A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
Sad Trombone
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), an eager foot soldier in Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election, told Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Monday night that a group of North Carolina voters who are trying to get him disqualified from running for office are “actually very close” to succeeding.
- Cawthorn accused the North Carolina State Board of Elections, which argued earlier this month that it had the authority to kick him off the ballot, of trying to “subvert the will of over 700,000 Americans.” You could argue that the North Carolina Republican isn’t being hypocritical here. After all, he tried to subvert the will of millions of Americans, not 700,000.
- Cawthorn’s lawyer is citing a congressional action that granted amnesty to Confederate soldiers to defend his client.
Putin Sends Troops To Ukraine
After Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a fiery speech claiming that Ukraine was “created” by Russia (you can catch up on our liveblog and TPM reporter Josh Kovensky’s translation of Putin’s speech here) on Monday, the Kremlin deployed what it claimed to be “peacekeeping” forces to the two Russian-backed separatist territories in eastern Ukraine.
- Putin recognized those territories, Donetsk and Luhansk, as independent from Ukraine. As the New York Times notes, the borders of those two regions claimed by their leaders spills over to areas controlled by the Ukrainian army.
- Officials at the EU and the UN plus NATO all swiftly condemned Russia’s actions.
- Biden has slapped sanctions via executive order on the separatist regions in response but hasn’t addressed Russia as a whole yet. Administration officials say that more sanctions will come today, according to the Washington Post.
Must Read
“For Ukraine’s Jews, the Threat of War Stirs Memories of Past Horrors” – The New York Times
Judge Smacks Down Trump’s Attempt To Dodge Jan. 6 Lawsuits
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta has ruled that the ex-president does not, in fact, have “absolute immunity” that shields him from lawsuits from House Democrats and police officers over his incitement of the Capitol attack.
Capitol Police Prep For Potential Trucker Convoy Ahead Of Biden’s SOTU
The U.S. Capitol Police are “aware of plans for a series of truck convoys” to arrive in D.C. to protest during Biden’s State of the Union Address on March 1, the agency said.
- The USCP said law enforcement is working to beef up security ahead of the joint session of Congress for the SOTU, including potentially installing a fence around the Capitol again.
- The Metropolitan Police, the U.S. Park Police, the Secret Service and the D.C. National Guard are all coordinating with the USCP, according to the agency.
Trump’s PAC Didn’t Give Any Money To Endorsees Last Month
It may shock you to hear that in January, the ex-president’s generosity toward the GOP candidates who worked oh so hard for his blessing apparently stopped at his Save America PAC’s press releases, according to the PAC’s filings with the Federal Election Commission.
- His PAC didn’t give a cent to those candidates last month despite raking in $4.1 million (and ending January with $108 million in its coffers).
- In fact, the PAC’s only donated $350,500 to candidates since July.
Trump Has So Much Money, According To Trump
The former president would like you to know that his longtime accounting firm, Mazars US, definitely didn’t unceremoniously dump the Trump Organization because of allegations that Trump falsely inflated the value of his properties: The poor accountants were simply “broken” by “Radical Left racist” prosecutors. “Also, we’re loaded with cash,” Trump insisted.
Tulsi Gabbard To Speak At CPAC
You read that correctly: American Conservative Union Chair Matt Schlapp announced on Monday that former Democratic congresswoman and 2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is speaking at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, which begins on Thursday (and which promises to be “#AwakeNotWoke”).
Gabbard’s palling around with conservatives took a bit of an awkward turn on Fox News host Sean Hannity’s show last night:
Queen Of England Has COVID-19
Buckingham Palace announced on Sunday that 95-year-old Queen Elizabeth tested positive for the coronavirus and has “mild cold-like symptoms.” However, she expects to keep up her “light duties.”
Australia Reopens Border For First Time In Two Years
As of Monday, Australia is welcoming international travelers again after shutting out most non-residents in March 2020. You can check out some really wholesome pictures of families reuniting in the land down under here.
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