The 2024 bench gets deeper

As we celebrate the culture and contributions of Black Americans this month, we’re spotlighting those who are working to bridge racial divides and honor the experience of being Black in America. Twanda Clark Edgal is the chief program officer of Gwen’s Girls, a Pittsburgh-based advocacy group centered on building the self-esteem of young girls from a wide array of different racial, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. It is named for its founder, the late Gwen Elliott, who was one of the first Black female officers in the Pittsburgh Police Department. “At Gwen’s Girls, we absolutely believe our girls have the potential to thrive, and they do as a result of that,” Edgal says. The nonprofit heavily focuses on academics and takes a therapeutic approach while working with young people who’ve often been left behind by the systems meant to assist them. “We come from the communities they come from,” says Edgal. “We understand what it’s like to be Black girls growing up in systems that don’t believe in them.” She adds, “We believe in them, we believe in their families, and we believe that…they are able to beat the odds and the obstacles against them.” —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

• Suspect identified in fatal MSU shooting; 2 of 3 student victims named —Detroit Free Press

• Ohio train derailment prompts health, environmental concerns —NPR

• Biden fires Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton over alleged abuse of authority —CBS News

• Parts of Ga. grand jury’s report on election interference by Trump and allies will be released this week —The Washington Post

• Thousands protest in Israel over Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul —The New York Times

Stop right there, Trump

If Donald Trump thought he’d have an easy, unimpeded journey back to the Republican presidential nomination, he thought wrong. Nikki Haley, a former U.N. ambassador under Trump and governor of South Carolina, announced today that she is running for president in 2024. Haley made her announcement in a 3½-minute video in which she declares, “It’s time for a new generation of leadership.” She previously vowed not to run against Trump, who announced his 2024 bid in November, so some politicos have suggested she’s really just auditioning to be Trump’s running mate. Look out, MTG. —The Washington Post

• Tim Scott. It’s unofficial yet, but Sen. Tim Scott is also reportedly planning to launch a presidential campaign. Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, is “excited to share his vision of hope and opportunity and hear the American people’s response,” according to Senior Advisor Jennifer DeCasper. Concrete steps taken by Scott so far have included appointing co-chairs of a fundraising Super PAC and scheduling several stops in Iowa. —Politico

• Chris Sununu. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who has also teased a potential run, has formed a fundraising apparatus as well. Sununu, just elected to his fourth two-year term, could operate in a different lane than Trump or another potential opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Largely avoiding the culture wars they’ve embraced, Sununu is more of a traditional conservative who could appeal to center-right Republicans that were turned off by Trump in 2020. —NBC News

• And the rest. At least 16 other names have been tossed around as other possible contenders for the GOP nomination, including Govs. Larry Hogan, Asa Hutchinson, Brian Kemp, and Kristi Noem; Cabinet officials John Bolton and Mike Pompeo; entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; and former Congresswoman Liz Cheney. Stay tuned. —Morning Star

MORE: Dianne Feinstein announces she won’t run for reelection in 2024 —CNN

‘He feels duty-bound to maintain that protection’

Another potential 2024 presidential candidate, former Vice President Mike Pence, plans to resist a grand jury subpoena for testimony about Donald Trump’s push to overturn the 2020 election. After notably putting his own life in jeopardy on Jan. 6, 2021, in order to play by the rules, why is Pence choosing defiance now? The decision to challenge Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request likely has nothing to do with executive privilege, as some past witnesses have claimed, but rather legislative privilege. Pence will argue that his former legislative-branch role as president of the Senate shields him from certain Justice Department demands. Expect a separation-of-powers battle between the Pence and Smith camps over whether the “speech or debate” clause—the constitutional provision that protects congressional officials from legal proceedings related to their work—applies in this case. —Politico

MORE: What it means for Pence to fight his subpoena—politically and legally —The Washington Post

