The Hill’s Morning Report – Russia attacks Ukraine

by Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver - 02/24/22 6:46 AM ET

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Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported each morning this week: Monday, 935,335; Tuesday, 935,991; Wednesday, 939,201; Thursday, 941,908.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine early on Thursday as Russian forces carried out missile attacks across Ukraine, well beyond the separatist regions he claims to defend, prompting the U.S. and the international community to issue condemnations along with promises of harsh new sanctions (CNN and The Wall Street Journal).

Before dawn on Thursday, Putin declared that Russia had begun a “special military operation” that he said was in defense of separatist regions, with the aim of the “demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.” He called on Ukrainians to lay down their weapons (The Hill) and issued a threat: “Anyone who tries to interfere with us, or even more so, to create threats for our country and our people, must know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never before experienced in your history. We are ready for any turn of events.”

Russia launched missile attacks and blasts were heard in Kyiv, the capital; in Kharkiv, the second largest city; in Kramatorsk in the region of Donetsk, one of two eastern Ukrainian territories claimed by Russia-backed separatists since 2014; in Odessa and at a military base in Mariupol (pictured above), aimed at crippling Ukrainian defenses (The New York Times). Casualties are reported.

The attacks were described by international reporters on live television and radio and by stunned Ukrainians on social media (The Associated Press). The Ukrainian Interior Ministry told journalists that Russian troops landed in Odessa and crossed the border in Kharkiv as the missile bombardments began.

CNN: Here’s what we know about how Russia’s invasion unfolded.

The reaction from across the globe was swift. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cut all ties with Moscow and within a short time issued martial law across the nation, urging Ukrainians to defend their country.

“We are working. The army is working,” Zelensky said in a video message. “Don’t panic. We are strong. We are ready for everything. We will defeat everyone. Because we are Ukraine” (Financial Times).

The Ukrainian president added this morning that weapons will be handed out to all in the country who are capable of defending the homeland (Fox News).

President Biden, calling Russia’s attack “unprovoked” and “premeditated,” issued a written statement as the attacks began, vowing to hold Russia “accountable” in solidarity with a global alliance. Biden, who has said the U.S. will support NATO in Eastern Europe militarily and has joined European nations in sending weapons and assistance to Ukraine, will deliver an address at noon (The Hill). The U.S., along with European and Asian nations, will announce escalating economic and trade sanctions against Russia after failing to stave off a full-scale war that could alter the landscape of a post-Cold War Europe (CNN).

“The United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way,” Biden said. “The world will hold Russia accountable.”

The New York Times: The EU is planning tougher sanctions on Russia, but is also aiming to protect its own interests.

The Associated Press: Russia-Ukraine: What to know as Russia attacks Ukraine.

As war began, crude oil prices eclipsed $100 for the first time since 2014 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 600 points after Putin announced the attack (The Wall Street Journal).

Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this morning that the invasion represented “a full-scale attack from multiple directions.”

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers called for a harsh punishment of Putin and Russia. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said in a statement that the attack forced the need for the world to “expel the current Kremlin leadership from the international community” (The Hill). Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), a panel member, reprised his 2012 presidential debate warning about Russia, blaming three U.S. administrations for events that led up to Putin’s declaration of war. “The ‘80s called’ and we didn’t answer,” Romney said.

Members of Congress are also set to receive an unclassified briefing at 6:30 p.m. by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (Punchbowl News).

As many as 5 million Ukrainians could be displaced by an all-out war in the region, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations warned Wednesday. In Kyiv, Ukrainians began to withdraw funds from banks, line up for fuel and people fled the city by car (pictured below).

The sanctions being announced today by the U.S., the United Kingdom and other European partners follow earlier punishments against Russia unveiled on Tuesday and Wednesday, including expanded punishments for Putin’s inner circle and the company building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany (The Hill, Bloomberg News, The New York Times).

The Hill: Five things to know about Nord Stream 2.

CNBC: Cyberattacks hit Ukrainian banks and government websites on Wednesday and continue today.

Tom Rogan, Washington Examiner: Putin declares war on Ukraine: what now?

The Wall Street Journal: Ukraine crisis kicks off new superpower struggle among U.S., Russia and China.

INVITATION to The Hill’s Virtually Live event TODAY, 1 p.m. ET, “COVID-19 and Rare Disease Patients.” Nearly 1 in 10 Americans live with a rare disease; 95 percent of these diseases currently lack a FDA-approved treatment. How has the pandemic impacted Americans living with rare diseases, particularly as clinical trials have been delayed? Join Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) and more with The Hill’s moderator, Steve Clemons. RSVP here.

