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7 Interesting Things From The Newly Released Clinton Documents

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The Clinton Presidential Library released thousands of documents Friday from the Clinton presidency that had been previously held from public view. The documents, part of a batch to made public in the coming weeks, offered an insight into the Clinton White House not previously seen.

Some guy named Todd said the Clintons shouldn't over promise on health care reform about keeping your doctor or your plan.

Some guy named Todd said the Clintons shouldn't over promise on health care reform about keeping your doctor or your plan.

Via Twitter: @Timodc

In one memo, a Clinton aide discusses Hillary Clinton using "Internet" to reach "young women." The aide said the document was becoming "a very popular mode of communication."

In one memo, a Clinton aide discusses Hillary Clinton using "Internet" to reach "young women." The aide said the document was becoming "a very popular mode of communication."

Clinton Libary

Then-White House aide and now-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel had a delicate way of dealing with NRA president Charlton Heston: "Shove it up his ass."

Then-White House aide and now-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel had a delicate way of dealing with NRA president Charlton Heston: "Shove it up his ass."

via Mother Jones

Via motherjones.com

White House speechwriter David Shipley said Bill Clinton could heal the racial divide with a speech following after the O.J. trial.

White House speechwriter David Shipley said Bill Clinton could heal the racial divide with a speech following after the O.J. trial.

Clinton Library


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The Next Two Big Battles Over Unions Are In Alabama and South Carolina

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Can unions rise again in the South? The labor world will be watching as one union tries to organize the plants of two major commercial jet companies — one in South Carolina and the other in Alabama.

Michaela Rehle / Reuters

WASHINGTON — After a stinging defeat in Tennessee, organized labor is ready for another fight in the South. Or two.

Over the next several months, the International Association of Machinists will try to unionize workers at the plants of two commercial jet giants — a Boeing plant in South Carolina and a still-in-construction Airbus plant in Alabama.

The labor world will be watching IAM closely to see if it can succeed in the South, especially after the United Auto Workers lost a contentious election at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, one the results of which the union is still challenging.

It's early in the process, and no timeline has been established for either plant, but some signs of how things might shape up are beginning to emerge.

An IAM official said that after early talks with Airbus, which is based in France, the company has shown no resistance to an organized workforce. UAW had high hopes it could win in Chattanooga partly because Volkswagen also did not oppose unionization.

But Boeing could prove a tougher challenge.

"At Boeing they have stated, echoing [South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's] comments, they didn't think a union was needed or wanted," IAM spokesman Frank Larkin said.

Haley recently said unions would "taint the water" and companies with unionized workers, like Ford and General Motors, should stay away.

However, it isn't quite that simple with Boeing, which has a long history with the IAM. In 2009, Boeing was deciding between the South Carolina plant and its plant in Everett, Wash., to build a second 787 Dreamliner assembly line. Both plants at the time were unionized.

Workers in South Carolina eventually voted to decertify with the IAM, and ultimately landed the assembly line.

Now the South Carolina plant works with the unionized Washington state plant to build 787s, but has been plagued with production issues. Washington state workers have blamed the issues on the non-union South Carolina workers.

"The atmosphere is intense," Larkin said.

Neither Boeing nor Airbus returned BuzzFeed's request for comment.

For the Airbus plant in Mobile, Ala., the situation is more open.

For one, it won't even be ready to churn out planes for about a year or so, according to Larkin, and hiring won't start for several months.

But Larkin says the union has 7,000 members in the state and will do all it can to set up a strong base before it starts a concentrated campaign.

Though in no way a union-friendly state, last year Alabama had some of the largest growth in union workforce of any state in the country.

The IAM hasn't yet set a timeline for either plant, but at Boeing there are employees already filling out union cards. The union does not know, and will not say, how many cards have been filled so far.

Ahead of their own battles, the IAM is looking at what the UAW did wrong to try to shore up their own game plan. In Tennessee the opposition was loud and clear. Sen. Bob Corker and Gov. Bill Haslam to Grover Norquist and state lawmakers all chimed in during the final hours to squash the union. The problem, Larkin argues, was that there weren't enough outside voices trying to counter the opposition.

As elections draw closer and opposition becomes more fierce, Larkin said to look for the IAM to flaunt its own political power to fight the swath of anti-union rhetoric he expects to be present.

"I'm not so sure every time there was a negative thing said there shouldn't have been a positive voice to counteract it," Larkin said.

AFL-CIO Director of Organizing Elizabeth Bunn said that even with the result in Tennessee, workers aren't organizing in the South to try to reclaim the region for labor. Workers organize, she said, because they want to improve their lives and their working conditions.

Bunn noted that despite strong opposition, the South has its fair share of unionized labor, even in South Carolina where many of the port workers are union. She also pointed to nurses in hospitals across the South that have unionized.

"I don't want to dismiss as irrelevant or uninteresting what happened in the Volkswagen election," she said. "But I think it tells a small story about what's happening with workers in the South."

Obama To Putin: "There Will Be Costs For Any Military Intervention In Ukraine"

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“We are now deeply concerned,” President Barack Obama said.

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, file

WASHINGTON — President Obama had stern words for Russia on Friday as the crisis in the Ukraine deepened.

