LIVE, FROM THE WIDE WORLD OF NEWS NEWSROOM HEADQUARTERS, IT’S “THE WIDE WORLD OF NEWS”….WITH THE THRILL OF VICTORY ALWAYS IN DANGER OF BEING SUPPLANTED BY THE AGONY OF DEFEAT.
SITTING IN FOR CHIEF GLOBAL ANCHOR MARK HALPERIN, HERE’S MAX HEADROOM.
Good morning, and here’s what’s going on.
Ukrainian officials sharply criticized the Biden administration Friday for its ominous warnings of an imminent Russian attack, saying they had needlessly spread alarm, even as a new Pentagon assessment said Russia was now positioned to go beyond a limited incursion and invade all of Ukraine.
The diverging viewpoints brought into the open the stark disagreement between Ukraine and its key partner over how to assess the threat posed by Russia, which has massed about 130,000 troops on Ukraine’s border in what American officials are calling a grave threat to global peace and stability.
The tensions, which have simmered in the background for weeks, have surfaced at a particularly delicate moment, as President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia reviews the American response to his demands for addressing Russian security concerns in Eastern Europe. (New York Times)
Let’s bring in our national security analyst, Mark Halperin, for more on this. Mark?
Mark: This seems like the wrong conflict to have at the wrong time. Of all the things to hand Putin, really? Open conflict between the U.S. and Ukraine? The dark metaphors write themselves.
Thanks, Mark. Great to have your perspective.
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Welcome back.
In other news,
Utah Sen. Mitt Romney tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, his office said.
His wife, Ann, tested negative for the virus.
“Sen. Romney tested positive today for COVID-19. He is currently asymptomatic and will be isolating and working remotely for the recommended period of time. Mrs. Romney has tested negative. Both Senator and Mrs. Romney have been fully vaccinated and boosted against the virus,” according to a statement from Romney’s office.
The senator’s office provided no details on how, when or where Romney came to test positive or why he got tested. (Deseret News)
Let’s bring in our medical analyst, Mark Halperin, for more on this. Mark?
Mark: If a physical specimen like Mitt Romney can get infected, NO ONE IS SAFE!
Mark, thank you. I’m sure you will be back with us soon. This pandemic is not going away anytime soon.
Turning to political news, here’s a point of view on the midterm elections from an expert, and I quote:
We have 7 percent inflation, right? We’ve had rising crime. The pandemic just won’t go away. The Russians are threatening to invade Ukraine. What people have is a sense of disorder, and that will kill you every time in politics.
Now, most people don’t think we’re going to have 7 percent inflation by November. A lot of people think that we’ll turn a corner with the pandemic after this latest burst. And if we’re still looking at high Covid rates and high inflation in November, Democrats are going to lose anyway.
But yes, right now what the general public is reacting to, more than Democratic messaging, is a sense of disorder in the country. It’s just hard to break through [with] a message in that kind of environment. (Vox)
Let’s bring in our senior political analyst, Mark Halperin, for more on this. Mark?
Mark: Those are the unsurprising words of James Carville, with his normal gift for speaking truth to power, and a little bit, I would guess, of feigned optimism.
Mark, stand by, because there’s one more political story we want to get your comments on.
Republicans on Capitol Hill are using President Biden’s failures to fuel their bid to retake control of Congress, focusing on his collapsing legislative agenda, his unfulfilled promise to “shut down” the coronavirus pandemic and rising voter anxieties over school closures and inflation as they seek a winning message for this year’s elections.
Mr. Biden’s troubles have frustrated Democrats, prompting calls for a major course correction. At the same time, they have delighted Republicans, who have been intent on rehabilitating themselves in the eyes of voters after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol last year, which highlighted the party’s lurch toward extremism and its continuing rifts under the influence of former President Donald J. Trump.
Now, after months of grappling with their party’s role in stoking the riot, the ongoing influence of Mr. Trump’s election lies and the rise of right-wing activists who risk alienating more mainstream conservative voters, Republicans believe they are finally in a position to capitalize on what they view as a historically advantageous environment.
Many Republicans say they see no need for any course correction — or to put forward a positive agenda in an election year they say will boil down to a referendum on Mr. Biden….
For Republicans, the biggest political fear is that they may be peaking too soon. In private meetings, some have raised the question of whether voters will still blame Mr. Biden for the prolonged pandemic in the fall if the Omicron wave subsides and supply chain issues dissipate. (New York Times)
So let’s bring back in our senior political analyst, Mark Halperin, for more on this. Mark?
Mark: There is no greater evidence of how much the Dominant Media is choosing to emphasize (in)competence over ideology in writing negative stories about the midterm outlook for their Democratic allies than this New York Times piece that lovingly quotes Team McConnell and other Republicans in framing up the politics of 2022. When Dominant Media organs are writing stories that are neutral (or even slightly pro-Republican), the comms folks on Team Biden-Harris-Klain-Pelosi-Schumer have a problem, because they are heading into this election cycle’s closing months without home field advantage. It would be like the refs calling Meadowlark and Curly for traveling, palming, double dribble, and hacking fouls on 10 straight possessions in the third quarter, with the scoreboard showing the Generals ahead. The Times piece even downplays the threat to GOP fortunes from Donald J. Trump (and don’t miss the lede anecdote of this new Associated Press piece on Trump’s standing).
Thank you, Mark.
Now, for the latest on the roads and bridges out there, let’s bring in our top traffic analyst, Mark Halperin. Mark?
Mark: This was a first order bizarro development when it comes to the history of presidential travel.
Brilliant analysis, Mark.
Now, for the latest on that big storm, let’s bring in our chief meteorological analyst, Mark Halperin, live from the WWoN Storm Center, where he is tracking all the latest. Mark?
Mark: All weather is local.
Thanks, Mark.
In sports,
Tom Brady’s longtime assistant Ben Rawitz has been talking to other top quarterbacks about work — prompting even more speculation that the star athlete is going to retire.
Page Six has been told that Rawitz, who has spent years as Brady’s right-hand man, has reached out to a list of high-profile QBs, including the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen, Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow, the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray and the Patriots’ Mac Jones, for management opportunities. (New York Post)
What does this all mean? Let’s bring in our chief sports analyst, Mark Halperin. Mark?
Mark: This will all come down to who most needs their footballs deflated.
Thanks, Mark.
Finally, our show kicker – and a little quiz.
Which of these two stories qualifies as the ultimate example for today of a Page Six item?
Which would you vote for? For a little perspective, let’s bring in our senior tabloid analyst, Mark Halperin. Mark?
Mark: I think it’s a tie.
Thanks, Mark.
You can vote for your choice in our scientific poll. Just go to wwon.com and cast your ballot. One vote per household, please.
We will have the full results, and all the goings on in news, traffic, weather, and sports, right back here tomorrow, on Wide World of News. In the meantime, you can get all the news, all the time on the 24/7 website the Walking Duck.
Thanks for watching, and have a good — and snowy — day.