memeorandum: Sneaking a president from DC to Kyiv without anyone noticing (Associated Press)

2:00 PM ET, February 20, 2023

Top Items:

David Rothkopf / The Daily Beast:

Biden's Trip to Kyiv is the Ultimate Humiliation for Putin—and Trump — Biden joined a great history of American presidents standing up to Russian aggression, and significantly broke from the shameful actions of his predecessor. — Kennedy and then Reagan in Berlin. Now Biden in Kyiv.

Discussion: The White House, Balloon Juice, The Kyiv Independent, Resolute Square and Politico

Eliot A. Cohen / The Atlantic:

Biden Just Destroyed Putin's Last Hope — The president's visit to Ukraine was a gut punch to the Russian leader. — The long-range missiles matter. So do the super-accurate artillery shells, the surface-to-air missiles, and the winter weather gear; the training in the English countryside …

Discussion: CBS News and Political Wire

New York Times:

Biden Visits Kyiv, Ukraine's Embattled Capital, as Air-Raid Siren Sounds — President Biden took a nearly 10-hour train ride from the border of Poland to show his administration's “unwavering support” a year into Russia's invasion of Ukraine. — KYIV, Ukraine — President Biden …

Washington Post:

On surprise trip to Kyiv, Biden vows enduring support for Ukraine — KYIV, Ukraine — President Biden made a dramatic, unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday, in a display of robust American support for Ukraine just four days before the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. — Are you on Telegram?

Anne Applebaum / The Atlantic:

Biden Went to Kyiv Because There's No Going Back — The president's surprise visit sent a message to Moscow—and to European leaders. — An American AWACS began patrolling the skies west of Ukraine last night; Kyiv was locked down this morning. Motorcades crisscrossed the city and rumors began to spread.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, PJ Media, Just The News, Vanity Fair and The Hill

Mark Antonio Wright / National Review:

Biden's Secret Trip to Kyiv Took Guts — President Biden's secret visit to wartime Kyiv is an example of America in its finest tradition. — The New York Times reports that after a “trans-Atlantic flight to Poland, Mr. Biden crossed the border by train, traveling for nearly 10 hours to Kyiv …

Discussion: The Post Millennial, Fox News, Washington Examiner and CBS News

Associated Press:

Sneaking a president from DC to Kyiv without anyone noticing — Read full article — APTOPIX Biden US Ukraine — President Joe Biden's motorcade slipped out of the White House around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. No big, flashy Air Force One for this trip — the president vanished into the darkness …

Discussion: USA Today, The Hill, Washington Post, Snapshot, WHTM-TV and Political Wire

Associated Press:

Biden declares ‘Kyiv stands’ in surprise visit to Ukraine — 1 of 21 — President Joe Biden paid an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Monday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a defiant display of Western solidarity with a country still fighting what he called “a brutal and unjust war” …

Peter Nicholas / NBC News:
Biden's foray into Ukraine deepens his investment in defeating Russia

Discussion: The Guardian, New York Post, Washington Post, Fox News, Bloomberg, The Nation, The Sun and Politico

The Guardian:
US informed Russia of Joe Biden's Kyiv visit hours before departure

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Insider, Fox News, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Politico, Twitchy and Associated Press

Peter Nicholas / NBC News:
Biden makes surprise visit to Ukraine nearly one year after Russia's invasion

Discussion: ABC News, Mediaite, The Hill, BBC, The Guardian, Fox News, Washington Times, PoliticusUSA, Raw Story, Sputnik News, UPI, Forbes, USA Today, Washington Examiner, The Sun, New York Daily News, NPR and Financial Times

Mike Allen / Axios:

Scoop: McCarthy gives Tucker Carlson access to trove of Jan. 6 riot tape — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has given Fox News' Tucker Carlson exclusive access to 41,000 hours of Capitol surveillance footage from the Jan. 6 riot, McCarthy sources tell me. — Carlson TV producers …

Discussion: Breitbart, American Greatness, The Gateway Pundit, Progress Pond, The New Civil Rights Movement, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, RedState, BizPac Review, Ace of Spades HQ, The Post Millennial, Just The News and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

James O'Keefe Is Removed as Project Veritas' Leader — Mr. O'Keefe had been the face of the group since he founded Project Veritas in his father's garage in suburban New York in 2010. — James O'Keefe, the embattled leader of the conservative group Project Veritas, has been removed …

Discussion: Big League Politics

Will Sommer / The Daily Beast:
James O'Keefe Resigns From Project Veritas After Employee Complaints

Discussion: RedState, The Post Millennial and The New Civil Rights Movement

David Folkenflik / NPR:

The ‘wackadoodle’ foundation of Fox News' election-fraud claims — A woman who says the wind talks to her and put forth claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential race that she admitted were “pretty wackadoodle” turns out to be a key source of allegations that Fox News presented …

