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EcoWatch

Can I Recycle This? A Guide to Recycling Paper, Plastic and Everything in Between

Linnea Harris – February 14, 2022

AnnaStills / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Can I put this pizza box in with the cardboard? What about that oat milk container? Does this envelope have plastic in it? 

The recycling system in the U.S. is far from perfect, and recycling is often used as a scapegoat to justify overconsumption. The oil and gas industries – producers of virgin plastic – spent millions on advertising in the 80s to advocate for recycling, knowing that it wouldn’t be a large-scale solution to our waste problem and would encourage consumers to purchase more plastic. Fast forward to 2018, when 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste were generated in the U.S. in a single year: 4.9 pounds per person per day. Of this waste, 69 million tons were recycled and 25 million tons were composted, amounting to a meager 32.1% recycling and composting rate.

Furthermore, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that only 10% of all plastic thrown in recycling bins over the last 40 years has actually been recycled. Some of this waste, however, comes from incorrect sorting on the part of the consumer. Because there are no universal rules for recycling – which is handled by individual counties and municipalities – the process is extremely complex and variable. While recycling is not the end-all-be-all of waste reduction, it is an important tool for keeping waste out of landfills.

It is always necessary to check your regional recycling rules, as the specifications for individual items vary widely. New York City even has a search tool to find common products and how they should be disposed of, and most counties will have this information on their website. 

Here are a few pointers on how to recycle those common items – whether it be a pizza box, toothpaste tube, or hairspray can – that have you stumped.

Why Does It Matter?

The U.S. leads the world in plastic waste. With so many recyclable materials already ending up in landfills, incorrectly recycled items can impact the fate of the small percentage of waste that is recycled. 

For our current recycling system to continue functioning, the operation must be profitable. After dragging your bins out to the curb, they’re taken away by the recycling truck on pick-up day, and the county or municipality pays for it to be brought to recycling plants for processing. Paper, plastic, glass, and metal are separated and consolidated into bales that are sold, and buyers use the recycled material to create new products, like post-consumer paper, pellets, etc. – all those products stamped with a “made out of recycled material” sticker. However, when a batch is too riddled with trash, it might be too dangerous or costly to sort it out, so it must be sold for a lower price. Sometimes, the whole batch is thrown away.

So, “wishful” or “aspirational” recycling – that is, wishfully throwing items in the recycling just in case they can be recycled, especially in single-stream recycling – can lead to even more waste. According to David Biderman, CEO and executive director of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), 10-15% of all waste sent to recycling centers in the U.S. isn’t actually recyclable. Correctly separating recycling can prevent some of this waste and make sure all recyclables meet their proper fate.

Plastic

The Basics

The plastic bin is home to most rigid plastic containers. However, the recycling code dictates all. Every plastic recyclable will be stamped with a little triangle emblem and a number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7, which indicates the type of plastic it’s made from, and ultimately how difficult it is to recycle (1 being the easiest, 7 the hardest). #1, for example, is the code for PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) products, like water bottles, and many other containers for oil, soft drinks, etc. 

New York City, for one, accepts essentially all plastic bottles, jars, jugs, and containers, regardless of number, but not all municipalities are as inclusive; most accept at least numbers 1 and 2, but it’s important to know what codes you should divert to the trash instead. 

While you can peel the paper labels off of these plastics before recycling them, it isn’t necessary, so save yourself some time and skip that step.

Milk, Juice, and Soup Cartons

These liquid cartons are an infamously confusing recyclable: are they paper? Plastic? Trash? 

Unlike some mixed-material products, these cartons are luckily accepted as recyclables in 62% of American communities, reports TreeHugger. 

There are two types of recyclable cartons: gable tops (usually found in the refrigerated section) and aseptic (shelf-stable containers of soup, stock, or other liquids). Chicago – which utilizes a single-stream recycling system – accepts these cartons, as does NYC in the plastic, metal, and glass bin. As always, however, don’t aspirationally recycle until you’ve checked recycling rules for your region, especially if you live in a place that doesn’t accept all types of recycling, or are serviced by a smaller recycling center; a misplaced carton could compromise the whole batch of recycling,

Bottles With Pumps

If a shampoo, soap, cleaning product, or lotion bottle is labeled as recyclable – which most are – you can put it in the recycling bin after rinsing out the remaining product. The pump, however, should be thrown away. 

Clamshell Containers

The clamshell containers holding your takeout salad and sandwich are made of the highly-recyclable #1 plastic, but the process by which they are made is much different from that of #1 plastic bottles, so some centers won’t accept them. Put them in your curbside container if your county or municipality’s website specifics that clamshell containers are allowed. Otherwise, save them in a separate bin and find a collection center near you where they are. 

Coffee Pods

As of 2020, Keurig-brand K-Cups are newly recyclable – if your recycling center accepts #5 plastic, that is. The company transitioned the pods from #7 plastic to #5, so new K-cups can go in the plastics bin after removing the foil.

Nespresso capsules, on the other hand, are made from 100% aluminum and can be easily recycled with other metals. The company also offers free bags to customers, which can be filled and sent back to the company as a part of their recycling program.

Or, sidestep the pod problem and try out a French press. They’re plastic-waste free. 

Glass 

Glass is very easy to recycle, which means most municipalities will accept common glass containers. 

Jars

No need to get all the paper or glue off. If you don’t have a single-stream system and must separate metals and glass, remove metal lids and place them in the correct bin. If the lid is larger – at least 3 inches in diameter – most centers will capture them during sorting, so there’s no need to remove it. 

Glass Beverage Containers

Kombucha bottles and non-jar-sized glass beverage containers can also be recycled. The little plastic caps are too small to recycle and are hard to sort out of the glass recycling, so make sure to put those in the trash. 

Metal

The Basics

Tin and aluminum cans from vegetables, fruit, soup, paint (if fully cleaned), and pet food are a safe bet for the metals bin. 

Aerosol Cans

The clean, empty can itself is recyclable. Simply remove the nozzle (which goes in the trash) and recycle along with the rest of your metal. 

Wire Hangers

Some major cities will accept them curbside, if any attached paper or plastic is removed. Otherwise, donate to a local thrift store or dry cleaner, or bring to a scrap metal collector. Remember, however, that most recycling centers will not accept plastic hangers. 

Tinfoil

Despite its name, tinfoil is made of aluminum, which can be recycled and used over and over again. In fact, according to the Aluminum Association, 75% of all aluminum ever produced in the U.S. is still in use today. As always, however, be sure to check your regional recycling rules. 

Make sure the foil is fully clean – with no oil, food, or residue at all – then wad it up before tossing into the bin. If you use foil frequently, it’s best to wad several pieces together, since the material is quite light and can easily blow away when put outdoors. 

Foil wrappers can also be recycled if they incorporate no plastic, like yogurt lids and some gum wrappers. If a wrapper stays crumbled when you squeeze it in your hand, it’s foil; if it unfolds, it’s plastic, and should be thrown away. If it’s a really small wrapper – like the foil on a Hershey’s kiss – crumple several together to make a larger clump that won’t clog up a sorting machine. 

