The U.S. believes that Russia will invade overnight on Wednesday, the Secretary of State said, as the United Nations called another emergency session of the Security Council.

Anthony Blinken, the Secretary of State, was asked by Lester Holt on NBC News on whether he thought there would be a full-scale invasion from Russia ‘before this night is over’.

Blinken replied: ‘I do. Unfortunately Russia has positioned its forces at the final point of readiness across Ukraine’s borders – to the north, the east, the south.

‘Everything seems to be in place for Russia to engage in a major aggression against Ukraine.’ 

Blinken added: ‘I can’t put a date or an exact time on it, but everything is in place for Russia to move forward.’

Blinken’s comments came as the UN prepared to hold its second – highly unusual – late night emergency session in three days.

The Council met on Monday night, with Russia – which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council – defiant in the face of criticism from other members. They will meet again on Wednesday at 9:30pm in New York. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday night addressed the nation, saying that he had tried to contact Vladimir Putin to discuss the situation, but Putin refused to take his call.

‘I initiated a telephone call with the president of the Russian federation. Result: silence,’ Zelensky said.

Zelensky also rejected Moscow’s claim that Ukraine was a threat to Russia.

‘The people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine want peace,’ Zelensky said, adding that a Russian invasion would cost tens of thousands of lives.

Zelensky added that there were now 200,000 Russian troops amassed near Ukraine’s borders.

Zelensky said that the people of Russia were being lied to about Ukraine and urged them to help stop a possible war.

‘Who can stop (the war)? People. These people are among you, I am sure,’ he said.

Anthony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, was asked on Wednesday night whether he expected Putin to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine overnight, and replied: ‘I do’

After responding to @LesterHoltNBC in the affirmative if he believes Russia will launch a full invasion of Ukraine tonight, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he can’t put an exact date or time on it, but says everything is in place.

pic.twitter.com/4UbtTS3ZYa

— GlobalNewsToday #vaccine💉 and its pros and cons (@GlobalNewsToda3) February 24, 2022

The Pentagon on Wednesday gave its most dire assessment yet of the situation with the Ukraine, warning that 80 percent of Russian troops are in combat-ready positions with a full scale attack by Vladimir Putin imminent.

‘They’re ready to go now if they get the order to go,’ a senior Defense Department official told reporters, adding that the Russian forces were positioned between three and 30 miles to the Ukrainian border.

The White House backed up that assessment.

‘We have been saying ‘imminent’ for days now,’ press secretary Jen Psaki said at her daily press briefing.

The warning came amid additional signs Russia was ready to make its move. The Kremlin claimed on Wednesday that Putin had received an appeal for ‘help in repelling the aggression of the armed forces and formations of Ukraine.’   

The leaders in Donetsk and Luhansk asked Russia’s president to use military force under treaties signed after Moscow recognized their independence from the Ukraine, Moscow said.

Western officials worry Putin could use a claim of Ukrainian aggression as a pretext for an invasion.

And an invasion appears to be ready at Putin’s order. 

If it comes, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby warned that any attack by Putin ‘won’t be bloodless.’

‘There will be suffering,’ Kirby said. ‘There will be sacrifice. And all of that must and should be laid at his feet. Because he’s doing this by choice. 

At particular risk is the northeastern city of Kharkiv, CNN reported, which sits about 18 miles from Russia.

The latest dire warning signs of a full-blown attack follow the West sanctioning the Kremlin’s inner circle; Ukraine issuing a nationwide state of emergency and moving to allow citizens to arm themselves;  and Russia continuing to tell the world they will not be deterred in their advance into separatist regions Putin has declared independent. 

Ukrainian government websites and banks have also been shut down because of a sweeping cyberattack while Moscow’s tactical units have formed into battle-ready units ready to attack from the north, east and south.

Meanwhile the U.S. has re-positioned its firepower and 4,700 paratroopers around eastern Europe, with F-35s fighter jets and a fleet of Apache attack helicopters being sent from Germany to Baltic states and Poland.

Since October, Russia has been building an enormous military force along Ukraine’s border, with as many as 190,000 troops in or near Ukraine, American and Ukrainian officials told The New York Times.   

Zelensky has called up military reservists, declared a 30-day state of emergency and has urged his people to stand up and fight with their country on the brink of invasion.

‘Ukrainians are a peaceful nation,’ he said. ‘We want quiet. But if we are today silent, then tomorrow we will disappear.’  

In addition to the troop movements, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, said government websites are the result of a ‘new mass distributed denial-of-service attack.’ It’s unclear who is behind the cyber intrusion.    

Meanwhile, Russia warned there would be a ‘painful’ response to sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies against Putin’s inner circle.

A fresh round of sanctions that struck at the heart of Putin’s inner circle appear not to be working. 

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called them part of Washington’s ‘ongoing attempts to change Russia’s course,’ and added that the pressure will not prove to be a deterrence. 

‘There should be no doubt that sanctions will receive a strong response, not necessarily symmetrical, but finely tuned and painful to the American side,’ the ministry said on Wednesday.

But the U.S. struck again with sanctions on Wednesday. Biden announced ‘sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its corporate officers.’

Biden said he made the decision after Germany called off certification of the pipeline, which was built to carry natural gas from Russia into Europe. Biden waived sanctions last year against Nord Stream 2 AG when the project was almost completed, in return for an agreement from Germany to take action against Russia if it used gas as a weapon or attacked Ukraine.

‘Through his actions, President Putin has provided the world with an overwhelming incentive to move away from Russian gas and to other forms of energy,’ Biden said, warning more sanctions could come. 

As Russia pulled its diplomats from Kiev, Zelensky called for even harsher sanctions and warned the ‘future of European security is being decided now, here in Ukraine.’ 

