Category: Opinion

President Joe Biden said the U.S. and its NATO allies will meet Friday to “map out” plans to counter Moscow after Russian troops invaded Ukraine early Thursday.

The president said the U.S., the 30-member alliance and other close partners will show their solidarity and will take steps to “further strengthen” their resolve in discouraging Russian aggression in Europe.

“Within hours of Russia’s unleashing its assault, NATO came together and authorized and activated an activation in response plans,” the president said in an address to the nation. “This will enable NATO’s high readiness forces to deploy when and where they’re needed.”

Biden has authorized the deployment of 7,000 troops to Germany. They will join the thousands of U.S. troops that were already deployed to NATO-member nations in Eastern Europe like Poland and Romania.

“This is a dangerous moment for all of Europe, for the freedom around the world,” Biden said.

Biden along with NATO allies have said they will not send forces into Ukraine to fight. The president reiterated that these forces serve as a deterrent to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his “naked aggression.”

“He has much larger ambitions in Ukraine. He wants to, in fact, reestablish the former Soviet Union,” Biden said.

In addition to the deployment of additional forces in Europe, Biden announced another tranche of sanctions that target Russian banks.

These sanctions followed the first round of penalties levied by the U.S. Wednesday, with roughly $80 billion in assets frozen when Washington targeted VEB bank and Promsvyazbank – both of which have ties to the Kremlin and Russia’s military.

Russian elites and their families have been added to the growing list of sanctioned individuals.

Biden did not answer questions about why Putin himself has not yet been targeted by sanctions.

“We will make sure that Putin will be a pariah on the international stage. Any nation accountable in Russia’s naked aggression against Ukraine will be stained by association,” Biden said.

Ukraine called on the U.S. and NATO Thursday to ban Russia from the SWIFT international banking system.

However, this measure was not included in the second round of sanctions announced by the president either.

The president argued that by targeting the banks Russia will feel an “equal consequence” to that of being removed from the international banking system.

“It is always an option but right now, that’s not the position that the rest of Europe wishes to take,” he added, suggesting this could be included in a later round of sanctioning.

Biden said the sanctions are designed to impose severe costs on the Russian economy immediately and over time.

“We have purposely designed these sanctions to maximize a long-term impact on Russia,” Biden said. But added, “If we don’t move against him now with these two significant sanctions he will be emboldened.”

A Massachusetts man was arrested Monday after climbing into the tiger exhibit of the local zoo. Worcester resident Matthew Abraham, 24, was caught climbing over a gate in order to access the tiger exhibit.

Massachusetts state troopers responded to a call from Franklin Park Zoo around 9:00 a.m. about a man attempting to break into the tiger exhibit. Abraham was unsuccessful in his attempt to get into the tiger enclosure and was unharmed. Boston EMS evaluated Abraham and determined that he was mentally stable. State troopers arrested him and he was booked on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct.

“I was there as a spectator of the zoo. I didn’t mean to harm anybody. I wasn’t looking to harm the tiger. I wasn’t looking to harm myself neither,” Abraham said. “My plan was just to go see what is a tiger. How would a tiger react to a human being?”

Abraham claimed that although he had not paid admission, he thought the zoo was open when he walked inside. He said the only time that he had scaled any fences was when the security staff caught him. State police discovered during their investigation that Abraham had in fact scaled multiple fences and ignored several warning signs posted in the area as well.

Abraham was released on a $40 bail and will appear in Dorchester District Court for a Tuesday arraignment.

Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Sunday that if the report accusing Hillary Clinton’s campaign of spying on former President Donald Trump in 2016 is accurate, then it “is a lot bigger than Watergate.”

“Is the Durham probe like the Mueller probe all over again? Is it all smoke and no fire?” “Fox News Sunday” host Bill Hemmer asked Cruz.

“We have to see what the facts are but I can tell you what the allegations are, what Durham filed in a filing in federal court is deeply concerning,” Cruz said. “What Durham alleged, as a federal prosecutor, is that a lawyer for the Hillary Clinton campaign conspired with a big tech executive to monitor and spy on Donald Trump. To spy on him at his home, to spy on him at his office and indeed, they were spying on the White House itself. They were spying on a sitting president.”