Aluminum Takeout Trays / Baking Dishes

If a facility takes aluminum foil, it’ll probably take these trays too. Likewise, they must be perfectly clean before they go in the bin.

Metal Caps

Beer and soda bottle caps are made of metal, and can go into the bin with those materials. If your recycling center requires metals to be separated by type, sort out steel and aluminum caps (steel will stick to a magnet, aluminum won’t), fill steel and aluminum cans halfway with their respective caps, then crimp the cans closed. This process keeps the small caps from wrecking machinery at the recycling center.

Alternatively, some bottle retailers collect caps and will dispose of them properly when brought back by customers.

Scrap Metal

Larger pieces of metal shouldn’t go in the bin, but can be taken to scrap metal faculties for money. Use the iScrap app to find a site nearby.

Paper 

The Basics

Paper recycling bins are for just that: paper, and corrugated cardboard (that multi-layer stuff that shows a few layers when ripped apart). Some cities require cardboard to be broken down to specific dimensions and bound with twine. Regardless, these items will generally always be accepted in curbside recycling.

Books

First of all, if they are in decent condition, consider donating books to a local library or thrift store. As a last resort, they can be recycled as paper in some cases. Hardcovers can’t be put in the bin unless all of the pages are removed and the cover thrown away, or books of mixed materials, such as those with laminated pages.  

Phonebooks and whole paperbacks can be recycled by many centers, but check with your municipality to make sure there are no book bans.

Envelopes

Most envelopes can go in the paper recycling. For those with plastic windows and stamps, it doesn’t hurt to peel them off, but the plastic and glue will be filtered out in the sorting process, so it can be left attached. Jiffy paper-padded envelopes can also go in with paper. However, any mailing materials with bubble wrap should be tossed, as should heavily dyed goldenrod envelopes.

Chipboard or Paperboard

This material reveals itself as grey-ish or brown when torn, and is less sturdy than corrugated cardboard. It’s typically used for cereal, snack, gift, and tissue boxes. If it tears white, however, check with your municipality to see if it’s accepted as recycling.

Cardboard Egg Cartons

Egg cartons are easily recycled if made of 100% paper or cardboard. Some can even be composted, and will break down quickly in a home pile while delivering carbon to the compost. Plastic egg cartons are more complicated; check the number on the bottom to see if it should go in with the plastic. 

Glossy Cardboard

Toothbrushes, for one, are usually packaged in glossy cardboard, which can be recycled with paper. Waxy cardboard has a similar appearance, but is actually a completely different material, and is usually used for transporting groceries to stores rather than for products on the shelves. Make sure the recycling-bound cardboard is “glossy” rather than “waxy” by scraping the material with your fingernail; if it comes away with residue, the cardboard should be thrown away. 

Wrapping Paper and Gift Bags

If it has foil, glitter, or other decorative elements, send it to the trash. Wrapping paper must be 100% paper with no plastic layers to be recycled. If you can rip through the wrapping paper easily, it’s probably just glossy paper, which can be recycled. Unfortunately, it’s best to play it safe and throw it away if you’re not sure. Large pieces of un-recyclable paper in a recycling batch could send the whole lot to the landfill. If you can, make sure to wrap gifts with only 100% paper so you know everything being unwrapped at the holiday is recyclable. Remove ribbons or other adornments before putting in the recycling bin.

The same rules apply for gift bags: if it’s just paper, it’s recyclable, but if you can’t rip through it cleanly or it has a plasticky feel, keep the bags to reuse them, or put them in the trash. 

Greeting Cards

Anything made with photo paper – including any family pictures that come in Christmas cards – should go in the trash, as should cards with adornments or glitter. If one half of the card is plain paper, however, tear the card in half and recycle it. Better yet, if the front piece is not written on, separate it from the second half and use it as a gift tag for next year. All-paper cards can certainly be recycled. 

Instant Soup Cups

If they’re completely clean, some recycling centers will accept them in the paper bin – but only those that are wax-lined, and not completely wax-coated. The rules vary widely by location, but almost no centers will accept the cups if they are Styrofoam. 

Trash

Alas, not all waste can be given a second life. Some items must be trashed, but by keeping non-recyclables out of recycling bins, we can help ensure that no recycling batches are contaminated and sent to landfills.

Plastic Bags and Packaging

Americans use hundreds of billions of plastic bags a year, and while technically recyclable, they should never be paced with other plastics in curbside recycling bins. These thin bags are considered “tanglers” in the machinery that sorts recycling, and can shut down entire recycling operations. Follow the “poke test” to determine whether a piece of plastic could be a tangler: if you can stick your finger through it with little resistance – like plastic sandwich bags, plastic wrap, bubble wrap, etc. – it should go in the trash. Unless required by your municipality, you shouldn’t even put recycling in plastic bags. At the Montgomery County recycling center in Maryland, for example, workers aren’t allowed to open plastic bags, so anything in them is considered trash, reports the Earth Day Network.

Single-use plastic bags and plastic packaging need to be taken to a collection center to be properly recycled. Use the Plastic Film Directory or How2Recycle’s search tool to find a drop-off site near you. Alternatively, check your local grocery stores; 18,000 plastic bag drop-off bins are located at major grocery store chains, reports NPR, and bringing a sack of plastic bags to recycle can easily be incorporated into your grocery-shopping routine. 

To-Go Coffee Cups

Buying a coffee on the go is convenient, but, in most cases, the disposable, polyethylene-lined cup for your latte needs to go in the trash. 

Some companies might tout the recyclability of their to-go cups, but not all areas will treat them as recycling. A Stand.earth experiment in 2018 studied this waste by placing trackers inside Starbucks cups in Denver, Colorado, and putting them in recycling bins. The cups were all ultimately traced to landfills, reports the New York Times. The plastic lid and cardboard sleeve, luckily, are usually recyclable. 

Some cities do accept these cups as recycling. NYC, for one, will take paper cups with non-paper lining in the green paper bin, according to the Department of Sanitation. However, if you are unsure, it’s best to assume that the cup should go in the trash, rather than risk contaminating an entire batch. 

Plastic cups for iced beverages are often a #1 plastic, and can be recycled regardless if the number stamped on the bottom is accepted at your facility.

Bottle Caps (and Other Tiny Things)

Earth Day Network reports that small items can shut down recycling machinery more than a dozen times a day. Anything smaller than a credit card – bottle caps, tiny condiment containers lighters, plastic cutlery, etc. – should be thrown away. Bottle caps can be recycled if screwed back onto their respective bottle, which is allowed by many facilities.  

Toothpaste, Lotion, and Cosmetics Tubes

While lotion bottles can be recycled, the more flexible, squeezable tubes can’t. Some specific brands, however, might be recyclable: Tom’s of Maine toothpaste, for example, can be recycled as a #2 plastic. If you are unsure though, throw it out. 

Paper Plates

After a party or a picnic, don’t bother collecting paper plates to be recycled; instead, direct your guests to the trash can. Like paper cups, these plates have a protective layer of plastic, and become too soiled to be recyclable. 

