Both situations rely on a Foreign Policy 101 premise: Threat equals hostile intent plus capability. If you’re America, France’s nuclear arsenal isn’t a threat (capability but no intent), while keeping Iran from getting nukes is about preventing intent from acquiring capability.
“Mr. McConnell for years pushed Mr. Trump’s agenda and only rarely opposed him in public. But the message that he delivers privately now is unsparing, if debatable: Mr. Trump is losing political altitude and need not be feared in a primary.”
As Jonathan noted, sitting senators have spurned Trump’s calls to repudiate McConnell. But enlisting Senate candidates isn’t going according to plan.
Shane and Eric chronicled how Trump promotes his private merchandise at rallies and markets MAGA gear online. They also highlight how Trump’s political entities spend lavishly at his properties — in effect, fattening his wallet with political donations.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin left the door open Monday to further talks with Western leaders on his efforts to end NATO’s open door policy, when his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the scope for dialogue was ‘far from exhausted’ and called for intensified talks with Washington and NATO,” Robyn Dixon, Loveday Morris and Rachel Pannett report.
Father of Parkland shooting victim protests on construction crane near White House
“The father of one of the 17 people killed four years ago in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., protested from a construction crane Monday morning near the White House, where he tweeted a video requesting a meeting with President Biden,” Ellie Silverman and Peter Hermann report.
John Eastman claims attorney-client privilege over documents sought by Jan. 6 investigators
“Attorney John Eastman, a close ally of Donald Trump amid his effort to subvert the 2020 election, has attempted to shield more than 10,000 pages of emails and counting from congressional investigators, citing attorney client or attorney work-product privileges,” Poltico’s Kyle Cheney reports.
The Judiciary Committee wants you to know it’s past the Kavanaugh drama
“It’s hard to overstate how personal the animosity on the Senate Judiciary Committee became during the Kavanaugh fight, as late-breaking accusations of sexual assault against the judge pitted furious Democrat against seething Republican. Those tensions still ripple through the panel as it prepares to consider the nation’s first Black woman Supreme Court nominee this year,” Politico’s Marianne Levine reports.
“Judiciary members on both sides of the aisle predict that the still-unnamed nominee’s confirmation hearing will be civil. But the panel’s handling of her forthcoming selection by Joe Biden, the first former Judiciary chair in modern history to send the chamber a Supreme Court hopeful, will challenge senators to set a new tone with each other — and the pick herself. Washington will be watching whether the often contentious committee can offer the public a less divisive and politicized image of the high court.”
Outrage in Afghanistan after Biden’s decision on frozen funds
“The move, which would effectively bankrupt the country’s central bank, adds to the growing animosity that many Afghans have felt toward the United States since the troop withdrawal that paved the way for the Taliban’s takeover of the country in August.”
On Parkland anniversary, Biden urges Congress on gun control
“Four years after 17 people were gunned down at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, President Joe Biden says his administration stands with the advocates working to end gun violence and is urging the nation to uphold the ‘solemn obligation’ to ‘keep each other safe,’” the Associated Press’s Zeke Miller and Colleen Long report.
Biden’s free covid tests plan shortchanges Americans of color and hardest-hit communities, say health workers and activists
“When President Biden first announced plans to ship 500 million free coronavirus tests to Americans, the move was largely lauded. But some public health experts and community activists say the plan’s limit of four tests per household will force the tens of millions of Americans who live in multigenerational homes to make difficult — and risky — decisions about who gets to use them,” Silvia Foster-Frau reports.
Pressed on inflation, Biden calls Lester Holt a ‘wise guy’
“’I think it was back in July, you said inflation was going to be temporary,’ he asked Biden. ‘I think a lot of Americans are wondering what your definition of temporary is?’”
“The president pushed back: ‘Well, you’re being a wise guy with me a little bit. And I understand, that’s your job.’”
Florida’s redistricting, visualized
“Days before the Florida state Senate was to vote on new congressional district lines in January, DeSantis presented a dramatically more partisan map that boosted Republican seats and eliminated a district where a plurality of voters are Black,” our colleagues explain how Gov. Ron DeSantis scrambles Florida’s redistricting debate.
Greenberg: Democrats must speak to working-class discontent
“I am a pollster and political strategist with long experience advising Democratic candidates. Now, more than ever, Democratic victories are necessary to prevent Republicans from locking up the system. My plan is to focus on working-class voters—white, Black, Hispanic, Asian—and figure out every legal and ethical way possible for Democratic candidates to regain even a few extra points of support from them.”
- “The voters who have defected to Republicans are still open to voting for Democrats. They resent big corporations writing the rules at work and in politics. But when they hear Democrats are offering bold economic and political changes, they are surprised.”
Enes Kanter Freedom talks Olympics, China and more: ‘This is bigger than NBA and basketball’
“First off, people need to understand, the IOC, International Olympic Committee, is scared to talk about human rights because they know China is one of the worst in this regard. They will rather take China’s might than talk about values. The reality is, the people need to understand, the IOC is in bed … with the Chinese government. They do not care about human rights. They care about publicity and money,” Kanter said.
“I mean, they just organized [the Olympic] games in a country where there is press brutality, torture, mass arrest, execution, labor camps, religious suppression, and pretty much genocide. Pretty much genocide. So I feel like we should definitely call out this IOC because they are part of the problem, and they’re helping Chinese government to spread their propaganda.”
Biden does not have any public events scheduled for this afternoon.
“For the first time ever, the Super Bowl featured a halftime show centered on rap and hip-hop — and as NBC sportscaster Maria Taylor announced just before it kicked off, ‘It will likely be the greatest halftime performance of all time,’” Emily Yahr reports.
So, did it live up to the hype? Emily answers some of your burning questions (Including but not limited to: ‘Why was 50 Cent upside down?’) and rehashes some of the highlights.