“If what Special Counsel Durham is alleging is true, what Donald Trump said is absolutely right and to the extent that Hillary Clinton is completely complicit with this, her campaign is complicit with it, her lawyers are complicit with it, Big Tech is complicit with it. If this is true, it’s a lot bigger than Watergate,” the senator continued. “That was a bungled, third-rate burglary, it was wrong, people went to jail for Watergate and people need to go to jail for this if these allegations are true.”

Special Counsel John Durham released a report alleging that Democratic lawyer Michael Sussman lied during a meeting with the FBI regarding links between Trump and Russia in 2016. The filing accuses Durham of working alongside tech executive Rodney Joffe—referred to as “Tech Executive-1” in the filing— to put together “purported data and white papers” that would “establish ‘an interference’ and ‘narrative’ tying then-candidate Trump to Russia.”

“Tech Executive-1 and his associates exploited this arrangement by mining the EOP’s (Executive Office of the President) DNS (domain name system) traffic and other data for the purpose of gathering derogatory information about Donald Trump,” the filing says.

Durham also accused Sussman of repeatedly charging the Clinton campaign for work linked to the “Russian Bank-1” allegations.

“The defendant’s billing records reflect that the defendant repeatedly billed the Clinton Campaign for his work on the Russian Bank-1 allegations. In compiling and disseminating these allegations, the defendant and Tech Executive-1 also had met and communicated with another law partner at Law Firm-1 who was then serving as General Counsel to the Clinton Campaign (‘Campaign Lawyer-1’),” the filing reads.

The filing also alleges that Sussman gave computer data to the CIA in 2017 with the intent of linking Trump and Russia.

Sussman has denied the allegations brought against him.

Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio recently said the findings, if proven true, would be “one of the greatest political scandals in American history.”

An intoxicated Oklahoma Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives cursed at 12- and 13-year-olds then vomited on one of the girl’s shoes.

Abby Broyles who is running against Republican Rep. Stephanie Bice in Oklahoma’s Fifth District called three young girls “f*ckers” during a Valentine’s Day slumber party. Broyles also threw up in a laundry basket and on one girl’s shoes, according to Sarah Matthews, the mother of one of the attendees.

“It’s so sad because this is someone who has stood on a soapbox and talked about empowering women, and rather than do that with these girls she chose to belittle and denigrate the next generation of women,” Matthews said.

“She has not yet apologized,” said Matthews. Adding, “I am still trying to process this.”

@abbybroyles Since it’s been five days and you have neglected to reach out to any of the young ladies (12 & 13 yr olds, including my daughter) you verbally and emotionally abused last weekend, I thought I would give you a chance to try to apologize (at a minimum) here. 1/4

— Sarah Matthews (@ma66915987) February 16, 2022

Broyles called one girl an “acne f*cker,” and the girl left the room crying. One attendee said her behavior was like “a switch and she started being rude to people.”

“Early in the evening, she had been nice,” the girl said, adding that Broyles told her, “I wasn’t going to be as successful as her.”

Broyles also called two other girls “Hispanic f*ckers” and another a “judgy f*cker.”

The host of the party said she called “every parent in attendance the next day to discuss one on one, parent to parent.”

Broyles has denied attending the slumber party, claiming that the allegations were a “political attack.”

“I have been out of town on a fundraising trip, and they are awful and offensive and false,” Broyles said. “I mean, I get trolled on Twitter all the time, but I don’t know these women and I don’t know what is behind this, but it’s just not true.”

“I’m just telling you it’s not true, and if I were a journalist I would not be doing a story because it’s not a story,” she added.

Broyles previously ran for Senate in 2020, losing to Republican incumbent James Inhofe.

Hundreds of migratory birds from Canada suddenly fell from the sky mid-flight in Chihuahua, Mexico Sunday.

The flock of yellow-headed blackbirds darkened the sky then plummeted to the ground in a Chihuahua neighborhood. Footage of the disturbing event shows some of the birds seemingly stunned as they fly off in different directions while several dozen birds lay dead on the ground.

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1493059924007567360

Many theories have been put forth about what could have caused the birds’ sudden descent. One veterinarian suggested that inhalation of toxic fumes, possibly from a heater, caused the bizarre incident. Another theory suggested that the birds may have been electrocuted while sitting on a power line.