Plastic plates can go in the plastic bin if they are fully cleaned, but at that point, it might be worth it to just use regular plates. 

Pens, Markers, Mechanical Pencils

These writing utensils are made of too many materials (ink, plastic, metal, etc.) to be recycled, and the individual components are too small to be put into their respective bins alone. BIC does, however, have a Stationery Recycling Program with Terracycle, through which individuals can send in all brands of utensils to be recycled. 

Pizza Boxes 

They’re cardboard, yes, but whole pizza boxes should go in the trash. Alternatively, remove any parts (like the top flap) not covered in cheese or grease and put those in with the paper recycling. Any soiled cardboard should be thrown away, as food residue can ruin a batch of recycling. 

Styrofoam

Packing peanuts, foam egg cartons, and other Styrofoam packaging is generally not accepted in curbside recycling. It also breaks apart readily and can easily contaminate an entire batch of recycling if incorrectly placed with plastics. 

Local programs will often collect Styrofoam to be recycled by other means; Publix, for one, will take it, or check Earth911 for another drop-off site.

Mixed Materials 

Anything made with multiple materials – for example, a paper envelope lined with bubble wrap – that can’t be separated is considered a “mixed material.”  Send these to the trash.

Black Plastics

Unless you have clear guidance from your municipality that your recycling center can accept black plastic, trash it. Black plastics are less valuable than their clear or white counterparts; it’s a less versatile material and can only be remade into other black plastic, so it goes for a cheaper price. Many facilities also sort plastic by beaming lights onto the waste, and black absorbs the light and thus can’t get properly sorted. 

Mirrors

Mirrors are treated with a chemical that makes them un-recyclable, but be sure to throw it away safely. Wrap mirrors in bubble wrap or paper and label it before putting in the trash. If it’s cracked, crisscross the mirror with tape to hold in the splinters.

Flexible Packaging

Chip bags, granola bar wrappers, and squeeze-able packs for kids’ food like apple sauce and yogurt unfortunately have to be thrown away.

Deodorant Tubes

As a whole, they should be thrown away. The outer tube itself might be recyclable, though; check the number, and if your recycling plant takes it, remove the lid and the different components inside the tube and recycle it.

Glassware

While you can recycle glass bottles, drinkware is a bit different. Glass cups and wine glasses are often treated with chemicals so they can withstand high heat, which makes them ineligible for curbside recycling. Make sure to check with your recycling center, however.

Light Bulbs

Rules for disposing of light bulbs vary, but they can’t always be recycled or put into residential trash bins. Halogen and LED bulbs can be thrown away at home, or LEDs can be recycled at drop-off sites, including IKEA, Lowe’s, or local recycling centers. Florescent tube lighting and CFLs (compact fluorescents) can’t be thrown in regular household trash, but Bartell Drugs, Lowe’s, and Home Depot will take CFLs to be recycled. 

Paper Towels and Napkins 

They often get too soiled, and the fibers in disposable napkins and towels are too short to be recycled anyway. 

Ceramics

Ceramics generally won’t be accepted curbside, but some recycling plants will accept them if brought in. Consider donating ceramic goods to nearby thrift shops if they are still in good condition. 

‘Tanglers‘

Besides plastic bags, all kinds of cables, cords, hoses, and string lights can cause issues at recycling plants, and should be trashed. Christmas lights are made of recyclable materials, and some recycling centers might accept them, or you can send them to a mail-in service like Holiday LEDs and Christmas Light Source to be recycled. Best Buy will also accept cables and cords to be properly disposed of. 

Straws

Single-use straws are usually made of plastic #5, which is more difficult to recycle, and thus not accepted in many areas. The straws are also too small for recycling machines to accurately sort. If you find yourself with a plastic straw, toss it in the trash, or equip yourself with one of the many cute reusable straws on the market to avoid this waste. 

Alternative Recycling Methods

Curbside recycling, luckily, isn’t the final option for unwanted items. 

It’s time to become more mindful of what we’re putting in the trash. Before throwing something away, research how that item might be recycled, especially if it’s one you confront on a regular basis. Earth911’s search tool allows users to search by material and zip code to find drop-off sites for all kinds of items, be it empty ink cartridges, used tires, or broken smoke detectors. Textile recycling is an excellent option for old rags, worn clothing, rugs, or other fabrics (although donation or resale is a good first option for clothes). Retailers and recycling centers often collect old electronics, which usually can’t be thrown in residential trash anyway. Construction materials – which are a huge source of waste – can even be recycled. The Construction and Demolition Recycling Association has a search tool to find a recycling source for various materials by location. 

Companies and organizations are finding new ways to recycle what’s normally considered trash, like Terracycle. Individuals or businesses can purchase a box for certain types of items – like plastic packaging, face masks, and beauty products – fill it up, and send it back to be properly recycled. They also maintain public drop-offs to bring your waste; you can find one close to you on their website. 

In the end, to reduce our waste, it’s best to start at the source, and remember the other two elements of our favorite mantra: Reduce and Reuse, as well as Recycle. Keep the lifecycle of the product in mind from the moment you buy it: how will you recycle this when you no longer need it? Maybe go for the cardboard carton of eggs instead of Styrofoam, the 100% recycled wrapping paper, or the clear plastic container instead of the black. Reduce what you buy, reuse what you can, and recycle the rest. 

MSNBC – Opinion

Canada’s trucker blockade is a right-wing fantasy made real

Recent protests at the U.S.-Canada border are just the visible part of a larger right-wing occupation movement.

Ryan Cooper, MSNBC Opinion Columnist – February 14, 2022

On Sunday, the Ambassador Bridge on the U.S.-Canada border between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, was reopened after a weeklong protest, in which a handful of right-wing fanatics had been blocking the bridge and holding up some $355 million in goods in protest against a vaccine mandate for the trucking industry.

These events show that when law enforcement is genuinely needed to quash a far-right insurgency, it is timid and reluctant to do anything — a dangerous precedent to set indeed.

Protesters had taken over another nearby crossing into Sarnia, and one in Alberta, as well. As a result, Ford, Toyota, Stellantis and Honda idled some six Canadian car factories for several days, with knock-on effects creating even more snarls in supply chains. With one of Canada’s major cities paralyzed, and three key economic arteries between it and the world’s mightiest empire clogged, a severe shortage of new cars has been jacking up inflation and thus tanking President Joe Biden’s approval rating.

But these protests are just the visible part of a larger right-wing occupation movement, and indicative of a worrying anti-government trend. And equally as worrying is how law enforcement on both sides of the border have responded.

Ottawa was terrorized for nearly two weeks by a few hundred protesters honking horns day and night, waving Nazi flags, harassing passers-by, and in one case, allegedly attempting to burn down an apartment building.

Canadian police finally cleared off Ambassador Bridge after the blockaders defied a court order to disperse. But throughout this process, law enforcement in both countries were astoundingly timid in their responses. Canadian cops had been walking on eggshells; we “are taking a diplomatic approach,” the Windsor police chief told reporters. Meanwhile, Ottawa police tried to coax the city occupiers out by cutting off their fuel and getting an injunction against honking horns instead of arresting them. As for U.S. law enforcement, there was no sign that the country’s gigantic security apparatus would crack down on the demonstration.

