Wake-Up Call: Biden Condemns Russian Invasion During SOTU

Daily Mail graphic 3/2/22

President Biden strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine in his State of the Union address last night that was otherwise focused on domestic issues, including taming inflation and coming out of the pandemic to more normalcy.

There was bipartisan applause and support in the House chamber as Biden began his 62-minute speech by speaking about what he called Russian President Vladimir Putin's "unprovoked and unjustified" invasion of Ukraine, saying that Putin had, quote, "miscalculated" in thinking he could just roll over the neighboring country, but met with the resistance of the Ukrainian people. He also said that Putin didn't think the U.S. and Western nations would unite against the invasion the way they have in helping Ukraine militarily and economically and enacting crippling sanctions against Russia. 

The president further announced a new step against Russia, saying the U.S. is banning Russian planes from its airspace, as Canada and the European Union have already done, and said the Justice Department was launching a task force to go after Russian oligarchs, saying, "We are coming for your ill-begotten gains." Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, was with First Lady Jill Biden in the House gallery for the speech.

As he moved on to domestic issues, Biden spoke about plans to address inflation, which he called his "top priority," including by having more manufacturing done in America and speeding up supply chains. He addressed the Covid crisis and progress that's been made, saying we're moving back to, quote, "more normal routines." Biden also said that he can't promise there won't be more variants, but vowed to be ready for them with tests, masks and pills like Pfizer's new medication that can be given after becoming infected. The president announced a new "test to treat" plan, under which people can be tested at pharmacies for Covid-19, and then immediately be given the medication then and there for free if they're positive. He also said people would be able to order another round of free tests.

Biden returned to some of the proposals he'd put forward that didn't pass Congress last year, such as letting Medicare negotiate prices for prescription drugs, extending the child tax credit, and taking action on voting rights. He spoke against the call from some on the progressive left to "defund the police," saying, "the answer is not to defund the police, it's to fund the police." The president also spoke about what he called his "Unity Agenda," four things we should tackle that he said he believes those from both sides of the aisle can agree on: the opioid epidemic; mental health, including that of children; veterans issues; and the fight against cancer.

A little more than a week ago, President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address was focused largely inward, looking at economic and public health woes. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed all that.

These are the key takeaways from Biden’s address. https://t.co/A1453Cn9QT

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 2, 2022

➤Republican Response

The Republican response was delivered by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, who spent much of her remarks attacking President Biden and the Democrats on issues including foreign policy, inflation, Covid policies, crime, and more. As part of that she lambasted Biden and Democrats' spending proposals, saying, "enough is enough," and blaming spending passed by the administration last year for the current high inflation.

➤RUSSIA INCREASES ATTACKS ON URBAN AREAS: Russia increased its attacks on urban areas in Ukraine Tuesday, as a 40-mile military convoy continued its slow advance towards the capital of Kyiv. After a missile attack on the central square in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, and the bombing of a TV tower in the capital, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, declared, "Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget," what he described as a campaign of terror. The missile attack on the TV tower also damaged the nearby Babi Yar Holocaust memorial at the site where Nazis killed more than 33,000 Jews over two days in 1941. Britian's Defense Ministry said there had been an increase in air and artillery strikes on populated urban areas over the past two days, and that three cities, including Kharkiv, were encircled by Russian forces.

NY Post 3/2/22

Zelenskyy Speaks to European Parliament

President Zelenskyy delivered a speech remotely to the European Parliament yesterday, as part of his call for Ukraine to be granted immediate membership in the European Union. Zelenskyy stressed that his country was, quote, "fighting for its survival," saying, "The European Union is going to be much stronger with us. We have proven our strength . . . Do prove that you are with us. Do prove that you will not let us go." He declared, "Nobody is gonna break us."

Meanwhile, more than 100 United Nations diplomats from 40 countries walked out when Russia’s foreign minister began to speak via video link at the Human Rights Council in Geneva yesterday, among them diplomats from the U.S., the European Union and the U.K. The foreign minister said in his remarks that Russia's military actions were to, quote, "demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine."

Russian Radio Station Critical of KremlinTaken Off Air

Echo Moskvy, one of Russia's oldest radio stations, was taken off the air yesterday because of its critical coverage of the invasion. Russian authorities also threatened to block Russia's top independent TV channel, Dozhd. Both media outlets were accused of spreading content that incites extremist activities, as well as, quote, "false information regarding the actions of Russian military personnel as part of a special operation" in Ukraine. Soon after the invasion, Russian officials threatened independent media in Russia with being shut down if their coverage didn't follow the official line, including the invasion not being allowed to be called that or a "war," but instead a "special military operation."

