Today so far
- Pressure for the US to facilitate the jet transfer from Poland to Ukraine may be higher than ever after Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, addresses Congress on Wednesday.
- Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, had “substantial discussions of Russia’s war against Ukraine” in Rome today, with China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi. In terms of aiding Russia in its war efforts, White House press secretary Jen Psaki reiterated that “there will be significant consequences” should China even consider the option.
- Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured while reporting in Ukraine. While the circumstances of how he was injured are still unknown, his hospitalization comes a day after Brent Renaud, an award-winning US film-maker, was killed reportedly by Russian forces in the town of Irpin. A US photographer, Juan Arredondo, was wounded in the same incident. When pressed about what the president’s response would be - Joe Biden said in February that the US would respond forcefully if Americans were targeted in Ukraine - Psaki declined to comment.
Thanks for reading. You can follow all the latest Russia-Ukraine news in our dedicated live blog:
Updated
The United States and some of its Nato allies – Britain, Poland and the Baltic trio – have been the most vigorous in insisting that Ukraine must, for moral and strategic reasons, receive the weapons it needs to fight Russian aggression.
The moral case, strengthened by Ukrainians’ valiant resistance and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s Churchillian wartime leadership, is that Ukraine is the victim, Russia the aggressor.
Yet amid the moral outrage and depth of animosity toward Putin, the risks of pouring arms into Ukraine should be considered carefully and dispassionately.
Read on:
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has been repeating a piece of Russian misinformation that the US is is funding biolabs in Ukraine that are “conducting research on dangerous pathogens”.
There is “no evidence” supporting these claims, according to a New York Times factcheck on the issue, but Gabbard has joined Fox News host Tucker Carlson in spreading this theory that is promoted by Russian state media.
Congressman Adam Kinzinger tweeted that Gabbard’s message was Russian propaganda and “traitorous. “Tulsi should go to Russia,” he wrote. But it was senator Mitt Romney and his response that sparked Gabbard’s ire.
Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda. Her treasonous lies may well cost lives.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) March 13, 2022
In response to Romney, Gabbard went on a 14-tweet rant continuing to defend the misinformation before ultimately telling Romney to resign.
So, Senator Romney, you have a choice: out of pride, continue to deny the truth or admit you are wrong, apologize, and resign.
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) March 14, 2022
Aloha.
And remember that without the truth, we can be neither safe nor free.
“She is one of the most qualified individuals to ever be nominated to this position,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said of Sarah Bloom Raskin, on of Joe Biden’s nominees for the Federal Reserve Board. “That is where our focus is.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration was aware that senator Joe Manchin had planned to announce that he will part with the Democrats and vote to not confirm Sarah Bloom Raskin for the Federal Reserve Board.
Earlier, the White House issued a statement that they were “working to line up bipartisan support”, but Psaki would not comment on whether they had any Republicans lined up on their side.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki addressed the ongoing attempts at peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. She said what it comes down to is that Russia needs to back its words with actions, and so far in these talks, they have seen no attempts to do so.
“We’re not seeing any evidence of that at this point that President Putin is doing anything to stop the onslaught or deescalate,” she said.
Psaki continued: “Diplomacy requires both sides engaging in good faith and to deescalate. What we’re really looking for is a specific delivery of actions. I think it’s important to remember that there have been five or six attempts to implement a humanitarian corridor. Those have not been effective. Those have not worked. You have seen through video footage and others that those have not been abided by. That is where we’re keeping our focus.”
White House warns of 'significant consequences' if China aids Russia
White House press secretary Jen Psaki is at the podium for the press briefing. She declined to say if China had provided any military aid to Russia since the war began, but noted that should they do so, “there will be significant consequences”.
Fox News pointed out that Joe Biden had stated in February that if Americans were targeted in Ukraine, the US would respond forcefully. US filmmaker Brent Renaud was killed this weekend, reportedly by Russian forces in an attack that also injured US photographer Juan Arredondo. Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall has just been reported injured as well, though the circumstances of how he was injured is still unknown.
“What is that response going to look like?” the Fox News reporter asked.
“You have seen the president lead the world in putting in place consequences, putting in place repercussions and steps in response to the actions of Russia, the brutal actions that have certainly impacted Ukrainian people and now have impacted Americans,” Psaki said. “But in terms of next steps, in terms of what the next consequences will be, I don’t have anything to preview for you.”
