The TAKE with Rick Klein
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has earned admiration and respect across a spectrum of leaders in the kind of way most American politicians would envy these days.
Now he’s making a direct appeal to the American people at a moment when his country is in real danger and his words might carry particular weight — or so he hopes.
In an interview with “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir, Zelenskyy made clear he believes there’s more that President Joe Biden can do to help Ukraine, in terms of both military support — “security in the sky” — and economic pressure on Russia.
He also made clear that there’s much more he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin might do if that doesn’t happen.
“Many things depend not just on us,” Zelenskyy told Muir. “Today, the war is here. Tomorrow, it will be in Lithuania, then in Poland, then in Germany. This is serious.”
Zelenskyy was asked about concerns about a no-fly zone — recall that Sen. Marco Rubio said imposing one would mean the start of “World War III” — but he countered by citing missile strikes on a pediatric clinic and a university.
“You have to preserve lives,” Zelenskyy told Muir. “We will come first, you will come second, because the more this beast will eat, he wants more, more and more.”
“We are not far from you,” he said in English, directly to the American people.
The Biden White House continues to benefit from a degree of national unity surrounding the crisis in Ukraine. It seems Zelenskyy is aware of that — and also not afraid to shake it if it means potentially helping his country.
The RUNDOWN with Averi Harper
New York has joined cities and states across the country — including some led by Democrats — that have begun to roll back COVID-related restrictions. Still, for some on the right, the pace of those receding restrictions isn’t fast enough.
Truckers hoped to speed up a return to normalcy by slowing traffic on Washington, D.C., area roadways Monday. The convoy wants an end of the COVID-19 emergency declaration first enacted in 2020.
According to D.C. officials, their efforts didn’t make a significant impact.
After a viral video in which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis scolded students wearing masks, claiming that they were participating in “COVID theater,” Desantis’ administration is going a step further. Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced plans to recommend against vaccinating healthy children for COVID-19 — a plan at odds with CDC guidance. The White House called it “absolutely not” a good policy.
“It’s deeply disturbing that there are politicians peddling conspiracy theories out there and casting doubt on vaccinations when it is our best tool against the virus and the best tool to prevent even teenagers from being hospitalized,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday.
In a move that exploited Democratic absences last Thursday, Senate Republicans passed a measure calling for the end of the COVID-19 emergency declaration. The measure unlikely to pass the Democrat-controlled House or garner the signature of President Joe Biden.
The criticism from the right comes as the Biden administration is requesting more than $22 billion to provide funding for ongoing free testing and COVID-19 treatment for the uninsured.
The TIP with Alisa Wiersema
The jury selection in the trial of a group of men who were accused of planning to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer prior to the 2020 election begins Tuesday, putting a renewed spotlight on one of the nation’s highest-profile governors who is in the midst of a reelection campaign.
According to a release from the FBI in October 2020, the agency had begun an investigation earlier that year “after becoming aware through social media that a group of individuals was discussing the violent overthrow of certain government and law enforcement components.”
As described by the agency, “on two occasions, members of the alleged conspiracy conducted coordinated surveillance on the governor’s vacation home,” and along with the Michigan State Police, the FBI “executed arrests as multiple conspirators met to pool funds for explosives and exchange tactical gear.”
In the aftermath of authorities thwarting the plot, Whitmer gave an interview to ABC News’ “Good Morning America” in which she referred to the group of charged individuals as a “domestic terror organization” while alleging the plot would have involved a darker outcome.
“This was a very serious thought-out plot to kill police officers, to bomb our Capitol, killing Democrats and Republicans alike, and to kidnap and ultimately put me on trial and kill me as well,” Whitmer said at the time.
Throughout 2020, Whitmer was a frequent target for former President Donald Trump’s attacks over COVID-19 restrictions. Those precautions often garnered large protests at the Michigan Capitol and highlighted the now ongoing partisan divide over state governments’ handling of pandemic-era policies.
Although Whitmer rarely discusses the trial, she is likely going to have to revisit that underlying political context ahead of November.
NUMBER OF THE DAY, powered by FiveThirtyEight
6. That’s the number of primary challengers former President Donald Trump has endorsed in House races where the Republican incumbent voted to impeach Trump and is still running. (Three have already said they won’t run for reelection.) And as FiveThirtyEight’s Geoffrey Skelley writes, opposition to these incumbents is ramping up as Trump has backed a primary challenger in every single House race but one.
THE PLAYLIST
ABC News’ “Start Here” Podcast. “Start Here” begins Tuesday morning with the growing refugee crisis at the Ukrainian border. ABC’s Matt Gutman joins us from Lviv. Then, ABC’s Conor Finnegan explains why some experts fear Taiwan could be the next Ukraine. And, ABC’s Kaylee Hartung tells the story of two women caught up in crypto dating scams. http://apple.co/2HPocUL
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The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the day’s top stories in politics. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.