Ukrainian servicemen check the situation on the position near the Katerynivka village not far from pro-Russian militants controlled city of Luhansk, Ukraine

President Joe Biden’s administration has warned the Ukrainian government that the latest intelligence points to a full scale attack by Vladimir Putin ‘imminently’ with almost 100% of Russian forces on the border ready to move in. Putin watches Fatherland Day celebrations on Wednesday after praising Russia’s fleet of hypersonic weapons 

Russian armored vehicles are loaded onto railway platforms at a railway station in the Rostov-on-Don region, not far from Russia-Ukraine border, on Wednesday. The latest dire warning signs of a full-blown attack follow the West sanctioning the Kremlin’s inner circle, Ukraine issuing a nationwide state of emergency allowing citizens to arm themselves and Russia continuing to tell the world they will not be deterred in their advance into regions Putin has declared independent

Putin has recognized two areas in eastern Ukraine as independent and authorised Russian troops to go in on ‘peacekeeping’ missions. Rebels already hold part of that territory (in red) but Putin has recognised a much-wider region (yellow) amid fears he will now try to seize it. There are also fears he is preparing to attack Kharkiv in Ukraine (green) after massing forces nearby 

Putin is thought to be planning a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, having recognised two areas in the east of the country as independent earlier this week. Rebels already hold part of that territory (in dark red) but Putin has recognised a much-wider region (shaded red) amid fears he will now try to seize it 

Russia has up to 190,000 troops backed by tanks, artillery, fighter jets and bombers surrounding Ukraine from three sides, as the US warns of a full-scale invasion of the whole country including an attack on the capital, Kiev

A Ukrainian soldier talks with her comrades sitting in a shelter at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Svitlodarsk, eastern Ukraine

Russian armored vehicles at the railway station in Rostov region, Russia. Since October, Russia has been building an enormous military force along Ukraine’s border, with as many as 190,000 troops in or near Ukraine, American and Ukrainian officials told The New York Times

Meanwhile the U.S. has re-positioned its firepower and 4,700 paratroopers around eastern Europe, with F-35s fighter jets and a fleet of Apache attack helicopters being sent from Germany to Baltic states and Poland 

Russia has for months been massing troops, tanks, and support vehicles (pictured) on the border with Ukraine and is now thought to have up to 190,000 men ready to attack the country

Russian armoured troop transports are pictured in an assembly area, amid fears they could soon roll across the border and into Ukraine – sparking the most-serious war in Europe for decades

Russia has alternately claimed to be staging routine training exercises in its border regions, withdrawing its forces and reinforcing its allies in the region – all of which has been dismissed by the West as pretense (pictured, a Russian soldier)

Meanwhile, Council secretary Oleksiy Danilov said that Ukraine would introduce a 30-day period of emergency in a ramping up of precautions as Russian troops and blood supplies headed to frontlines in what U.S. officials said were ‘plans for war’. Ukrainian lawmakers are also working on legislation to allow its citizens to carry firearms. 

U.S. moves troops to Baltic NATO states

The U.S. military has moved troops to the Baltic nations in an effort to bolster NATO’s eastern flank bordering Russia as Ukraine prepares for a full-scale invasion.

Up to 190,000 Russian troops have surrounded Ukraine, including Russian forces that have deployed to Belarus, which border NATO members Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.

This has been nominally for military exercises, which have been watched over by Putin and Belarusian strongman President Alexander Lukashenko.

Biden confirmed he was moving additional U.S. troops to the Baltics, though he described the deployments as purely ‘defensive,’ asserting, ‘We have no intention of fighting Russia.’

The U.S. will send about 800 infantry troops and 40 attack aircraft to NATO’s eastern flank from other locations within Europe, according to a senior defense official.

In addition, a contingent of F-35 strike fighters and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters will also be relocated.

The measures came as Russian forces rolled into rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine after Putin said he was recognizing the independence of the separatist regions in defiance of U.S. and European demands.

It move came after President Putin boasted of Russia’s preparedness and ‘advanced weapons’ including hypersonic missiles in a sabre-rattling speech.

Putin, speaking on Defender of the Fatherland Day, which marks the first mass draft into the Red Army in 1918, congratulated the armed forces on their ‘professionalism’ and said he was assured they would stand up for the country’s national interests – which he said are ‘non-negotiable’. 

The Russian leader insisted that diplomacy with the West is still possible but gave no hint that he is willing to back down over any of his security demands – including that Ukraine disarm and drop its bid to join NATO. These have been dismissed by the U.S., Kiev and NATO as non-starters.   

President Biden warned it was clear the Russian leader was preparing for conflict after U.S. sources observed Russia moving supplies of blood towards its border with Ukraine, saying: ‘You don’t need blood unless you’re planning to start a war.’ 

In a sign that a diplomatic solution appears unlikely, Blinken called off a high-level summit with Russian Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov scheduled for Thursday.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who also cancelled his meeting, said Putin no longer accepted Ukraine’s independence under international law. 

Earlier Wednesday, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense council approved plans to declare a state of national emergency, with measures requiring stepped-up document and vehicle checks across the country. The declaration needs to be formally approved by parliament.

They would apply to all parts of Ukraine except for its two Russian-backed eastern separatist regions, where a deadly insurgency that has claimed more than 14,000 lives broke out in 2014.

Danilov said each of Ukraine’s regions would be able to select which particular measures to apply, ‘depending on how necessary they might be’.

‘What could it be? This could be added enforcement of public order,’ Danilov said. ‘This could involve limiting certain types of transport, increased vehicle checks, or asking people to show this or that document,’ he added, calling it a ‘preventive’ measure. 

Additionally, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday urged its citizens in Russia to leave immediately. The ministry also recommended that Ukrainians not travel to Russia and warned the government may not be in a position to help any of its citizens in Russia. 

Russia, meanwhile, began pulling personnel from its diplomatic posts in Ukraine, state news agency Tass reported. By Wednesday afternoon, the Russian flag was no longer flying over the embassy in Kiev, according to an Associated Press photographer. 

Hopes for a diplomatic solution seem to be fading.  

Biden warned on Tuesday that an invasion of Ukraine is already underway but could quickly ramp up into all-out war, with blood supplies being moved to the frontlines which could be used to treat injured soldiers.

‘This is the beginning of a Russian invasion. You don’t need blood unless you’re planning to start a war,’ Biden declared as he levied sanctions against Russian banks and promised harsher measures to come. 

Biden said two Russian financial institutions, VTB and Russia’s military bank, will face sanctions. He also said Russia’s sovereign debt will be sanctioned so Russia ‘can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade its new debt on our markets, or European markets either.’ 

The administration also named five individuals being targeted, including Alex Bortnikov, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service; Putin’s deputy chief of staff Sergey Keriyenko; and Petr Fradkov, the CEO of Russian Promsvyazbank, the country’s largest military bank. 

The White House warned more individuals could be targeted, with a senior administration official saying: ‘No Russian financial institution is safe if this invasion proceeds.’ 

