memeorandum: Retired SWAT Commander Acquitted in Fatal Shooting of Moviegoer (Eduardo Medina/New York Times)

5:40 PM ET, February 26, 2022

Top Items:

Nadav Gavrielov / New York Times:

Citizens Take Up Arms in Besieged Capital — There was intense street fighting across the capital on Saturday, and the latest Western intelligence reports indicated that the Russian advance had stalled. But the Russian priority remained the capture of Kyiv. — Ukrainian forces slow Russian advance on three cities.

Discussion: Associated Press, Metro.co.uk, The Guardian, CW39 Houston, UPI, The Washington Current, TheJournal.ie, CNBC and Insider

Washington Post:

Russia-Ukraine live updates: Ukraine fights to hold Kyiv amid street battles, gunfire and explosions — At daybreak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video of himself, unshaven, on the capital's streets — proof of his apparent commitment to remain in Kyiv.

Discussion: The Verge, Townhall, Forbes, CBS News and Political Wire, more at Techmeme »

Zoya Sheftalovich / Politico:

Putin's miscalculation — Watching Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine play out, it seems the Russian president has vastly underestimated and misunderstood Ukrainians and their president. — Putin, a one-time KGB operative who in 2004 said “there is no such thing as a former KGB man,” has made clear that he lives in a world of the past.

Discussion: Jacobin, The Register and The Intercept

Franklin Foer / The Atlantic:

A Prayer for Volodymyr Zelensky — Before he became the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky played the part on television. He created and starred in a comedy series, Servant of the People. His character, a high-school history teacher, is surreptitiously recorded by one of his students …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Louder With Crowder, CNN, HotAir and Insider

New York Times:

Russia's War With Ukraine Already Costing Russian Economy — Despite the Kremlin's efforts to obscure the offensive in Ukraine, the costs of the war were already evident in both economic and social turmoil. — MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin has ushered in a crisis for his country — in its economy and identity.

Discussion: Political Wire

Jonathan V. Last / The Triad:

Zelensky Has Become More Than a Man — A symbol. — Every week I highlight three newsletters that are worth your time. — If you find value in this project, do two things for me: (1) Hit the like button, and (2) Share this with someone. — Most of what we do in Bulwark+ is only for our members …

Discussion: Mother Jones and RedState

NBC News:

Ukraine's leader defiant as Kyiv holds firm against Russian attacks — Ukrainian forces fight to hold capital as Russia vetoes UN security council resolution — The Ukrainian government was still in control of its capital city Kyiv Saturday after a night of explosions and fighting …

Discussion: Breitbart, Reuters, BBC, Townhall, CNN, Associated Press, ABC13, National Review, FOX 5 San Diego, Task & Purpose, The Daily Caller and Agence France-Presse

Miburo:
Russia's Lies in Four Directions: The Kremlin's Strategy to Misinform About Ukraine

Discussion: Fox News

Allahpundit / HotAir:
Is Putin trapped? — I phrase the headline as a question, wary of forming conclusions …

Discussion: TheJournal.ie and Conservative Brief

Vladislav Davidzon / Tablet Magazine:
‘Russian Ship ... Go F**k Yourself!’

Discussion: The Cosmopolitan Globalist, National Newswatch, Metro.co.uk, Al Jazeera, The Times of Israel and Bloomberg

Lawrence Freedman / Comment is Freed:
A Reckless Gamble — Wars rarely go to plan, especially if you believe your own rhetoric

Discussion: Fox News, New York Times, RedState, New Statesman, Bloomberg, TASS and Ranganaut

Zachary Basu / Axios:

Germany to send thousands of weapons to Ukraine in major reversal — Germany will send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles to Ukraine, marking a complete reversal in Berlin's restrictive arms export policy, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Saturday.

Discussion: The Guardian and Anti-bellum

Politico:

Germany to send Ukraine weapons in historic shift on military aid — Germany on Saturday reversed a historic policy of never sending weapons to conflict zones, saying the Russian invasion of Ukraine was an epochal moment that imperiled the entire post-World War II order across Europe.

Discussion: Associated Press, RedState, The Mahablog, Изв …, The Local, KNSD-TV, Newsy, Politico, Washington Examiner, New Statesman, emptywheel, The Gateway Pundit, Bloomberg and Political Wire

Associated Press:
Live updates: Germany to send anti-tank weapons to Ukraine

Discussion: Defense News, Financial Times, CBS News, Slate, The Kyiv Independent, KTLA, The's Newsletter, Page Six and Associated Press

Yaroslav Trofimov / Wall Street Journal:
Ukrainian Forces Repel Russian Attack on Kyiv, Prepare for Next Assault

Discussion: Financial Times, CBS News, Associated Press and HillReporter.com

Antony J. Blinken / United States Department of State:
Additional Military Assistance for Ukraine

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Washington Post, The Dispatch, No Title | AIER, The Drive, UPI and Cracked Bowl

Axios:

Scoop: CNN to dull its liberal edge — Under new chief Chris Licht, CNN will dial down the prime-time partisanship and double down on the network's news-gathering muscle, top sources tell me. — Why it matters: Ratings are secondary to credibility, in the view of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who's taking over CNN.