"We are now deeply concerned by reports of military movements by the Russian Federation inside Ukraine," Obama said in a late afternoon statement from the White House.

The president called Russian actions in Ukraine "deeply destabilizing" and warned that incursions into the country by Russian forces would violate international law.

Obama suggested that Russian action in Ukraine could have a profound effect on relations between the two countries.

"There will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine," Obama said, though he did not outline what those costs would entail.

Video Of The Full Statement:

LINK: Ukraine Pleads For Help Against “Russian Invasion” Of Crimea


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This Presidential Selfie Is Out Of This World

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President Obama, Bill Nye the Science Guy and Neil deGrasse Tyson took the most epic, scientific selfie known to mankind.

Bill Nye the Science Guy posted this amazing selfie with President Obama and Neil deGrasse Tyson after attending the White House's student film festival Friday.

Nye captioned the photo: "What an honor. And we even pulled off 'The Presidential Selfie' (!!)"

Nye captioned the photo: "What an honor. And we even pulled off 'The Presidential Selfie' (!!)"

Via iwastesomuchtime.com

White House: Obama Not Attending National Security Briefing "Not Unusual"

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Russia seized Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula Saturday. Officials say Obama was making calls during the national security meeting.

Baz Ratner / Reuters

WASHINGTON — President Obama's national security council met Saturday after Russia authorized military force in Ukraine, but the president himself did not attend.

Russian forces effectively seized control Saturday of Crimea, a Ukrainian region. A White House official did not respond to questions about where Obama was during the meeting, but said his absence was not out of the ordinary.

"[The] president was not at the meeting, but he's been briefed by Susan Rice and members of his national security team," the official said in an email. "That's not unusual."

Press pool reports from the White House did not report any movement by Obama Saturday. A senior White House official said Obama was calling world leaders during the meeting.

"He's been on the phone with foreign leaders and receiving briefings and updates from his nat-sec team between calls," the official said.

Vice President Biden attended the NSC meeting via teleconference. Biden is in Phoenix, Ariz., this weekend.

On Friday, Obama issued a stern warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the potential for Russian incursions into Ukrainian territory.

The White House promised further information from the NSC meeting Saturday.

"The president's national security team met today to receive an update on the situation in Ukraine and discuss potential policy options," an official said. "We will provide further updates later this afternoon."

Obama And Putin Discussed Ukraine By Phone Saturday

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Obama called Putin as tensions continued to rise in Ukraine, after Russia effectively seized control of Ukraine. Here’s how each government described the call.

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

WASHINGTON — President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone Saturday. The subject was Ukraine.

"Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the United States Barack Obama on the American side's initiative.

The two presidents discussed in detail various aspects of the extraordinary situation in Ukraine.

In reply to Mr Obama's concern over the possibility of the use of Russian armed forces on the territory of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin drew his attention to the provocative and criminal actions on the part of ultranationalists who are in fact being supported by the current authorities in Kiev.

The Russian President spoke of a real threat to the lives and health of Russian citizens and the many compatriots who are currently on Ukrainian territory. Vladimir Putin stressed that in case of any further spread of violence to Eastern Ukraine and Crimea, Russia retains the right to protect its interests and the Russian-speaking population of those areas."

"President Obama spoke for 90 minutes this afternoon with President Putin of Russia about the situation in Ukraine. President Obama expressed his deep concern over Russia's clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is a breach of international law, including Russia's obligations under the UN Charter, and of its 1997 military basing agreement with Ukraine, and which is inconsistent with the 1994 Budapest Memorandum and the Helsinki Final Act. The United States condemns Russia's military intervention into Ukrainian territory.

The United States calls on Russia to de-escalate tensions by withdrawing its forces back to bases in Crimea and to refrain from any interference elsewhere in Ukraine. We have consistently said that we recognize Russia's deep historic and cultural ties to Ukraine and the need to protect the rights of ethnic Russian and minority populations within Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has made clear its commitment to protect the rights of all Ukrainians and to abide by Ukraine's international commitments, and we will continue to urge them to do so.

President Obama told President Putin that, if Russia has concerns about the treatment of ethnic Russian and minority populations in Ukraine, the appropriate way to address them is peacefully through direct engagement with the government of Ukraine and through the dispatch of international observers under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). As a member of both organizations, Russia would be able to participate. President Obama urged an immediate effort to initiate a dialogue between Russia and the Ukrainian government, with international facilitation, as appropriate. The United States is prepared to participate.

President Obama made clear that Russia's continued violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would negatively impact Russia's standing in the international community. In the coming hours and days, the United States will urgently consult with allies and partners in the UN Security Council, the North Atlantic Council, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and with the signatories of the Budapest Memorandum. The United States will suspend upcoming participation in preparatory meetings for the G-8. Going forward, Russia's continued violation of international law will lead to greater political and economic isolation.

The people of Ukraine have the right to determine their own future. President Obama has directed his Administration to continue working urgently with international partners to provide support for the Ukrainian government, including urgent technical and financial assistance. Going forward, we will continue consulting closely with allies and partners, the Ukrainian government and the International Monetary Fund, to provide the new government with significant assistance to secure financial stability, to support needed reforms, to allow Ukraine to conduct successful elections, and to support Ukraine as it pursues a democratic future."