Trans-Atlantic allies are lining up behind the American condemnation of Russia. Germany made the first big move, taking steps to halt certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia, cutting off what Biden’s administration called a ‘cash cow’ for Moscow. 

Britain also announced sanctions on three billionaires with close links to Putin, and five small lenders including Promsvyazbank. 

Australia, Canada and Japan also announced sanctions. Australia will impose travel bans and financial penalties on eight members of Russia’s National Security Council. Canada sanctioned two Russian banks and Japan imposed financial penalties on Moscow. 

Fighting also escalated along the frontlines between separatist forces and Ukraine’s men overnight, with one Ukrainian soldier killed and six injured in shelling. A house was also hit in the village of Muratovo. 

Tensions between East and West dramatically ratcheted up Tuesday as Putin was granted authority by Russia’s lap-dog parliament to use military force abroad, a move that paves the way for him to attack Ukraine.

Hours earlier, he had given a speech in which he made expansionist claims about rebel-held territory in Ukraine’s east – saying Russia has recognized areas currently held by Ukrainian troops as belonging to the separatists.

That has sparked fears he is preparing for a land-grab of that territory under the auspices of a ‘peacekeeping’ mission to the region which could extend even beyond those boundaries and all the way to the city of Kharkiv – where several major Ukrainian military bases are located.

Russian tanks and armored vehicles have been spotted hiding in civilian areas and the tree lines of forests in several areas just to the north of Kharkiv in recent days, within just three miles of the border. 

Putin has up to 190,000 troops backed by thousands of tanks and artillery units, hundreds of fighter jets and dozens of bombers encircling Ukraine from three sides – with up to 10,000 men already thought to have moved into rebel-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk on the current frontlines with Ukrainian forces.  

Western nations have tried to present a united front in the face of the invasion, with more than two dozen European Union members unanimously agreeing to levy their own initial set of sanctions against Russian officials.  

The U.S., meanwhile, moved to cut off Russia’s government from Western finance, sanctioning two of its banks and blocking it from trading in its debt on American and European markets. 

The administration’s actions hit civilian leaders in Russia’s leadership hierarchy and two Russian banks considered especially close to the Kremlin and Russia’s military, with more than $80 billion in assets. 

That includes freezing all of those banks’ assets under U.S. jurisdictions.

A Russian attack on Ukraine could start in the Donbass region (top right) with attempts to expand rebel-held areas, that could either be in coordination with or before a much wider assault on the entire country (top right). Should the fighting spill over Ukraine’s borders, it could drag in NATO forces stationed in Europe (bottom centre)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called up military reservists and is calling on upon the Ukrainian people to fight

The Russian Embassy in Kiev where its flag does not appear to be flying amid reports Moscow has recalled its diplomats

A Ukrainian pilot boards a fighter jet at an air base in an undisclosed region of the country early Wednesday, as he takes part in combat readiness drills amid fears Russian is about to invade

A Ukrainian Su-34 fighter jet, originally made in Russia, takes off from an airfield in an undisclosed region of the country amid fears that Russia is about to stage a full-scale invasion

The tail fins of Ukrainian Su-34 fighter jets are seen at an undisclosed air field somewhere in Ukraine as one takes to the skies during combat readiness checks ahead of what could be a full-scale Russian invasion

Ukrainian firefighters attempt to put out a blazing house in the village of Muratovo, close to the frontlines with pro-Moscow rebels in Luhansk, after it was shelled overnight 

Ukraine said one soldier died and another six were injured in shelling by pro-Moscow rebels overnight, which also hit and destroyed a house in the village of Muratovo

Russian volunteers carry medical supplies to a warehouse in the city of Taganrog, close to the border of Ukraine, after Biden warned that blood is being moved to the frontlines in what is considered to be one of the final moves before an attack

Five of Putin’s ‘inner circle’ hit by sanctions

President Joe Biden took a direct hit at Vladimir Putin’s inner circle on Tuesday by invoking sanctions on five named individuals.

They are:

• Alex Bortnikov, the head of Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (Russia’s principal security agency);

• Bortnikov’s son Dennis, who is the deputy president of VTB Bank;

• Putin’s deputy chief of staff Sergey Keriyenko;

• Keriyneko’s son Vladimir, who is currently the CEO of VK Group which runs Russia’s version of Facebook;

• Promsvyazbank CEO Pyotr Fradkov, head of nation’s largest military bank.

Biden said two Russian financial institutions, VTB and Russia’s military bank, will also face sanctions.

The two institutions ‘hold more than $80 billion in assets and finance the Russian defense sector and economic development,’ the White House noted in a fact sheet.

‘These measures will freeze their assets in the United States, prohibit U.S. individuals and businesses from doing any transactions with them, shut them out of the global financial system, and foreclose access to the U.S. dollar.’

Biden also said Russia’s sovereign debt will be sanctioned so Russia ‘can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade its new debt on our markets, or European markets either.’

Biden, though, did hold back some of the broadest and toughest of the financial penalties contemplated by the U.S., including sanctions that would reinforce the hold that Germany put on any startup of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline; an export ban that would deny Russia U.S. high tech for its industries and military; and sweeping bans that could cripple Russia’s ability to do business with the rest of the world.

Biden said he was moving additional U.S. troops to the Baltics, though he described the deployments as purely ‘defensive,’ asserting, ‘We have no intention of fighting Russia.’

The U.S. is sending about 800 infantry troops and 40 attack aircraft to NATO’s eastern flank from other locations within Europe, according to a senior defense official. In addition, a contingent of F-35 strike fighters and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters will also be relocated.

Earlier Tuesday, members of Russia’s upper house, the Federation Council, voted unanimously to allow Putin to use military force outside the country – effectively formalizing a Russian military deployment to the rebel regions, where an eight-year conflict has killed nearly 14,000 people.

Shortly afterward, Putin laid out three conditions to end the crisis that has threatened to plunge Europe back into war, raising the specter of massive casualties, energy shortages across the continent and global economic chaos.

Putin said the crisis could be resolved if Kiev recognizes Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014, renounces its bid to join NATO and partially demilitarizes. 

The West has decried the annexation of Crimea as a violation of international law and has previously flatly rejected permanently barring Ukraine from NATO.

Asked whether he has sent any Russian troops into Ukraine and how far they could go, Putin responded: ‘I haven’t said that the troops will go there right now.’ He added that ‘it’s impossible to forecast a specific pattern of action – it will depend on a concrete situation as it takes shape on the ground.’

