Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is grinding into its fourth day.
Continue reading “Today’s Biggest Developments In Ukraine”Has Turkey Shut Down Black Sea Access For Russian Warships?
President Zelensky is saying publicly that Turkey has agreed to shut down transit to the Black Sea for Russian warships.
Apparently Zelensky and Erdoğan spoke by phone today. So far as I can tell, Erdoğan has not confirmed this potentially important news.
Continue reading “Has Turkey Shut Down Black Sea Access For Russian Warships?”Judicial Review With TPM’s Kate Riga: Habemus SCOTUS Nominee
In our first installment of The Judicial Review video series, TPM reporter Kate Riga breaks down the latest SCOTUS news: President Joe Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court Friday.
Zelensky Vows To Stay In Kyiv As Russia Presses Advance
The second day of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine saw Ukrainian forces continue to fight across the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday morning that he would stay in Kyiv with his family, warning that Russian special forces had entered the city. Reports emerged from around the country of Russian forces shelling residential neighborhoods.
Western nations have thus far issued sanctions on Russia aimed at blocking exports of high-tech materials, like modified computer chips and software, and at the country’s largest lenders, albeit with some crucial exceptions.
NATO states, including the U.S., Poland, and France, have said that they will continue to provide arms to the Ukrainian military, raising questions of potential inadvertent escalation.
But throughout it all, the Ukrainians and their leadership have continued to fight back against Russian advances. We’ll be following throughout the war’s second day.
Ukraine’s Cool Indifference Turned To Desperation In A Matter Of Hours
After eight years of war, many Ukrainians thought Russia’s saber-rattling over the past few months was nothing new.
There had been many build-ups of Russian forces along the border before. But since early 2015, none of them had turned into anything. And, besides, even the 2014 and 2015 incursions took place in the country’s far east, supporting a supposed separatist movement that everyone knew to be a Russian cutout.
Continue reading “Ukraine’s Cool Indifference Turned To Desperation In A Matter Of Hours”Biden Nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson To Supreme Court
President Joe Biden is preparing to nominate federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. The announcement is expected Friday afternoon, per CNN. Biden will also be juggling the war in Ukraine, and is scheduled to meet virtually with fellow NATO heads of state first thing in the morning.
Volodymyr Zelensky
There must have been many moments over recent days when President Zelensky said to himself, “How the fuck did I get here?” As most of you know, Zelensky was a comedian and an actor. His presidency was kind of a lark. My memory my fail me here but I believe his big claim to fame was a show in which he played a fictional President of Ukraine. So his whole candidacy had a meta/absurdist tinge to it and likely was only possible in a country in which much of the population regards the political class as hopelessly corrupt. And yet Zelensky now finds himself in a position in which he will either preside over the dissolution of the independent Ukrainian state or, if things go very differently, probably be regarded as something like a founding father of it.
Continue reading “Volodymyr Zelensky”Putin Demands Ukraine Surrender
Amid a flurry of talk about potential negotiations and with Russian troops continuing to bear down on Kyiv, Vladimir Putin made one thing clear on Friday: he won’t stop until Ukraine surrenders.
Continue reading “Putin Demands Ukraine Surrender”Biden Names Federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson As His Supreme Court Nominee
President Joe Biden on Friday named federal judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his first nominee to the Supreme Court.
Continue reading “Biden Names Federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson As His Supreme Court Nominee”North Carolina Board Stops Bid To Pull Cawthorn From Ballot, Citing New District Map
The North Carolina State Board of Elections on Thursday informed the voters fighting to get far-right Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) booted off the ballot that their challenge to his candidacy was no longer valid, due to the new district map that was established by a state court this week.
Continue reading “North Carolina Board Stops Bid To Pull Cawthorn From Ballot, Citing New District Map”