Russian ground forces near Kyiv have stopped trying to take the capital and have shifted to defensive positions as airstrikes continue there, a senior U.S. defense official said Friday, adding that Russia shifted much of its efforts to the Donbas region. https://t.co/rqXQXUAeB6
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 25, 2022
The head of the Russian army has just announced that “The main aims of the first phase of the operation have been fulfilled,” I guess losing 15% of their army through death and injury and not taking any significant territory is a success for Putin. https://t.co/3tn5PxBcUr
— Bill Browder (@Billbrowder) March 25, 2022
Russian State Television Descends Into Screaming Match Over Putin’s War Failures in Ukraine:
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) March 25, 2022
Military experts on Russian state TV predict that Russia's war against Ukraine will go on for 40 more years.https://t.co/nlX7rUISUi
Whatever happens next, Putin's Ukraine invasion already ranks as one of the most epic blunders in modern history – up there with Bush's Iraq war. Almost every assumption Putin made has been wrong.
— Edward Luce (@EdwardGLuce) March 25, 2022
What I’m watching, as it’s all significant:
— Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) March 25, 2022
1)
-UKR forces attempting to surround the RU 35th Combined Arms Army (CAA) NW & N of Kyiv
-UKR forces counterattacking RU forces on the route from Sumy
-UKR forces mauling RU logistics columns attempting to relieve all these forces. 1/
Russians have "clearly lost command and control at the operational level": Gen. McCaffrey comments on alleged Russian radio transmissions intercepted by The New York Times. https://t.co/fpsOQL8f2z
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 25, 2022
NEW tonight: Ukraine is starting to push back Russian troops struggling trying to regroup from major logistical snags, US & European officials told @RobbieGramer & me.
— Jack Detsch (@JackDetsch) March 25, 2022
“As we see, their Army is bullshit,” one Ukrainian official said of Russia's military. https://t.co/dtqpvrkJ5r
Forbes: Ukrainian army now has 43 more tanks than at the beginning of the war
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 24, 2022
According to analysts, since the beginning of the war, #Russian army has lost 530 tanks, while the Armed Forces of #Ukraine have lost 74 of their own, but captured 117 enemy tanks. pic.twitter.com/RTlMc8mryf
"Uh, everything's under control. Situation normal. Uh, had a slight weapons malfunction. But, uh, ev- everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. Uh, we're all fine here . . . now . . . thank you. How are you?"https://t.co/AJA3C28Tol
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) March 25, 2022
Vladimir Putin had a very pointed way of summing up the international efforts to sanction his country for its invasion of Ukraine.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 25, 2022
It’s all an attempt, he said Friday, to “cancel” Russia. https://t.co/yACtTnNi7L
.@ianbremmer: The global fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine is only getting worse https://t.co/rXSBjvNnKI
— TIME (@TIME) March 25, 2022
A joke from Moscow: "According to Putin the special military operation is really a conflict btw Russia and NATO about World dominance. Whats the situation now?" "Russia has lost 15000 troops, 6 generals, 500 tanks, 3 ships, 100 planes and 1000 trucks. NATO hasn't arrived yet."
— Eerik N Kross (@EerikNKross) March 24, 2022
Russian troops are no longer in full control of Kherson after a counter-attack by Ukrainian forces, a senior U.S. Defense Department official says. https://t.co/UWx4IcK8uC
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 25, 2022
UNICEF's James Elder: "The longer this goes on, the longer children are bearing the brunt…the more likely we are suddenly to get a generation of Ukrainian kids who know war. We can't afford that. Europe can't afford that. Ukraine can't afford that."https://t.co/TZsXS2DiCE
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 25, 2022
Meanwhile in the land of no consequences…
BREAKING: CBS News and The Washington Post have obtained copies of numerous texts between Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' wife, Ginni Thomas, and Pres. Trump's White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about efforts to overturn the 2020 election. https://t.co/9S2aV3WIKS
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 24, 2022
“Trump’s refusal to accept he lost—enabled by conservative elites like Ginni Thomas—is a festering wound on American democracy. Be outraged about it, or don’t act outraged about anything.”
— David French (@DavidAFrench) March 25, 2022
Well said, @mattklewis.https://t.co/72sSqDNVEt
I don't talk to my husband about politics but I do text the Chief of Staff to overturn the election feels like a hard line to walk https://t.co/yTXkaLXio8
— Astead (@AsteadWesley) March 24, 2022
So Meadows was communicating with Ginni Thomas on his personal email about the coup, ad well as with Jared Kushner. Kushner needs to be questioned too. https://t.co/9wZTRgJJ44
— Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) March 25, 2022
Ginni Thomas can do whatever crazy things she wants. But Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas cannot rule on a case that would disclose the crazy things Ginni Thomas was doing. That was a clear conflict of interest. Justice Thomas once again dishonors the Supreme Court. https://t.co/Z3VdtWWpis
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 24, 2022
A rule applying to all justices requires disqualification if a spouse “has … any … interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding.”
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) March 25, 2022
That clearly applied here.https://t.co/gOMpockIpj
A lot of people in the media are asking "Should Clarence Thomas recuse himself?" (Whether or not the answer to that is "Yes," he won't.) But that's the wrong question. The right one is this: "If Clarence Thomas doesn't resign when will impeachment proceedings against him begin?"
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) March 25, 2022
Everyone I talk to does not believe anything will be done about this. Jan 6 committee is doing nothing – NY is dropping its case – where is Merrick Garland on anything? – Democrats continue to think there are rules and the GOP burnt the rule book long ago….
— Colleen Reiter (@colleenareiter) March 25, 2022
Why start now, though…?
Hey Merrick Garland… everything ok over there?? Y’all awake? https://t.co/T4pnsHQaTl
— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid) March 15, 2022
Analysis: Trump accidentally proves that the Clinton campaign wasn’t the driving force of the Russia probe https://t.co/4JCWEh5ASs
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 26, 2022
The Overnight Note 