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LEADING THE DAY

POLITICS: Clouding the future of a high-profile Manhattan criminal investigation, two New York prosecutors leading a probe of former President Trump’s business practices resigned less than two months after a new district attorney, Alvin Bragg, took control of the Manhattan prosecutor’s office, a spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday.

Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz submitted their resignations after Bragg reportedly indicated to the pair that he had doubts about plowing ahead with the case against Trump. The move also throws the future of the case into fresh doubt and comes during a pause in the prosecution’s presentation of evidence to a grand jury) The New York Times).

The spokeswoman declined to offer details on the resignations. The investigation into Trump and his business practices “is ongoing,” the spokeswoman said (The Washington Post).

The positive development for Trump comes on the heels of a big political weekend for him as he prepares to headline the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday night. As The Hill’s Max Greenwood writes, the ex-president will be front of mind for many at the conference full of conservative activists, but many questions remain, including whether Trump can lay out a forward-looking vision rather than just air grievances about his 2020 electoral loss.

Another thing to watch at CPAC 2022 is how the batch of potential 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls navigates the former president, headlined by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), and what the event’s straw poll indicates about the state of conservatives.

Henry Olsen, The Washington Post: This year’s CPAC lineup speaks volumes about the conservative movement.

> Immigration: The Supreme Court found itself squarely in a political sandwich as the Biden administration and GOP-led states battled over a Trump-era immigration rule to deny green cards to immigrants on food stamps or other public benefits.

The rule, which the Biden administration has abandoned, in itself is not what the justices are charged with determining. Instead it’s whether the states, including Arizona, should be able to pick up the legal fight for the immigration provision. As The Associated Press notes, conservative and liberal justices both said during arguments that a new administration has the ability to change policy.

In Pennsylvania, the state Supreme Court selected a new congressional map that was suggested by Democrats, handing the party a major political win as it seeks to minimize its losses in the November midterm elections. The court’s Democratic majority picked the map that is considered a “least-change” option that creates nine districts that voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, and eight that supported Hillary Clinton and Biden. The map will also produce at least four competitive seats ahead of November.

Notably, the new map likely sets up another member versus member contests. Rep. Fred Keller (R-Pa.) quickly announced after the map was revealed that he will run in the newly created 9th District, likely setting up a primary fight against Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) (The Philadelphia Inquirer).

IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

CORONAVIRUS: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance on Tuesday and recommended that the time between receiving the two initial doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines should be expanded to eight weeks for some people over the age of 12, particularly young men.

According to the CDC, leaving more time between the first two doses may reduce the risk for severe side effects such as myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart wall. Since December 2020, doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine were given out three weeks apart, while Moderna’s two shots are spaced four weeks apart.

Those timelines are still suggested by the CDC for individuals who are immunocompromised, over 65 years old or in need of rapid protection against the virus (The Hill).

The Washington Post: Coronavirus vaccine protection was much weaker against omicron, data shows.

The New York Times: Sanofi says its vaccine results show 100 percent efficacy against severe disease.

> A long, strange trip: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revoked the emergency powers for police he invoked in recent days to put an end to the three-week long trucker protest that shut down parts of the U.S.-Canadian border and paralyzed Ottawa.

Trudeau said that the situation is no longer an emergency, adding that the current legislative and police powers are enough to deal with the protests at the moment. The now-rescinded act allowed police to implement no-go zones and freeze the bank accounts of private citizens. Canada on Tuesday began to lift the freeze on roughly 200 bank accounts and $8 million linked to the protests (The Associated Press).

> Empire State of Mind: New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) on Wednesday told reporters that he “can’t wait” to roll back the city’s vaccine requirement for indoor spaces and indicated that change could be coming in the coming days on that front.

“I can’t wait to get it done,” Adams said on Wednesday morning. “But they’re giving us clear instructions. They’ve given us benchmarks, We’re going to follow those benchmarks. But I look forward in the next few weeks of going through a real transformation — that I don’t have to wonder what you look like. … We’re going to get the city back up and operating. And we’re going to be rolling out some things in the next day or so on how we’re going to carry that out.”

