memeorandum: Welcome to Cold War 2 (Jonathan V. Last/The Triad)

5:10 PM ET, September 30, 2022

Top Items:

New U.S. Sanctions on Russia Hits Top Officials, Defense and Tech Sectors … Despite international condemnation, Putin signs decrees declaring four regions of Ukraine part of Russia. — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia signed decrees on Friday to declare four Ukrainian regions part …

Jonathan V. Last / The Triad:

Welcome to Cold War 2 — Putin declares war on the West. — Last night's TNB was awesome. Just two buddies, hanging out, talking about the end of democracy and playing AMA. — You can watch the replay here or listen to the podcast version here. — 1. Cold War 2

Discussion: Reuters, Algemeiner.com, Breitbart, ABC13, NPR and Associated Press

Alexei Navalny / Washington Post:

This is what a post-Putin Russia should look like — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is serving a nine-year sentence in a maximum-security penal colony. This essay was conveyed to The Post by his legal team. — What does a desirable and realistic end to the criminal war unleashed …

Discussion: The Moscow Times, Мед … and Washington Examiner

Anne Applebaum / The Atlantic:

Putin's Newest Annexation Is Dire for Russia Too — His baldly illegitimate claim to four Ukrainian provinces shows contempt for the global order—and his own subjects. — Vladimir Putin today announced his annexation of four provinces of Ukraine—four provinces that he does not fully control …

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite, Forbes, The Economist, 19FortyFive, New York Times and The Hill

Associated Press:

Russian strike kills 25 as Kremlin to annex Ukraine regions — Russia pounded Ukrainian cities with missiles, rockets and suicide drones, with one strike reported to have killed 25 people, as it moved Friday to annex Ukrainian territory into Russia and put it under the protection …

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
What if We're Already Fighting the Third World War with Russia?

Discussion: Eunomia, MindWar, Insider, Blue Virginia, New York Post and 19FortyFive

CNN:
US imposing ‘swift and severe costs’ on Russia following Putin's Ukraine annexation

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Post Millennial and Radio Free Europe/Radio …

Fatima Hussein / Associated Press:
US hits Russia with sanctions for annexing Ukrainian regions

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Associated Press, UPI, The Hill, New York Daily News, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, KTVX-TV, National Review, New York Post, KNSD-TV, The Daily Wire, Los Angeles Times and Politico

David Ignatius / Washington Post:
The West should hunker down against Putin's latest aggression

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Daily Herald, Daily Kos, Townhall, TASS and HotAir

Nate Cohn / New York Times:

Gerrymandering Isn't Giving Republicans the Advantage You Might Expect — Yes, the G.O.P. has a structural edge in the House, but it isn't anything near insurmountable for Democrats. — There is no shortage of reasons Republicans are expected to retake the House this year …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, E&E, Regular Order and Newsday

Ewan Palmer / Newsweek:

List of 49 Republicans Who Voted Against Food Security Help for Veterans — The House of Representatives passed a bill to establish an Office of Food Security at the Department of Veterans Affairs, with 49 Republicans voting against the proposal. — The Food Security for All Veterans Act …

Discussion: Alaska Public Media and Raw Story

Benjamin Wallace-Wells / New Yorker:
The Curious Case of Donald Bolduc

Discussion: HotAir

Punchbowl News:
9/30/22 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM

Discussion: National Review and NRCC

Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
Joe Manchin says he's ‘praying’ for an end to 50-50 Senate as it breaks for election

Discussion: The Daily Caller, MSNBC, National Review and Washington Times

Andrew Solender / Axios:
GOP's impeachment zeal

Discussion: Forbes, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and CNN

Caitlin Emma / Politico:
House passes government funding, averting shutdown threat

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Gavin Newsom's trolling deftly unmasks Ron DeSantis's cruelty — It's hard to deny that Gov. Gavin Newsom harbors garish and even cringeworthy presidential ambitions. The California Democrat regularly trolls Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a top 2024 GOP contender, and Newsom surely knows playing foil …

Discussion: The Guardian, Lawyers, Guns & Money, IJR, Mercury News, Townhall and Political Wire

Mackenzie Mays / Los Angeles Times:
Newsom signs bill protecting transgender youths and families fleeing red-state policies

Ruth Marcus / Washington Post:

You thought the Supreme Court's last term was bad? Brace yourself. — The cataclysmic Supreme Court term that included the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion and the end of constitutional protection for abortion would, in the normal ebb and flow, be followed by a period of quiet …

Discussion: HuffPost, Associated Press, USA Today, Townhall, CNN, NBC News and Politico

Jeff Shesol / New York Times:
The Supreme Court Is Broken. Where's Biden?

