The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Logistics emerge on how US secretly sent Biden to Ukraine warzone
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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.*
*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.
TALK OF THE MORNING
I would watch the heck out of an HBO documentary on the trip planning:
President Biden pulled off a secret trip to the war-torn country of Ukraine on Monday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. How this trip came together is worth reading:
How much planning went into the visit?: *Months* of secret planning with a small number of officials involved.
When was the trip confirmed?: Biden made the final call on Friday.
Was Russia informed of the trip?: Yes, Russia was alerted but only a few hours before Biden’s arrival.
How did Biden get to Poland?: Biden left from Joint Base Andrews around 4 a.m. on Sunday with a few advisers. The plane stopped in Germany to refuel then landed in Poland. The New York Times notes that the shades were left down. Biden then took a 10-hour train from Poland to Ukraine.
Did any press travel with Biden?: Yes, The Wall Street Journal’s Sabrina Siddiqui and The Associated Press’s Evan Vucci were told about the trip on Friday and sworn to secrecy. They were even sent an email with the subject line, “Arrival instructions for the golf tourney,” for the logistics.
More logistics on how this trip came together, via The Hill’s Brett Samuels
‘BIDEN’S SURREAL AND SECRETIVE JOURNEY INTO A WAR ZONE’:
The New York Times’s Peter Baker and Michael D. Shear have some fascinating details of how the trip was kept secret.
Excerpt that puts the significance into context: “Never in Mr. Biden’s lifetime had a president ventured into a war zone that was not under the control of American forces, much less on a relatively slow-moving locomotive that would take nine and a half hours to reach its destination. During that time, he was potentially exposed to circumstances beyond the control of the hypervigilant security phalanx that normally seeks to shield a commander in chief from every conceivable physical danger and minimize his time outside a hardened shelter.”
REPORTING FROM EVAN VUCCI, ONE OF THE TWO JOURNALISTS WHO TRAVELED WITH BIDEN:
“How do you sneak a US president into a warzone without anyone noticing?”
Read the reporting from The Associated Press’s Evan Vucci, John Leicester and Zeke Miller
It’s a beautiful Tuesday in DC. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.
⛔️ Reactions
Please don’t mind that grumbling in the back. It’s just Vlad.:
Russian President Vladimir Putin pulled out of the only remaining nuclear arms control treaty with the U.S. this morning.
What treaty?: The New START treaty
Plus: “Speaking in his state-of-the-nation address, Putin also said that Russia should stand ready to resume nuclear weapons tests if the U.S. does so, a move that would end a global ban on nuclear weapons tests in place since Cold War times.”
Why this is important: The Associated Press’s Vladimir Isachenkov points out that this move “sharply [ups] the ante amid tensions with Washington over the fighting in Ukraine.”
WHAT IS THE NEW START NUCELAR TREATY?:
Here’s an explainer from Reuters
Just now — Biden has a bit more to say about Russia:
President Biden just delivered remarks from the stunning gardens of Warsaw’s Royal Castle during his planned Poland trip following his surprise visit to Ukraine.
From Biden: “President Putin is confronted with something today that he didn’t think was possible a year ago. The democracies of the world have grown stronger. Not weaker. But the autocrats in the world have gotten weaker, not stronger.” (Quote from Bloomberg’s Jordan Fabian)
Another quote from Biden: “Kyiv stands strong. Kyiv stands tall and most important, it stands free … The world would not look the other way.” (Quote from CNN’s Jeff Zeleny)
Photo of the venue — it’s stunning!: This is quite the image, via CBS News’s Ed O’Keefe
FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE TRIP:
‘BIDEN SET FOR LATEST SYMBOLIC CLASH WITH PUTIN AFTER SURPRISE UKRAINE TRIP’:
From CNN’s Kevin Liptak
✌️ In Congress
David Cicilline is saying sayonara soon:
Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) announced this morning that he will step down from Congress in June.
Why?: To become the president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation.
So, what happens to his seat?: There will be a special election for his seat, though The Boston Globe points out that it cannot be scheduled until Cicilline officially resigns.
McCarthy gave Fox News 41,000 hours of Jan. 6 footage:
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) gave Fox News host Tucker Carlson and his team access to 41,000 hours of surveillance footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
Keep in mind: The Hill’s Dominick Mastrangelo pointed out that Carlson has questioned the circumstances around the attack.
Axios’s Mike Allen first reported the news. Read Axios’s initial report
REACTION FROM REP. BENNIE JOHNSON (D-MISS.), WHO HEADED THE JAN. 6 COMMITTEE:
“It’s hard to overstate the potential security risks if this material were to be used irresponsibly,” Johnson said in a statement. “If Speaker McCarthy has indeed granted Tucker Carlson — a Fox host who routinely spreads misinformation and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s poisonous propaganda — and his producers access to this sensitive footage, he owes the American people an explanation of why he has done so and what steps he has taken to address the significant security concerns at stake.”
🐘 In the GOP
Fancy meeting you here!:
“Three key figures connected to Donald Trump are at the intersection of two accelerating Justice Department probes seen as the most viable pathways for a prosecution of the former president.”
How so: “Special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing what began as two entirely separate cases: the mishandling of classified records at Mar-a-Lago and the effort to influence the 2020 election that culminated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Several Trump World figures straddle both events, providing prosecutors with what experts say is a potent opportunity to advance both investigations.”
Who?: Alex Cannon, a longtime Trump Organization employee; Christina Bobb, a lawyer for Trump’s 2024 campaign; and Kash Patel, who served as chief of staff to the acting secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.
^ Keep in mind: “It’s unclear whether any of the trio faces significant legal exposure, but their unique positions could be valuable for Smith.”
What we know about the probes, via The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch
🦠 The COVID-19 numbers
Cases to date: 102.9 million
Death toll: 1,113,254
Current hospitalizations: 22,205
Shots administered: 670 million
Fully vaccinated: 69.2 percent of Americans
🐥Notable tweets
When Gayle King walks by your live shot:
KUTV’s Kristen McPeek tweeted a video of “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King walking by as she prepared for her live shot. Watch
Ouch:
The New York Times tweeted that “a woman accidentally knocked over a balloon dog sculpture by Jeff Koons at an art fair in Miami, causing the $42,000 artwork to shatter, witnesses said.” The full story
My favorite part: CNN’s David Rind responded, “tough month to be a balloon.”
⏱On tap
The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in Warsaw, Poland. Vice President Harris is in Washington, D.C., with no public events scheduled.
- 7:30 a.m.: Biden met with Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss Ukraine.
All times Eastern.
📺What to watch
- Today: The Supreme Court hears oral arguments in a big case on the legal liability of Big Tech companies. Listen
- 11:30 a.m.: Biden delivers remarks on Ukraine while in Warsaw, Poland. Livestream
🥮 In lighter news
Today is National Sticky Bun Day.
And to distract you from work for just a few more seconds, watch Oatmeal the dog try on Crocs.
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