conservative Brief, YouTube and Power Line

CNN:

US to impose sanctions on Putin following Ukraine invasion — Washington (CNN)The US will impose sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House announced Friday. — The Russian leader will become the highest-profile target in the effort to impose costs on the Russian economy …

Discussion: The Hill, CNBC, Insider, Reuters, Al Jazeera, The Daily Caller, Los Angeles Times, Radio Free Europe/Radio … and Common Dreams

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Laundered Money Could Be Putin's Achilles' Heel — The United States and its allies aren't going to intervene with their own forces against Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. I'll leave it to others with relevant expertise to speculate about whether we'll send more arms to the Ukrainian government or …

Discussion: Morning Consult, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, GAB, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post and Reuters

Washington Post:
E.U. plans to freeze assets of Putin, Lavrov

Discussion: Financial Times, Townhall, Hackwhackers and CNBC

Anton Troianovski / New York Times:
Russia Says It Won't Enter Talks Until Ukraine Stops Fighting

Discussion: Insider, Work from home for justice, TASS, Townhall and Takes & Re-Takes

Nahal Toosi / Politico:
Putin was playing Biden all along

Discussion: Washington Examiner, ABC News, The Liberal Patriot, National Review, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, Washington Post, The Bulwark, HotAir, TheBlaze, Daily Mail, Tales From the Homestead and United States Institute …

Caroline Vakil / The Hill:
62 percent of voters say Putin wouldn't have invaded Ukraine if Trump were president: poll

Discussion: Just Ask the Question and WAVY-TV

Myah Ward / Politico:
U.S. will sanction Putin, Lavrov and other Russian officials

Discussion: Politico, Washington Times, Political Wire and The Daily Wire

Douglas Busvine / Politico:
Putin calls on Ukraine military to overthrow government, agree peace deal

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Post, RedState, Fox News, Bloomberg, Pro Eight, Metro.co.uk, Daily Kos, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, KRQE-TV and Talking Points Memo

John Paul Rathbone / Financial Times:
Ukraine war latest: Zelensky pledges to join Kyiv residents in defending independence

Discussion: Politico and TheJournal.ie

The White House:

Supreme Court Nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson — On February 25, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the 116th Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Lexi Lonas / The Hill:
Paul Ryan praises Biden's SCOTUS pick: ‘Incredibly happy for Ketanji’

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Post and The Daily Caller

Igor Bobic / HuffPost:
GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn Objects To Timing Of Biden's Supreme Court Announcement, Citing Ukraine

Discussion: Insider, Breitbart, Fox News and Townhall

Errin Haines / The 19th:
Four Black women became classmates, roommates and lifelong sisters. One of them is now a historic nominee for the Supreme Court.

Discussion: Associated Press and The Root

Washington Post:
Biden nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court

Marist Poll:

NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National Poll: The Biden Administration Heading into the State of the Union Address, February 2022 — Americans Perceive Biden's First Year in Office to Be a Failure... Want Biden's Administration to Focus on Inflation Amid Persistent Financial Concerns

Discussion: The Federalist, Political Wire and PBS NewsHour

Washington Post:
Post-ABC poll finds bipartisan support for sanctions on Russia as it invades Ukraine

Discussion: The Hill, ABC News and IJR

Domenico Montanaro / NPR:
A majority says Biden's first year was a failure, a new poll finds

Discussion: RedState

Julia Manchester / The Hill:
Biden's job approval hits new low: poll

Discussion: HotAir

Wall Street Journal:

CDC Eases Mask Guidelines, Reflecting Covid-19's Retreat — About half of U.S. counties meet new threshold for recommending masks indoors, including at schools, compared with 95% under earlier metrics — Federal officials eased their guidelines on Covid-19 masking, including at schools …

Discussion: Centers for Disease Control …, Washington Post, CBS News, Washington Times, WSVN-TV, Outside the Beltway and WHYY

ABC News:

CDC to ease masking recommendations for 70% of country, including inside schools — The new metrics would term the majority of the country low-to-medium risk. — Some 70% of Americans will be able to remove their masks indoors, including inside schools, under new guidance to be released …

Discussion: Associated Press, Politico, Spectrum News NY1, National Review, STAT, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Gizmodo, NBC New York and Toledo Blade

Washington Post:

On Ukraine's Snake Island, a defiant last stand against Russian forces — As the Russian military pounded targets across Ukraine with an array of bombs and missiles, a small team of Ukrainian border guards on a rocky, desolate island received an ominous message: Give up or be attacked.