These events show that when law enforcement is genuinely needed to quash a far-right insurgency, it is timid and reluctant to do anything — a dangerous precedent to set indeed. Because these blockades are very likely just the start.

To be clear, as I have previously written, in the U.S. there definitely is far too much money spent on cops and courts, far too little spent on welfare benefits and social services that actually prevent crime, and far too little accountability for abusive cops. American police and jails are de facto charged with warehousing the social dysfunction caused by extreme inequality rather than actually doing much to control crime. But as we saw in Ottawa and Windsor, a democratic government does at least need some kind of armed service just in case some deranged violent minority tries to impose its will by force.

Canadian truckers resist orders to end blockade at border crossing

The New York Times

Inside McConnell’s Campaign to Take Back the Senate and Thwart Trump

Jonathan Martin – February 13, 2022

PHOENIX — For more than a year, former President Donald Trump has berated Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona, savaging him for refusing to overturn the state’s presidential results and vowing to oppose him should he run for the Senate this year.

In early December, though, Ducey received a far friendlier message from another former Republican president. At a golf tournament luncheon, George W. Bush encouraged him to run against Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat, suggesting the Republican Party needs more figures like Ducey to step forward.

“It’s something you have to feel a certain sense of humility about,” the governor said this month of Bush’s appeal. “You listen respectfully, and that’s what I did.”

Bush and a band of anti-Trump Republicans led by Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky are hoping he does more than listen.

As Trump works to retain his hold on the Republican Party, elevating a slate of friendly candidates in midterm elections, McConnell and his allies are quietly, desperately maneuvering to try to thwart him. The loose alliance, which was once thought of as the GOP establishment, for months has been engaged in a high-stakes candidate recruitment campaign, full of phone calls, meetings, polling memos and promises of millions of dollars. It’s all aimed at recapturing the Senate majority, but the election also represents what could be Republicans’ last chance to reverse the spread of Trumpism before it fully consumes their party.

McConnell for years pushed Trump’s agenda and only rarely opposed him in public. But the message that he delivers privately now is unsparing, if debatable: Trump is losing political altitude and need not be feared in a primary, he has told Ducey in repeated phone calls, as the Senate leader’s lieutenants share polling data they argue proves it.

In conversations with senators and would-be senators, McConnell is blunt about the damage he believes Trump has done to the GOP, according to those who have spoken to him. Privately, he has declared he won’t let unelectable “goofballs” win Republican primaries.

History doesn’t bode well for such behind-the-scene efforts to challenge Trump, and McConnell’s hard sell is so far yielding mixed results. The former president has rallied behind fewer far-right candidates than initially feared by the party’s old guard. Yet a handful of formidable contenders have spurned McConnell’s entreaties, declining to subject themselves to Trump’s wrath all for the chance to head to a bitterly divided Washington.

Last week, Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland announced he would not run for Senate, despite a pressure campaign that involved his wife. Ducey is expected to make a final decision soon, but he has repeatedly said he has little appetite for a bid.

Trump, however, has also had setbacks. He’s made a handful of endorsements in contentious races, but his choices have not cleared the Republican field, and one has dropped out.

If Trump muscles his preferred candidates through primaries and the general election this year, it will leave little doubt of his control of the Republican Party, build momentum for another White House bid and entrench his brand of politics in another generation of Republican leaders.

If he loses in a series of races after an attempt to play kingmaker, however, it would deflate Trump’s standing, luring other ambitious Republicans into the White House contest and providing a path for the party to move on.

“No one should be afraid of President Trump, period,” said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who won in 2020 without endorsing the then-president and has worked with McConnell to try to woo anti-Trump candidates.

But while there is some evidence that Trump’s grip on Republican voters has eased, polls show the former president remains overwhelmingly popular in the party. Among politicians trying to win primaries, no other figure’s support is more ardently sought.

“In my state, he’s still looked at as the leader of the party,” Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said.

The proxy war isn’t just playing out in Senate races.

Trump is backing primary opponents to incumbent governors in Georgia and Idaho, encouraged an ally to take on the Alabama governor and helped drive Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts into retirement by supporting a rival. The Republican Governors Association, which Ducey leads, last week began pushing back, airing a television commercial defending the Georgia governor, Brian Kemp, against his opponent, former Sen. David Perdue. It was the first time in the group’s history they’ve financed ads for an incumbent battling a primary.

“Trump has got a lot of chips on the board,” said Bill Haslam, the former Tennessee governor.

McConnell has been careful in picking his moments to push back against the former president. Last week, he denounced a Republican National Committee resolution orchestrated by Trump’s allies that censured two House Republican Trump critics.

As the former president heckles the soon-to-be 80-year-old Kentuckian as an “Old Crow,” Connell’s response has been to embrace the moniker: Last week, he sent an invitation for a reception in which donors who hand over $5,000 checks can take home bottles of the Kentucky-made Old Crow brand bourbon signed by the senator.

McConnell has been loath to discuss his recruitment campaign and even less forthcoming about his rivalry with Trump. In an interview last week, he warded off questions about their conflict, avoiding mentioning Trump’s name even when it was obvious to whom he was referring.

If Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who is an outspoken Trump antagonist running for Senate this fall, wins her primary, it will show that “endorsements from some people didn’t determine the outcome,” he said.

Murkowski appears well-positioned at the moment, with over $4 million on hand while her Trump-backed rival, Kelly Tshibaka, has $630,000.

“He’s made very clear that you’ve been there for Alaska, you’ve been there for the team, and I’m going to be there for you,” Murkowski said of McConnell’s message to her.

Even more pointedly, McConnell vowed that if Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking Senate Republican, faces the primary that Trump once promised, Thune “will crush whoever runs against him.” (The most threatening candidate, Gov. Kristi Noem, has declined.)

The Senate Republican leader has been worried that Trump will tap candidates too weak to win in the general election, the sort of nominees who cost the party control of the Senate in 2010 and 2012.

“We changed the business model in 2014 and have not had one of these goofballs nominated since,” he told a group of donors on a private conference call last year, according to a recording obtained by The New York Times.

But McConnell has sometimes decided to pick his battles — in Georgia, he acceded to Herschel Walker, a former football star and Trump-backed candidate, after failing to recruit Perdue to rejoin the Senate. He also came up empty-handed in New Hampshire, where Gov. Chris Sununu passed on a bid after an aggressive campaign that also included lobbying from Bush.

In Maryland, Hogan was plainly taken with the all-out push to recruit him, although he declined to take on Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat.

“Elaine Chao was working over my wife,” Hogan recalled of a lunch, first reported by The Associated Press, between Chao, the former Cabinet secretary and wife of McConnell, and Maryland’s first lady, Yumi Hogan. “Her argument was, ‘You can really be a voice.’ ”

McConnell also dispatched Collins and Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah to lobby Gov. Hogan. That campaign culminated last weekend, when Romney called Hogan to vent about the RNC’s censure, tell him Senate Republicans needed anti-Trump reinforcements and argue that Hogan could have more of a platform in his effort to remake the party as a sitting senator rather than an ex-governor.

