Nikki Haley tells voters considering Donald Trump to ‘look forward’: Live updates
a secret trip to Kyiv, President Joe Biden headed to Poland where he delivered remarks Tuesday marking the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On the domestic front the Supreme Court returns to the bench this week and resumes oral arguments. Justices will hear arguments about a dispute between Google and the family of an American killed in an Islamic State group attack in Paris in 2015.
Here’s what else is happening in politics:
- Putin says Russia will suspend new START treaty, blames other countries for war in Ukraine: Russia’s leader delivered a fiery speech ahead of Biden’s speech in Poland marking the one-year anniversary of the Ukraine war.
- Key senators show little urgency on Biden’s pick to lead National Archives: Colleen Shogan has been waiting more than six months to run the agency that safeguards the nation’s secrets, but senators responsible for confirming her aren’t showing any urgency to get her across the finish line.
- Jimmy Carter’s presidential longevity record: Carter, the 39th president, has lived the longest of any other. His longevity may foretell a new trend among former presidents.
- Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg addresses Ohio derailment. The Biden administration is pushing for stronger rail regulation after the fiery train derailment in East Palestine.
- Election denier fallout: Kristina Karamo, a Republican who has made unsubstantiated allegations of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election, was elected chair of the Michigan Republican Party.
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‘Kyiv stands strong,’ Biden says, marking one year of Russia’s war in Ukraine
President Joe Biden said the world has responded to a “test for the ages,” marking the one-year anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and the Kremlin.
Biden, in a speech outside the Kubicki Arcades palace in Warsaw, said Russian President Vladimir Putin thought Ukraine would “roll over” when he invaded, but “he was wrong” because of the “iron will” of Ukrainians and nations everywhere.
Biden declares Putin ‘was wrong,’ marking one year of Russia’s war in Ukraine
made a direct pitch for her candidacy over former President Donald Trump, saying “we’ve got to look forward.”Nikki Haley begins Iowa courtship for 2024, tells those considering Trump to ‘look forward’
Jill Biden will travel to Namibia and Kenya this week, part of the Biden administration’s effort to strengthen ties in sub-Saharan Africa and regain trust amid growing influence from China and Russia in the region.
Later trips by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are also in the works.
The first lady is expected to focus on the role of young people in strengthening democracies, empowering women and the food crises in Kenya.
She will be the first top official to visit sub-Saharan Africa since the start of the Biden administration.
– Maureen Groppe
Youth, empowering women, food crises are on the agenda
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who won’t seek reelection in 2024.
In a video released Tuesday, Lee said she was “running for U.S. Senate because Californians deserve a strong, progressive leader who has accomplished real things and delivered real change.”
Lee, however, faces a growing field of contenders for the Senate seat: Rep. Katie Porter and Rep. Adam Schiff have both announced their campaigns.
– Mabinty Quarshie
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear the case of an Ohio man who was arrested for creating a parody Facebook page in 2016 to mock his local police department.received additional attention when The Onion, the Chicago-based satirical publication, filed a legal brief poking fun at the police and the legal community’s obsession with Latin.
– John Fritze
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg calls for rail safety after Ohio derailment
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is pushing for stronger rail regulation after the fiery train derailment in East Palestine, including safer train cars and bigger fines for companies that break the rules.
“I would say there’s a window of opportunity with Congress now, after what happened to East Palestine, that I do not think existed before,” Buttigieg told reporters Monday. “We need to use that window of opportunity to raise the bar.”
Buttigieg called on Norfolk Southern and other railways to expedite the implementation of DOT 117 train cars, which are designed to prevent the release of the car’s contents if something happens. The Biden administration also wants federal officials to increase the maximum fine for railroads that violate safety rules.
Republicans and some Democrats have been skeptical of the response by Buttigieg, who was quiet in the days after the crash. He said he’s been letting the NTSB conduct its investigation but plans to visit the area “when the time is right.”