Discussion: CNN, UPI, BBC, The Political Insider, IJR, BizPac Review, GovExec.com, USNI News, Task & Purpose, HotAir, The Federalist, Second Nexus, Fox News, CBS News, KTLA, KRQE-TV, The Daily Beast, The Wrap and The Guardian

YouTube:

“Русск ий кора;бль, иди нах@й" - битв а за Зміїн ий — Стал …

Discussion: The Guardian, New York Post, globalnews.ca, IJR, The Maritime Executive, Mediaite, The Daily Caller and Politico

Associated Press:
Ukraine's capital under threat as Russia presses invasion

Chris Casteel / Oklahoman:

Sen. Jim Inhofe to resign from Senate, backs top aide Luke Holland to succeed him … Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe plans to resign the seat he has held since 1994, setting up what could be major changes in the state's political landscape just weeks before candidate filing.

Discussion: Fox News, The Hill, UPI, Associated Press, The Daily Wire, Washington Post, Roll Call, Bloomberg, HuffPost, Washington Examiner, National Review, The Gateway Pundit and CNN

Andee Tagle / NPR:

5 ways to cope with the stressful news cycle — Russia invaded Ukraine this week, and the world seems to have shifted. — Even after weeks of bracing for an attack amid speculation, global tensions and diplomatic attempts to stave off invasion — the reality of conflict is always a shock to the system.

Discussion: Twitchy and Althouse

New York Times:

'I'll Stand on the Side of Russia': Pro-Putin Sentiment Spreads Online — After marinating in conspiracy theories and Donald J. Trump's Russia stance, some online discourse about Vladimir Putin has grown more complimentary. — Davey Alba and Stuart Thompson, tech reporters based in New York, report on online information flows.

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story and North Stars and Cowboy Bars

Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:

Charlie Kirk Butchers the First Amendment in God's Name — The Devil's next finest trick, it seems, is to persuade us that the Constitution's free-speech protections don't actually exist. — t Newsweek, Turning Point USA's Charlie Kirk has written one of the most foolish, self-serving …

Charlie Kirk / Newsweek:
Free Speech for Satanism?

Discussion: Raw Story

Allahpundit / HotAir:

Tucker: Putin started this war and deserves the blame for what follows — We're all neocons now. — Well ... not quite. Carlson stressed last night that the U.S. should do everything possible to avoid being dragged into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Discussion: Gallup, The Hill and FiveThirtyEight

Bloomberg:

Russian Billionaire Jets, Superyachts Roam Free Amid Attack — For all the talk of sanctions on Russia and its elite, the status symbols of the billionaire class remain free to roam the skies and the seas. — Russia's ultra-rich are among the biggest owners of private jets and superyachts …

Emmanuel Felton / Washington Post:

After decades of lobbying, supporters say they have the votes in the House to pass a reparations bill … More than three decades after it was first introduced, a House bill that would create a commission to study reparations for Black Americans has the votes to pass, its key champions say.

Discussion: IJR

CNN:

NATO Response Force activated for first time — (CNN)For the first time, the NATO Response Force has been activated as a defensive measure in response to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. — NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Tod Wolters activated the multinational force consisting of land …

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera, Deseret News, Axios, The Daily Beast, TheBlaze, Common Dreams and The Daily Wire

CNN:

House January 6 committee to subpoena Kimberly Guilfoyle after she backed out of meeting — The House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol Hill riot tells CNN it will issue a subpoena to compel testimony from Kimberly Guilfoyle after she ended a virtual interview on Friday.