“I’m very interested in changing the party, and that was the most effective argument,” said Hogan, who is believed to be considering a bid for the White House.

Romney lamented Hogan’s decision and expressed frustration. He claimed most party leaders share their view of the former president, but few will voice it in public.

“I don’t see new people standing up and saying, ‘I’m going to do something here which may be politically unpopular’ — in public at least,” Romney said.

At Mar-a-Lago in Florida, courtship of the former president’s endorsement has been so intense, and his temptation to pick favorites so alluring, that he regrets getting involved in some races too soon, according to three Republican officials who’ve spoken to him.

In Pennsylvania’s open Senate race, Trump backed Sean Parnell, who withdrew after a bitter custody battle with his estranged wife. And in Alabama, the former president rallied to Rep. Mo Brooks to succeed Sen. Richard Shelby, who’s retiring. But Brooks, who attended the rally that preceded the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, is struggling to gain traction.

One Republican strategist who has visited with Trump said the former president was increasingly suspicious of the consultants and donors beseeching him.

“He has become more judicious, so not everybody who runs down to Mar-a-Lago for the weekend gets endorsed on Monday,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, another Trump ally.

Trump has made clear he wants the Senate candidates he backs to oust McConnell from his leadership perch and even considered making a pledge to do so a condition of his endorsement. Few have done so to date, a fact McConnell considers a victory. “Only two of them have taken me on,” he crowed, alluding to Tshibaka in Alaska, and Eric Greitens, the former Missouri governor running for an open seat.

But McConnell biggest get yet would be Ducey.

With broad popularity and three statewide victories to his name, the term-limited governor and former ice cream chain executive would be a strong candidate against Kelly, who has nearly $19 million in the bank — more than double the combined sum of the existing Republican field.

To some of the state’s Republicans, Ducey could send a critical message in a swing state. “It would say we’re getting tired of this,” said Rusty Bowers, speaker of the Arizona state House, who encouraged Ducey to stand up to Trump’s “bully caucus.”

Ducey also has been lobbied by GOP strategist Karl Rove, the liaison to Bush, who sought to reassure the governor that he could win.

Ducey said he believed that this year’s “primaries are going to determine the future of the party.” However, he sounded much like Hogan and Sununu when asked about his enthusiasm for jumping into another campaign.

“This is the job I’ve wanted,” he said.

He noted there was one prominent member of the Trump administration, though, who has been supportive. Former Vice President Mike Pence “encouraged me to stay in the fight,” Ducey said.

Air Force Times

More US military jets turn to East Europe as possible Russian invasion of Ukraine looms

Rachel Cohen – February 11, 2022

The U.S. Air Force is building up its strike aircraft presence in Eastern Europe as the NATO alliance tries to prevent a potential Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine this month.

American officials reportedly believe Russia will attack Ukraine within the next two weeks, pinpointing Feb. 16 as the possible start of a physical assault.

About 6,000 troops have deployed from the U.S. to Europe, nearly all of whom are soldiers with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. They’re backed by a growing array of military aircraft and rapid-response airmen who can quickly make airfield space to launch combat operations from anywhere.

US Air Force ramps up intel flights, weapons shipments to Ukraine

American fighter jets stationed elsewhere on the continent have moved farther east, including squadrons from Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and RAF Lakenheath in England. B-52 bombers also arrived at England’s RAF Fairford on Thursday for a previously planned European rotation, as airlifters continue to jump around the region.

“Collectively, this force is trained and equipped for a variety of missions to deter aggression and to reassure and defend European allies/partners,” U.S. European Command said Thursday. “To maintain a heightened state of readiness, the Department of Defense has also repositioned Europe-based units further east and forward-deployed additional U.S.-based units to Europe.”

F-16 Fighting Falcons headed to Romania on Friday “to reinforce regional security during the current tensions caused by Russia’s military build-up near Ukraine,” EUCOM said in a release the same day.

Air Force fighters will practice air-to-air combat maneuvers with other NATO member nations, the command said, looking to improve their ability to work together and communicate well in multinational air operations.

“The additional aircraft and crews will work closely with allies in the Black Sea region,” the command said. “U.S. fighter units will also support NATO’s enhanced air policing mission, working closely with the Italian Typhoons who have been safeguarding the skies since December 2021.”

NATO has sought to bolster stability and security in Europe through air policing and other measures after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014.

The allied air policing initiative “demonstrates NATO’s solidarity, collective resolve and its ability to adapt and scale its defensive missions and deterrence posture” as military tensions grow in the region, EUCOM said.

3,000 more paratroopers head to Europe amid White House warnings of Ukraine invasion

American F-15 Eagles arrived at Poland’s Łask Air Base one day earlier with much the same mission.

Together with Polish and Danish F-16s, the jets from the 48th Fighter Wing in England will patrol the skies over the Baltics. Like the F-16s going to Romania, the Eagles will also train on air-to-air and air-to-ground combat tactics.

“U.S. fighters will work closely with Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem based in Germany,” EUCOM said on Thursday. “The CAOC is responsible for directing, tasking and coordinating air operations of allocated assets across northern Europe in peace, crisis and conflict.”

U.S. Air Forces in Europe previously noted that F-16s landed at Łask on Jan. 4 for air policing on NATO’s eastern flank as well.

Earlier this month, airmen with the 435th Contingency Response Group relocated from Germany’s Ramstein Air Base to Poland to prepare for a potential influx of Ukrainian evacuees if Russia invades. A photo posted to the Pentagon’s online image repository Feb. 4 showed C-130J Super Hercules aircraft getting ready to leave.

The group is the only American quick-deploying force in Europe that can build a makeshift airbase from which to launch operations anywhere on the continent.

“Approximately 150 personnel from the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing deployed to support NATO allies and partners, specializing in combat communications, air traffic control, cargo transportation and airfield management,” the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein said in a photo caption Tuesday.

Other air units are coming from farther afield.

B-52 Stratofortresses from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, North Dakota, turned up in England on Thursday as another sign of solidarity. While they’ve arrived for a recurring deployment meant to fend off foreign aggressors — namely Russia — the bombers become part of a growing show of force in the area.

“With an ever-changing global security environment, it’s critical that our efforts with our allies and partners are unified,” said Gen. Jeff Harrigian, who oversees U.S. Air Force operations in Europe and Africa. “We’re in Europe training and collaborating together, because consistent integration is how we strengthen our collective airpower.”

Massive C-17 Globemaster III transport planes left the U.S. for Ukraine earlier in February, including from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington — one of four Air Force installations whose units were placed on alert last month for a possible deployment to eastern Europe.

Another of the four — Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio — hasn’t said whether its Reserve C-17 wing has deployed as well.

