Crisis In Ukraine
It’s Tuesday, January 25th, and this is your Morning Wire. Listen to the full podcast:
1) Crisis In Ukraine
The Topline: The Pentagon is putting U.S. troops on higher alert as tensions continue to increase between Russia and Ukraine.
Quote Of The Day: “Putin … is a shark who tastes blood in the water, and he senses weakness in his foe. And his foe, make no doubt about it, is the United States.”
– former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany
Sean Gallup/Staff/Getty Images
Ukraine
Last week, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki warned that Russia could invade Ukraine at any moment.
As a result, nearly 10,000 American troops have been placed on alert. On Sunday, the State Department ordered the families of all American personnel, as well as some non-essential staff, at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine to leave the country. The Biden administration has also stated they don’t know how many Americans are currently in Ukraine.
Potential Response
During his press conference last week, President Joe Biden sowed doubt on what could be a catalyst for a response to an invasion. Since then, the Biden administration has tried to outline a more aggressive position.
On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “If a single additional Russian force goes into Ukraine in an aggressive way, as I said, that would trigger a swift, a severe and a united response from us and from Europe.”
The Biden administration is reportedly considering deploying thousands of troops to Eastern Europe and the surrounding area, which would signal a significant shift in messaging, if accurate.
While most officials are threatening some form of response, it’s unclear what it would be. The most likely response will be some form of economic sanctions placed on Russia. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson referred to this when he spoke on the matter.
JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images
2) Sarah Palin Sues The New York Times
The Topline: Sarah Palin is suing The New York Times over an editorial that falsely linked her political action committee to the shooting of Representative Gabby Giffords (D-AZ).
The Lawsuit
In 2017, Sarah Palin first filed a lawsuit against The New York Times, but a judge dismissed her case. Two years later, a federal appeals court revived the lawsuit, which has led to a trial that will take place over the next two weeks.
In an editorial, the Times claimed there was a “clear” link between a map circulated by Palin’s PAC, which showed crosshairs over various political districts, to the 2011 shooting that killed six people and left former Rep. Gabby Giffords with a severe brain injury.
Multiple media outlets tried to blame Palin’s map for the shooting when it occurred, but no connection was ever proven, and the shooter was a mentally ill man who couldn’t be defined as Right-wing or Left-wing.
Although the link between Palin and the assassination attempt was only made by the legacy media and had no proof, the Times editorial included the accusation six years later, which is why Palin argues the newspaper acted with “actual malice” when publishing.
Possible Outcomes
It is unlikely Palin will succeed, as the Supreme Court has ruled that a public figure must prove an outlet operated with “actual malice” when defaming them, which is difficult for most public figures to prove. The Times also corrected the claim in the editorial and issued an apology two days later. They maintain it was an “inaccuracy” to link Palin to the shooting, and it will likely be difficult for Palin to prove otherwise.
Palin has indicated she’ll take her case to the Supreme Court in an effort to get them to reconsider a 1964 ruling in The New York Times vs. Sullivan. Two Supreme Court Justices – Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch – have each suggested the standard in Sullivan needs to be revisited.
mphillips007 via Getty Images
3) Activist Coalition Goes After Charitable Organization
The Topline: A coalition of activist groups is pushing a prominent charitable fund organization to expose private individuals who donate to conservative groups.
Quote Of The Day: “We know that if we win this campaign we could cut off massive amounts of funding…”
– Fatema Ahmad, Executive Director at Muslim Justice League
Unmasking Fidelity
“Unmasking Fidelity” is a coalition of activists that have joined together to apply pressure to another organization called “Fidelity Charitable” (FC). Fidelity Charitable is a 501(c)(3) organization associated with the investment firm Fidelity, and streamlines charitable giving, primarily for investors who use the Fidelity Investments platform. Investors are able to set up a charitable giving
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