Richard Broughton, an ecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, said that a predatory bird, such as a raptor, could have been responsible. Raptors chase flocks of birds, causing them to fly tightly together before potentially crashing into the ground, he explained.

An ornithologist suggested that the bird deaths may have been caused by high levels of air pollutants. There have been several incidents of large numbers of migratory birds dropping dead in New Mexico without a known cause.

“Freedom Convoy” organizer Bob Bolus announced the movement’s plan to “squeeze” Washington, D.C. like a “boa constrictor” as the movement goes forward with its nationwide anti-mandate protests.

“We intend to circle Washington, D.C., and basically, I’ll give you an analogy of that of a giant boa constrictor,” Bolus said. “That basically squeezes you, chokes you, and then swallows you. And that’s what we’re going to do to D.C.,” he added.

Watts pointed out that there are “a lot of people that don’t want that to happen,” who want to “get to work, get to where they need to go, to have emergency services reach them in the event of an emergency.”

Watts asked Bolus if he fully realized the risk surrounding D.C. might involve. Bolus said that a lane would be left clear for emergency vehicles and that the “Freedom Convoy” would not “compromise anybody’s safety or health one way or the other.” Bolus did say that it was “too bad” for those who would not be able to get to work.

When asked how long the “Freedom Convoy” would be parked, Bolus simply responded that he had “no idea.”

Watts said in a follow-up tweet that DMV law enforcement was “having trouble” finding towing companies willing to tow trucks parked in the “Freedom Convoy.”

The Virginia State Police said in a statement that they are “monitoring the situation” and are in touch with “National Capital Region local, state, and federal partners.” “This is standard practice any time the potential exists for a significant protest that could disrupt the safe and efficient flow of traffic on Virginia highways,” the statement continued.

The ongoing “Freedom Convoy” protests have seen truckers across the U.S., Canada, and other parts of the world come together against COVID-19 mandates. In Canada, police have started cracking down on the protests, arresting organizers, and trampling protesters with horses. Ottawa police have accused protesters of using children as human shields.

A group of Christian doctors is suing the state of California over a law that forces doctors to be involved in physician-assisted suicide. The 2015 End Of Life Options Act, legalized assisted suicide in California making physicians’ participation in patients’ suicides optional. However, recent changes to the law have forced doctors into being part of the process when they diagnose a patient as being terminally ill.

Doctors who refuse to diagnose a terminal patient, determine a terminal patient’s decision-making ability, or inform a patient of their legal right to request lethal medication could face civil and criminal penalties as well as professional discipline according to the doctor’s attorneys.

In order for patients to qualify for assisted suicide, they must request a lethal dose of drugs on two separate occasions. Initially, the assisted suicide law required a 15-day wait between those requests, but the change in the law only requires 48 hours, according to court documents. Doctors initiate the process by recording both of the patients’ required requests for lethal medication. At that time a second doctor may administer the lethal medication when the patient is ready, attorneys explained.

A hospice physician who is suing the state said patients experiencing the pain of terminal illness sometimes achieve pain control, but it could take longer than 48 hours, according to his attorneys.

He also said patients are often exhausted, have questionable mental capacity, and are pressured by family to go through with assisted suicide, according to the physician’s attorneys.

Two doctors are fighting to legalize assisted suicide in Massachusetts. Physician-assisted suicide is already legal in ten states and the District of Columbia.

President Joe Biden announced Tuesday a “first tranche of sanctions” against Russia after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized and deployed troops into two separatist-controlled Ukrainian territories.

Biden condemned Putin’s actions against Ukraine and declared it “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.” This first round of sanctions includes the “full blocking” on two Russian banks and “comprehensive sanctions” on Russian debt, the president said.

“These have been closely coordinated with our allies and partners and we’ll continue to escalate sanctions if Russia escalates,” according to Biden. “We’re implementing full blocking sanctions on two large Russian financial institutions – VEB and their military bank. We’re implementing comprehensive sanctions on Russia’s sovereign debt. That means we’ve cut off Russia’s government from Western financing.”

“It can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either,” Biden continued. “Starting tomorrow, and continuing in the days ahead, we’ll also impose sanctions on Russia’s elites and their family members. They share in the corrupt gains of the Kremlin policies and should share in the pain as well.”