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Sanctions Push To Punish Russia Over Ukraine Gains Steam

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Congress wants to respond to Russia’s provocations with its favorite trick in the toolbox: sanctions. “I don’t really think that sanctions talk is necessarily going to be connected to sanctions action.”

Baz Ratner / Reuters

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress are calling for economic sanctions on Russia similar to those levied against Iran as well as an expansion of the Magnitsky List in response to Russia's invasion of the Crimea region of Ukraine.

Sen. Chris Murphy Saturday warned that it has become clear Russia's incursion is "part of a broader strategy" to reassert Russia's Cold War-era control of eastern Europe.

"We have to go eyes wide open into this," Murphy said, adding that it now appears the United States will need to "level some clear economic sanctions" against Russia.

Murphy said he expects President Barack Obama will have to address the situation in Ukraine again in the coming days and hoped that he would "start to set a direction for what these consequences will be … it's clear the Russians didn't hear his message." Obama addressed the situation on Friday, saying that there would be "costs" for a Russian invasion of Crimea but not specifying what the costs would be.

Sen. Bob Corker, the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also called for sanctions in a statement issued Saturday.

"The United States and our European allies should immediately bring to bear all elements of our collective economic strength to stop Russian advances in Ukraine," Corker said. "Congress will consider targeted sanctions against Russian persons and entities that undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine."

But Murphy warned that the economic sanctions he's proposing would likely have only a modest impact on Russia and its president, Vladmir Putin, and insisted Europe, not the United States, should lead the way.

"Our economic relationship with Russia is rather small compared to the Europeans … [so] the real question is whether we can build real support for those economic sanctions in Europe," the Connecticut Democrat said.

A clearly frustrated Murphy also argued Ukraine's neighbors need to take a much more active role in addressing the invasion. "It's unfortunate that the United States has made the strongest statement on this … Europeans should be worrying about which former independent satellite state will be next."

The EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton put out a relatively mild statement on Saturday condemning Russia's provocations but not offering any consequences.

Europe "needs to be much more exercised about what's happening," Murphy added.

Another possibility being discussed: expanding the Magnitsky list of Russian officials banned from entry to the U.S. because of human rights abuses, according to a Congressional source familiar with conversations on the subject.

Senator Marco Rubio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also mentioned expanding the Magnitsky list in an op-ed in Politico Magazine.

"The Obama administration should immediately add more Russian officials to the Magnitsky list, which places travel bans and other sanctions on them — something President Obama failed to do in December," Rubio wrote. "Living in Miami, I have seen in recent years the wave of Russian tourists coming to our city and state to spend money and buy property. Many are government officials or allies whose wealth stems from allegiance to Putin, and we should limit their ability to travel here."

David Kramer, the head of Freedom House, said that banking sanctions similar to those imposed on Iran are "a possibility."

Kramer said he had suggested the following ideas to the administration: "announce an end to the stupid trade deal negotiations between us and Moscow, apply immediate and wider application of Magnitsky, call an emergency NATO meeting, push for a resolution in UNSC (which Russia will obviously veto), push for kicking Russia out of the G8 on top of announcing Obama isn't going to Sochi in June."

But some analysts think that sanctions of this kind would be ineffectual.

"Can you imagine if at the beginning of the Bosnia crisis, or the Balkans war, if everybody was saying that's what's gong to stop Slobodan Milosevic — taking away their visas so they can't go to Miami?" said Andrew Weiss, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment and former Clinton administration expert on Russia and Ukraine.

"I don't really think that sanctions talk is necessarily going to be connected to sanctions action," Weiss said. "It sounds to me like a classic situation where the toolkit is limited so 'let's go sanction somebody.'"

However, the White House itself is hinting at some kind of economic punishment for Russia. A readout released after a 90-minute phone call between Putin and President Obama described the conversation: "President Obama made clear that Russia's continued violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would negatively impact Russia's standing in the international community. In the coming hours and days, the United States will urgently consult with allies and partners in the UN Security Council, the North Atlantic Council, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and with the signatories of the Budapest Memorandum. The United States will suspend upcoming participation in preparatory meetings for the G-8. Going forward, Russia's continued violation of international law will lead to greater political and economic isolation."

CORRECTION: Murphy said, "Europeans should be worrying about which former independent satellite state will be next." An earlier version of this story misquoted him.

House Ukraine Caucus Chair: "Some Group Had To Step In To Mediate"

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“Whether it’s Russian or Ukrainian, the amount of bloodshed these places have endured … we simply can’t go back to the slaughter,” Rep. Marcy Kaptur says.

An armed serviceman stands near Russian army vehicles outside a Ukrainian border guard post in the Crimean town of Balaclava March 1, 2014.

Baz Ratner / Reuters

WASHINGTON — House Ukraine Caucus Co-Chairwoman Marcy Kaptur said Saturday that while she is concerned about the potential for bloodshed in Ukraine, she understood Russian military action.

