* “It stains our character and it pierces the very soul of our nation.”–President Joe Biden on yet another mass shooting, the one that cost eight innocent lives in Indianapolis.
* With its expelling of Russian diplomats and imposing sanctions on Russian companies, the Biden Administration has sent a heat-seeking message to the Kremlin. Russia–for all its weaponry, swagger and cyber meddling–has a fragile economy, about the size of Italy’s, and is vulnerable. By squeezing access to international finance, the Biden Administration hopes to pressure Vladimir Putin into negotiating a more stable relationship with the U.S. In short, Putin is no longer the U.S. president’s handler.
* The push for D.C. Statehood. It is no longer a fringe issue and will keep coming up as long as Wyoming and the Dakotas have two senators each.
* A recent Gallup Poll shows 49 percent of voters identifying as, or leaning toward, Democrats. And 40 percent identifying as, or leaning toward, Republicans.