The EU announced initial sanctions aimed at the 351 Russian lawmakers who voted for recognizing the two separatist regions in Ukraine, as well as 27 other Russian officials and institutions from the defense and banking sectors. They also sought to limit Moscow’s access to EU capital and financial markets.

With tensions rising and a broader conflict looking more likely, the White House began referring to the Russian deployments in the region known as the Donbas as an ‘invasion’ after initially hesitating to use the term – a red line that Biden had said would result in severe sanctions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin Wall on the Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow

President Joe Biden said it defies logic to think Putin has taken such extensive military preparations, including putting 190,000 Russian troops on the border and moving blood supplies to those areas, for reasons other than invading Ukraine

Satellite imagery from Tuesday shows several new deployments of troops and equipment have been established in rural areas southwest of Belgorod, less than 20 kilometers to the northwest of the border with Ukraine

Satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies shows a close up of field hospital and troop deployment in western Belgorod, Russia, less than 20 kilometers to the northwest of the border with Ukraine

Satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies shows a close up of assembled vehicles at Bokov Airfield near Mazyr, Belarus, on Tuesday

Satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies shows armor and vehicles at a railyard in Belgorod, Russia, on Tuesday

Satellite imagery from Tuesday shows new deployments of troops and equipment that have been established in rural areas southwest of Belgorod, Russia, which is close to the Ukrainian border

‘We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion, Russia’s latest invasion into Ukraine,’ Jon Finer, principal deputy national security adviser, said on CNN. 

‘An invasion is an invasion, and that is what is underway.’

The White House announced limited sanctions targeting the rebel regions on Monday evening soon after Putin said he was sending in troops. 

A senior Biden administration official, who briefed reporters about those sanctions, noted ‘that Russia has occupied these regions since 2014’ and that ‘Russian troops moving into Donbas would not itself be a new step.’

Western leaders have long warned Moscow would look for cover to invade – and just such a pretext appeared to come Monday, when Putin recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk separatist regions. 

The Kremlin then raised the stakes further by saying that recognition extends even to the large parts of those two regions now held by Ukrainian forces, including the major Azov Sea port of Mariupol. 

He added, however, that the rebels should eventually negotiate with Ukraine.

Condemnation from around the world was quick. 

In Washington, lawmakers from both parties in Congress vowed continued U.S. support for Ukraine, even as some pushed for swifter and even more severe sanctions on Russia. 

Senators had been considering a sanctions package but held off as the White House pursued its strategy. 

Jennifer Lawrence is expecting her first child with her husband Cook Maroni, but it seems that not so long ago the couple met for the first time.

Here, DailyMail.com takes a look back at Jennifer’s relationship with her husband, from their early beginnings to their lavish wedding in 2019, and now her first pregnancy.

Baby on the way! Jennifer Lawrence is currently expecting her first child with her husband Cook Maroni

Lawrence was first associated with Cook, director of an art gallery, after being introduced by mutual friends in 2018, and until February 2019, the blonde beauty was spotted wearing an engagement ring.

“Well, he’s just the best man I’ve ever met. It was a very, very easy decision, “she told Entertainment Tonight after accepting his offer.

“He really is and is getting better,” the actress continued.

Lawrence and Cook were married in 2019 at Newport’s Belcourt in Rhode Island, starring Adele and Cameron Diaz.

I’m doing it! Lawrence and Cook were married in 2019 in Belcourt, Newport, Rhode Island, starring Adele, Cameron Diaz and Emma Stone

There were 150 guests at the wedding, including Chris Jenner and her boyfriend Corey Gamble, Amy Schumer, Emma Stone and Ashley Olson.

For her rehearsal dinner, Jennifer and Cook hosted a Rose Island clambeck under a white tent, with Sienna Miller, Joel Madden and Nicole Richie arriving to celebrate.

Jennifer and Cook had their engagement party in New York in mid-May, three months after confirming their engagement.

The star wore a $ 2300 L deeps dress with bare Casadei shoes, adding a Roger Vivier bag and Fred Leighton jewelry.

On the move: Lawrence was spotted walking with her husband in New York in May 2021.

Although neither Jennifer nor Cook spoke publicly about their relationship, insiders exploded about their chemistry, a source told People in 2018: “She smiles like I’ve never seen her do with one of her predecessors. boyfriends ”.

By 2019, insiders say the couple is talking about starting a family.

“They both want children and are discussing starting a family,” a source told ET Online back in 2019.

“Their families really believe they are destined to be; his family loves her family and vice versa, so their parents are excited. Their parents get along so well and everyone is looking forward to big family reunions.

While many of Jennifer’s past romances have been seen around the world, the actress and her husband have enjoyed their romance out of the public eye, making leisurely trips to Europe and being spotted on dinner dates in Cook’s hometown of New . York.

On September 8, 2021, the star’s representative confirmed her pregnancy with People.

Jennifer was first spotted with her baby bump on display on Sept. 8 in photos received exclusively from DailyMail.com.

Kisses: The couple closed their lips at a hockey game in New York in 2018

As part of their plot, each man focused on substations in different regions of the country and how to attack electrical networks with rifles, according to court documents. According to court documents, the three men discussed that a nationwide blackout for an extended period would spread civil unrest, a race war would break out, and the next Great Depression could be triggered.

“People won’t show up for work, the economy could collapse, and potential (white) leaders will have a great opportunity to rise up,” Mr. Cook’s plea agreement says. “One of the topics of the group discussions was the need to create disorder in order to destroy the system, which would make people question the system and create a real revolutionary force against the system.”

In February 2020, the three men met in Columbus for further negotiations about their plot, according to court documents. When they met, Mr. Frost presented Mr. Cook with an AR-47 and, according to court documents, the two men were practicing with a rifle at a shooting range.

Mr. Frost also gave Mr. Cook and Mr. Savall suicide necklaces he filled with fentanyl that were supposed to be swallowed if they were caught by the police, according to court documents.

While in Columbus, Mr. Savall and Mr. Cook bought spray paint and used it to write the phrase “Join the Front” on a swastika flag under a park bridge, according to court documents. The men had more plans to spread propaganda while they were in Ohio, until they were confronted by police during a traffic stop during which Mr. Savall swallowed his suicide necklace but survived, per a plea agreement.