“Our thoughts, the president’s thoughts, our administration’s thoughts are with (Hall), his family and all of you at Fox News,” Psaki said.
Updated
Fox News correspondent injured in Ukraine
Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall has been injured while reporting on the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Details are scant, but Hall has been hospitalized.
Breaking: Fox says that correspondent Benjamin Hall has been hospitalized after being injured reporting in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/KYoqv6P1Ok
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) March 14, 2022
This comes a day after Brent Renaud, an award-winning US film-maker, was killed reportedly by Russian forces in the town of Irpin. A US photographer, Juan Arredondo, was wounded in the same incident.
United States holds 'intense' high-level talks with China
In a new statement, the White House says Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, had “substantial discussions of Russia’s war against Ukraine” in Rome today, with China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi.
The two discussed a range of issues in US-China relations, the statement says.
On Sunday, multiple US news outlets reported that Russia had asked China for military assistance since it invaded Ukraine.
In their report for the Guardian, Julian Borger and Helen Davidson write:
The United States has held “intense” high-level talks with China in an effort to try to dissuade Beijing from supplying arms to Russia, at a meeting in Rome which the White House sees as critically important not just for the war in Ukraine but also for the future of the global balance of power.
Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, met his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, for all-day talks in the Italian capital on Monday amid reports that Russia has asked China for weapons to bolster its faltering invasion of Ukraine.
“It was an intense seven-hour session, reflecting the gravity of the moment, as well as our commitment to maintaining open lines of communication,” a senior administration official said. “This meeting was not about negotiating specific issues or outcomes, but about a candid direct exchange of views.”
Asked if it had been successful, the official replied: “I suppose it depends on how you define success, but we believe that it is important to keep open lines of communication between the United States and China, especially on areas where we disagree.”
Here it is in full:
Updated
The conservative influence powerhouse CPAC and the American Conservative Union that sponsors it face criticism on multiple fronts over financial and other dealings with foreign backers, and charges their gatherings have become pay-to-play affairs with corporate lobbyists as Donald Trump allies gain power and influence.
The annual CPAC meeting is a hugely influential date on the conservative calendar and attracts a wide array of power players in the Republican party and broader conservative movement.
The CPAC “straw poll” is seen as a potential predictor of Republican presidential candidates. Last month, the event was held in Florida. Trump was the star attraction and won the straw poll by a healthy margin.
The growing salvos aimed at CPAC and the ACU have come as the ACU has expanded fundraising operations and become closely linked to Trump and his large loyalist base, say current and former ACU board members.
Full story:
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, will address Congress on Wednesday, in what could prove his most powerful plea yet for the west to take a tougher line against Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskiy is expected to use the virtual address to urge members of the House of Representatives and Senate to intensify pressure on Joe Biden to allow the transfer of MiG-29 fighter jets from Poland.
The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, said in a joint letter to members: “The Congress, our country and the world are in awe of the people of Ukraine, who have shown extraordinary courage, resilience and determination in the face of Russia’s unprovoked, vicious and illegal war.”
They added: “The Congress remains unwavering in our commitment to supporting Ukraine as they face Putin’s cruel and diabolical aggression, and to passing legislation to cripple and isolate the Russian economy as well as deliver humanitarian, security and economic assistance to Ukraine.
“We look forward to the privilege of welcoming President Zelenskiy’s address to the House and Senate and to convey our support to the people of Ukraine as they bravely defend democracy.”
Most members of Congress back the White House’s refusal to attempt to impose a “no-fly zone” that could entail US pilots firing on Russians and trigger a wider conflict.
Chris Murphy, chairman of the Senate appropriations homeland security subcommittee, told the Hill: “This is the most dangerous moment since the Cuban missile crisis. We have never been this close to direct conflict with Russia.
“We made the right decision to openly support the Ukrainians but we just should understand the unprecedented moment that we’re living in today where we’re openly funding war against a nuclear power.”
But there is a growing split over Poland’s offer to send Soviet-style MiG-29 fighter jets, which Ukrainian pilots are capable of flying, to Ukraine via a US airbase in Germany.
Full story:
Today so far
- Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, will address Congress on Wednesday.
- Joe Manchin, the moderate Democratic senator known for throwing a wrench into the Biden legislative agenda, has announced that he will not be voting to confirm Sarah Bloom Raskin for the Federal Reserve Board.
- The White House is discussing have Joe Biden travel to Europe soon for Ukraine-focused trip.