On Saturday, Russia effectively invaded the ethnically diverse Crimean region of Ukraine. The Russian Parliament also granted Russian President Vladimir Putin the authority to use military action in the country.

"If I was President Putin, I would have worried with the collapse of the Party of Regions, about peace in the Crimea … I understand Russia's military posture. The United States has never been invaded the way Russia has," Kaptur said in an interview with BuzzFeed Saturday afternoon.

While other lawmakers like Sen. Chris Murphy see the invasion as the start of a broader effort to reassert Russia's Cold War influence over Eastern Europe, Kaptur — a Democratic congresswoman from Ohio and progressive champion — argues ethnic tensions in Crimea drove Putin to take drastic action.

"It was not unexpected. I view, and I'm sure the Russians do, [Crimea] as their rear flank … [and] we seem to be in between leaders right now," Kaptur said, explaining that the collapse of Ukraine's government last week has led to upheaval throughout the country, including Crimea, where the Party of Regions had maintained peace between Tartars, ethnic Russians, and other groups in Crimea. "The Party of Regions kept it civil … some group had to step in to mediate that, and at the moment it appears to be Russian troops," the Ohio Democrat said.

"I don't know what other choices there were … it's one of those situations where things got out of control quickly."

In an emailed follow-up comment, Kaptur emphasized a broad international response to instability in Ukraine, and on Russia's military intervention in Crimea.

"I did not mention that Russia does not control territorial waters of the Black Sea," she said in the email. "That means working with the government of Ukraine, official delegations of international diplomatic leaders could arrive through the Black Sea, engage in fair handed assessments of the current situation, and negotiate through the Ukrainian government deescalation of the current intervention crisis to protect Ukraine's integrity, recognize Russia's longstanding interests in its fleet's access, and move toward peaceful resolution of the Crimean situation to avoid bloodshed."

Russia has used the potential for ethnic violence as its official reason for invading Ukraine, although there appears to be no independent evidence that Tartars and ethnic Russians have engaged in any significant violence, and most U.S. officials view those claims as a thin pretense.

Kaptur's grandparents emigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine, where her great uncle was persecuted by Soviet authorities and imprisoned in a gulag for 20 years. Kaptur, who has regularly travelled to Ukraine since 1973, said she and other lawmakers have reached out to Russian officials urging them to find a quick and peaceful solution, and acknowledged that economic sanctions — including freezing Russian assets or those of export customers — may be necessary. "We have to keep these options open," Kaptur said.

But Kaptur said she hopes it does not come to that, and that the international community can find a way forward. "Where has the United Nations been" she questioned, adding that "the world community should rise to the occasion" and help protect Ukraine.

Kaptur said her overriding concern is avoiding another tragedy in Ukraine, which has seen repeated violent invasions and internal outbursts for more than a century.

"Whether it's Russian or Ukrainian, the amount of bloodshed these places have endured … we simply can't go back to the slaughter," Kaptur said.


Anti-Keystone Group Promises "Largest Civil Disobedience Of The Obama Administration" At White House Sunday

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While the White House is focused on Ukraine, hundreds of students plan to chain themselves to the White House fence Sunday. The timing is not the best, organizers admit.

Stephen Lam / Reuters / Reuters

WASHINGTON — While the administration — and much of the rest of the world — is fixated on events in Ukraine this weekend, a group of protesters is promising to keep the Keystone pipeline on the Obama administration agenda with what they say will be "the largest student civil disobedience on any political issue in recent memory" at the White House Sunday.

Hundreds of college students and other activists gathered Saturday night in Washington in advance of a protest action at the White House they say will feature mass arrests and 40 × 60-foot "black banner cut to look like an oil spill" organizers say they'll spread on Pennsylvania Ave.

Organizers recognize they're fighting an uphill battle, news-wise.

"I mean, you get more TV on a quiet news day," said Jamie Henn, a co-founder of 350.org, the group led by prominent anti-Keystone activist Bill McKibben. "But I'm assuming that most climate/environmental reporters haven't been dispatched to the Crimea yet."

Upwards of 500 of the activists plan to get arrested at a White House event planned to begin around noon on Sunday, Henn said. That would make Sunday's action unprecedented during Obama's term in office, he believes.

If the 500-plus arrests materialize, it will "definitely be" the largest student civil disobedience "of the Obama administration," Henn said.

Keystone opponents are rallying around the protest as a final decision on building a new section of the pipeline gets closer. Critics of Keystone suffered a blow last week when a State Department Inspector General's report they hoped would discredit an environmental impact study favorable to the pipeline found the company contracted to conduct the study did not have a conflict of interest with the company hoping to build the pipeline. Ahead of Sunday's protest, the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, and other Keystone opponents expressed solidarity with the event.

But even with such large numbers and high-profile backing, the protesters are up against a tough news cycle. The protest will begin just as the Sunday morning talk shows are ending, kicking off a fresh round of Washington chatter about the political fallout from the crisis in Ukraine. The protest is also scheduled to end just hours before D.C. is plunged headlong into another winter storm: meteorologists predict 5-9 inches of snow.

Vladimir Putin Thinks He's Winning

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What’s the sound of one hand dialoguing?