On Wednesday evening, it was not immediately clear why Mr. Savall and Mr. Cook were stopped by the police at the time. A call to federal prosecutors on Wednesday evening was not returned immediately.

In August 2020, the FBI raided the homes of three men. Agents found several firearms, chemicals that could have been used to make an explosive device, and Nazi-themed books and videos, according to court documents.

MUNICH. When Ukraine abandoned the huge arsenal of nuclear weapons left on its territory after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it famously struck a deal with Washington, London and Moscow, exchanging weapons for guarantees of its security and borders.

No wonder the Ukrainian government is wondering what happened to that guarantee.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin is complaining about something else entirely: He is spinning a conspiracy theory—possibly as a pretext to take over the entire country—that Ukraine and the United States are secretly plotting to return nuclear weapons to the country.

Mr. Putin’s arguments took up a third of his speech to the Russian people on Monday, when he made a series of bizarre accusations that “Ukraine intends to build its own nuclear weapons, and this is not just bragging.” Then he built a second case, that the United States is turning its missile defense system into an offensive weapon and plans to deploy nuclear weapons on the territory of Ukraine.

Ukraine abandoned the vast arsenal of nuclear weapons left over from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and used fuel from its diluted warheads to power its nuclear power plants. Today, Ukraine doesn’t even have the basic infrastructure to produce nuclear fuel, although Mr. Putin has made the dubious claim that it can quickly find that talent.

For their part, US officials have repeatedly said they have no plans to deploy nuclear weapons in the country — and never have, especially since Ukraine is not a member of NATO.

But that hasn’t stopped Mr. Putin from constructing a hypothetical case that all of this could someday happen, potentially putting Moscow at risk. He followed up on the subject at another press conference on Tuesday, covering a number of conspiracy theories that, taken together, could well create a pretext to take over the entire country.

“If Ukraine acquires weapons of mass destruction, the situation in the world and in Europe will change dramatically, especially for us, for Russia,” he said. “We cannot fail to respond to this real danger, especially since, I repeat, Ukraine’s Western patrons can help it acquire these weapons in order to create another threat to our country.”

Mr. Putin has, of course, made such arguments before, but usually as a digression rather than as an excuse for urgent action. And this was very different from the tone of Moscow 30 years ago, when Russian nuclear scientists were voluntarily retrained to use their skills for peaceful purposes, and nuclear weapons were removed from Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan at the expense of American taxpayers.

“This is a great tragedy,” said Rose Gottemoeller, who negotiated the new START treaty with Russia and is now a student at Stanford University. “Putin is so wrapped up in his own grievances that he doesn’t remember how we worked together so closely – Americans, Ukrainians and Russians – to ensure that the collapse of the Soviet nuclear arsenal did not lead to the creation of three new nuclear powers.”

In fact, Mr. Putin is now using a key agreement of the era, called the Budapest Memorandum, to bolster his position. The memorandum, signed by Ukraine, the United States, Britain and Russia, sealed the central deal: Ukraine would surrender all of its nuclear arsenal remaining on its territory, and in return the other three countries would guarantee Ukraine’s security and the integrity of its borders. . (Although Ukraine had physical control over the weapons, the right to launch them remained in the hands of the Russians.)

Updated

February 23, 2022 7:11 pm ET

However, the memorandum never specified what this security guarantee entailed, nor did it promise military assistance in the event of an attack. But Mr. Putin flagrantly violated that agreement when he annexed Crimea in 2014, and did so again on Monday when he recognized the two breakaway republics, essentially saying they were no longer part of Ukraine.

He said this week that he was outraged that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was talking publicly about revising the memorandum. Mr. Zelenskiy’s complaint, voiced at the Munich Security Conference last weekend, is that a “guarantee” is not at all a guarantee against a nation with Russia’s coercive power.

Mr. Putin argued that if Ukraine doubts the memorandum, it must want to have its own nuclear arsenal.

“We believe that Ukrainian words are addressed to us,” Putin said at a press conference with the Azerbaijani president on Tuesday. “And we heard them. They have broad nuclear competence since Soviet times, a developed nuclear industry, they have schools, everything you need to move quickly.”

Understand how the Ukrainian crisis unfolded

Card 1 of 7

Failed diplomatic efforts. That United StatesNATO and Russia were involved in whirlwind of diplomacy prevent the escalation of the conflict. In December, Russia put forward a series of demands, including guarantees that Ukraine would never join NATO. The West rejected these demands and threatened economic repercussions.

Perhaps realizing that he might be exaggerating the threat, Mr. Putin said: “One thing they don’t have is a uranium enrichment program. But this is a technical issue. For Ukraine, this is not an unsolvable problem; it’s easy to solve.”

Of course, other countries have solved this problem, including Pakistan, North Korea, Iran, Israel and India. But this is a long, extremely complex process. Iran has been doing this for two decades and, according to Western intelligence estimates, still does not possess nuclear weapons. (A new deal to contain Iran and restart the 2015 nuclear deal is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, and officials say Russia, a party to the original deal, helped negotiate.)

Mr. Putin also complained that Ukraine has “the means to deliver such weapons” and that he is in a safer position here. The old rocket factory, a relic of Soviet times, continues to work – and was at the center of controversy a few years ago about whether his developments fell into the hands of the North Koreans. (Ukraine’s president at the time, Petro O. Poroshenko, denied this.) Mr. Putin acknowledged that Ukraine’s current arsenal is incapable of striking Moscow. But with the help of NATO and the West, he said, “it’s only a matter of time.”

He then turned his ire on Washington itself, relying on the argument that it should withdraw all of its nuclear weapons from Europe—and, of course, from the countries of the former Soviet bloc that joined NATO. He argued that an anti-missile system stationed in Poland and Romania, designed to defend against Iran, could be covertly converted into an offensive system that would threaten Russia.

“In other words, the supposedly defensive US missile defense system is developing and expanding its new offensive capabilities,” Putin said. He did not mention a United States proposal to negotiate a new arms control agreement that would limit the number of facilities on both sides.

Again, he said, “it’s only a matter of time” when Ukraine is accepted into NATO and becomes a launching pad for possible attacks on Russia.

“We clearly understand that under such a scenario, the level of military threats to Russia will increase sharply, by several times,” Putin said. “And I would like to emphasize at this point that the risk of a sudden strike against our country will increase many times over.”

