Beltway Insider: Biden/New Russian Sanction, Navalny, Ukraine War, Road to the White House 2024

Details: Category: Beltway Insider; Published on Sunday, 25 February 2024 11:34; Written by Janet Walker

As the Ukraine war moves into the third year, President Biden has continued to push Congress to act on a new military aid package and stand up against the tyranny of Russian President Vladmir Putin.

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending February 25, 2024 stayed consistent at 39.4% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness decreased by 0.06% to 55.3% of those polled who disapprove of his effectiveness. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

Beltway Insider: Biden, World Leaders Denounce Putin, Alexei Navalny, Disinformation Campaign, Trump Fined, SC Polls

U.S. Announces New Russian Sanctions

President Biden has announced they will be adding additional sanction against Russia, in result of the death of Alexei Navalny, but experts state that it's doubtful that the sanctions will provide a crushing economic blow against the Russian economy as the nation continue to make billions selling oil, even with the economic caps in place, the underpriced oil earns enough to fuel Putin's military campaigns.

"The new sanctions target Russia's ability to import tools critical to advanced manufacturing and technology, aiming to cut off the robotics, industrial automation, software and lasers that are important to Moscow's military hardware, often acquired from firms abroad," reported The Washington Post.

Even with these new sanctions in place, Putin, who has continued to befriend Chinese President Xi-Jinping, could easily circumvent the technological sanctions, and secure the parts from China.

World News: Alexei Navalny Death Ushers in Putin’s Modern Dictatorship

Navalny's Body Released

The body of Alexei Navalny, 47, the most vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been released after eight days of refusing to release the body to the family. Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, has recounted to the media her efforts to retrieve her son's body was tortuous.

"Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, has said that her wish is for him to be flown to Moscow for a public farewell service, as is tradition in Russia, and for his funeral and burial to take place at the Troyekurovskoye cemetery, where many prominent Russians, including opposition figures, have been laid to rest," The Washington Post reported.

Navalny died, in the Polar Wolf prison in the north of the Artic. His death certificate reads natural causes, although it is widely believed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had him murdered. Navalny, was Putin's chief opposition, and demanded a free and democratic Russia.

As there is no concrete evidence tying Putin to Navalny's death, the dictatorial leader was directly implicated in the August 2020 Novichok poisoning, by the men, who have since vanished, who carried out the attack and admitted on tape that the assassination was ordered by Putin.

Ukraine War Reaches Two-Year Mark

As the Ukraine Russian war moves into its third year, the league of G7 nations have reiterated its support for the Ukraine to continue to defend its nation and make autonomous governing decisions.

"They have resisted for two years Russia's illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked full-scale invasion which constitutes a blatant violation of the UN Charter. They have proven their will to defeat President Putin's war machine, restore their nation's territorial integrity, and defend Ukraine's sovereignty and independence," a White House statement read.

Under the leadership of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukraine military have continued to prove themselves determined to fight against the tyranny of Russian President Vladimir Putin. As the battle continues, war methodology has taken a new turn.

Even as Ukrainian military leaders are mentored by U.S. military strategists, soldiers are trained and weapons provided, the U.S. military commanders are also learning from the war in Ukraine.

Military strategy is a taught skill. Strategists gather information, learn from previous historical battles, and factor in modern capabilities and develop new warfare strategies. The Ukraine war has aided the United States and other allied nations test out new war strategies.

"Ukraine has retaken more than half of the sovereign territory that was grabbed by the Kremlin's forces in 2022," he continued. "And as a result of Putin's unprovoked war, Russia has suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties, lost significant equipment, and severely set back its military modernization program," said Secretary of Defense Llyod Austin.

War strategy is traditionally segmented into theaters, air, ground, sea, information. The Ukraine war has been the first opportunity for U.S. strategist to study the effects of cellphone usage, to pinpoint locations of enemy combatants, and use their own signal against them.

"The U.S. and partners have trained more than 123,000 Ukrainians at more than 80 locations around the world. The U.S. alone has provided training to some 19,000 Ukrainian service members on combined arms, specific combat platforms, and staff and leadership skills," U.S. Department of Defense reported.

The United State remains the largest contributor to Ukraine military aid packages. Current House Speaker, Mike Johnson (R-LA) has said the house won't be "rushed" into voting on the $95.3 billion aid package.

Ukraine President Zelenskyy announced as the war reaches the two-year mark, 31,000 Ukrainians have died.

World News: French Minister of the Interior Moves to Revoke Citizenship Rights

Right to Repair

Recent legislation in Colorado, which has failed in numerous other states, has given farmers the right to repair their own equipment.

"A new state law recently signed by Gov. Jared Polis guarantees the right to repair one's own agriculture equipment by requiring manufacturers to hand over parts, software, instructions, and other necessary tools," KUNC.org reported.

As many Colorado farmers have millions invested in farm equipment, which includes state of the art, touch screen operation and autonomous planters, a breakdown is costly as is a service call. The newest equipment can cost, at minimum, $100K, three days down waiting for a service repair tech, runs at minimum $10K per day, and the service call is another $10K. Farming is big business and everyone, like any big business, wants to squeeze them for what they can.

Laws like this have been introduced in other states; it's time to address this as a federal mandate. Every person who owns any equipment should have the right to repair their purchases.

Coronavirus Totals

According to the World Health Organization the increase in cases resulting from the variant JN.1 have migrated in a similar pattern as the original Covid-19 virus. The CDC has recommended every person from age six months, including senior citizens, should receive at least one shot of an updated covid vaccine. Vaccines and boosters are still considered the most effective agents against contracting the Coronavirus.

For the 7-day period ending February 25, 2024, the total of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide reached 774,631,444 confirmed cases, an increase over the past 7 days of 38,378 cases worldwide. The total worldwide death toll increased by 2,335 to 7,031,216 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated February 11, 2024, from The World Health Organization).

COVID U.S. Totals

As hospitalizations and infection rates continue to rise in the United States, some jurisdictions are suggesting new mask mandates. For the 7-day period ending February 25, 2024, new Covid hospitalizations in the U.S. increased by 17,757 to 6,834,006. The coronavirus has claimed 1,180,042 total U.S. deaths, adding 1,515 deaths, over the past 7 days. (Data updated February 10, 2024, posted February 16, 2024, from the CDC).

World News: The French Political Left Vanishes

Road to the White House 2024 - Trump Legal Troubles Mount

Trump Wins South Carolina; Cities Vote Haley

Former president Donald J. Trump easily won the South Carolina primary by a wide margin over former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, in the winner take all contest.

Statistically the number appears to be overwhelming, however South Carolina's two major cities, Columbia, the capital, and Charleston, where one would believe the majority of the state's professionals, politicians, and intellectuals reside, overwhelmingly chose Haley.

While Trump's base remained loyal despite the evidence trail of corruption and his criminal behavior, he currently faces 91 criminal charges, the numbers reveal the power of the evidence in stopping Trump from capturing the city dwellers. It's doubtful the split in the vote, the informed verses the uniformed, will affect the vote.

For more information on President Joe Biden w ww.whitehouse.gov.