US military won’t rescue Americans caught in Russia-Ukraine war, White House warns

A third base on standby, Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, is home to the E-8C JSTARS aircraft tracking ground targets over Europe. Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, the fourth base, referred questions on whether its EC-130H Compass Call electronic attack planes and others are assisting in Ukraine to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

Recent aircraft movements signal a departure from the Air Force’s earlier posture, which centered on reconnaissance missions monitoring the buildup of Russian troops along Ukraine’s borders.

On Wednesday, military plane-spotting hobbyist Amelia Smith pointed to U.S. Air Force RC-135V/W Rivet Joint planes, used for electronic eavesdropping, as well as a JSTARS jet among nearly two dozen military surveillance aircraft collecting intel over Europe. RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper drones have also been spotted on flight radars while gathering information over the region.

Continued, intense maritime surveillance of the Norwegian Sea by U.S. and Royal Air Force P-8A Poseidon jets, plus Canadian CP-140 Auroras, “suggests something of particular interest could be making its way down towards the North Sea,” Smith said on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Dover AFB in Delaware has continued packing Javelin anti-tank missiles and other materiel onto aircraft bound for Ukraine.

Ukrainian defense attaché Maj. Gen. Borys Kremenetskyi and Oksana Markarova, the country’s ambassador to the U.S., watched the cargo file onto planes during a visit to Dover on Thursday. The U.S. has promised more than $5.4 billion in military and other aid to Ukraine since 2014.

“The cargo is part of the total $200 million aid agreed upon by U.S. President Joe Biden in connection with Russia’s growing threat,” the Ukrainian Embassy in the U.S. added on Facebook on Thursday.

“We express our gratitude to the United States for the unwavering support of Ukraine and strengthening the defense capacity of the Ukrainian army.”

Democracy For All

On August 23, 1989, about 2 million people from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania formed a human chain that united all 3 countries to show the world their desire to escape the Soviet Union and the communism that brought only suffering and poverty. This power stretched 600 km.

USA Today

How big is Ukraine’s military compared to Russia’s? How long could Ukrainians hold off an attack?

Michael Collins, USA TODAY – February 12, 2022

WASHINGTON – This time, it won’t be so easy.

Russia had no problem getting past Ukraine’s military forces when it orchestrated a bloodless takeover of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin even boasted that not a single shot was fired during the assault.

But Russian troops will face a far more formidable adversary if Putin invades Ukraine again now. Ukraine’s military is better trained, better equipped and more battle-tested than it was eight years ago, experts say.

“They are not what they were in 2014,” said Jim Townsend, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense.

Fears have sharply escalated in recent weeks that Russia could invade its smaller neighbor. On a call Saturday, President Joe Biden warned Putin that an invasion of Ukraine would result in “swift and severe costs for Russia.”

A senior Biden administration official said the call resulted in “no fundamental change in the dynamics that have been unfolding now for several weeks.”

The White House has now warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent, perhaps before the conclusion of the Beijing Winter Olympics, which end Feb. 20.

While Russia is still the superior military power and would almost certainly prevail, Ukraine’s defense forces could inflict significant damage on Russian troops, according to an analysis by the Atlantic Council, a non-partisan think tank based in Washington.

“In collaboration with reservists, civil society, and volunteers, they can make any attempted invasion a miserable experience for Russia,” the group concluded in a recent report.

What to know: US responds to Russia’s demands and doesn’t yield on Ukraine and NATO

How big is Ukraine’s military?

Ukraine has 250,000 active-duty troops, plus another 290,000 reserve personnel and 50,000 paramilitary units that could be activated in a conflict with Russia. In 2014, by comparison, Ukraine had just 140,000 troops, and only 6,000 of those were ready for combat.

How big is Russia’s military?

Russia has more than 1 million active-duty personnel, more than four times Ukraine’s force strength. Russia also has 378,000 reserve personnel and 250,000 paramilitary troops that it could call up in a conflict with its neighbor.

Who has the most weapons?

Russia, hands down.

In terms of land power, Russia prevails, with more than 12,000 tanks (compared with 2,500 for Ukraine), 30,000 armored vehicles (Ukraine has 12,000) and 12,000 self-propelled artillery (Ukraine has just a little over 1,000).

Russia also dominates in airpower, with more than 700 fighter aircraft (compared with around 70 for Ukraine), more than 700 attack aircraft (Ukraine has fewer than 30), more than 500 attack helicopters (Ukraine has 34) and 1,500 helicopters (Ukraine has a little over 100).

At sea, Russia rules with 15 destroyers, 70 submarines, 11 frigates and nearly 50 mine warfare vessels. Ukraine has no destroyers or submarines, just one frigate and one mine warfare vessel.

Pentagon prepares: 8,500 troops on alert as Biden consults with European allies on Ukraine

Who is sending weapons to Ukraine?

The U.S. has already spent billions of dollars to help Ukraine build up its military defenses, an investment that’s likely to escalate dramatically if Russia invades.

Though Biden has said the U.S. would not send troops to help defend Ukraine against Russian forces, he said the U.S. probably would send more American forces to other European countries, including Poland and Romania. The Pentagon announced on Monday it is putting 8,500 U.S. troops on “heightened alert” for possible deployment to Eastern Europe amid the crisis.

WHAT ARE JOE BIDEN’S OPTIONS IN UKRAINE:It all depends on Putin’s next move

And in January, the White House said it will give an additional $200 million in defensive military equipment to Ukraine. The package reportedly includes anti-armor missiles, ammunition and other items.

The U.S. is sending weapons to Ukraine through third-party transfers, in which NATO members provide U.S.-made weapons. The transfers include javelin anti-tank weapons from Estonia, stinger air defense systems from Lithuania and Latvia and anti-tank missiles from the United Kingdom.

PUTIN ‘WON’T STOP’ WITH UKRAINE:Why Americans should care about Russia’s aggression against its neighbor

How is Ukraine’s military different from 2014?

Ukraine was completely unprepared for war when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014.

Its armed forces were not manned, equipped or trained to meet Russian aggression, and its logistic stockpiles were essentially non-existent, with the exception of weapons and ammunition mostly from the Soviet period, according to the Atlantic Council.

Ukraine has made modernizing its military a priority over the past seven years but decades of neglect have been difficult to overcome, the council reported.

Ukraine’s military still has several strategic vulnerabilities, including gaps in key operational and combat capabilities. Corruption remains a problem, funding is limited because of the general economic conditions in the country, and many important weapons purchases have been placed on the back burner – not because of a lack of will but because of a lack of funding, the council’s analysis concluded.

WHAT IS HAPPENING AT UKRAINE’S BORDER?: Putin’s buildup of Russian troops sparks concern

So how long could Ukraine hold Russia off?

It’s hard to say.

Russia would probably attack Ukraine from different directions, forcing Ukraine to split up its forces to confront the advancing troops, Townsend said.

“They’re going to have to defend Ukraine from a number of different avenues of approach,” he said, “so it just makes their inferiority even worse because they’re going to be thin.”

On top of that, Russia would likely engage in cyberattacks against Ukraine’s military and civilian society, which from the outset could degrade the country’s electrical grid and telecommunications systems, Townsend said.