Ria Novosti / Reuters

For years, foreign policy wonks have been decrying the "new Cold War" paradigm. President Barack Obama said as much when he told Mitt Romney: "The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because the Cold War's been over for 20 years."

But what if the other side doesn't agree?

While the U.S. may have moved on from the Cold War and its zero-sum values, they were on display in Moscow Saturday, where Russia's Federation Council voted unanimously to send Russian troops into Ukraine. There, the bogeyman wasn't the opposition leaders who ousted Viktor Yanukovych or the protesters in the streets.

"Yesterday, from various media, we heard how U.S. President Obama declared that Russia would dearly pay for her politics," Yury Vorobyov, the body's deputy speaker, told an emergency session called to hold the war vote. "I think these words of the U.S. president are a direct threat, and he crossed a red line, he insulted the Russian people."

The phrase "red line" was no accident, and not one thrown around often in Russia. It was a direct reference to Obama's much pilloried foreign policy disaster over Syria, something largely forgotten at home but constantly referenced abroad -- from Moscow to Tel Aviv to everywhere in between.

That's not to say that Obama, or any U.S. official, could have stopped Putin's march on Ukraine. That Putin sees the collapse of the Soviet empire as a disaster is fundamental to understanding what drives him. And Ukraine holds a special place in the heart of many Russians, who still fundamentally see it as the bit of Russia that got away.

But to say that Putin doesn't feel emboldened knowing that he faces no real challenge from abroad would also be untrue. The Obama administration and its supporters spun the Russia-backed deal to disarm Bashar al-Assad of his chemical weapons as a compromise in which everyone wins. But Putin doesn't believe in compromise. To him, there is winning and losing. And in that round, he won.

Ditto the departure of Michael McFaul, the outspoken professor-turned-diplomat who left Moscow last week after two years as ambassador. McFaul argued family reasons. The Russians, who were convinced that McFaul, an expert in revolution, was sent to Moscow by Obama to personally oversee Putin's overthrow, saw him as leaving with his tail between his legs. "Good riddance!," the Russian foreign ministry tweeted the day he announced he would go.

Fresh off these "wins" and the chest-thumping of the Sochi Olympics, Putin feels on top of the world -- and he's kind of right. The U.S. can threaten sanctions and boot Russia from the Group of Eight and other fancy global clubs -- but Russia will end up with a new piece of territory (and, judging by at least two Kremlin statements, Putin won't be stopping at Crimea but will march onward to eastern Ukraine, home to many Russian-speaking Ukrainians) and, perhaps more importantly, with the respect of the west.

For years, Russia has begged to be taken seriously on the world stage — its constant appeal to the United Nations Security Council, the only place where it has, until now, really been able to assert its authority. For years, it has played the role of the spoiler, disrupting U.S. plans largely because it could (thus the unabashed glee when it decided to not only not veto, but support, a humanitarian resolution on Syria last month).

Now it is time to lash out. Russia did this once before, in August 2008, when it intervened in a conflict between Georgia and its breakaway republic of South Ossetia. Back then there were fears that Russian troops would make their way to Tbilisi, the capital, and bring Georgia back into its fold. They were unfounded, and the five-day war ended with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another breakaway region, declaring independence that only Russia and a handful of small countries recognized. Russia suffered no real consequences then -- and the conflict was quickly forgotten in the west.

Five and a half years later, and Russia is a different place. Challenged by a protest movement around his return to the presidency in early 2012, Putin emerged more paranoid than ever. He blamed those protests squarely on the U.S. state department, and remains convinced that, as, in his view, it did to despots from Egypt to Libya, Washington is working to unseat him. That violent protests should erupt in Ukraine, where Russia saw a U.S. hand in the Orange Revolution of 2004-05, didn't help. The sight of U.S. officials like Victoria Nuland and John McCain strolling around the Maidan only added fuel to the fire.

Now, Washington is left with few options in the short run. "Unless immediate and concrete steps are taken by Russia to deescalate tensions, the effect on U.S.-Russian relations and on Russia's international standing will be profound," Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday. Officials have floated sanctions, and after speaking to Putin for 90 minutes tonight, Obama said he would stop preparations for an upcoming Group of Eight summit to be held in the Olympic city of Sochi.

The question now is whether Obama can look towards the long-term. Obama has tried to play nice with Russia, and been rebuffed at every turn. Russia will never cooperate on Syria. It will eventually try to disrupt Obama's "reset" with Iran. Putin has turned anti-LGBT into a tool of foreign policy. Now he is sending troops into Ukraine.

Obama has made dialogue and cooperation a cornerstone of his approach to the world. But what if some countries don't reciprocate?

Obama Enlisted YouTube Personalities For Final Health Care Enrollment Push Last Week

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The president asked viral video creators to help boost Obamacare enrollment ahead of the March 31 deadline at a White House summit last week.

Jonathan Ernst / Reuters / Reuters

WASHINGTON — President Obama personally appealed to the creator of "My Drunk Kitchen," the team Obama Girl, and a popular Obama impersonator to help boost health care enrollment at a White House summit of YouTube creators Thursday.

