GMDC: Vodka Politics

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*All this and more ahead!

Good Morning DC!

Russian VODKA is being removed from the UK’s supermarkets and from liquor stores in US and Canada. Additionally, Russian cats have been banned from the International Cat Federation. Paralympic athletes were first told they would compete at the Paralympics, but then yesterday, they were punished for politics outside of their control.

Without differentiating between the people and the government, “cancel culture” is seeping into this political conflict, taking out Russian athletes, artists, and filmmakers.

HAVE YOUR SAY

How serious should we take Putin’s talk of nuclear weapons?

THE WHITE HOUSE

Today at the White House, Biden will make an announcement on his Made in America commitments. President Biden and Barbara Humpton, President and CEO of Siemens USA, will announce that Siemens will invest $54 million in expanded domestic production. Biden will also announce the updates to the implementation of the Buy American Act.

Then, at the Oval Office, the President will participate in a bilateral meeting with Sauli Niinistö, President of the Republic of Finland. They will be talking about the situation in Ukraine and how to strengthen the European security order. 

In the evening, Biden will go to Wilmington, Delaware, where he will spend the weekend. 

DIGITAL ASSETS

NBA’s Michael Jordan has launched 6 Rings NFT, his first collection on HEIR’s powered by Solana. 

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS

In his televised address, Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of using its people as human shields. 

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine is now under the control of Russian forces after it caught fire during heavy fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops. Ukraine blames Russia and the Russian Ministry of Defense blames “the Kyiv nationalist regime” for this “monstrous provocation.”

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on all sides to ensure the safety and  secure the nuclear reactors in Ukraine. 

Biden spoke with Zelenskyy last evening to receive an update on the fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Biden also spoke with the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security of the U.S. Department of Energy and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

A second round of negotiations has taken place in Belarus with delegations from Russia and Ukraine. Russia has agreed to set up safe corridors inside Ukraine for evacuation and humanitarian aid. 

According to the DNR’s Eduard Basurin, there is a concern that mercenaries could use those corridors to leave Mariupol as civilians. 

Macron spoke with Putin for 90 minutes and said Putin wouldn’t stop before his mission was accomplished and demands were met. 

Russia could impose martial law, experts say.

After the ban on Russian media in the EU, the US and the UK, Russia’s media watchdog has restricted websites of the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Meduza, German broadcaster and the Russian-language website of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday that the BBC is being used to undermine Russia from the inside. 

Across the pond, Boirs Johnson has requested an emergency UN security council meeting later today. 

The UK is speeding up the crackdown on Russian oligarchs via emergency legislation that will have a low evidence threshold for proving an individual’s links to the Kremlin.

The Queen has made a private donation to Ukraine. 

And that’s a wrap for this Friday morning, March 4 2022. Good Morning DC will be back on Monday to bring you the latest first. 

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