A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
Heaviest Fighting In Second Largest City
Russian forces fired rockets into the center of Kharkiv, Ukraine on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian authorities. The regional administration building was hit, leaving seven dead and 24 wounded, the authorities said.
- BBC: “Missile hits centre of Ukraine’s second-biggest city”
- Washington Post: “Russian invasion escalates as massive convoy nears Kyiv and Kharkiv assaulted”
- New York Times: “An explosion rocks Kharkiv a day after shelling in a residential neighborhood.”
- CNN: “Crucial period ahead for Kyiv as massive Russian column closes in on Ukraine’s capital”
- Wall Street Journal: “Russian Forces Target Ukrainian Civilian Areas as Missile Hits Central Kharkiv”
Dem Nevada Guv And Wife Threatened At Restaurant
A video first reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal shows Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) and his wife Kathy Sisolak being harassed and followed around by a couple of men shouting about racist conspiracy theories at a restaurant on Sunday.
- One of the men calls Sisolak a “New World Order traitor piece-of-shit bastard” and repeatedly asks him if he has security with him. The man also screams “you working-for-China piece of shit!” at Sisolak and his wife, who is of Chinese descent, as they leave the restaurant.
- The other man says something about Sisolak “hiding the hydroxychloroquine,” right-wingers’ infamous COVID miracle drug, though most of what he says in that moment is inaudible. He also tells Sisolak and his wife that they ought to be hanged for treason.
- Sisolak’s office responded to the incident later on Monday saying the matter was being investigated, and that the governor was “deeply disappointed in how this incident unfolded, particularly with the language used to talk about First Lady Kathy Sisolak’s heritage.” Sisolak’s daughter was with him at the restaurant.
McCarthy Says He Plans To Meet With MTG To Discuss White Nationalist Appearance
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said on Monday that it was “appalling and wrong” for far-right Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) to speak at the America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC) organized by white nationalist Nick Fuentes this weekend.
- McCarthy told Punchbowl that he plans on meeting with Greene this week to discuss it. It’s unclear if he’s planning to do the same with Gosar.
- The Arizona Republican’s attendance at the conference this year wasn’t even his first; he went to last year’s AFPAC too.
- Greene defended her appearance at the conference on Saturday, claiming that she didn’t know about Fuentes’ well-established white nationalist beliefs.
Date Set For Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Confirmation Hearing
Senate Democrats plan to kick off the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on March 21, a Democratic aide told Politico.
WH Drops Blanket Mask Mandate Ahead Of SOTU
Effective today, the White House is lifting its requirement that fully vaccinated people wear masks in the area, ahead of Biden’s first State of the Union address tonight.
- The House withdrew its mask mandate in time for the speech too.
- Biden will speak at 9:00 p.m. ET. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) is giving the Republicans’ response to his speech.
Manchin Joins GOPers To Block Abortion Rights Protection
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) voted with Republican senators to block a debate on Monday over the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation that would codify access to abortion as red states chip away at reproductive rights and the Supreme Court threatens to strike down Roe v Wade.
Trump Appeals Judge’s Order For Him To Testify In NY Probe
The ex-president is predictably fighting a Manhattan judge’s order for him, plus Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., to testify under oath in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ (D) civil investigation into the Trump Organization.
Dem Rep. Ted Deutch Not Running For Reelection
House Ethics Committee Chair Ted Deutch (D-FL) announced on Monday that he’ll be leaving Congress when his term ends this year, having accepted an offer to serve as the chief executive officer of the American Jewish Committee.
- The tally of House Democrat-Republican retirements ahead of the 2022 midterms now stands at 31-13, per the House Press Gallery’s poorly-named “Casualty List.”
WTF Read Of The Day
“Dr. Bronner’s, the Soap Company, Dips Into Psychedelics” – The New York Times
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