The meeting, which was hinted at on the social media accounts of several of the video makers present, was the first of its kind and comes just five weeks before Affordable Care Act enrollment closes for 2014. A White House official said Obama "discussed the importance of having influencers on YouTube get the word out to the millions of fans that they speak to every day," and thanked them for the work they've already done to help raise awareness of the health care law among young people when he stopped by the meeting, which was with senior officials.

The president "acknowledged...how powerful the YouTube community is in helping raise awareness about key issues," the official said.

Attending the meeting were Hannah Hart, creator of the Drunk Kitchen series; Iman Crosson, an Obama impersonator known online as Alphacat; Michael Stephens, the man behind the YouTube channel "VSauce;" Benny and Rafi Fine, creators of the "Kids React" series; Mark Douglas, Todd Womack, and Ben Relles, who introduced the world to Obama Girl six years ago; Peter Shuckoff and Lloyd Ahlquist of "Epic Rap Battles of History" and Tyler Oakley, an LGBT rights advocate with millions of online fans.

Among the group, Hart and Oakley also have signed up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Hart hosted a six-hour online signup marathon for the California health care exchange in January.

The administration has turned to internet personalities as well as stars from Hollywood, music and sports throughout the enrollment process. Celebrities have played a big part of multiple campaigns aimed at boosting youth enrollment numbers in recent months.

Youth enrollment has been lower than projected so far: The administration's original goal was for seven million Americans to enroll; the target was for roughly 40% of that group to be between 18 and 34. So far, young Americans have made up about a quarter of enrollees. The White House has pointed to studies showing a high enough percentage of young people have enrolled in Obamacare to avoid the so-called "death spiral."

Meanwhile, the administration has lowered expectations for the final tally of enrollees expected to sign up for insurance by March 31. Last month, Vice President Biden hinted enrollments won't reach the seven million figure originally predicted when the Affordable Care Act kicked in.

Still, the administration feels confident about the enrollment figures especially after the difficult opening months of the HealthCare.gov website, with a slate of outreach events and campaigns.

Update: After this article was published, a White House official sent in the names of two more attendees at the meeting: Mickey Meyer and Daniel Kellison from Jash.

U.S. Cancels Presidential Delegation To Sochi Paralympic Games

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Part of Obama’s response to the situation in Ukraine. Update: U.S. Olympic Committee, still sending athletes, responds.

Phil Noble / Reuters

WASHINGTON — President Obama has canceled the presidential delegation to the 2014 Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia, in retaliation for the Russian invasion of Crimea.

"In addition to other measures we are taking in response to the situation in Ukraine, the United States will no longer send a Presidential Delegation to the upcoming Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi," said Caitlin Hayden, a spokesperson for the president's National Security Council. "President Obama continues to strongly support all of the U.S. athletes who will participate in the Paralympics and wishes them great success in the Olympic competition."

American athletes will still compete in the games, scheduled to begin on March 7.

U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Patrick Sandusky told BuzzFeed, "Today we were advised of the decision to not send a Presidential delegation to the Paralympic Winter Games. As a sports organization, we will continue to fully support the amazing men and women that comprise Team USA at the Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, and we encourage all Americans to support our athletes by watching them compete on NBC, NBCSN, and on TeamUSA.org."

Asked about the safety of American athletes participating, Sandusky added, "The safety and security of Team USA is our top priority. As is always the case, we are working with the U.S. Department of State, the local organizers and the relevant law enforcement agencies in an effort to ensure that our delegation and other Americans traveling to Sochi are safe."

How The Internet Reacted To Russia Invading Ukraine

GOP Congressman Thinks Putin Is Being "Demonized" In The U.S.

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California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said he doesn’t support Russia taking military action in Ukraine, but “that doesn’t mean Putin and pro-Russia forces in Ukraine are in the wrong.”

Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said Monday that while he doesn't support Russia taking military action in Ukraine, "that doesn't mean Putin and pro-Russia forces in Ukraine are in the wrong," in an interview with BuzzFeed.

Rohrabacher also said he stands by comments he made last month on Russian television network RT about the Ukraine-Russia tensions. In the Feb. 22 interview, Rohrabacher said Russian President Vladimir Putin is "demonized by a lot of people here when he's ever watching out for Russia's self-interest."

"We're acting as if it was the old Cold War days, and it was a communist overture to do something — to dominate the world," Rohrabacher told RT. "Well, Putin has a right to watch out for the interests of the people there [Ukraine], just as the way we do in the United States, and just as the Ukrainian government should be doing watching out for the interests of the people of Ukraine."

In the interview with BuzzFeed, Rohrabacher described Putin as trying to protect Russian interests in the region, saying Putin "has a right to be upset" with the ousting of the democratically elected government under President Viktor Yanukovych, who was pro-Russian.

Rohrabacher also briefly described to BuzzFeed traveling to Afghanistan following his election to Congress in 1988 to fight the Russians alongside the mujahideen. Rohrabacher described participating in the Battle of Jalalabad after his November election, two months before he was sworn in.

"I was part of a team that shot a rocket onto a Russian position," Rohrabacher said. "We received return fire."

Rohrabacher said he had been helping the mujahideen as part of the Reagan administration and wanted to actually participate himself, but said the time after he was elected "was the only time I was free."