“I don’t think you’re going to see the Ukraine being able to stop the Russians for a long period of time,” he said.

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.

Contributing: Joey Garrison, Karina Zaiets, Stephen J. Beard, Javier Zarracina and George Petras

Insider

Trump had such a distinct ripping style that aides instantly knew when he was the one who had ravaged a document: report

Yelena Dzhanova – February 13, 2022

• Trump aides instantly knew when the former president tore up documents, the Washington Post reported.
• His ripping style — clean tears horizontally and vertically — became so recognizable to aides.
• The former president is facing renewed scrutiny into the preservation of historical and important documents.

Former Trump administration aides instantly knew when a document had been torn by the former president, according to a report from The Washington Post.

Donald Trump had such a distinct style of ripping that became familiar to his aides, the Post reported. He would tear each document twice — once down the middle horizontally and once vertically — leaving the paper in four quarters. When the aides saw these documents torn up in this manner, according to the Post, they immediately knew Trump had done it.

The former president would then leave the documents scattered across desks and in trash cans all over the White House, the Post reported. Documents were also strewn across floors, and aides found them in the Oval Office and aboard Air Force One, the report said.

Scrutiny into the preservation of documents under the Trump administration started partly after New York Times correspondent Maggie Haberman revealed in a forthcoming book that the president had clogged a toilet by flushing torn pieces of paper down it.

Trump, denied the report, slamming it as a “fake story.” It’s “categorically untrue and simply made up by a reporter in order to get publicity for a mostly fictitious book,” Trump said.

Recently, the National Archives and Records Administration, a US agency responsible for the preservation and documentation of government and historical records, said Trump had taken several boxes of official White House records to his Mar-a-Lago resort upon vacating office. Under the Presidential Records Act, he should have turned the records over to the agency upon leaving office.

In a statement from earlier this week, the agency said it has “arranged” transport for 15 boxes of documents from Mar-a-Lago.

The items that Trump improperly took to Florida with him include correspondence from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, with whom Trump said he exchanged “beautiful” love letters while in office, and a letter that former President Barack Obama left Trump in 2017, according to the Post.

The National Archives has subsequently asked the Justice Department to investigate if Trump broke the law by doing so, the Post reported.

Insider’s Grace Panetta contributed to this report.

Tallahassee Democrat

Republicans suffering from auto-immune syndrome | Opinion

Chuck McMurry – February 13, 2022

Republican politician’s solutions to problems like COVID are similar to an auto-immune reaction in your body. Instead of fighting against a known intruder, the body fights against itself, somehow triggered by false information that there is a problem.

This is what we have seen in Florida, as demonstrated by our Governor’s response to the pandemic. Instead of enacting measures to help fight and reduce the threat, he takes the opposite approach and proposes laws and regulations that perpetuate and exacerbate the problem. No masks required in schools and the hiring of an anti-establishment doctor to lead the state over the cliff with more infections and deaths.

All in the name of getting re-elected.

Florida law requires that children wishing to enter schools must receive vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella, to name a few. Who in their right mind would not want to protect their children from disease? Why would you fight to stop your child from getting the vaccine or wearing a mask?

Well, DeSantis, and like-minded Republicans, have discovered that the basket of deplorables spoken of by Hillary Clinton, represents a sizable number of truly ignorant voters, who if excited enough will support politicians who pander to anti-establishment, anti-authoritarian ideas that spit in the face of conformity.

These folks reject government in most forms and cheer on the likes of Trump, thumbing his nose law and order, and encouraging the total disruption of the established norms of our society.

Imagine if, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Republicans had pushed back on the idea of declaring war on Japan. People don’t like war, so let’s just try to disrupt this whole response and make a wedge issue out of it.

We could attract anyone who did not want to get drafted into the army to vote pro Republican. Or in the present scenario we have our ex-El Presidente, claiming he would pardon all the rioters who attacked the capital because they are true pat-riots, fighting against the fraud of the last election.

Do we really want anti common-sense leaders? Do we want politicians who can turn issues like gun control into a choice between upholding a Second Amendment right crafted several centuries ago, or the safety of our children to be free from being shot at school?

Mass internet media and 24-hour news cycles has become an Orwellian dream come true, because like every sporting contest you must have competing teams to sell tickets. Our politics today makes no attempt to stand for what is right or wrong, only to support what can get you re-elected.

If it is important to have open and free elections, then the other side will somehow say the system needs to be restricted to prevent fraud- whether there is any proof of such problems.

What we are seeing with this modern wave of Republicans is an attempt to destroy our country by creating issues to attract that minority of knuckle draggers who worship “professional” wrestling, and NASCAR pileups.

The true Republicans are dragged along for fear of losing, whether their candidate has a whit of integrity or leadership. Mainstream Republicans need to distance themselves from the party and reject this auto-immune syndrome by charting a different course.

Our country needs you.

Business Insider

GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger says the Republicans who support Putin have an ‘affection for authoritarianism’

Matthew Loh – February 13, 2022

• Rep. Adam Kinzinger again blasted Republican political figures who support Russia’s goals for Ukraine.
• He said said an “affection for authoritarianism” has led some Republicans to advocate for Vladimir Putin.
• Kinzinger said Putin is seen as a person defending the “culture of the past.”

GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois said on Sunday that a growing number of Republican political figures are showing an “affection for authoritarianism” by voicing support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s campaign to stop Ukraine from joining NATO.

In an interview with CBS’ “Face The Nation,” Kinzinger was asked about the segment of the Republican Party who asked President Joe Biden not to interfere with Putin’s goal. The congressman said this group isn’t “a huge portion” of his party, but that “it’s way too big and it’s growing.”

In the interview, Kinzinger cited “having an affection for authoritarianism” as one of the possible reasons why some party members have taken Putin’s side. He also put the blame on people being naive about foreign policy and Putin’s public image.

“And I think Vladimir Putin has done a decent job of engaging in culture battles and culture war, and he is seen as the person defending, in essence, the culture of the past. And so it’s very frightening,” he told CBS’ Margaret Brennan.

Kinzinger added that “any Republican that has affection for Vladimir Putin has no understanding of what our party stands for or what our country stands for.”

During the interview, he also singled out Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has repeatedly sided with Putin over Ukraine-Russia tensions and thrown doubts at Washington’s backing of Ukraine.

Carlson in January shrugged off claims that he was a “pawn of Putin,” calling the idea “stupid.” At the time, he had just commented that Russia’s amassing of more than 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border was due to Putin wanting to “keep his western borders secure” — rhetoric that’s also been used by the Kremlin.

Kinzinger’s comments also come as Carlson continues to build a working relationship with Hungarian far-right leader Viktor Orbán, who has regularly been called an authoritarian by political commentators and NGOs.

A vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, Kinzinger has previously slammed US political figures for supporting Putin. On February 3, he tweeted that Senator John Hawley was “one of the worst human beings” and a “con artist” for calling on Biden to block Ukraine from joining NATO.

