Summary
- All focus today is on the situation in Ukraine, as the threat of a Russian invasion continues to seem imminent. Make sure to check out our live updates here.
- A judge has ruled that he will order a dismissal of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, citing a lack of evidence.
- Democrats sued Kansas officials over a Republican redistricting law, accusing map makers of purposely dividing two Democratic strongholds and minority communities and having neighboring Republican districts absorb them.
- On the fourth anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, Joe Biden called upon Congress to pass more stringent gun control measures.
Accounting firm fires Trump Organization as client
The accounting firm Mazars has said it can no longer stand behind annual financial statements it prepared for the Trump Organization between 2011 and 2020, Reuters is reporting.
In a letter cited by the New York Attorney General’s office in a court filing today, the firm stated that it had come to this conclusion based on filings made by the attorney general, “our own investigation” and other information from different parties.
“While we have not concluded that the various financial statements, as a whole, contain material discrepancies, based on the totality of the circumstances, we believe our advice to no longer rely upon those financial statements is appropriate,” Mazars said in its letter.
Mazars concluded the letter by saying it would no longer “provide any new work product to the Trump Organization”.
Deputy White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre hedged on a question on whether Joe Biden will begin interviews with his supreme court candidates this week. She said the president has had a series of conversations and good discussions and continues to review materials, but “I don’t have anything else to share on any interviews.”
“He has not interviewed potential nominees, to be clear, but he is on track to select a SCOTUS nominee by the end of this month,” she said.
Deputy White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has taken to the podium for the press briefing, the top topic of which is the growing threat of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For more on the situation on the Ukraine border, check out our live updates here.
Jean-Pierre touched upon again the statement that Joe Biden issued earlier today marking the fourth anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people and wounded 17 more – the deadliest school shooting in the country.
She also spoke about vice-president Kamala Harris and her announcement today that more than 10 million households are enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law.
Judge will dismiss Palin's defamation lawsuit against New York Times
A judge said today that he will order the dismissal of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, Reuters is reporting.
District Judge Jed Rakoff ruled that the 2008 Republican US vice-presidential candidate did not present sufficient evidence to win her lawsuit, in which she argued that a 2017 editorial incorrectly linked her to a mass shooting six years earlier that wounded Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
Palin is expected to appeal the decision.
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Majority leader Chuck Schumer is on the senate floor giving a quick rundown on what’s to come.
For the postal service reform bill, which had some technical issues, Schumer said he’ll move today to fix the legislation - but he’ll need unanimous consent. Yesterday, a Schumer spokesperson mentioned that senator Rick Scott was standing in the way of a technical fix for the bill.
Schumer also addressed the topic on everyone’s mind: when Joe Biden will name his supreme court nomination.
"When President Biden makes his announcement, I intend to have the Senate move quickly to take up and confirm the nominee," Schumer says on the floor
— Nolan D. McCaskill (@NolanDMcCaskill) February 14, 2022
"We are not sacrificing qualifications and excellence for diversity," Schumer says of judicial confirmations under Biden. "President Biden's nominees are both more diverse and more qualified, in my judgment, than any president in recent history."
— Nolan D. McCaskill (@NolanDMcCaskill) February 14, 2022
Donald Trump is putting his weight behind rightwing Republican candidates who support his baseless claims of a stolen election in key battleground states like Michigan - which is raising alarm over how fair elections will be in these states in the future.
Reminder that we have a live blog with live updates on the growing threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Follow here for more:
Daily Show host and comedian Trevor Noah is set to host the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner this year - after two years of the annual media shindig being cancelled due to the pandemic.
According to Politico:
“The announcement of Noah as the dinner’s featured entertainer represents a return to normalcy for the highly anticipated gathering of Washington journalists, politicians and elite society, which in the past drew big-name comedians to preside over the event known as “Nerd Prom.”
But after [Michelle] Wolf’s performance in 2018 — which saw the comedian savage Trump administration officials such as then-press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders — proved too polarizing for some attendees, the WHCA selected presidential biographer Ron Chernow to speak at the 2019 dinner. The dinner was then canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to coronavirus-related concerns.”
Updated
A person shot at a mayoral candidate today in Louisville, Kentucky.
While candidate Craig Greenberg was uninjured, a round came close enough to him to pierce his clothing. The suspect is in custody, but police have not released a motive.
NEW: Council President David James confirms someone shot at mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg.
— Grace McKenna (@GraceMcKennaTV) February 14, 2022
We’re told Greenberg was in his office in Butchertown — he wasn’t hit and isn’t hurt. @WHAS11
HAPPENING NOW: Chief Shields giving an update.
— Grace McKenna (@GraceMcKennaTV) February 14, 2022
Shields reports NO injuries, confirms Craig Greenberg was targeted. Says a round struck his clothes. @WHAS11 pic.twitter.com/fmPHR1IIYr
This shooting takes place on the fourth anniversary of the Parkland, Florida shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school - the deadliest shooting in the country that killed 17 people.
Joe Biden issued a statement earlier today calling on Congress to pass more stringent gun control legislation.
Meanwhile, Washington is lifting its mask mandate in places like restaurants and businesses beginning 1 March, but it will remain in place for schools and healthcare facilities.
Breaking: DC will lift mask mandate in places on March 1 pic.twitter.com/MQ3CEmGzeN
— davidshepardson (@davidshepardson) February 14, 2022
Democrats sue Kansas officials over Republican redistricting law
The Associated Press is reporting that Democrats have sued Kansas officials today over a Republican redistricting law that cost the state’s only Democrat in Congress some territory in her Kansas City-area district that she carried by wide margins in elections.
