Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC News: “For every Russian tank in Ukraine, we have provided or will soon provide 10 anti-tank systems, 10 for every single Russian tank.”
Democrats on the Defensive Over Gas Prices
Washington Post: “The blame game over high fuel prices is in full throttle in Washington and congressional districts across the country as people like Languren decide who deserves the bulk of their anger over the sudden hit to their wallets. A self-described conservative Democrat now leaning Republican because of economic worries, Languren is the kind of voter who will help determine whether Democrats can hang on to their fragile congressional majorities come November.”
“Meanwhile, Democrats such as Levin — who represents a state with some of the highest gas prices in the country — are struggling to come up with quick fixes or even long-term solutions to the gas price problem, along with record levels of inflation overall. The issue is testing the mantra that Democrats are the party that ‘delivers.’”
Mexican President Embraces Recall Effort
“Recall elections had a big year internationally in 2021, grabbing the spotlight in California and Taiwan. But 2022 is set to witness the recall on a whole other level as Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, widely known by the nickname AMLO, will be facing the voters on April 10,” Mexico News Daily reports.
“While we’ve seen recalls in the United States’ largest state and against the presidents of both Venezuela and Romania, the Mexican presidential recall, dubbed a revocation of mandate vote, is by far the largest by population in history. Yet this recall has not grabbed the world’s attention as others have in the past. There’s a reason for that. AMLO not only does not fear the recall, he has welcomed it with open arms. He is hoping that it provides a boost for his political agenda. And if America’s recall history is any standard, there’s reason to think he’s right.”
The Republican Party Is Trump Steaks
Tim Miller: “It’s been an inauspicious start for TRUTH Social, the former president’s new Twitter knock-off, helmed by bovine ex-Congressman Devin Nunes.”
“Like the other Trump schemes—airlines, steaks, board game, university, magic pills, magazine, etc. etc. etc…—from the jump TRUTH had all the marks of a media buzz Potemkin Village that allows the first family of grift to cash in, but doesn’t deliver anything of value to the marks who got swept up in the hype.”
What Went Wrong with Impeaching Trump
Coming this fall: Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress’s Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump by Rachael Bade and Karoun Demirjian.
“A revealing, behind-the-scenes examination of how Congress twice fumbled its best chance to hold accountable a president many considered one of the most dangerous in American history.”
Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump
- Amazon Kindle Edition
DNC Chair Says GOP Is Built on Fascism
DNC chair Jaime Harrison slammed the Republican Party, saying “it is a party built on fraud, fear and fascism,” Axios reports.
Said Harrison: “They don’t deserve to be in power. Not because Democrats should, but because they don’t deserve to be in power.”
Erdogan Changes Turkey’s Election Laws to Bolster Rule
“Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved on Wednesday a set of changes to the country’s electoral rules that would bolster his party’s prospects and consolidate the shift toward an all-powerful presidency set to be tested at the ballot box next year,” Bloomberg reports.
GOP Lawmaker to Retire Rather Than Face Primary
“Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH), an amiable farmer elected to Congress in a 2010 sweep that brought the Republican Party into power in the U.S. House of Representatives, on Wednesday announced his retirement from Congress at the end of his current term,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
“The predominantly rural congressional district that Gibbs previously represented was reshaped during this year’s chaotic redistricting process to include many of Cleveland’s western suburbs. Around 12 percent of his old district remained in the new one.”
“Gibbs also faced primary challenges from several candidates including Max Miller, a well-funded former White House aide to ex-President Donald Trump.”
GOP Now Leads Among Child Tax Credit Recipients
A new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds that “among parents or guardians with at least one child under 18 in the household who received the expanded child tax credit payments, 46% said they are most likely to vote for a Republican congressional candidate this year while 43% said they’re inclined to back the Democratic candidate.”
“The narrow GOP advantage among this group stands in contrast with Democrats’ lead of 12 percentage points in late December, before the benefit expired.”
Grand Jury Probing Capitol Riots May Talk to Hundreds
“Among the challenges facing the federal grand jury recently empaneled to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is the sheer number of people who might have information relevant to its inquiry,” the New York Times reports.
“Taken together, the total number of potential witnesses — or at some point, targets — sought after by the grand jury could easily reach into the hundreds.”
Too Soon to Say Putin Has Given Up on Taking Kyiv
CNN: “It is still unclear what Putin’s long-term goals are, a senior defense official said. But despite the recent shift in strategy and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine peace talks, the US and its allies are preparing for the possibility that Putin tries to reinvade the Kyiv region once he completes his objectives in the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, assuming he has enough manpower and equipment left to do so.”
West Moves to Toughen Sanctions on Russia
“Western governments prepared Wednesday to toughen sanctions against Russia and send more weapons to Ukraine, after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointedly accused the world of failing to end Moscow’s invasion of his country and what he said was a campaign of murders, rapes and wanton destruction by Russian forces,” the AP reports.
“In scarred and silent streets of ruined towns around Ukraine’s capital, investigators collected evidence documenting what appeared to be widespread killings of civilians. Specialists cleared mines from devastated towns near Kyiv that Russian troops have left, as Moscow regrouped its forces for a new assault on Ukraine’s east and south at the end of the war’s sixth week.”
Israeli Prime Minister Loses Majority
“Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett lost his razor-thin parliamentary majority on Wednesday after a lawmaker from his nationalist party quit, leaving his government with a more precarious grip on power but in no immediate danger of collapse,” Reuters reports.
Budd Opens Big Lead Over McCrory in North Carolina
A new Emerson College poll in North Carolina shows Rep. Ted Budd (R), who was endorsed by Donald Trump, has a double-digit lead in the Republican primary to replace retiring Sen. Richard Burr (R).
Budd leads with 36%, followed by Pat McCrory (R) at 22% and Mark Walter (R) at 9%. Another 23% are still undecided.
Ohio Considers ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law
“A version of the controversial Florida law restricting how teachers talk about sexual orientation and gender identity has been introduced in Ohio,” the Columbus Dispatch reports.
Republicans Out-Trump Each Other in Pennsylvania
Joshua Green: “So far, David McCormick is succeeding in what’s shaping up to be one of the strangest and most expensive Senate primaries in U.S. history. His chief competitors thus far are cardiothoracic surgeon and TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz and Carla Sands, a wealthy widow who served as Trump’s ambassador to Denmark. All are jockeying for Trump’s favor and pushing what McCormick for his part calls an ‘America First agenda.’ With the primary slated for May 17, a recent Fox News poll found McCormick beating Oz 24% to 15%, with Sands and two other candidates in single digits.”
“Whether or not McCormick’s success persists, it has already revealed something important about Republican politics, and about the business world’s relationship to Trump. Ever since the violent Jan. 6 insurrection, a group of Republicans, led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, has pushed the idea that Trump’s influence has diminished and that the GOP is moving in a new direction. Pennsylvania’s primary proves otherwise: Everyone’s clamoring for the former president’s seal of approval.”
Le Pen’s Polling Surge Rattles French Markets
“French bank shares fell sharply and bond spreads widened yesterday as investors priced in stronger presidential election poll numbers for Marine Le Pen, the far-right challenger,” the Financial Times reports.
“The risk of a Le Pen victory has suddenly come into sharper focus ahead of the first round of voting on Sunday as opinion polls showed her gaining ground on President Emmanuel Macron, although he is still favored to win a run-off on April 24.”
Biden to Send More Javelin Missiles to Ukraine
“The Biden administration Tuesday night pledged $100 million in defense aid for Ukraine to be used for Javelin anti-tank missiles,” NBC News reports.