– Haley BeMiller, The Columbus Dispatch
Putin announces suspension of New START arms treaty
Shortly before concluding his nearly /two-hour speech to lawmakers and various Russian elites, President Vladimir Putin announced he was suspending Moscow’s participation in New START – a strategic arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and Russia.
Putin said this action was being taken because of the U.S. and NATO, without specifying more.
In combative speech, Putin suspends nuclear arms treaty while lashing out at West over Ukraine war
Putin delivers combative speech ahead of Biden address
Hours before U.S. President Joe Biden was expected to address, from Poland, his view of Russia’s war in Ukraine as the conflict approaches the one-year mark, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech in Moscow ahead of Friday’s anniversary.
As he has done many times before, Putin blamed the West for provoking the war, accusing the U.S. and its European allies of wanting to acquire “limitless power.” He said Ukraine’s allies were “playing a dirty game,” that NATO members were openly talking about supplying Ukraine with nuclear weapons – they aren’t – and that the entire planet was “dotted” with U.S. military bases.
In a wide-ranging speech before Parliament, Putin claimed that western economic sanctions on Russia were not working, that Russian farmers just had a “record” grain harvest (Russia has stolen Ukraine’s grain over the last year), and that he plans to bolster Russia’s diplomatic and economic ties to the Middle East.
About an hour into the speech, Putin was mostly focused on domestic policies connected to infrastructure spending and financial reforms. He praised Russian soldiers and said he would “systematically” continue with the Ukraine invasion he ordered a year ago. He has not yet mentioned any new military objectives. He ruled out Russia making a first nuclear strike in Ukraine.
– Kim Hjelmgaard
Clarence Thomas may be one to watch as Supreme Court takes up Section 230 case
As the Supreme Court turns to the thorny issue Tuesday of whether Big Tech firms such as Google and Twitter should be immune from lawsuits over online content, many observers will be closely watching Associate Justice Clarence Thomas.
Thomas’ point is that the 1996 law appears to give internet firms protection from lawsuits in some cases – but not the broad immunity embraced by lower courts.
At issue in the Google case is whether targeted recommendations YouTube’s algorithm makes to users – suggesting the next video to watch, for instance – are shielded by Section 230. The family of a woman killed in an Islamic State group attack in 2015 sued Google, which owns YouTube, for promoting the group’s videos via its algorithms.
The other eight justices are largely a blank slate.
– John Fritze
More:As Supreme Court takes up Google case, only Thomas has made his thoughts clear
Virginia set to elect first Black congresswoman
State Sen. Jennifer McClellan will likely become Virginia’s first Black congresswoman Tuesday, as the result of a special election to replace the late Rep. Donald McEachin.
McEachin represented Virginia’s reliably blue 4th Congressional District before he died after battling cancer last year.
McClellan, who previously ran for governor of Virginia in 2021, faces Republican Leon Benjamin Tuesday. Benjamin ran for the House seat twice before, but lost each time to McEachin.
– Mabinty Quarshie
Battle over ideological tilt of Wisconsin Supreme Court takes shape
The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s conservative tilt is on the ballot this year and it could determine abortion rights, the fate of legislative maps and other key policies in the battleground state.
Voters will decide during Tuesday’s primary, to replace a retiring conservative justice, which two candidates will advance to the general election on April 4.
The winner in April will determine whether conservatives continue their control of the court, or if liberals will gain the majority.
In 2020 Wisconsin’s supreme court blocked former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit to overturn the state’s election results. And in 2024 it could once again play a critical role in determining election results.
– Mabinty Quarshie
More:Post-Roe abortion battle draws attention to state judicial elections, new legal strategies
How President Biden pulled off a secret trip to Ukraine
While most of Washington slept, President Joe Biden arrived in Kyiv around 8 a.m. local time Monday.
The dramatic display of solidarity with Ukraine was the culmination of months of planning by a small team of administration officials. A final decision came in an Oval Office meeting Friday to move forward with a secret trip to war-torn Ukraine ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
– Joey Garrison, Rebecca Morin
More:How President Biden pulled off a secret trip to Ukraine