Discussion: Instapundit and Althouse, more at Mediagazer »

Dylan Byers / Puck:
Jeff Zucker's Successor Is... Chris Licht

Discussion: Townhall, Associated Press, New York Times, The Wrap, Variety, Mediaite, IndieWire, The Daily Caller, Hollywood Reporter and Fox News, more at Mediagazer »

Brian Stelter / CNN:
Chris Licht has been selected as next president of CNN

Discussion: Bloomberg, Fox News, Deadline, TVNewser, Twitchy and Puck

Cameron Joseph / VICE:

Lt. Col. Vindman: Trump ‘Absolutely’ at Fault for Russia's Ukraine Invasion — “It's because of Trump's corruption that we have a less capable, less prepared Ukraine,” retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman told VICE News. — CJ — The man who played a key role in then-President Donald Trump's …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Twitchy, Bloomberg and Political Wire

Michael D. Weiss / TIME:
Even If Russia Wins, It Won't Do So Easily

Discussion: CNBC, Breitbart and RT

Anita Komuves / Reuters:

At the Ukrainian border, a mother brings a stranger's children to safety … Clutching a mobile phone number of a woman she had never met, Nataliya Ableyeva crossed the border from Ukraine into Hungary on Saturday, entrusted with a precious cargo. — A stranger's children.

Discussion: The Guardian

Patricia Mazzei / New York Times:

How a High School Debate Team Shaped Ketanji Brown Jackson — The Supreme Court nominee honed her oratory on Miami Palmetto's powerhouse debate team. She was not the only alum who went on to an impressive career. — PINECREST, Fla. — Let Miami Palmetto Senior High School brag for a moment: It has a swoon-worthy alumni roster.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Register, Reason, The Daily Caller, Slate and 89.3 WFPL News Louisville

Politico:
‘He loved every minute of this’— How Biden decided on Ketanji Brown Jackson

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Examiner, TheGrio, CNN, CBS News, The American Independent, Associated Press, Louder With Crowder and CBS Boston

Natalie Andrews / Wall Street Journal:
GOP Focuses on Midterms as Senate Considers Judge Jackson for Supreme Court

Discussion: Ineptocracy Chronicles, USA Today, Washington Post and CNN

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
Democrats raise over $1 million in hours after Biden nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson for Supreme Court

Discussion: New York Times and The American Independent

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

A Kennedy's Crusade Against Covid Vaccines Anguishes Family and Friends — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has risen to become a major figure in the vaccine resistance movement. Those close to him say it's “heartbreaking.” — Kerry Kennedy remembers how much she admired her older brother Robert …

Discussion: Althouse and Political Wire

Eduardo Medina / New York Times:

Retired SWAT Commander Acquitted in Fatal Shooting of Moviegoer — Curtis J. Reeves Jr. said he acted in self-defense after a dispute that led a man to toss a bag of popcorn at him in a Florida movie theater in 2014. — A jury in Florida on Friday acquitted a retired SWAT commander who shot …

Discussion: BizPac Review and New York Post

Max Seddon / Financial Times:

Vladimir Putin, Russia's resentful leader, takes the world to war — Pent-up anger with the west and a fixation on Ukraine make him more aggressive and unpredictable than ever — Growing up in a communal apartment in Leningrad, a young Vladimir Putin liked to chase rats across the stairwell with sticks.

Discussion: Insight CTAE, An American in Exile, Quillette, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Cornwall Alliance, Foreign Affairs, The Guardian, Metro.co.uk and Fox News

The Economist: Russians greet Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine with dismay, not enthusiasm

New York Times:

CPAC Focuses on Culture Grievances and Trump — The annual gathering of American conservatives reflected the G.O.P's shift away from policy issues that had traditionally animated the party. — ORLANDO, Fla. — Russia's invasion of Ukraine has much of the world transfixed and on edge.

Discussion: Fox News, Los Angeles Times, New Republic and Breitbart

Christopher Mathias / HuffPost:
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Speaks At White Nationalist Conference

Discussion: Media Matters for America, Anti-Defamation League, The Daily Beast, The Hill, New York Magazine, Jezebel, Mother Jones, Democrats, Rolling Stone, Mock Paper Scissors, Scottie's Playtime and Raw Story

Financial Times:

Roman Abramovich cedes ‘stewardship’ of Chelsea FC to charitable foundation — Move by oligarch comes as sanctions intensify over Russia's invasion of Ukraine — Roman Abramovich said he was ceding day-to-day management of Chelsea football club, as Russia's assault on Ukraine leads to calls …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Times, talkSPORT, Bloomberg, One America News Network, Sports Illustrated and WHYY

Washington Post:

White House, European allies prepare to target Russia's central bank in what would be a dramatic escalation of financial crackdown … The Biden administration and European allies are preparing to target Russia's central bank with major financial restrictions in what would be a significant escalation …