Your First Look at Today's Top Stories - Daybreak Insider

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Monday, February 28, 2022

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Putin Puts Nuclear Deterrent on Alert

From the story: “Western countries aren’t only taking unfriendly actions against our country in the economic sphere, but top officials from leading NATO members made aggressive statements regarding our country,” Mr. Putin told Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and armed forces Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov in a briefing broadcast on state television (Washington Times). Meanwhile, hundreds of Ukrainian citizens have been killed by Russian troops, including over a dozen children (ABC News). But, though many feared Russia would control Ukraine within 24 hours, they still hadn’t taken a major city after 4 days (Telegraph). From another story: The Kremlin’s ongoing invasion represents the most formidable challenge for the Russian military since it was modernized under Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s top military officer who was appointed to his post in 2012. Yet no Ukrainian cities have been taken by the Russian military. Some of the Ukrainian Air Force and air defenses are still intact. Western officials and analysts say that Russia’s strategy had been based on the premise that an initial barrage of missile strikes and a thrust toward Ukraine’s capital would bring about the quick collapse of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government. Mr. Zelensky, however, remains defiant while facing long odds (WSJ). Mitt Romney says the Ukrainians “have galvanized the spirit of the entire world. The contrast of that kind of leadership and puny nature of Vladimir Putin’s tyranny has helped people understand the difference between good and evil” (Washington Times). From the Wall Street Journal editorial board: Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine invasion isn’t going according to his script, and for that the world owes a great debt to the heroic people of that besieged country of 41 million. Their resistance against fearsome odds is an inspiration and has awakened the world to the menace of the Kremlin autocrat. Ukraine deserves more support to raise the costs of war for Mr. Putin with arms, the toughest sanctions, and global ostracism (WSJ). From Marco Rubio: #Russian military leaders should think very carefully before following the orders they recently received #Putin is 2 years shy of the life expectancy of a Russian male and you will spend the rest of your lives evading an international tribunal for committing his crimes (Twitter).

Russian Citizens Search for Cash as West Imposes Sanctions on Banks

From the story: People in Moscow and other Russian cities stormed ATMs and bank branches in search of cash, both in roubles and dollars, as they feared a collapse of the national currency and inability to use international payment systems. Queues of people seeking to withdraw foreign currencies started to form as early as Thursday morning, after the decision by Russia’s president Vladimir Putin to start a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sending the rouble to its historic lows. A Financial Times reporter could witness that some branches of international banks ran out of US dollars by midday that day (Financial Times). From Hugh Hewitt: The sort of “second-order” impacts Putin may not have counted on. Imagine shock of bank runs on top of plunging value of Russian stocks, real estate, businesses dependent on foreign purchases and of course tourism. Putin now frozen by sunk costs? (Twitter). From the Washington Times: Videos from Russia showed long lines of Russians trying to withdraw cash from ATMs, while the Russian Central Bank issued a statement calling for calm, in an effort to avoid bank runs. Reports also showed that Visa and Mastercard were no longer being accepted for those with international bank accounts (Washington Times).

Biden Behind as Other Countries Step Up to Help Ukraine

From the story: “Surprised by the unusually rapid European decision, the White House scrambled over the weekend to catch up in drafting its own related measures…The latest sanctions mean the Western allies are effectively waging financial war against Russia” (Washington Post). From Hugh Hewitt: Putin might be concluding that the lack of comprehensive sanctions for his attack on Ukraine might mean the United States and its allies are not willing to pay the sort of price that would back up their words with action. What should the president do? Back the immediate exile of every Russian bank from the SWIFT messaging system that knits together international finance. Ban travel to and from Russia, including by cruise ship. Call for NATO nations to expel every wealthy Putin crony. Expropriate Russian assets for the settlement of Ukrainian claims. Go on the cyber offensive; don’t wait to be hit (Washington Post). From Mike Pompeo: It is high past time that the United States lead in the removal of all Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT). This will hobble Russia economically and effect great costs upon the Russian oligarchs who empower Putin. Regrettably, it will also hurt the Russian people, who must demand different leadership now. Russia’s oligarchs, whose international holdings hide Putin’s, must be more broadly sanctioned across the globe, for their wealth supports Russia’s President. America must lead if other nations are to follow (CavPac). After pressure from the UK, BP is bailing on their 20 percent stake in Russian oil (WSJ).

Poll: 62 Percent of Voters Say Putin Wouldn't Have Invaded if Trump Were President

The story also notes “A majority of Americans polled — 59 percent — also said they believed that the Russian president moved on Ukraine because Putin saw weakness in President Biden” (The Hill). From Condoleezza Rice on Putin: “He was always calculating and cold. But this is different. He seems erratic. There is an ever-deepening, delusional rendering of history, it was always a kind of victimology about what had happened to them, but now it goes back to blaming Lenin for the foundation of Kyiv … in Ukraine” (Fox News). From Garry Kasporov: Ukraine’s only sin was to try to join the free world of democracy and prosperity. This was unforgivable to Putin. But instead of being embraced and protected by the nations it wished to join, they kept Ukraine at arm’s length and did business with its tormentor (Twitter).

Protests Against Russia Continue Around the World

From Times Square to Berlin (Fox News). Protestors risk arrest in Russia, but continue nonetheless (Washington Times).

Biden Nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson for Supreme Court

From the Wall Street Journal: After reviewing so many of Judge Jackson’s judicial opinions, we have no doubt of her capabilities. We can’t discern whether she has any cognizable judicial philosophy that would guide her approach to the sort of fraught legal questions that the Supreme Court confronts term after term. Her loudest advocates are confident that she’ll serve them well, and her record supports that view. With 50 Democratic senators, that may be enough (WSJ). From Senator Ted Cruz: While I have concerns about how President Biden is handling this nomination process, I look forward to evaluating Judge Jackson on her record, views, and judicial philosophy alone. Sadly, Senate Democrats have undermined the American people’s confidence in previous judicial confirmation processes with vicious personal smears and unfounded accusations. These kinds of shameless attacks demeaned the Senate and made a mockery of our constitutional role in providing advice and consent to the president on nominations. I believe Judge Jackson should be treated with the dignity and decorum that has been lacking from the consideration of past nominations (Senate).

Biden Refuses to Increase Oil Production

Instead, in the middle of this crisis, the White House talks “renewable energy”(Fox Business). From John Fund: It’s clear that the Biden administration is infested with devotees of green energy who are hostile to the fossil fuels we urgently need right now. So too is the European Union, whose president, Ursula von der Leyen, has just called for the continent to “massively invest in renewables,” a dubious short-term course given the limitations of wind and solar technology. Just this month, Biden appointees at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission erected regulatory barriers that essentially make it impossible for the United States to ever build another LNG export terminal. Democratic senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia called the move “reckless” (National Review).

Elon Musk Restores Internet to Ukraine with Starlink Satellite

After a request from Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Federov (Washington Examiner). The request and reply (Twitter).

ABC News/WaPo Poll: Biden Approval Down to 37 Percent

And the poll finds Republicans in congress with a whopping 10-point lead among likely voters, the highest in 40 years. Independents favor the GOP by 14 points (Langer Research). President Biden says things are “much better” but American’s are blinded by covid (Fox News).

10.

New York Times: This is No Time to Stop Fearing Covid

The newspaper is clearly stressed that people aren’t in a panic, worrying “the rush to return to normality in light of an improving national outlook for coronavirus cases has many public health experts concerned that the end of the Omicron surge is incorrectly being conflated with the end of the pandemic.”

New York Times