- The Kremlin has instructed Russia-friendly media and commentators to use more Tucker Carlson clips, according to a report from Mother Jones.
- Another Democratic congresswoman has tested positive for Covid-19 following an annual strategy retreat in Philadelphia last week.
As we mentioned earlier, Congress has been especially active in the matter of Russia and Ukraine, and keeping the pressure on the White House when it comes to assertive policy. Here are some more happenings on Capitol Hill:
Senate leaders are checking with their respective caucuses to see if there are any objections to quickly passing a Graham resolution that would call on the United States to back any investigation into war crimes committed by Putin, senior Russian leaders and Russian commanders.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 14, 2022
Some more on the nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin to Federal Reserve board, after the news that senator Joe Manchin will part with the Democrats and vote against confirming her:
NEW: Statement from Senate Banking Committee spox on SBR nomination:
— Ylan Q. Mui (@ylanmui) March 14, 2022
"Senator @SherrodBrown is working to move forward Ms. Bloom Raskin’s nomination with bipartisan support, as Ms. Bloom Raskin has earned twice before."
Democratic Super Pac files complaint with FEC about Trump campaign funds
The New York Times is reporting that American Bridge, a Democratic super PAC, is filing a complaint with the Federal Election Committee accusing Donald Trump of violating campaign finance law by using campaign funds without formally announcing his 2024 presidential run.
Federal rules state that those who raise or spend more than $5,000 in support of a presidential campaign must register with the FEC. Though Trump has repeatedly teased a 2024 bid, he has not formally filed for re-election - such a filing would restrict how he raises and spends his campaign money, including his existing war chest.
“I know what I’m going to do, but we’re not supposed to be talking about it yet from the standpoint of campaign finance laws,” he said this fall. American Bridge said this quote is proof that he is improperly using his existing political committees to advance a presidential run.
A spokesman for Trump called the complaint frivolous.
Updated
The process to approve Joe Biden’s nominees for Federal Reserve board - including the Federal Reserve chair - have all been stalled over one particular nominee: Sarah Bloom Raskin, wife of Jamie Raskin, a Democratic member of Congress.
Last month, Republicans refused to attend the meeting to move the nomination process forward. They wanted senator Sherrod Brown, chair of the banking committee reviewing the nominations, to separate Raskin from the other four nominees, but Brown refused - a move the White House supported. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said if Republicans disagreed with the nomination, they should vote that way, but that it was irresponsible to not show up and do their jobs.
This stalemate in political will received a new development today in the form of Joe Manchin, the moderate Democratic senator from West Virginia with a penchant for throwing a wrench into the Biden legislative agenda. Manchin announced today that he will oppose the nomination of Raskin, putting into question the slim 51 to 50 Democratic majority.
The nominees to the Federal Reseve Board have been stalled because Republicans have boycotted the Senate Banking Committee’s vote over the nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin. Manchin, who is not on the committee, announces he opposes Raskin, dealing a major blow to the nomination. pic.twitter.com/o7LiDwOXZ3
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 14, 2022
The White House said it is “working to line up the bipartisan support” needed to get Raskin confirmed.
White House says it is “working to line up the bipartisan support” needed to get Raskin confirmed.
— Kate Davidson (@KateDavidson) March 14, 2022
Accuses oil and gas companies of trying to tarnish her career. pic.twitter.com/GS1RqKzrFS
Ginni Thomas, longtime conservative activist and wife of supreme court justice Clarence Thomas, has denied that that she helped organize the rally that became that 6 January attack on the US Capitol.
“I played no role with those who were planning and leading the January 6 events,” Thomas said in a lengthy interview with the Washington Free Beacon. “There are stories in the press suggesting I paid or arranged for buses. I did not. There are other stories saying I mediated feuding factions of leaders for that day. I did not.”
The interview comes after New York Times Magazine and the New Yorker reported on her links to rally organizers and that she had served on the board of a conservative group that distributed documents about challenging the 2020 election results.
In December 2021, Thomas signed a letter from the Council for National Policy’s political arm condemning the House select committee tasked with investigating 6 January attack. One month later, the supreme court took on Donald Trump’s request to block the committee from getting White House records that were ordered released by Joe Biden and two lower courts - Thomas’s husband, Clarence Thomas, was the only justice who ruled in favor of Trump’s request.
Thomas told the Free Beacon that she was “disappointed and frustrated that there was violence that happened following a peaceful gathering of Trump supporters on the Ellipse”.