Discussion: Monmouth University …, Washington Post, Common Dreams, CBS News, Raw Story, Arizona Mirror, Washington Examiner, The Nation, Roll Call and Gallup

Washington Examiner:
Biden's mental sharpness is increasingly doubtful, and it's a serious issue

Discussion: The Political Insider, PolitiFact, Boston Herald, Fox News and RedState

Washington Post:

Trump's legal team divided over how to handle Mar-a-Lago case — New lawyer's advice to seek an ‘off-ramp’ with Justice Department is not being heeded, people familiar with discussions say — After attorney Christopher Kise accepted $3 million to represent Donald Trump in the FBI's investigation …

Discussion: Zandar Versus The Stupid, Raw Story and USA Today

Michael Kruse / Politico:

'It's My Curse and My Salvation': Trump's Most Famous Chronicler Opens Up — NEW YORK — Late one recent afternoon, Maggie Haberman pulled into a parking spot in the lot at Gargiulo's, the old-time Italian restaurant in Coney Island where Donald Trump's father used to eat lunch.

Discussion: Insider, Los Angeles Times, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Hill and IJR

Jason Leopold / Bloomberg:
For Obama, One Trump Term Wasn't a Big Worry, but ‘Eight Years Would Be a Problem’

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

A new reminder that candidate quality matters — What's apparent at this point, just over a month before voting ends in the 2022 midterm election, is that nearly any national outcome is possible. FiveThirtyEight's analysis of the state of play figures there's about a 3 in 10 chance …

Politico:
Georgia and Nevada on their minds: Senate watchers sweat two swing states

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Matthew Continetti / Washington Free Beacon:
The GOP Cavalry Arrives

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Cook Political Report, Just The News and HuffPost

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
GOP billionaire donors direct cash to Senate leaders as Trump candidates lag Dems in fundraising

Discussion: Raw Story

Jake Bleiberg / Associated Press:

Dysfunction in Texas AG's office as Paxton seeks third term — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's staff this month quietly dropped a series of human trafficking and child sexual assault cases after losing track of one of the victims, a stumble in open court emblematic of broader dysfunction inside …

Discussion: Off the Kuff

Jen Fifield / Votebeat:

Trump allies have interviewed nearly 200 election officials to probe for weaknesses — Volunteers for “Operation Eagles Wings” are using surveys in eight states to seek support for conspiracy theories. — Two of Donald Trump's most prominent allies in his fight to overturn the 2020 election …

Discussion: The Texas Tribune, Raw Story, Bridge Michigan and WSVN-TV

CNN:

GOP congressional candidate Joe Kent's ties to white nationalists include interview with Nazi sympathizer — Despite disavowing White nationalism last spring when one of its adherents endorsed him, a US House candidate in Washington subsequently gave a previously unreported interview in June to a Nazi sympathizer and White nationalist.

Matt Lavietes / NBC News:

NYC human rights officials are ‘closely monitoring’ allegations against the owner of a gay bar — NBC News previously reported that Michael J. Cohen was accused of unwanted sexual conduct and discrimination. Cohen's attorney said he is not under investigation.

Jesse Singal / Singal-Minded:

It Isn't Journalism's Job To Hand-Hold People To The Correct Moral Conclusions — Stop hating your readers — One of the silliest ideas to infect mainstream journalism in recent years is the notion that when journalists produce work about a bad person, they must signpost that work …

Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:

Supreme Court holds investiture ceremony for Ketanji Brown Jackson — Investiture ceremony held for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — The Supreme Court on Friday hosted a formal investiture ceremony for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the court …