WaPo Ed Board: We don’t need hysteria, but we do need answers

“On Monday, President Biden directed an interagency team, under the direction of the national security adviser, to study the broader policy implications for detection, analysis, and disposition of unidentified aerial objects that pose either safety or security risks. This effort could provide important perspective. Not every balloon that appears in the sky over North America needs to be fired upon by a costly missile. It’s harder still to see the need for an even costlier balloon defense program, although military contractors will certainly try to pitch them to lawmakers. To best protect the American people, it’s important to approach these incursions clear-eyed, calmly, and without partisan gamesmanship.” —The Washington Post

MORE: Portland-based fighter jets scrambled to unidentified object over Montana —NBC News

Clem: The outcome in Ukraine affects more than Ukraine

“Looking forward, the outcome of this war, should it result in Russian control of Ukrainian lands, could very well have serious negative consequences that might unhinge the geopolitical order in Europe and beyond. At stake in Ukraine are not just the fates of two countries, but the principle of non-aggression itself.” —Ralph S. Clem in The xxxxxx

Ralph S. Clem is emeritus professor of political geography and a senior fellow at the Stephen J. Green School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University in Miami.

MORE: Major Russian offensive is underway in Ukraine, NATO says —The Wall Street Journal

Sykes: Ron DeSantis vs the First Amendment

“DeSantis is launching a more substantive attack on press freedoms, and it would be naïve to brush off its implications. Last week, the Florida governor staged a slickly produced event targeting the ‘legacy media,’ which he complained had divorced itself ‘from truth and instead try to elevate preferred narratives and partisan activism over reporting the facts.’ Specifically, DeSantis is pushing the Supreme Court to overturn the 1964 ruling known as The New York Times Company v. Sullivan, which ‘set a higher bar for defamation lawsuits involving public figures, and for years it was viewed as sacrosanct.’” —Charlie Sykes in The xxxxxx

Charlie Sykes is the editor-at-large at The xxxxxx.

MORE: DeSantis hints at doing away with AP classes in Florida —Miami Herald

Corbin: The cure for our divisions? A little love

“There are a plethora of topics tearing Americans apart. Considering, pondering, and exploring where the ‘other side’ is coming from might be wise to adopt for our long-term survival. Having open discussions of differences and division is the starting point. May your Valentine’s Day be filled with eros, storge, and philia, loving your family, friends, and neighbors who are in need. And in the days ahead—when confronted with opposing opinions—may agape be applied trying to understand (vs. fighting, hating, and despising) others who think differently. Let’s truly work together and practice agape to build a better ‘United’ States of America.” —Steve Corbin in The Fulcrum

Steve Corbin is professor emeritus of marketing at the University of Northern Iowa.

MORE: Wayne King: Reconnecting the threads of the American tapestry —The New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism

As Vladimir Putin's version of tsarist Russia continues its brutal assault on Ukraine, Putin is actually emulating Hitler. Hitler launched a blitzkrieg against Russia after failing to defeat the RAF in the 1940 Battle of Britain. One phase of Hitler's war on Russia was the siege of Leningrad, which lasted nearly 900 days. Approximately one million Russians died there. Many starved to death. What we may soon find out is whether or not the world is any different today.

President Biden has demonstrated skill and balance in trying to prove that naked aggression is not acceptable in a civilized world. He has been forced to deal with an unstable Putin, who once bragged that he could destroy America in 30 minutes, while not capitulating to Russia in its illegal war against Ukraine. We are living in a very dangerous era of history. If Republicans want to side with the civilized world that Biden is trying to prove exists, they should stop encouraging Putin by threatening to halt aid to Ukraine. 

Putin is gambling that if he inflicts enough pain on NATO and Ukraine, the will to resist him will evaporate. Other tyrants are watching. Americans have been asked by President Biden to shoulder some of that pain in order to attain a higher goal. That goal is nothing less than the triumph of freedom over tyranny.

Former President George H.W. Bush once stated that Saddam Hussein's aggression against Kuwait would not stand. I was inspired by him to become a member of the Republican Party. I left the party on January 15, 2017, because I wanted to be certain that I was not a Republican when former President Trump was inaugurated. Trump ally and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has proven to me that I made the right decision. —Bill M., Pennsylvania

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Renew America Foundation.