Doubts about the electability of Black candidates “should have no place in America in 2022”, a contender for the Democratic nomination for governor in Maryland said, after an email from a party official and donor expressing such doubt went public.
The email from Barbara Goldberg Goldman, deputy treasurer of the state Democratic party, was obtained by Axios. The news site noted the disparity between such doubts and Democratic reliance on Black voters in states across the US, not least in the election of Joe Biden as president.
In the email, which Axios said was written “to other party insiders”, Goldberg Goldman explained why she was backing Tom Perez, a former labor secretary and chairman of the Democratic National Committee, for the nomination for governor this year.
“So, my thinking beyond here is the age-old question,” Goldberg Goldman wrote. “Which candidate(s) have a better chance in the general election of beating an attractive female [Larry] Hogan team member for whom both [Democrats] and [Republicans] have expressed genuine likability?”
The possible Republican nominee referred to as a successor to Hogan, who has served two terms, is Kelly Schulz, currently state secretary for commerce.
“Consider this,” Goldberg Goldman wrote. “Three African American males have run statewide for governor and have lost. Maryland is not a blue state. It’s a purple one. This is a fact we must not ignore. In the last 20 years, only eight have been with a Democratic governor. We need a winning team. IMHO.”
Full story:
Last week, the Jewish Insider reported that Paul O’Brien, executive director of Amnesty International USA, said at a talk for the Women’s National Democratic Club that Israel “shouldn’t exist as a Jewish state” and that he didn’t believe that the majority of American Jews identified as pro-Israel. “I believe my gut tells me that what Jewish people in this country want is to know that there’s a sanctuary that is a safe and sustainable place that the Jews, the Jewish people can call home,” he said.
O’Brien later said his comments had been misreported and that he had said: “I don’t believe that Israel should be preserved as a state in which on race is legally entitled to oppress another.”
"No I don’t believe that Israel should be preserved as a state in which one race is legally entitled to oppress another’ but yes I understand that the Jewish people have a legitimate concern about their existence being threatened and that needs to be part of the conversation" 2/5
— Paul O'Brien (@dpaulobrien) March 12, 2022
I made clear repeatedly in the meeting that Amnesty supports the right of the Jewish people, and Palestinian people to self-determination. 3/5
— Paul O'Brien (@dpaulobrien) March 12, 2022
Several times, I clarified that Amnesty has no political view on the legitimacy or existence of any state. We focus on human rights law and the evidence to support it. Period. 4/5
— Paul O'Brien (@dpaulobrien) March 12, 2022
Today, all 25 Jewish Democratic members of Congress issued a statement condemning O’Brien’s remarks.
“As Jewish members of the House of Representatives, we represent diverse views on a number of issues relating to Israel,” the statement reads. “However, we are in full agreement that Mr. O’Brien’s patronizing attempt to speak on behalf of the American Jewish community is alarming and deeply offensive. He has added his name to the list of those who, across centuries, have tried to deny and usurp the Jewish people’s independent agency. We stand united in condemning this and any antisemitic attempt to deny the Jewish people control of their own destiny.”
All 25 Jewish Democratic House members condemn Amnesty International USA’s executive director Paul O’Brien for saying that Israel shouldn’t exist as a Jewish state pic.twitter.com/IVJF13bBBQ
— Jacob Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) March 14, 2022
NBC is reporting that the White House is discussing having Joe Biden travel to Europe for a Ukraine-focused trip.
NEW - @nbcnews exclusive - White House discussing having
— Josh Lederman (@JoshNBCNews) March 14, 2022
Biden travel to Europe in the coming weeks for trip focused on Ukraine, 5 sources tell @carolelee @mikememoli & me.
Potential stops could include Brussels, home to NATO & EU
A major new Biden administration initiative to facilitate access to Covid-19 antivirals will have a limited impact and fail to mitigate certain health inequities, major pharmacist groups argue, because pharmacists are restricted from prescribing the pills.
Announced in Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, the “Test to Treat” program is meant to address the maddening difficulty Americans have had in accessing Covid-19 treatments. The administration will channel newly increasing stocks of antiviral pills to major retail pharmacies that have in-house clinics, providing one-stop testing and antivirals access.
The program, which the administration aims to provide for free (in the face of fierce Republican opposition to new Covid-19 spending), is also slated to roll out in Veterans Affairs clinics, community health centers and long-term care facilities.
