March 16, 2022
There are few things that truly feel as if they've earned the label unprecedented, impassioned, or even historic. But this morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a speech that reached those very distinctions. His plea for President Biden to protect Ukraine as Russia's brutal invasion stretched on felt both urgent and deeply emotional—and I genuinely believe that the address will be remembered for decades to come. Tears and audible sniffles were reportedly heard from members of Congress as they watched Zelenskyy's remarks. But don't let collective tears fool you into thinking that Republicans will suddenly drop their use of Russia's belligerence to attack Biden. In fact, that tactic appears to have already ramped up in the immediate wake of Zelenskyy's speech this morning. (Just look at this cynicism here from Mitch McConnell.) Meanwhile, Lindsey Graham is still clamoring for Russians to assassinate Vladimir Putin. One would think that a stirring speech from a wartime president might, at least temporarily, get lawmakers to pause their opportunistic plays at sowing division at every turn. But I guess that kind of unity is only reserved for things like Daylight Saving Time. —Inae Oh With white nationalists and QAnon pushing Putin's line, the broader right could soon join in. BY ALI BRELAND
BY NOAH Y. KIM
BY HELENA HORTON
BY DAN SPINELLI
BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG A pro-Kremlin TV host warns other nations are next. BY DAVID CORN
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