However, a healthy number of New Yorkers appear reluctant to let the restrictions go. According to a new Siena College Research Institute poll, 45 percent of respondents said that the mandate should remain in place. Thirty-one percent of state residents said they wanted the directive to end earlier than it did, with 20 percent surveyed saying the mandate ended at the right time (The Hill).

New York Post: Adams “can’t wait” to change vax mandate in boon for Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets.

The Washington Post: Masks come off in blue states. Residents wonder: Is it too soon, or long overdue?

The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. We want to hear from you! Email: asimendinger@digital-stage.thehill.com and aweaver@digital-stage.thehill.com. We invite you to share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE!

OPINION

No justification for a brazen invasion, by The New York Times editorial board. https://nyti.ms/3JHyIsy

A deadly, devious intelligence war unfolds in Ukraine, by David Ignatius, columnist, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/3BL07qE

The five-day workweek is dying, by Derek Thompson, staff writer, The Atlantic. https://bit.ly/3t15iim

WHERE AND WHEN

The House meets on Friday at 12:30 p.m. for a pro forma session. The House returns to work next week.

The Senate convenes on Friday at 2 p.m. for a pro forma session.

The president at 9 a.m. will participate in a virtual meeting of Group of Seven leaders to discuss events in Russia and Ukraine. He will deliver a televised address at noon about Russia’s attack on Ukraine and next steps from the U.S. and allies.

Vice President Harris will ceremonially swear in Joseph Donnelly at 11:15 p.m. to be U.S ambassador to the Holy See. She will ceremonially swear in Scott Nathan at 11:55 a.m. as chief executive officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation.

The Supreme Court may issue opinions at 10 a.m.

Economic indicators: The Labor Department at 8:30 a.m. will report on claims for unemployment benefits in the week ending Feb. 19. As a point of comparison in the previous week this month, the number of seasonally adjusted filings was 248,000. In the comparable week in 2021, the number of jobless claims was 835,000. … The Bureau of Economic Analysis will provide its second estimate of last year’s gross domestic product, a view of the U.S. economy in the rearview mirror.

The White House daily briefing is scheduled at 2 p.m.

INVITATION FRIDAY at 12:30 p.m. ET, “America’s Report Card.” Ahead of the State of the Union, The Hill takes stock of the administration’s response to the pandemic and its impact on the economy. We’ll discuss legislative priorities in a midterm year and the potential for any bipartisan action. Join us for interviews with House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond and more. RSVP today.

Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://digital-stage.thehill.com/hilltv or on YouTube at 10:30 a.m. ET at Rising on YouTube.

ELSEWHERE

➜ COURTS: No verdict was reached in day one of jury deliberations in the trial of three fired Minneapolis police officers who witnessed the murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin, the convicted officer, and are accused of violating his civil rights and right to health care (The Associated Press).

➜ NATIONAL SECURITY: The Justice Department scrapped a 2018 Trump-era China initiative aimed at national security, which quickly wracked up indictments against Chinese companies accused of economic espionage. Department leaders said Wednesday the initiative undercuts an increase in threats from Russia, Iran and numerous other countries. They also voiced concerns that the program undercuts the department’s other efforts to battle a rise in hate crimes against those of Asian descent (The Hill).

➜ USPS: The U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday finalized plans to order a new fleet of majority gasoline-powered vehicles over the objections of Democrats on Capitol Hill who say it will run counter to the Biden administration’s emissions goals. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in a statement that USPS had finished its required evaluation of environmental impacts under the National Environmental Protection Act, reiterating that the agency lacked the financial resources to transition to a fully electric fleet (The Hill).

THE CLOSER

And finally … It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for this week’s Morning Report Quiz! With the end of February upon us shortly, we’re eager for some smart guesses about newsy nuggets from the shortest month on the calendar.

Email your responses to asimendinger@digital-stage.thehill.com and/or aweaver@digital-stage.thehill.com, and please add “Quiz” to subject lines. Winners who submit correct answers will enjoy some richly deserved newsletter fame on Friday.

Earlier this month, Denzel Washington was nominated to take home his second best actor Academy Award for his performance in “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” What movie scored his first best actor statuette?

“Training Day”
“Glory”
“Philadelphia”
“Malcolm X”

At this month’s Winter Olympics, what was the only country to sweep a podium (gold, silver and bronze) at a single event?

Norway
Canada
U.S.
Germany

Which Democratic politician was the subject of widespread ridicule for saying that they held their breath when posing for a photograph maskless at an NFL playoff game?