A resolution calling to kick Russia off the U.N. Security Council for its invasion of Ukraine — which has virtually no chance of being enforced — is circulating among House members from both parties, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The development comes as a recessed Congress tries to assert its role in punishing Russia. It whiffed on passing a sanctions package before the invasion.
A jury on Thursday convicted three former Minneapolis Police Department officers on federal civil rights charges in connection with George Floyd's murder, per the AP.
State of play: The jury, which deliberated for two days, found the officers guilty on all charges and agreed that their actions did result in Floyd's death.
Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine on Thursday, calling it "unprovoked and unjustified" and urging people around the world to stand with Ukraine.
Why it matters: Russian President Vladimir Putin's overnight invasion of Ukraine has caused dozens of civilian casualties and thrown thousands of Ukrainians into a panic to flee, and it's only just started. Russian forces are confirmed to have crossed the Ukrainian border by land, air and sea.
President Biden on Thursday declared that Russian President Vladimir Putin "will be a pariah on the international stage" for his unprovoked attack on Ukraine, and he announced severe new sanctions that include sweeping export controls and a freeze on billions of dollars' worth of Russian assets.
Why it matters: The new sanctions are coordinated with the G7 — countries that together make up 50% of the world's GDP — and are designed to "maximize a long-term impact on Russia and to minimize the impact on the United States and our allies."
The latest: President Biden said G7 leaders have agreed to impose new "devastating" sanctions on Russia, and he is set to explain the specifics of those sanctions later on Thursday.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in remarks Thursday that the Biden administration should "ratchet the sanctions all the way up" in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
What they're saying: "We're all together at this point and we need to be together about what should be done."
World leaders swiftly condemned Russia's attacks on Ukraine and vowed to hold Vladimir Putin accountable.
Driving the news: Putin's troops on late Wednesday began moving into Ukraine, with large explosions being reported shortly after Putin announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine. Dozens have reportedly been killed.
Lobbyists for the embattled Nord Stream 2 pipeline connecting Russian energy to Germany are cutting ties after the Biden administration cleared sanctions on the company behind the project.
Driving the news: K Streets giant BGR and Roberti Global both terminated their lobbying agreement with the company Nord Stream 2 AG.
A pro-democracy group advised by top historians, diplomats, journalists and a former NATO supreme allied commander launched Thursday with an initial focus on Hungary, casting it as the "next battleground state in the global fight to defend democracy."
Driving the news: The executive director of Action for Democracy told Axios he views the nonprofit as a counterweight to the "cabal of autocrats and dictators" that has grown in strength in recent years — and which has found sympathizers among a strain of U.S. conservatives.
Legend has it that Mississippi Delta bluesman Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil for supernatural guitar talent. He went on to record songs in the 1930s about cars, the crossroads — and tamales.
The big picture: Johnson's famous homage to tamales in "They're Red Hot" points to regularly neglected Latino connections to Black American music and cuisine scholars are just now working to uncover.
Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine were facing a major military assault by Russian forces overnight, in what Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described as "a full-scale invasion" that's killed dozens of people.
Details: Biden promised Ukraine President Zelensky in a phone call additional U.S. support and that "our allies and partners will be imposing severe sanctions on Russia," according to a White House readout.
Former President Trump called into Fox News on Wednesday evening to criticize President Biden's response to Russia's military attack on Ukraine.
Driving the news: Two days after calling Russian President Vladimir Putin "very savvy" after the Russian president recognized two breakaway "republics" in eastern Ukraine as independent, Trump called into Fox host Laura Ingraham's show to call the assault on Ukraine "a terrible thing" that "would not have happened during my administration."
Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have voted with Democrats to confirm the majority of President Biden's judicial nominees, according to data from Quorum.
Why it matters: After notching more judicial confirmations during his first year than any other president since Ronald Reagan, Biden has promised to announce a Supreme Court nominee by the end of the month. Republicans cannot filibuster, but the president will need every vote he can get in a 50-50 split Senate.
As President Biden confronts soaring energy costs, he’s looking for help from two entities he’s criticized for years: Big Oil and Saudi Arabia.
Why it matters: The president of the United States is placing part of his political fate into the hands of people who question his long-term intentions and have little incentive to help him, straining his options to contain energy prices. Another challenging option: a nuclear deal with oil-rich Iran.
The top senator overseeing U.S. intelligence agencies tells Axios he's deeply concerned cyberattacks launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin could morph into a broader war that draws in NATO nations — including the United States.
Why it matters: President Biden has ruled out American boots on the ground in Ukraine. But Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.), said in an interview Wednesday that Putin's actions during the next few days risk triggering NATO's Article 5 collective defense principle.