A team of attorneys led by Democratic attorney Marc Elias’ firm are arguing that Republican map drawers “explicitly set out to gerrymander the state in their favor” by splitting up two Democratic strongholds and heavily minority counties and redistricting their populations into heavily white and Republican districts.
Elias had promised that the new Kansas map would be challenged when the Republican-controlled legislature overrode the veto of the Democratic governor, Laura Kelly. Elias has been involved in lawsuits in multiple states, including Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio.
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Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee are urging Joe Biden to hurry up and choose someone for his supreme court nomination while they still have the narrow 50-50 majority vote, the Hill reports.
Earlier this month, Ben Ray Luján, a 49-year-old freshman Democratic senator from New Mexico, suffered a stroke and will likely need to miss four to six weeks of work to recover.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. The outpouring of support from New Mexicans and folks all around the country gives me strength every day. Excited to get back to work. pic.twitter.com/qRH2JjLTpp
— Senator Ben Ray Luján (@SenatorLujan) February 13, 2022
With this one medical emergency already putting a strain on the Democrats’ narrow majority, Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate judiciary committee, told the Hill: “I think we understand the importance of the responsibility we have and we’re anxious to get this senate moving forward. We started to pick up speed recently and we want to continue that,” he said.
Updated
Joe Biden is back at the White House, after spending the weekend at Camp David:
Marine One + decoy arrive at White House from Camp David. Press waiting to see if @POTUS will answer questions on #Ukraine and #Parkland anniversary pic.twitter.com/6Tl0zs2Hsw
— Sebastian Smith (@SebastianAFP) February 14, 2022
In sports news, there was a widely televised football game yesterday. During the Super Bowl half-time show, the rapper Eminem took a knee and held his head in apparent tribute to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality during the 2016 season.
After other players followed suit – in other sports as well – the move became a cultural controversy, with many believing that Kaepernick has been blackballed by the league’s teams and owners for taking his stance.
Immediately after Eminem took a knee, rumors began flying that the National Football League had attempted to stop him from doing so ahead of the game - in 2020, following the widespread protests over the police murder of George Floyd, the NFL famously had to apologize for not listening to its players earlier in their peaceful protest.
Today, however, the NFL has come out strong in denying the rumors that it tried to stop Eminem from taking a knee.
“We watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware that Eminem was going to do that,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
Updated
Meanwhile, majority leader Chuck Schumer is saying that a bill looking to reform the post office is set to hit the senate floor.
I’m standing together today with postal workers from NYC, postal workers from Long Island, and an Etsy entrepreneur who depends on the USPS.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 13, 2022
We will move forward in the Senate to pass the Postal Service Reform Act and help strengthen one of America’s most important institutions. pic.twitter.com/kSDiilHkV4
But Punchbowl News is reporting that senate likely won’t be able to take up the legislation until March: House clerks mistakenly enrolled the wrong version of the bill, meaning that Schumer filed cloture on the wrong version.
Today is the fourth anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people and wounded 17 more – the deadliest school shooting in the country.
Manuel Olivier, whose son Joaquin was one of the 17 killed that day, is now apparently on top of a construction crane a block from the White House, surrounded by police.
On this 4th anniversary of the #Parkland shooting Manuel Olivier whose son Joaquin was killed at Stoneman Douglas High School in FL is on top of a construction crane a block from the White House surrounded by police. @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/KgfZgn55IB
— Bob Barnard (@barnardfox5dc) February 14, 2022
It is unclear if Olivier is staging a protest, but he has been outspoken in the past in his crusade against gun violence.
Joe Biden released a statement today acknowledging that “out of the heartbreak of Parkland a new generation of Americans all across the country marched for our lives and towards a better, safer America for us all”.
“Together, this extraordinary movement is making sure that the voices of victims and survivors and responsible gun owners are louder than the voices of gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association,” the statement reads.
Biden continued: “I’ve asked Congress to pass a budget that provides an additional half billion dollars for proven strategies we know reduce violent crime – accountable community policing and community violence interventions. I have also requested increased funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the US marshals. And Congress must do much more – beginning with requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers.
“We can never bring back those we’ve lost,” Biden said. “But we can come together to fulfill the first responsibility of our government and our democracy: to keep each other safe. For Parkland, for all those we’ve lost, and for all those left behind, it is time to uphold that solemn obligation.”
Updated
Senate unlikely to pass Russia sanctions bill ahead of military action
Howdy, live blog readers. Happy Valentine’s Day.
All eyes in Washington continue to be on the growing threat that Russia will invade Ukraine, with Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, set to brief House and Senate leaders later today on the situation. Tune into our live blog on the tensions here for updates.
While Senate is in session today, Punchbowl News is reporting that the odds are pretty low on whether there could be any legislative action taken on sanctions against Russia ahead of military action. Though the majority leader, Chuck Schumer, told reporters last week that lawmakers were getting “closer and closer” to agreement on a Russia sanctions bill, the minority leader, Mitch McConnell, downplayed the impact of it, saying it was up to Joe Biden to decide the importance of such action.
Last week, the major hangup was over whether the sanctions would be imposed on all Russian banks and over Nord Stream 2, according to Bob Menendez, chair of the Senate foreign relations committee.