➤SUPREME COURT NOMINEE JACKSON TO MEET WITH SENATE LEADERS TODAY: President Biden's Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson, will begin the traditional meetings with senators today, starting with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, and Senator Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee. Durbin said Monday that the Senate hearings on Jackson's nomination are expected in mid-March, and senators are reportedly eyeing a mid-April confirmation vote.

➤LAWSUIT BY TEXAS PARENTS OF TRANSGENDER TEEN SAY STATE INVESTIGATING THEM: The parents of a transgender 16-year-old girl in Texas filed a lawsuit Tuesday saying that the state's Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is investigating them after Republican Governor Greg Abbott last month ordered officials to probe reports of gender-confirming medical care for minors as child abuse. The suit filed on the parents' behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal is asking a judge to block the investigation of them and of other parents of transgender children under the directive. The lawsuit doesn’t name the parents, but said the mother works at DFPS. She had asked her supervisor how Abbott's order would affect the agency’s policy, according to the lawsuit. The mother was then put on leave because she has a transgender daughter, the suit says, and the next day was told her family would be investigated.

🍎APPLE SUSPENDS ALL PRODUCT SALES IN RUSSIA: Apple has suspended sales of all its products in Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, the company said yesterday (March 1st). Saying that it was, quote, "deeply concerned" about the invasion, Apple also said it had moved to limit access to digital services, such as Apple Pay, inside Russia, and restricted the availability of Russian state media apps RT News and Sputnik News outside the country. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have all begun cracking down on content shared by Russian media.

🎉MARDI GRAS RETURNS TO NEW ORLEANS: Revelers celebrated a Mardi Gras back in full force yesterday in New Orleans after last year's festivities were canceled due to the pandemic. Masks were only required in indoor spaces Tuesday, allowing people to celebrate without them as they enjoyed the traditional Mardi Gras parades and marches before the ceremonial clearing of Bourbon Street in the French Quarter at midnight. Even though people couldn't celebrate Mardi Gras as usual last year, they celebrated in a different way by decorating their houses to look like floats.

➤MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY MAKES IT TO POLAND: Entertainment Tonight reports that Dancing with the Stars alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy successfully evacuated Ukraine and made it to Poland. On Tuesday,  Chmerkovskiy posted to his Instagram stories, “I’m in Poland,” along with the Ukrainian and Polish flags, and a prayer emoji.

➤SEAN PENN WALKS MILES TO POLISH BORDER: On Monday, Sean Penn posted a photo to Twitter and shared that he and two colleagues walked “miles” to the Polish border, leaving their car in Ukraine. “Almost all the cars in this photo carry women & children only, most without any sign of luggage, and a car their only possession of value,” he wrote.

⚾MLB CANCELS OPENING DAY, FIRST TWO SERIES AS STILL NO LABOR DEAL: MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred canceled Opening Day on March 31st and the first two series for each of the 30 teams yesterday (March 1st) as talks with the players' union trying to reach a new labor deal collapsed. Manfred said that players, who were locked on December 2nd, won't receive salary for games missed. No dates has been scheduled for bargaining to resume. This is the first time in 27 years that regular-season games have been canceled due to a labor battle.

BREAKING:MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he will cancel regular-season games and it will be the first two series of the seasonpic.twitter.com/CLv9sdAbht

— MLB Update (@MLBNewsRumor) March 1, 2022

➤RUSSIA REMOVED FROM MORE SPORTS OVER UKRAINE INVASION: Russia and its athletes were removed from more sports Tuesday over the Ukraine invasion. Russian athletes were barred from competing in international ice skating, skiing, basketball, track and some tennis events, one day after being kicked out of soccer competitions and hockey. The actions came following the International Olympic Committee's request to international sports federations to keep Russian athletes out of events they organize. Belarus, which has been a key ally of Russia in its Ukraine invasion, is also being excluded from some events.

➤EX-UFC CHAMPION VELASQUEZ ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER: Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was arrested Monday on suspicion of attempted murder, the San Jose, California, Police Department announced Tuesday. He's being held without bail. The 39-year-old was allegedly involved in a shooting Monday in which one man was shot, suffering non-life-threatening injuries. Police said the "motives and circumstances" were still being investigated. Velasquez was a two-time UFC heavyweight champion, holding the title in 2010 and 2011 and again from 2012 to 2015.

🏒DAVIDSON HIRED AS BLACKHAWKS' GM, NO LONGER INTERIM: The Chicago Blackhawks hired Kyle Davidson as their general manager Tuesday, making him permanent in the position he's held on an interim basis since October. The 33-year-old began with the Blackhawks in 2010 as a hockey operations intern, and rose up in positions including video analyst, hockey operations manager and assistant GM. Davidson was elevated to the interim job after longtime general manager Stan Bowman resigned in the wake of a report that found the organization mishandled allegations that an assistant coach sexually assaulted a player in 2010.