Discussing his anti-communist work in the 1980s, Rohrabacher said, "I was Vladimir Putin's worst nightmare."

Here are Rohrabacher's Feb. 22 comments on Russia:

View Video ›

Here's the full interview:

youtube.com


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Allen West Refuses To Comment On Homophobic Blog Post

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“You can call the editor of my website and you can ask her,” West said.

Via facebook.com

Former Republican Congressman Allen West wouldn't discuss a homophobic blog post on his website when called by BuzzFeed on Monday afternoon. The post on West's website, titled "While Russia invades Ukraine, our gay military dances in drag in Okinawa," slammed the Pentagon for worrying about "hair and makeup for our gay military" while Russia invades the Ukraine.

U.S. military troops held a fundraiser for LGBT troops Saturday at the Rocker NCO Club at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. Six U.S. service members, gay, lesbian, and straight among them, dressed in drag and lip-synched songs to raise money for the Okinawa chapter of OutServe-SLDN, which is the largest nonprofit advocate for the military's LGBT community, according to Stars and Stripes.

In his blog post, West said he was "kinda at a loss for words" over the fundraiser for LGBT members of the U.S. military.

But in a brief phone call with BuzzFeed, West declined to discuss his post, instead directing BuzzFeed to talk to his press secretary.

BuzzFeed: "I'm calling about one of your recent posts on your website about the military. I think you called it "Our Gay Military Dances In Drag In Okinawa." I was wondering…"

Allen West: "You should go through my press secretary first."

BF: "Are you concerned your comments might be perceived as anti-gay?"

AW: "You can call the editor of my website and you can ask her."

BF: "OK, but you wrote the post."

AW: "I just told you who to speak to… Have a good day, my friend."

BF: "So you wrote it but you're not willing to discuss it?" (West hangs up)

Here's a screenshot of West's post:

Here's a screenshot of West's post:

Via allenbwest.com


Paralympic Organizing Committee: "Disappointing" Obama Canceled Presidential Delegation

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“Obviously, we are disappointed that at the moment the politics is overshadowing what is a fantastic sporting event that can change the perceptions and attitudes toward disabled people around the world,” says spokesperson for the International Paralympic Committee.

The U.S. Paralympic hockey team.

Gregg Forwerck/USA Hockey / MCT

WASHINGTON — President Obama canceled plans to send a presidential delegation to this Paralympic Games opening ceremony in Sochi Monday to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia's recent actions in Ukraine. But a top official with the international body that organizes the games said the ones who will be most affected are the hundreds of athletes playing in the games.

"To be honest, it's more disappointing to the athletes," International Paralympic Committee spokesperson Craig Spence said in a phone interview from the Sochi Olympic village. "Because the athletes would love obviously the presidential delegation to be there to support them."

U.S. athletes will still participate in the Sochi games, but the White House canceled the presidential delegation in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine's Crimea region. Spence said the International Paralympic Committee learned of Obama's decision through press reports and didn't expect to hear from the White House about the decision. The U.S. isn't the only nation not sending a government delegation in retaliation for Russia's Ukrainian actions: On Monday, the British prime minister announced his delegation would boycott the games.

It's unrealistic to expect that politics wouldn't be a big part of this year's Paralympics, scheduled to begin on March 7 in many of the same Sochi facilities used to host the Olympic Winter Games last month. Spence said organizers of the Paralympics are hoping the games will shine through the politics.

"You will have 575 athletes here who have been training for four years and this is the pinnacle of their careers," he said. "We want the story here in Sochi to be about the sport and currently that's not the case. But hopefully once the action starts on Saturday, we'll start readjusting the balance."

The Ukrainian team is already on the ground in Sochi, adding another connection between the escalating international crisis and the Paralympic games. But Spence speculated that many of the athletes aren't paying much attention to the world outside of Sochi.

"To be honest, the athletes in the mountains are probably unaware of what's going on because they're here and their focus is on winning medals and their focus is sports, not politics," he said.

Spence said it's still possible for the Sochi Paralympic games to be successful. They just need to get underway.

"We'll let the politicians do the politics," he said. "Obviously, we are disappointed that at the moment the politics is overshadowing what is a fantastic sporting event that can change the perceptions and attitudes toward disabled people around the world."

Congressional Leaders Want To Move Quickly On Economic Aid To Ukraine

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“We should be focused on moving such a package as quickly as possible,” Majority Leader Eric Cantor said.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

Handout/Reutrs

WASHINGTON — Senate and House leaders said Monday they would begin to work on a way to provide economic assistance to Ukraine as the country deals with the escalating Russian invasion of the Crimea region.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor said the GOP-led House would begin work to provide economic aid to Ukraine and they would try to move a package "as quickly as possible."

"The House will review how we can expeditiously consider assistance to Ukraine in the form of loan guarantees," Cantor said in a statement. "I believe there is bipartisan support for such assistance, but we must make sure it is done responsibly and any legislation is not delayed by adding divisive provisions. We should be focused on moving such a package as quickly as possible."

