'A small, evil feral-eyed man'
| Russia's swift isolation  CNN has geolocated video appearing to show the destruction by Ukrainian forces of a column of Russian armored personnel carriers and other vehicles on the edge of Kyiv, Ukraine. (Twitter/AlchevskUA)  It didn't take long to make Russia a pariah state.
First came the rollout of the most severe sanctions ever imposed on Moscow by the US and its allies following the invasion of Ukraine, including the halting of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Then came measures to throttle the Russian economy – including throwing several Russian banks out of the high-security SWIFT financial messaging system. Now the flow of arms to Ukraine is ramping up. Even Germany, traditionally loath to send weapons into hot conflicts given its militaristic past, is stepping up. The European Union will for the first time deliver weapons to a country under attack. Russian planes are banned from much of Europe's air space. The West is personally targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin with sanctions. Russian ballet performances are being canceled in nations like the UK. Russia is losing big football and Formula One events. And some American states aren't selling Russian vodka.
The defiance of Ukrainians -- with civilians lining up to get guns -- and the courageous leadership of President Volodymyr Zelensky has galvanized the Western response.
But will it be too late?
Russian troops have not advanced as quickly as expected and are reportedly having supply chain issues. But sanctions, though severe, will take time to inflict their pain on Putin and those around him.
The conflict is looking more and more like a quagmire for the Russian leader. Even if his troops capture Kyiv, the cost of the invasion and the stout resistance makes it even less likely Moscow will be able to subdue the entire country and install a puppet leader. An insurgency fueled by Western cash and weapons could make life hellish for the occupiers.
But Putin already has a reputation for ruthless use of military force and a casual acceptance of civilian losses -- in the wars in Chechnya, for instance. If he is forced into a corner, he could do something really desperate. The war and America Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet at the Belarus border
Putin orders deterrence forces -- including nuclear arms -- on high alert
US knocks down idea of using American troops to create no-fly zone in Ukraine
The EU is preparing for millions of Ukrainian refugees
Meanwhile in America ... SNL pays tribute to Ukraine
A New Yorker won a $10 million lottery — for the second time
A fence is going back up around the US Capitol  'A small, feral-eyed evil man' Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, laid into Putin on Sunday and called on the Biden administration to crank up sanctions even more on what he called an "evil regime."
"John McCain was right, he said he looked into Vladimir Putin's eyes and saw the KGB. And that's what we're seeing: a small, evil feral-eyed man who is trying to shape the world in the image where, once again, Russia would be an empire and that's not going to happen," Romney told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union."
Romney also hit out at pro-Putin rhetoric coming from some parts of the Republican Party, including former President Donald Trump.
"It's almost treasonous," the GOP senator said. "But of course they do it because they think it's shock value and it's going to get them more eyeballs and maybe make a little more money for them or their network. It's disgusting." Meet Joe Biden's new Supreme Court pick She's already become known as KBJ.
Ketanji Brown Jackson, Biden's nominee to fill the Supreme Court seat of retiring liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, has been on the President's radar for some time. He chose her last year for a powerful federal appeals court in Washington, DC, that is seen as a stepping stone for Supreme Court picks. And officials said he'd read her opinions ever since.
Jackson, 51, is young enough to have the prospect of several decades on the high court before her. Most of those years are likely to be consumed by fighting for liberal positions in a minority, since her appointment will not change the current 6-3 conservative edge on the top bench.
While Jackson will make history if she is confirmed as the first Black woman on the court, Biden also had practical considerations in mind as he chose her. Jackson is liberal enough that her nomination could fire up more progressive Democratic voters who have been down in the dumps since the failure of Biden's vast climate and social spending agenda. Biden also fulfilled a campaign promise to the Black voters who were critical to his electoral success in choosing a Black woman for the court.
But her life story also attracted the President. Jackson worked as a federal public defender, an attorney who is deputized by the court to provide accused criminals with a defense if they can't afford a lawyer.
"Her parents grew up with segregation but never gave up hope that their children would enjoy the true promise of America," Biden said as he unveiled Jackson as his pick on Friday.
Biden is hoping that Jackson will get some Republican support -- given that three GOP senators supported her confirmation to the federal appeals court in Washington last year. If not, every Democratic senator will be needed to confirm her given the party's razor-thin edge in the chamber. Jackson's recent case load could make her nomination controversial since she issued rulings in support of Congress' capacity to investigate the Trump White House and was on a panel of judges that ordered the disclosure of documents to the January 6 committee. Some Republican senators are already branding her as too far left since she has the support of many liberal groups.
The odds are that Jackson will be confirmed and she'll take her seat on the court. Biden hopes that in the decades ahead she will forge a similar record as another liberal icon often referenced by her initials -- the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or RBG.  Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson speaks after President Joe Biden announced her as his nominee to the Supreme Court at the White House on Friday in Washington. Thanks for reading. On Monday, only citizens of Ukraine will be able to cross from Russia and Belarus into Ukraine. The UN Human Rights Council kicks off its main annual session in Geneva. Delegates arrive in Barcelona at the 2022 Mobile World Congress venue amid tight Covid-19 protocols. View in browser | All CNN Newsletters
Want to easily manage your newsletter subscriptions?
Copyright © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Want to change how you receive these emails?
| |||||||||||
