The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Inside Biden’s surprise trip to Ukraine

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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* 

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically. 

NEWS OF THE MORNING 

Surprise! Biden went to Ukraine today: 

President Biden made an unannounced stop in Ukraine earlier today before his scheduled trip in Poland. 

Biden on why he made the unscheduled trip: “I thought it was critical that there not be any doubt, none whatsoever, about U.S. support for Ukraine in the war.” 

What did Biden do during his trip?: He met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a bilateral meeting. The two leaders then delivered joint remarks. Biden also announced an additional half a billion dollars in aid to Ukraine, including military equipment.

What we know about the trip, via The Hill’s Katie Wadington 

Zelensky tweeted: “Historic. Timely. Brave. I welcomed [President Biden] in Kyiv as Russian full-scale aggression approaches its one-year mark. I am thankful to the U.S. for standing with Ukraine and for our strong partnership. We are determined to work together to ensure Ukraine’s victory.” Zelensky’s video of the visit 

Can you imagine the logistics involved to make this happen safely?: The Washington Post’s Matt Viser tweeted, “President Biden’s trip to Kyiv was months in the making, but final call made on Friday. Footprint kept small, and Russians alerted a few hours before president’s departure for the war-torn country.” More details on how the trip came together 

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM THE SURPRISE STOP IN UKRAINE:
Photo of Biden and Zelensky shaking hands: From NBC News’s Mike Memoli 

^ Notice that Biden’s tie is blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. 

Another photo: From U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget A. Brink 

Watch Biden and Zelensky walk outside in Kyiv: Can you imagine the security involved? Video from Reuters 

Photo of the two walking outside in Kyiv: From NBC News’s Kelly O’Donnell 

Notice the colors on the wreath: BBC News’s Jeremy Bowen tweeted, “A Stars and Stripes wreath at Ukraine’s war memory wall in Kyiv.” Photo 

‘ONE YEAR INTO WAR, PUTIN IS CRAFTING THE RUSSIA HE CRAVES’:
“The grievances, paranoia and imperialist mind-set that drove President Vladimir V. Putin to invade Ukraine have seeped deep into Russian life after a year of war — a broad, if uneven, societal upheaval that has left the Russian leader more dominant than ever at home.” More from The New York Times’s Anton Troianovski and Valerie Hopkins 

It’s Monday — Happy Presidents’ Day! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. 

🏥 Getting traction

We wish you the best, President Carter: 

Former President Jimmy Carter, 98, has begun receiving hospice care instead of additional medical intervention, according to a statement from The Carter Center. 

From The Carter Center’s statement: “He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers.” Read the full statement 

SOME NOTABLE POSTS ABOUT CARTER:  

President Biden tweeted: “To our friends Jimmy and Rosalynn and to their family – Jill and I are with you in prayer and send you our love. We admire you for the strength and humility you have shown in difficult times. May you continue your journey with grace and dignity, and God grant you peace.”

Fun fact: @nick_field90 pointed out that “Joe Biden was the first sitting Senator to endorse Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Carter lived to see Biden become President 44 years later.” Side-by-side photos from those two eras 

The Naval Academy renamed a building: WJZ’s Amy Kawata’s tweeted, “The Naval Academy renamed its building formally known as Maury Hall to Carter Hall. Carter graduated in 1946 and is the only president to attend.” 

Tidbit from presidential historian Michael Beschloss: “In 1979, President Carter had solar panels installed at the White House. These were later laughed at, derided and removed by officials of Reagan Administration.” Photo 

Read some of the tributes that have poured in since the announcement: From NPR 

Interesting read from The Washington Post: “A nuclear reactor was melting down. Jimmy Carter came to the rescue.: As a 28-year-old Navy lieutenant, Carter was one of the few people on the planet authorized to go inside a damaged nuclear reactor.” Full story from The Washington Post’s Gillian Brockell 

🏃‍♂️ 2024 headlines

‘GOP IMPATIENCE GROWS FOR DESANTIS TO MAKE MOVE ON TRUMP’:
 From The Hill’s Alexander Bolton 

‘TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AREN’T SO EASY TO SELL ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL’:
From Politico’s Meridith McGraw 

“ ‘BIDEN DRAWING UP A 2024 PLAYBOOK THAT LOOKS A LOT LIKE 2020’S”: 

From The New York Times’s Peter Baker, Reid J. Epstein and Lisa Lerer 

‘DEMOCRATS GRAPPLE WITH HOW TO TAKE ON NIKKI HALEY’:
 From The Hill’s Hanna Trudo 

🏡 In other news 

For some ~unknown reason~, people love working from home:

The Hill’s Daniel De Visé reports that “nearly 30 percent of all work happened at home in January, six times the rate in 2019, according to WFH Research, a data-collection project. In Washington and other large urban centers, the share of remote work is closer to half. In the nation’s biggest cities, entire office buildings sit empty.”  

For context: “The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the American workplace. The share of all work performed at home rose from 4.7 percent in January 2019 to 61 percent in May 2020. Some economists consider the remote-work boom the greatest change to the labor market since World War II.”  

The full data — and what this means for the future of work 

🦠 The COVID-19 numbers

Cases to date: 102.9 million 

Death toll: 1,113,254 

Current hospitalizations: 22,205 

Shots administered: 670 million 

Fully vaccinated: 69.2 percent of Americans 

CDC data here. 

🐥Notable tweets 

Think ‘The Sims’, but for law:

Politico’s Jesús Rodríguez tweeted, “Can we talk about the fact that courts in Colombia are holding actual judicial hearings in the Metaverse?” Photos of the virtual hearings — this is pretty wild 

⏱On tap 

The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in Ukraine and then Poland. Vice President Harris is in Washington, D.C.

• Today: Vice President Harris has no public events scheduled.
• This week: Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Germany, Turkey and Greece. Details 
• Feb. 27: The Senate meets next. The Senate’s pro forma schedule this week

All times Eastern. 

📺What to watch

• Today: Oral arguments in the Supreme Court case, Gonzalez v. Google. The gist, via C-SPAN: “[The case challenges] the Communications Decency Act’s Section 230, which protects tech companies from liability for users’ content on internet platforms.” Livestream

🧁 In lighter news

Today is National Muffin Day! 

Well, it’s not two-day shipping, but it made it!: 

A letter that was sent in 1916 (!) finally made it to its destination. Details and photo of the letter, via CNN 

And to leave you smiling, here’s a bird who is absolutely loving its bath.