Politics A.M.: White House wrestles with whether Russia has ‘invaded’ Ukraine

Russia says recognition of separatist areas includes territory held by Ukrainian forces; Germany halts major gas pipeline; The Supreme Court created a 'vigilante' loophole. Both parties are rushing to take advantage.; White House weighs measures to stabilize gas prices if Russian hostilities over Ukraine send costs skyrocketing ; 'A singular focus': Durbin is determined to make history as he works to confirm Biden's Supreme Court pick; Democrats are engaged in a 'new politics of evasion' that could cost them in 2024, new study says; Trump's new social media app, Truth Social, appears in App Store; House impeachment managers, a year later, are still searching for ways to hold Trump accountable for Jan. 6; Putin orders troops to separatist regions of Ukraine, Kremlin attacked at U.N. meeting; U.S. claims Russia has list of Ukrainians 'to be killed or sent to camps' following a military occupation; Education, traditionally a strength, has Democrats on their heels; Jury deliberations underway in hate-crimes trial of men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery; Trump properties in talks to host lucrative Saudi golf events ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for this newsletter Read online The most important politics stories today.     (AP/AP) White House wrestles with whether Russia has 'invaded' Ukraine As Putin closes off diplomatic paths, White House weights its options--and tries to figure out if Russia has "invaded" Ukraine By Ashley Parker ●  Read more »   Russia says recognition of separatist areas includes territory held by Ukrainian forces; Germany halts major gas pipeline The Kremlin said Russia has recognized the independence of rebel-held regions within borders that the separatists originally proclaimed when they broke away from Ukraine in 2014, sparking fears of a wider invasion. By Rachel Pannett and Ellen Francis ●  Read more »   The Supreme Court created a 'vigilante' loophole. Both parties are rushing to take advantage. When the U.S. Supreme Court declined in December to temporarily block the Texas abortion law, which established a minimum $10,000 court award, it essentially gave lawmakers a new tool to use: the ability to let citizens sue each other as a way to impose constitutionally questionable laws. By Kimberly Kindy and Alice Crites ●  Read more »   White House weighs measures to stabilize gas prices if Russian hostilities over Ukraine send costs skyrocketing White House aides are reviewing how the U.S. could respond if Russia curtails global gas exports due to hostilities over Ukraine. By Jeff Stein ●  Read more »   'A singular focus': Durbin is determined to make history as he works to confirm Biden's Supreme Court pick Dick Durbin was installed as Judiciary Committee chairman for just this moment: Shepherding a Supreme Court pick through the Senate. By Mike DeBonis, Seung Min Kim and Rhonda Colvin ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Democrats are engaged in a 'new politics of evasion' that could cost them in 2024, new study says Trump and the GOP represent a danger to democracy, the study says. Democrats must win in 2024 but first they must reorient on cultural issues and question whether there is really a progressive majority emerging in the country. Analysis ●  By Dan Balz ●  Read more »   Trump's new social media app, Truth Social, appears in App Store The app, Donald Trump's answer to being booted from major social media platforms, became available for download ahead of its expected Presidents' Day launch. By Bryan Pietsch and Jeff Stein ●  Read more »   House impeachment managers, a year later, are still searching for ways to hold Trump accountable for Jan. 6 Some impeachment managers wonder what might have been if enough Senate Republicans had voted to convict the ex-president, but instead they are mostly focused on ways to continue to keep pressing the GOP over its continued support of Trump. By Paul Kane ●  Read more »   Putin orders troops to separatist regions of Ukraine, Kremlin attacked at U.N. meeting Russia's Security Council urged President Vladimir Putin to make the move earlier Monday. By Rachel Pannett, Robyn Dixon, Brittany Shammas and María Luisa Paúl ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   U.S. claims Russia has list of Ukrainians 'to be killed or sent to camps' following a military occupation The United States has informed the United Nations it has credible information showing that Moscow is compiling lists of Ukrainians "to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation," according to a letter to the U.N.'s human rights chief obtained by The Washington Post. By John Hudson and Missy Ryan ●  Read more »   Education, traditionally a strength, has Democrats on their heels The party has traditionally dominated on education issues, even when the GOP has outperformed it on the ballot. That may be changing. By Laura Meckler and Matt Viser ●  Read more »   Jury deliberations underway in hate-crimes trial of men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery A federal prosecutor began Monday's closing arguments by saying the defendants' history of racist statements explains why they chased Ahmaud Arbery and "shot him and let him die on the streets like an animal." By David Nakamura ●  Read more »   Trump properties in talks to host lucrative Saudi golf events Former president's courses at Doral and Bedminster could strike a deal with a new league backed by the kingdom, which stands accused of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and other human rights abuses. By Josh Dawsey and Jonathan O'Connell ●  Read more »     We think you'll like this newsletter Check out How To Read This Chart for a visual breakdown of the data behind the news, from national correspondent Philip Bump. Sign up »

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