His message seemed clear: The only way for Ukraine not to become a US weapons platform was to take it over or turn control over to a friendly government.

Joe Tom Isley, a gay rights activist and lawyer who worked to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” military policy and whose 2003 wedding was one of the first same-sex unions to be announced in The New York Times, died Feb. 2 . 13 in a hospital in Miami Beach. He was 81 years old.

The cause was complications from a lung disease, Mr Isley’s husband Peter Freiberg said Tuesday.

Mr. Easley, who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, fought for years to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule that President Bill Clinton passed in 1993 to allow gays to serve in the military. provided they keep their sexuality a secret. In 2010 President Barack Obama signed the policy.

Mr. Easley was chairman of the Military Legal Advocacy Network, a group that sought to end discrimination against gay military personnel and end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Joe Tom Isley born September 28, 1940 in Robstown, Texas, to Tom Lee Isley and the former Lady Hampton. He grew up in Truby, Texas during the 1940s and 1950s, when openly gay people were far from common.

In 1966, when he was called to the Vietnam War, Mr. Easley decided to join the Navy, where he served at the intelligence base on Adak Island, Alaska. According to Freiberg, he was told a year later that a friend who offered him sex before he entered the service told the government that he was gay.

According to Mr Freiberg, Mr Isley’s commanding officer told him that he should kick him out because gays are forbidden from serving, but that “because of his exemplary service” he would make sure Mr Isley received an honorable discharge. and veterans benefits. .

A graduate of Texas A&M, Mr. Easley received a law degree from the University of Texas and a master’s degree in public health from Yale University.

According to Freiberg, although he was nearly 38 years old when he came out, he sought to catch up with his gay activism using his skills as a public speaker, teacher, and leader.

After working for three years in Europe for a consumer watchdog that investigated price-fixing by pharmaceutical companies, Mr. Easley moved to Washington, D.C., where his husband says he lived in the late 1970s and early 80s. .

Mr. Easley was initially hired as a tenured law professor at American University. After he retired in 1978, he was appointed assistant dean in addition to his teaching duties. Later, he was a professor at the then Antioch Law School, where he served as an advisor to the LGBT student group.

He also became president of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, a gay political organization in the Washington area.

Eventually Mr. Easley left Washington for New York, where he met Mr. Freiberg and continued his human rights work.

From 1983 to 1987 Mr. Easley was chairman of the LGBT group The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Foundation. He then served as president of the Human Rights Campaign Fund.

Vic Basil, former executive director of the Campaign for Human Rights, said in an email that Mr. Easley “has made an important contribution to shaping the goal of electing pro-LGBT candidates to Congress.”

On August 24, 2003, less than a year after Daniel Andrew Gross and Steven Goldstein became the first same-sex couple to have an affair. ad about their civil union published in The New York Times, the marriage of Mr Easley and Mr Fryberg at Toronto City Hall was featured on the wedding pages of the newspaper.

Mr. Freiberg, the sole survivor of Mr. Easley, was described in the ad as a freelance writer and editor. Mr. Easley has been described as a lecturer at BAR-BRI Bar Review, a company that prepares future lawyers for the bar exams.

Two years later, Mr. Easley gained national attention when he appeared in front page article in The Times about sponsoring an Iraqi boy who was burned and blind in one eye after stepping on a cluster bomb. Mr. Easley worked for over a year to bring the boy to the United States for treatment.

He made a list of eye surgeons and dermatologists to treat the boy for free.

“People ask me why this boy, why help him when so many others are in a worse situation,” Mr. Easley said in an interview at the time. “I tell them, well, I don’t know about the other boys. But I know about Ayad.

ARLINGTON, Virginia. — The Justice Department said Wednesday it is ending controversial Trump-era efforts to combat threats to China’s national security that critics say have unfairly targeted Asian professors.

Senior Justice Department official Matthew G. Olsen said in a speech at George Mason University’s National Security Institute that the agency will instead introduce a broader strategy designed to counter threats from hostile nations that would go beyond China and include countries like Russia. , Iran. and North Korea.

“By grouping the cases under the rubric of China Initiative,” Mr. Olsen said, “we have helped create a harmful perception that the Department has a lower standard for investigating and prosecuting criminal acts related to this country, or that we are somehow We then view people as having racial, ethnic, or familial ties to China in different ways.”

The end of the program means the Justice Department will drop the name “China Initiative” and set a higher bar for prosecuting scientists and researchers who lie to the government about Chinese affiliation.

The move comes a year after civil rights activists, business groups and universities first voiced the Biden administration’s concern that the program was freezing scientific research and fueling anti-Asian sentiment.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland personally called some of those lawyers on Wednesday to brief them on the changes, according to people who spoke on condition of anonymity, to reveal details of those calls.

But the end of the initiative does not mean that Beijing no longer poses a major national security threat. The Chinese government continues to use spies, cyberhacking, intellectual property theft, and propaganda to challenge the position of the United States as the preeminent economic and military power in the world, and this activity is getting more acute.

A more “comprehensive approach” addresses the alarming rise in illicit activity from other hostile nations, Mr. Olsen said, reflecting the fact that “there is no threat unique to a single adversary.”

Among the cases brought by the Ministry of Justice are attempts by the governments of China, Iran and Belarus to punish dissidents abroad. He exposed attempts by Russia, China, Malaysia, and Pakistan to use clandestine influence to undermine American political discourse. And he has indicted hackers who ran malicious cyber campaigns on behalf of China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.

However, Mr. Olsen noted that Beijing’s incursions were more brazen and destructive because they posed a national security threat that “stands alone.”

The China Initiative was established in 2018 to address these dangers by bringing together cases of espionage, theft of trade secrets and cybercrime under a single flag. In some ways, this was a continuation of efforts made under the Bush and Obama administrations.

But civil rights leaders and members of Congress have been outraged by the name “China Initiative,” which they say stoked intolerance and prejudice against Asian Americans at a time when hate crimes against Asians were on the rise.

And the work of the initiative to fight espionage, theft and computer hacking has been overshadowed by prosecutions that have been brought against scientists who did not disclose the fact that they had financial or other ties to Chinese institutions when they applied for federal government grants. The persecution was intended to keep people from hiding foreign affiliations and prompted schools and researchers to introduce stricter disclosure policies.