Major participants include some 250 Walgreens stores, 225 Kroger Little Clinics and 1,200 CVS MinuteClinics. CVS clinics in particular are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants, authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prescribe the two currently available Covid antivirals, Pfizer’s Paxlovid and Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics’ molnupiravir.
In a 9 March letter to Biden calling for pharmacists to be granted authority to prescribe these pills, 14 organizations representing pharmacies and pharmacists insisted Test to Treat’s impact will be compromised by the fact that such in-house clinics are relatively limited in number and largely in urban areas.
“Unfortunately, rural and underserved communities are less likely to benefit from your test to treat approach because of this limitation,” the letter states.
Full story:
The Fox News primetime host Tucker Carlson has been widely accused of echoing Russian propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine. According to a report on Sunday, earlier this month the Putin regime in Moscow sent out an instruction to friendly media outlets: use more clips of Carlson.
Mother Jones, a progressive magazine, said it had obtained memos produced by the Russian department of information and telecommunications support.
One document, it said, was entitled “For Media and Commentators (recommendations for coverage of events as of 03.03)”, or 3 March. The magazine published pictures of the memo, which it said it was given by “a contributor to a national Russian media outlet who asked not to be identified”.
It said the memo included an instruction: “It is essential to use as much as possible fragments of broadcasts of the popular Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who sharply criticises the actions of the United States [and] Nato, their negative role in unleashing the conflict in Ukraine, [and] the defiantly provocative behavior from the leadership of the eastern countries and Nato towards the Russian Federation and towards President Putin, personally.”
Full story:
Congresswoman Madeleine Dean has become the latest Democrat to test positive for Covid-19 after attending an annual strategy retreat in Philadelphia with about half of the total 222 House Democrats.
The representative from Pennsylvania joins congresswomen Zoe Lofgren of California and Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut. All are vaccinated and are experiencing only mild symptoms.
This morning I tested positive for COVID. My symptoms are mild — similar to a seasonal cold — which I am thankful for and attribute to being three-times vaccinated.
— Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (@RepDean) March 14, 2022
If you can — please protect yourself from this virus by getting vaccinated, even as we come out of this pandemic.
With Donald Trump allies gaining power and influence, conservative influence powerhouse Conservative Political Action Conference - better known as CPAC - and the American Conservative Union are facing criticism that their gatherings have become pay-to-play affairs with corporate lobbyists.
Peter Stone has more here:
Zelenskiy to address US Congress
Greetings, live blog readers. Happy Monday.
As we move into Day 19 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the Kremlin showing no sign of slowing down, there is news from Washington: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, will address Congress on Wednesday.
Announcing the address, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, said: “The Congress, our country and the world are in awe of the people of Ukraine, who have shown extraordinary courage, resilience and determination in the face of Russia’s unprovoked vicious and illegal war.
“As war rages on in Ukraine, it is with great respect and admiration for the Ukrainian people that we invite all members of the House and Senate to attend a virtual address to the United States Congress, delivered by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine on Wednesday 16 March at 9am.”
The address will only be open to members of Congress, the Democrats said.
Congress, meanwhile, is laying it on heavy on the Biden administration.
Politico Playbook took note this morning on how even though lawmakers typically let the White House take charge on matters of foreign policy, Republicans and Democrats have joined forces to push for the ban on Russian oil imports and an end to Russian trade relations.
Now Congress is amping up the pressure when it comes to the issue of the fighter jets in Poland. Zelenskiy has repeatedly pleaded to his global partners to send aid in the form of fighter jets. Poland has a cache of Soviet-style planes and last week Polish officials said they were available to Ukraine as soon as the US was ready to make the transfer happen.
The US has balked at facilitating this transfer for a number of reasons – they would be coming from a Nato airbase, for one, and over the weekend, Russia warned that it would view any such delivery as an escalation.
But Rob Portman, the Republican senator from Ohio, spoke to CNN from the Ukraine-Poland border on Sunday and pointed out that Vladimir Putin had also called sanctions an “act of war”.
"I don't understand why we're not doing it." @senrobportman tells @DanaBashCNN he supports Poland and other NATO allies providing fighter jets to Ukrainians despite objections from the Biden administration. #CNNSOTU @CNNsotu pic.twitter.com/aZ5xK1UKmL
— CNN (@CNN) March 13, 2022
Stay tuned for more.