When Hawley called Kinzinger’s outburst “weird,” the Illinois representative accused Hawley of being “more interested in pleasing Tucker and playing to worst instincts than leading.”

This month, the Republican National Committee voted to censure Kinzinger and GOP Rep. Liz Cheney for their participation in the January 6 House Committee. Kinzinger had announced earlier that he wouldn’t seek re-election this year, and has hinted — but not confirmed — that he may run for governor instead.

The New York Times

Puzzle in Ukraine Crisis: Where’s the U.S. Ambassador?

Michael Crowley – February 12, 2022

WASHINGTON — It is a puzzle at the heart of the crisis over Russia’s threat to invade Ukraine: Why has President Joe Biden, more than one year into his presidency, failed to name an ambassador to Kyiv?

Neither the Biden administration nor Ukraine’s government is providing a clear explanation for a delay that career diplomats say would be baffling and inexcusable even in ordinary times, never mind at a moment when the U.S. relationship with Ukraine is as consequential as it has ever been.

Experts say that the presence of a full-time ambassador could help to smooth awkward relations that have emerged between the Biden administration and the government of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy despite Ukraine’s heavy reliance on Washington for its defense against Russia. But it is also unclear how eager the Ukrainians are to receive an envoy from Biden, who submitted a candidate to Kyiv for approval weeks ago.

The position comes with an extra dose of intrigue, given that it has remained empty since 2019, when former President Donald Trump removed its last full-time occupant, Marie Yovanovitch. That action, which is the subject of a federal investigation, contributed to Trump’s first impeachment by Congress on charges that he abused his foreign policy leverage over Ukraine for political purposes.

U.S. officials do not dispute reports, which emerged two months ago, that Biden intends to nominate a career diplomat, Bridget Brink, the current U.S. ambassador to Slovakia. The United States sent Brink’s name to Ukraine’s government last month for customary review and approval by the host government, in a diplomatic custom known by the French term agrément, and Biden officials are eager for Kyiv’s clearance so they can submit her to the Senate for confirmation. During a visit to Kyiv on Jan. 19, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he “would anticipate that a nomination will be forthcoming very shortly.”

It is unclear why Ukraine’s government has not signed off on Brink. While it is not unusual for a host government to spend a few weeks vetting a potential ambassador, the timeline is frequently shorter, and diplomats say they would expect Ukraine to welcome more high-level American attention.

Representatives of Ukraine’s foreign ministry and its embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to requests for comment. Last week, the 112 Ukraine television channel reported that the country’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, had confirmed that his government was considering her candidacy.

If Russia begins a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that threatens Kyiv, of course, it is possible that U.S. Embassy personnel would be evacuated from the country, leaving any new ambassador without a safe destination — and potentially fueling regrets that one had not been installed months earlier.

In place of a senior diplomat in Kyiv with Biden’s seal of approval, the U.S. Embassy is run by its chargé d’affaires, Kristina Kvien. Diplomatic veterans said Kvien is highly regarded within the Foreign Service and in Ukraine. But she by definition lacks the stature of a White House-appointed and Senate-confirmed emissary.

“It’s a perception problem,” said Steven Pifer, a U.S. ambassador to Kyiv during the Clinton administration who praised Kvien’s performance. “The Ukrainians are wondering, ‘Why is there no American ambassador here?’”

Having an ambassador in place would help the two capitals coordinate their views and public messages, said Eric Rubin, the president of the American Foreign Service Association, the union and professional group that represents U.S. diplomats.

In recent weeks, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly diverged from or contradicted key U.S. talking points. Mindful of the need to avoid panic, for instance, they have disputed Washington’s dire warnings that a full-scale invasion could be “imminent,” leading Biden officials to temporarily agree to stop using that word before escalating their warnings again Friday.

“The absence of not just a U.S. ambassador to Ukraine but even a nominee to be ambassador to Ukraine at a time of crisis is worrisome and regrettable,” said Rubin, who worked at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv in the 1990s.

In general, Rubin said, “not sending an ambassador to a country can be taken as a signal that we don’t care.”

Biden has yet to nominate ambassadors to more than two dozen countries, but few if any are as significant as Ukraine, and diplomats and experts say they are mystified as to why he took so long to decide on a putative nominee. Administration officials have declined to discuss the source of the delay.

Some diplomats and experts speculated that the White House had little appetite for a Senate confirmation hearing that could devolve into a debate about Nord Stream 2, a natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany that members of both parties have criticized Biden for not opposing more vigorously. Republicans might also use a confirmation hearing to dredge up the past business activities in Ukraine of Biden’s son, Hunter, although one Senate Republican official said he was aware of no plans to do so.

Also unclear is why Ukraine might not have immediately signed off on Brink, a Foreign Service officer for more than two decades who has been posted in two other former Soviet republics, Uzbekistan and Georgia.

Zelenskyy’s office has consolidated much of its foreign policy activity with his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who speaks regularly to Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, in what has become the center of gravity of the U.S.-Ukrainian relationship. It is possible the Ukrainians prefer to keep it that way.

Ukrainian officials in recent years have also seen American ambassadors as patronizing scolds who continually issue statements and call meetings to reprimand Ukrainian elites over insider dealing and good governance failures.

And then there is the memory of the Trump years, and the dismissal of Yovanovitch. In the events leading to his impeachment, Trump, hoping to damage Biden before the 2020 election, leveraged U.S. military aid to pressure Zelenskyy to investigate Hunter Biden’s work for a Ukrainian energy company, according to testimony during the impeachment hearings.

In April 2019, Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani persuaded the president to remove Yovanovitch from the position after she opposed Giuliani’s efforts there to dig up dirt on Hunter Biden. (No evidence of wrongdoing was found on the part of Hunter Biden or his father. Trump denied doing anything improper and was acquitted in his Senate trial.)

In a reminder that the position can get tangled in Ukraine’s contentious domestic politics, some Ukrainian officials encouraged Giuliani’s opposition to Yovanovitch because her focus on anti-corruption initiatives threatened their interests. The country’s top prosecutor at the time, Yuriy Lutsenko, referred to Yovanovitch in a text message to an associate as an “idiot,” according to evidence released during the impeachment proceedings.

It was Yermak, then in a different government role, who tried to smooth the situation and create a Ukrainian strategy for responding, including a plan to work directly with the White House, when possible.

Rubin, of the Foreign Service officers’ association, noted that Ukraine is just one of dozens of U.S. ambassadorial posts that remain unfilled. While Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, have stalled many of Biden’s nominees for months, the White House has yet to submit candidates to lead nearly 30 U.S. embassies.

Biden only just last month nominated Jane Hartley, a Democratic Party donor and Carter administration aide, as his pick for ambassador to Britain. Her nomination is pending. His selection in July of an ambassador to Germany, the former president of the University of Pennsylvania, Amy Gutmann, was confirmed by the Senate on Feb. 8.

And as the United States conducts tense diplomacy with Russia to prevent an assault on Ukraine, Biden has yet to name an ambassador to Moscow. The role is still held by John Sullivan, who was appointed by Trump.