Certain cases resulted in convictions, including Harvard chemistry professor Charles Lieber in December. But the Justice Department has lost or dropped several such cases, prompting critics to say that all Asian professors working in the United States have been unfairly targeted and obstructed research and academic collaboration.

In one loud failure, the prosecutor’s office dropped the charges against Gang Chenprofessor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, after the Department of Energy said his undisclosed connection to China would not affect his grant application.

Shortly after taking office in October, Mr. Olsen began a three-month review of the China Initiative, which included interviews with the FBI and other intelligence agencies, research agencies, academic institutions, representatives of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and members of Congress.

His decision to drop the name of the initiative and return China-related national security affairs to the overall mission of the National Security Division reflects these criticisms.

“We have heard concerns from the civil rights community that the China Initiative is fueling a narrative of bigotry and bias,” Mr. Olsen said. “For many, this narrative suggests that the Justice Department treats people of Chinese or Chinese ancestry differently.”

Mr. Olsen said his review found no bias or prejudice in grant fraud cases. “In the course of my review, I have never seen any indication that any decision taken by the Department of Justice was based on bias or prejudice of any kind.”

But he said he shares the concern that these cases and the initiative more broadly have given rise to an impression of biased treatment.

Going forward, the department will use all of its enforcement tools, including civil suits, to fight possible grant fraud. He said the department would spare defendants who appeared to pose a threat to national security from prosecution. He declined to discuss what would happen to pending grant fraud cases.

Some Republicans have criticized the changes, saying they indicate the Biden administration will not effectively counter the Chinese government’s aggression, despite Mr. Olsen’s pledge to continue doing so.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton, Arkansas, said the Biden administration canceled the initiative “because they think it’s racist” but that the Chinese government “turned students and researchers studying in the United States into foreign spies.”

Representative Judy Chu, a California Democrat who is one of several lawmakers who have pushed for the Justice Department to amend the initiative, welcomed the changes. The program, she said, encouraged racial profiling and reinforced the stereotype that Asian Americans were “perpetual strangers” who could not be trusted.

“The Chinese initiative will be remembered not for any success in curbing espionage, but rather for having ruined careers and discouraged many Asian Americans from pursuing careers in STEM fields out of fear that they, too, would be targeted,” said Ms. Ms. Chu in her speech. statement.

“By focusing solely on China, despite constant threats from countries like Iran and Russia, this initiative has presented China as a unique existential threat to the US, which we know has led to more violence,” she said.

WASHINGTON. President Biden said Wednesday he would impose economic sanctions on the company behind the new gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, the latest in a series of sanctions that the White House promised would continue if Russia escalated its fighting against Ukraine.

Mr. Biden’s move came after administration officials warned that a full-scale military attack could be imminent. But it also came as a turning point for the president after he lifted sanctions on the gas pipeline, known as Nord Stream 2, last year, despite calls from both Democrats and Republicans to halt the energy project.

“These steps are another part of our initial tranche of sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine,” Mr. Biden said in a statement Wednesday. “As I have made clear, we will not hesitate to take further steps if Russia continues to escalate.”

Administration officials said Mr. Biden decided it was necessary to move forward on the sanctions after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Tuesday that he would suspend certification of the pipeline in response to Moscow’s order to cross the border into breakaway areas in the country’s east. Ukraine, which the Kremlin recognized as an independent state.

The new sanctions against Gazprom’s subsidiary, a Russian company controlled by the Kremlin, are part of a joint effort by NATO allies to stop what Mr. Biden called “the start of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.” “.

On Wednesday, the European Union also announced new sanctions against Russia’s defense minister, President Vladimir V. Putin’s chief of staff, and senior Russians in the media world. On Tuesday, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on two Russian banks and a handful of the country’s elite and made it impossible for Russia to raise funding in Western markets. The administration has said it retains the possibility of even tougher sanctions if Mr. Putin escalates the conflict by trying to seize more territory in Ukraine, or even the entire country.

The White House had not previously imposed sanctions on the company behind the pipeline because it was unclear whether those measures would halt the project, which was already 90 percent complete when Mr. Biden took office, according to Ned Price, White’s spokesman. Houses. State Department.

But on Tuesday, Mr. Scholz gave Mr. Biden an opportunity when he suspended the project’s certification.

“So, working with the Germans,” Mr. Price said, “we have made this an $11 billion prize investment that is now a piece of steel lying at the bottom of the sea.”

Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, called the action against the pipeline part of an attempt to stop the armed conflict.

“What we are trying to do is to prevent a war, to prevent the destruction of the Ukrainian people,” Ms. Psaki said. Speaking of Mr Putin, she said: “We’re going to continue to make it clear that if he continues to escalate, so will we.”

But there was little sign that the initial sanctions imposed this week discouraged Mr. Putin from moving forward in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, the Pentagon issued a grim assessment, saying that 80 percent of the 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces in or near Ukraine were in combat-ready positions.

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has caused tensions between Germany and the United States for many years. Germany has long been hesitant to jeopardize its energy trade with Russia; Last month, Mr. Scholz dodged questions about whether he agreed with Mr. Biden’s assertion that the project would be halted if Russia invaded Ukraine.

Nevertheless, Mr. Biden’s move was welcomed by Democrats and Republicans, who throughout the year called for him to quickly punish Russia and stop the pipeline.

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz on Wednesday withdrew his objections to 17 of Mr. Biden’s candidates, many of whom were appointed to State Department positions after the president sanctioned the company behind the pipeline.

Mr. Cruz used the Senate process to slow down the pace at which the House could approve Mr. Biden by demanding that the administration impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2.

“Allowing Putin’s Nord Stream 2 to go online would result in multiple cascading and acute security crises for the United States and our European allies for generations to come,” Mr Cruz said.

But Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman said the initial economic punishment was “an important first step, but not far enough.”

“In order to create an effective deterrent, it is necessary to extend tougher sanctions to other financial institutions and introduce export controls,” Mr. Portman said.

Mr. Biden has previously said the pipeline is too advanced to be stopped. “Nord Stream is 99 percent ready,” he said last year. “The idea that something will be said or done to stop it is impossible.” The pipeline was completed last year, but the approval process for the project has stalled.

Duleep Singh, deputy national security adviser, said on Tuesday that shutting down the project would sacrifice “what would be a cash cow for the Russian treasury.”

“It’s not just about money,” Mr. Singh said. “This decision will loosen Russia’s geostrategic chokehold in Europe through its gas supplies, and is a major turning point in the world’s energy independence from Russia.”