Harry Reid, the Democratic majority leader in Senate, made brief but broader comments in support of economic aid for Ukraine at a Monday afternoon event with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I think Ukraine is in crisis and needs some help. I'm going to recommend that anything that we do be in conjunction with our allies," he said. "And President Obama said he wants to give some economic aid. I think that's appropriate. I will be happy to help in any way."

Additionally, Cantor's statement said that Congress would begin to work with the administration on sanctions against Russia.

"We will also begin reviewing what authorities, similar to the Magnitsky Act, we may provide the administration so that the president can take actions to impose sanctions on Russian officials, oligarchs, and other individuals complicit in Russia's efforts to invade and interfere with Ukraine's sovereign affairs," he said. "I have spoken to administration officials to express our interest in working together to ensure that President Obama has the appropriate tools to impose real consequences on Russia for this aggression."

Schumer: BDS Is Anti-Semitic

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“We will succeed if we strongly and constantly oppose those who call for boycotts of Israel and expose their double standard.”

Yuri Gripas / Reuters

WASHINGTON — Senator Charles Schumer used harsh rhetoric against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement on Monday, saying the movement is a modern form of anti-Semitism.

"It is very suspicious that those who promote boycotting Israel do not seek boycotts against any other nations in the world, particularly those nations in the Middle East whose human rights records include hanging dissenters from cranes in city squares and imprisoning and torturing critics of the government.," Schumer told the audience at this year's conference for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

"I believe that those who call for boycotts of Israel without calling for boycotts of other neighboring nations whose human rights records are in fact reprehensible are practicing, whether they know it or not, whether they admit it or not, a modern form of what we call anti-Semitism," Schumer said to rousing applause.

Schumer compared BDS to historical injustices against Jews, like restrictions on where Jews could settle and what occupations they could hold: "The word that describes all of these acts is a very simple one: anti-Semitism."

"We will succeed if we strongly and constantly oppose those who call for boycotts of Israel and expose their double standard," Schumer said.

Schumer drew a line in the sand over whether Israel should change any of its policies to avoid further boycotts.

"One further thought on these boycotts. Those who even with the best of intentions warn Israel that she must make agreements she feels unjust because the boycotting will only get worse in the future, those people have it all wrong," Schumer said.

"Those quote-unquote friends should be condemning the boycotts in every possible way and weakening them," he said.

AIPAC'S new president Bob Cohen also mentioned BDS in his remarks Sunday at the conference, calling for AIPAC to "fight exclusion with inclusion."

Updated to reflect the transcript of Schumer's remarks.

14 Insane Moments From RT's Coverage Of The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine

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We watched so you didn’t have to.

On Saturday, Russian forces effectively seized the Ukrainian region of Crimea. Formerly known as Russia Today, RT is a Kremlin-funded television network. Its U.S. version, RT America, is carried in the United States by Comcast, Verizon FiOS, Time Warner Cable, and other providers. (Larry King actually has a show on RT, if you've wondered where he went.) We decided to watch RT to see how they covered the news.

So on Saturday, RT used all kinds of chyrons to explain the situation in Crimea. For example: The Russian military is a "stabilizing force for Ukraine."

So on Saturday, RT used all kinds of chyrons to explain the situation in Crimea. For example: The Russian military is a "stabilizing force for Ukraine."

The top story on RT's website blasted basically the same headline. From 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, the network ran basically a handful of segments, including a history of Crimea, over and over again. They also rotated through just a few chyrons like the one above.

This one was the hot chyron of the day: "Russia force to act."

This one was the hot chyron of the day: "Russia force to act."

It ran intermittently during the afternoon. Was "Russia forced to act" or is a "Russian force to act" soon? If you look at it one way it's an old woman — another, it's a young girl!

But the highlight of the day was when two RT anchors literally gave the exact same, word-for-word monologue hours apart on the history of Crimea.

View Video ›

Even the graphic moves at the same time! If there was one thing to learn watching RT on Saturday, it was this: There are a lot of Russian speakers in the Crimean region.


View Entire List ›

A Host On The Kremlin-Funded RT Spoke Out Against Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine Monday Night

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“What Russia did is wrong,” said Abby Martin on Monday evening during her show on RT, the Kremlin-funded television network.

youtube.com

"Before we wrap up the show, I wanted to say something from my heart about the ongoing political crisis in Ukraine and Russia's military occupation of Crimea. Just because I work here for RT doesn't mean I don't have editorial independence, and I can't stress enough how strongly I am against any state intervention in a sovereign nation's affairs. What Russia did is wrong. I admittedly don't know as much as I should about Ukraine's history or the cultural dynamics of the region, but what I do know is that military intervention is never the answer. I will not sit here and apologize or defend military aggression. Furthermore, the coverage I've seen of Ukraine has been truly disappointing from all sides of the media spectrum and rife with disinformation. Above all, my heart goes out to the Ukrainian people, who are now wedged as pawns in the middle of a global power chess game — they're the real losers here. All we can do now is hope for a peaceful outcome to a terrible situation, and prevent another full-blown cold war between multiple super powers. Until then, I'll keep telling the truth as I see it."

LINK: 14 Insane Moments From RT’s Coverage Of The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine

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