House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy gently broke from former President Donald Trump’s past warm words about the capabilities of Vladimir Putin, Politico reports.
Said McCarthy: “I do not think anything savvy or genius about Putin. I think Putin is evil. I think he’s a dictator. I think he’s murdering people right now.”
Asked if he agreed there’s no room in the Republican Party for those that apologize for Putin, McCarthy replied: “Yeah.”
“An economic and cultural iron curtain is descending on Russia as President Vladimir Putin proceeds with his invasion of Ukraine, reversing decades of integration with Western economies and threatening to isolate Russians to an extent unseen since the Soviet era,” the Washington Post reports.
“The dramatic severing is the result of punishing restrictions put in place by the United States and Europe, including bans on Russian aircraft flying in Western airspace and sanctions on the central bank. It has been compounded by a voluntary exodus of international companies from the Russian market.”
“But the isolation is also a function of the repressive measures Putin has taken at home.”
“President Biden signed an executive order Wednesday for a sweeping review of the government’s approach to cryptocurrencies, aiming to secure the nation’s position as a leader in the rapidly growing industry while containing risks to consumers and the financial system itself,” the Washington Post reports.
David Leonhardt: “The answer is surprisingly unclear.”
“Nationwide, the number of official Covid cases has recently been somewhat higher in heavily Democratic areas than Republican areas… That comparison doesn’t fully answer the question, though, because Democratic areas were also conducting more tests, and the percentage of positive tests tended to be somewhat higher in Republican areas.”
“No single statistic offers a definitive answer. When I look at all the evidence, I emerge thinking that liberal areas probably had slightly lower Omicron infection rates than conservative areas. But it is difficult to be sure.”
“You can be sure that tucked in a 2,700-page spending bill (that members will not have time to read before they vote for it) will be some little-noticed policies,” Politico reports.
Here’s some of what made it in: Funding for Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, a new health agency and a big pay boost for congressional staff.
“The Donald Trump-endorsed crossover voting bill died Tuesday in the Wyoming House after it was not considered by a legislative deadline,” the Casper Star Tribune reports.
“Backers wanted to prevent Democrats and independents from changing their registration on election day in order to vote in Republican primaries, a practice commonly known as crossover voting.”
“For Wyoming’s far right, passing a ban on crossover voting took on new importance this year. Opponents of Rep. Liz Cheney worry the practice will benefit her by allowing Trump critics to change their affiliation and vote for her.”
“A handful of House Republicans are beginning to jockey behind the scenes for the No. 3 leadership role next year, an early signal of Kevin McCarthy’s firming grip on the speakership in a future GOP majority,” Politico reports.
“As it stands, McCarthy is set to claim the gavel uncontested if Republicans win back the House in November, a widely favored possibility. And that leaves current House Minority Whip Steve Scalise poised to become majority leader without an opponent, creating a rare opening in the whip’s spot — and a potential race that could draw multiple contenders.”
“Republican lawmakers who control the state Legislature on Tuesday ignored the Democratic governor’s call to convene a special legislative session to take up legislation that would have given each Wisconsin resident $150,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
“Senate President Chris Kapenga (R) and Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Tyler August (R) quickly gaveled in and gaveled out of the session Evers ordered to begin Tuesday.”
Former Trump national security official Alex Gray (R) will run to fill the unexpired term of retiring Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), according to the McCarville Report.
“A legal argument lurking in two Supreme Court cases could give Republican legislators in battleground states sweeping control over election procedures, with ramifications that could include power over how states select presidential electors,” Politico reports.
“Republicans from Pennsylvania and North Carolina challenged court-ordered redistricting plans in their states based on the ‘independent legislature’ theory. It’s a reading of the Constitution, stemming from the 2000 election recount in Florida, that argues legislators have ultimate power over elections in their states and that state courts have a limited ability — or even none at all — to check it.”
“An invasive species of spider the size of a child’s hand is expected to ‘colonize’ the entire East Coast this spring by parachuting down from the sky,” Axios reports.
Janan Ganesh: “By cutting immigration and elevating technocracy, the coronavirus pandemic wounded populism. But the Ukraine war is much the worst setback for that movement since its electoral breakthrough in the US and UK in 2016.”
“In the west, a certain kind of leftism never recovered from the vicarious shame of the Soviet quelling of Hungary in 1956. This moment might come to be recorded as an equivalent watershed for the west’s populists.”
“Officials in every U.S. state and jurisdiction have now ended, or announced an end, to their indoor universal masking requirements,” ABC News reports.
“Over the last month, states from coast to coast have moved to end mask mandates as coronavirus cases have plummeted. By the end of March, there will be no more statewide or school mask mandates in effect.”
Former Illinois State Sen. Thomas Cullerton (D) pleaded guilty today to a federal embezzlement charge and admitted fraudulently receiving salary and benefits from a labor union for which he did little to no work, Capitol Fax reports.
“Amid a multistate push from pro-gun groups, Indiana lawmakers approved a bill on Tuesday that would eliminate the license requirement to carry a handgun,” the Indianapolis Star reports.
David Rothkopf: “The likelihood that the conflict may go on for much longer is based on the fact that neither side is in a position to win a quick victory.”
“For all their courage and the damage they are inflicting on the Russians, it is hard to imagine Ukraine’s armed forces will drive out Moscow’s troops any time soon. More likely is that Russia continues to make slow gains. They are not well set up for urban fighting and we could see stand-offs in major cities.”
Six Democratic governors have asked congressional leaders to suspend the federal gas tax as fuel prices spike to unprecedented highs in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, The Hill reports.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), an influential Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is signaling he’s leaning toward voting “no” on President Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, despite voting last year to confirm her to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, The Hill reports.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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