Discussion: PennLive, The Nation and Mediaite

Joe DePaolo / Mediaite: Fox's Media Host Totally Ignores THE Story the Press is Buzzing About

Alex Leary / Wall Street Journal:

Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis to Court Big-Money Donors at Dueling Palm Beach Events — The former president and the Florida governor this week intensify fight for campaign cash — Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have battled in polls for months over who has a better shot at the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

Discussion: Mock Paper Scissors, Raw Story, BizPac Review and Fox News

Erin Doherty / Axios:
Michigan GOP selects 2020 election denier as party leader

Discussion: CNN, Just The News, Michigan Advance, Associated Press, Reuters, Raw Story, Nikki Haley's Road …, RedState, Detroit Free Press, New York Magazine and MLive.com

Washington Post:

Feeling ‘overwhelmed’ and ‘fatigue,’ some GOP voters look beyond Trump — In recent focus groups of persuadable Republican primary voters from key early states, most stood by their past support for Trump, but the future was a different issue — Nearly all of the focus group participants …

Discussion: Raw Story, CNN and New York Times

Meridith McGraw / Politico: Trump's White House accomplishments aren't so easy to sell on the campaign trail

New York Times:
Biden Drawing Up a 2024 Playbook That Looks a Lot Like 2020's

Discussion: RedState, Associated Press, The Hill and Axios

Steve Benen / MSNBC:

Despite her role, Marjorie Taylor Greene backs ‘national divorce’ — As Marjorie Taylor Greene endorses the dissolution of the United States, the question is whether House GOP leaders will bother to care. — In late 2021, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene briefly referenced “a National Divorce scenario” …

Discussion: NBC News, The Hill, RedState, New Republic, Fox News, Raw Story, The New Civil Rights Movement, The Post Millennial and New York Daily News

Cat Zakrzewski / Washington Post:

Supreme Court hears a case that could transform the internet — Oral arguments begin in Gonzalez v. Google, a landmark case tackling whether tech companies should be liable for harmful content their algorithms surface — In November 2015, three rifle-wielding ISIS gunmen opened fire …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, New York Times and HuffPost

Rebecca Kern / Politico:
Big Tech is about to have an epic week in the Supreme Court

Discussion: ABC News, Los Angeles Times, Slate, New York Post, Lawfare, jihadwatch.org, Axios, New York Times, Reason, Sputnik News, SCOTUSblog, The Hill, Fox News, Associated Press and HuffPost, more at Mediagazer »

Los Angeles Times:

Arrest made in killing of L.A. Bishop David O'Connell, sources say — Authorities investigating the killing of a Los Angeles bishop Saturday have made an arrest in the case, law enforcement sources said Monday. — Auxiliary Bishop David G. O'Connell, 69, was killed Saturday afternoon …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Post, Metro.co.uk, Angelus News, Religion News Service, Washington Post, Orange County Register, ABC7, National Review, WSYR, ABC News, The Post Millennial, Fox 8 Cleveland WJW, Associated Press, The Daily Beast, NewsNation, UPI and TheBlaze

Rasmussen Reports:

Trump Dominates Presidents Day Poll — As the nation celebrates Presidents Day, a plurality of Americans consider former President Donald Trump both the best and worst of recent leaders. — The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 20% …

Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:
Only Donald Trump: #1 ‘best’ and ‘worst’ president

Discussion: IJR, The Wrap, Mediaite, Just The News and The Daily Caller

Jennifer Hassan / Washington Post:

Salman Rushdie calls revisions to Roald Dahl books ‘absurd censorship’ — LONDON — A decision to change hundreds of words in Roald Dahl's children's books has drawn condemnation from author Salman Rushdie, who called it “absurd censorship.” — His is the latest prominent voice …

Leslie Josephs / NBC News:

United says it will make it easier for families to book seats with their children for free — United Airlines said Monday that new technology will open up more seats on its flights so children can sit with an adult in their party without paying a fee, a type of charge that's drawn scrutiny …

Discussion: Bloomberg and UPI

Gary Leff / View from the Wing: United's New Family Seating Policy Helps Customers, Hurts Competitors, And Curries Political Favor

Ben Samuels / Haaretz:

Bernie Sanders Hints at New Legislation Conditioning U.S. Aid to Israel — Sanders has previously stressed that Washington should be permitted to restrict U.S. aid in response to moves that undermine the peace process — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during a news conference …

Discussion: Common Dreams, CBS News and The Hill

Garrett M. Graff / New York Times:

What Ford's Pardon of Nixon Means (and Doesn't Mean) for Trump — The release on Thursday of parts of a report from a grand jury in Georgia that investigated election interference by Donald Trump and his allies offers the most recent evidence of his growing legal exposure.

Discussion: Raw Story