Biden said Russia’s decision to recognize the two separatist-controlled Ukrainian territories essentially “announced it is carving out a big chunk of Ukraine.”

Biden also mentioned the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which was suspended by Germany earlier Tuesday. The president said his administration had “worked with” Germany regarding Nord Stream 2 and promised that “Russia will pay a steeper price if it continues its aggression.”

While Biden declared that a Russian invasion had begun, he did not comment on why the administration has not issued the full “swift and severe” sanctions promised earlier in the year. Instead, the president said he plans to continue imposing sanctions depending on Russia’s actions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been keeping President Joe Biden guessing for months about what his next move will be regarding Ukraine.

Biden’s strategy to prevent Putin’s military buildup around Ukraine and a potential invasion has been to share U.S. intelligence with the public. The Biden administration offered Feb 16 as the possible invasion date, which proved to be incorrect.

When pressed by reports about the incorrect date, U.S. officials said that even though that date came and went we are still “in the window” of a potential invasion. Many of Biden’s critics argue that his strategy does not take into account Putin’s own agency and knowledge that Russian military communications are not secure.

“Too much is made of the question will Putin go or not,” a NATO official in Brussels, who had been briefed by the U.S., told Vice. “Everyone could see he was willing and ready to go and the Russian army doesn’t have particularly secure comms, so people were listening.”

“Putin has a chance to blame the hysterical West and announce he got what he wanted without taking on new sanctions. And maybe it unnerved him that the Americans released the intelligence on him. Or he didn’t care. But it’s impossible to say right now that the crisis has ended,” the official added.

Perhaps that was Putin’s strategy was when he officially recognized two separatist groups in eastern Ukraine as independent states. On Monday evening he ordered “peacekeeper” troops in the separatist-controlled territories.

Former CIA Director John McLaughlin said Putin was challenging whether the U.S. and NATO have a united definition of what constitutes an “invasion” of Ukraine.

“Putin has choreographed this with the hope that we and the Europeans will debate whether this is an ‘invasion’ or not. And hoping that throws us enough off-balance that he will pay a minimal price for this first slice of salami,” he wrote.

Germany suspended the certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline Tuesday but Biden has not acted on the sanctions that he threatened in the event of a Russian invasion.

Both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill demanded Biden take economic action Tuesday, with Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham saying the move “should immediately be met with forceful sanctions to destroy the ruble and crush the Russian oil and gas sector.”

Biden’s fellow Democrats called on him to take action as well, with Democratic Delaware Sen. Chris Coons saying the time for sanctions “starts now.”

“To be clear, if any additional Russian troops or proxy forces cross into Donbas, the Biden administration and our European allies must not hesitate in imposing crushing sanctions,” Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez said in a statement.

Canadian police have started sending the names of “Freedom Convoy” protesters to banks in a bid to crack down and put an end to the protests.

The Canadian Bankers Association confirmed that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) began sending out lists of protesters’ names to banks. Banks are unsure about what to do with the information and are working to get clarification as to how to proceed with protesters’ accounts. At this time, banking institutions are required to freeze accounts and report them to the RCMP or Canada’s intelligence service.

Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland said that accounts have already been frozen.

“It is happening – I do have the numbers in front of me,” Freeland said without disclosing the actual number.

The action comes following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoking the never-before-used “Emergencies Act,” through which he ordered all banks and other Canadian financial systems to freeze the accounts of any client who participated in the protest.

In addition, Freeland said Monday the government would be extended their “terrorist financing” rules to cover crowdfunding platforms that are raising money for the Freedom Convoy.

“We are broadening the scope of Canada’s anti-money laundering and terrorist financing rules so that they cover crowd funding platforms and the payment service providers they use. These changes cover all forms of transactions … the illegal blockades have highlighted the fact that crowdfunding platforms and some of the payment service providers they use are not fully captured under the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financial Act.”

Executive Director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Noa Mendelsohn Aviv, is troubled about the emergency orders regarding the financial system, according to the report.

“If somebody else does agree with it and wants to bring coffee to the protesters, are they now indirectly involved? And you can turn their information over to the financial institutions who will turn their information over the security services, services, freeze, their assets?” he said. “There is nothing that I’ve seen so far on my understanding of the orders that limits it. They are very broad in scope.”