The State Department said Wednesday that Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman met with senior European diplomats to coordinate economic sanctions against Russia.

Mr. Price reiterated that the United States is still seeking a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis, in which Russia has recognized the independence of two enclaves that are part of Ukraine and sent more Russian troops to those areas. Mr. Putin has amassed troops on three sides of Ukraine, and US officials say a full-scale invasion could happen at any time.

Cathy Edmondson contributed reporting.

Bob Beckel, who turned a long career as a Democratic politician into an even longer career as a television pundit, mostly for Fox News, where he took on the role of a good-natured full-time liberal with a penchant for saying whatever’s on his mind, died Sunday at his home in Silver Spring, Maryland. He was 73 years old.

His daughter Mackenzie Beckel confirmed the death but said the cause was not known.

As an expert, Mr. Beckel often traded blows with the likes of Sean Hannity and Greg Gutfeld. But some of his positions – although he defended Barack Obama and called for visa freezes for Muslim and Chinese students – meant that he often had more friends on the right than on the left.

“We got on very well with him. He had the key to my house,” Mr. Hannity said on his show on Monday. Appearing alongside Mr. Hannity, Laura Ingram, another Fox host, called him “an old liberal to fight with.”

But Mr. Beckel has often crossed the line of cultural insensitivity. On the Fox News show The Five, where he hosted, he used racial slurs against the Chinese and repeatedly questioned the loyalty of Muslim Americans. “I am an Islamophobe. That’s right – you can call me whatever you want, ”he said in 2015, after attack in the editorial office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Fox News fired him in 2015, ostensibly over a dispute over extended sick leave that began with spinal surgery but turned into a stay in rehab after he became addicted to painkillers. The network rehired him in early 2017 with great fanfare — only to fire him again a few months later after a black employee accused him of make a racist remark .

Mr. Beckel denied the allegations, saying he was set up because of his constant criticism of President Donald Trump.

Mr. Beckel rose to national prominence as the outspoken campaign manager for Walter Mondale’s 1984 presidential campaign. By all accounts, he ran a savvy race to help his candidate overcome an ignominious defeat in the New Hampshire primary to Senator Gary Hart of Colorado, in part convincing Mr. Mondale to question the substance of Mr. Hart’s agenda during the debate by uttering the popular catchphrase “Where beef?”

Mr. Mondale announced his candidacy, but Ronald Reagan defeated him in November of that year in one of the most lopsided elections in recent history.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Beckel announced that he was done with campaigns, but not with politics. The following year, he founded a consulting firm advising politicians and corporate clients, and throughout the 1990s served as an expert on cable, network, and local news.

In 2000, he signed with Fox News as a commentator, and in 2011 he joined four other network personalities to launch The Five, an afternoon party loosely modeled after The Look.

The show became popular, dominating its 5:00 pm timeslot and second only to Mr. Hannity among Fox viewers. Many of the show’s fans, including a surprising number of liberals, said they tuned in mainly to see what the always unpredictable Mr. Beckel would do next.

Broad-shouldered and slightly round-shouldered, adorned with bright suspenders and shirt sleeves, Mr. Beckel was as inclined to defend liberal piety as he was to pierce it. He could make a rude gesture to one of his conservative sparring partners or show up just before Christmas dressed as Santa Claus.

“It’s like a Thanksgiving family coming home and arguing about politics, but you know everyone loves each other.” he told The New York Times in 2011.

Robert Gilliland Beckel was born November 15, 1948 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. His father, Cambridge Graham Beckel, taught at Queens College and later at a high school in Lyme, Connecticut, where the family moved when Robert was in high school. His mother, Ellen (Gilliland) Beckel, was a housewife.

Both of his parents were alcoholics, a fact that Mr. Beckel greatly disgraced but which he freely discussed, especially in light of his own later struggle with substance abuse.

But his father, who moonlighted as a labor organizer and civil rights activist, also passed on a fierce commitment to progressive ideas, a complex legacy that Mr. Beckel explored in his memoir I Should Be Dead: My Life, Surviving Politics. , TV and drug addiction” (2015).

He graduated from Wagner College on Staten Island in 1970 with a degree in political science, where he also played football. From 1971 to 1972 he served in the Peace Corps in the Philippines and in 1977 joined the State Department.

There, as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, he worked on the Panama Canal Treaty, SALT II arms control negotiations, and US policy in the Middle East. He left to run ground operations in Texas for Jimmy Carter’s re-election campaign, a losing effort that nonetheless allowed him to lead Mr. Mondale’s campaign.

Mr. Beckel has worked extensively as an expert. He did everything the producers asked him to do, whether it was replacing vacationing hosts or participating in election night coverage.

“It’s a way for me to keep my finger on the pulse,” he told The Washington Post in 1991. — I can still gain strength before the campaigns, but I do not need to participate in them. I can go to Iowa and New Hampshire, stand up, and then go to bed.”

He married Leland Ingham, a professional golfer, in 1991; they divorced in 2002. Together with his daughter, he had a son, Alex; his brother Graham; and his sister Peggy Proto.

In November 2000, Mr. Beckel made an attempt to see if voters in Florida could be persuaded to switch their votes from George W. Bush to Al Gore. When The Wall Street Journal reported on his project, Mr. Gore distanced himself from him, and when Mr. Beckel insisted, two partners from his firm left, forcing him to dissolve it.

Mr. Beckel’s demons caused him controversy from time to time. In early 2001, he got drunk in a Maryland bar and flirted with a married woman. Her husband, who was sitting nearby, drew a pistol and aimed it at Mr. Beckel’s head; he pulled the trigger and it misfired.

A year later, he hired a prostitute who then tried to extort money from him; after he refused and it went public, he was fired from the campaign of Alan Blinken, a Democrat (and uncle of Anthony Blinken, secretary of state) who was running for the Senate from Idaho.

Mr. Beckel continued to ride. Along with conservative writer Cal Thomas, he wrote a regular column for USA Today discussing issues such as immigration, the Iraq War, and holiday shopping; They later co-wrote Common Ground: How to Stop the Guerrilla War That’s Destroying America (2008).

But his real love was television.

“I can write a good solid LA Times presidential campaign op-ed and no one will pay a hell of a lot of attention to me,” he said. said Washington Post. “I turn on Crossfire and people seem to think it’s more important.”