Nikki Haley casts Trump as 'status quo'; Barbara Lee jumps into CA Senate race: Recap

WASHINGTON — Nikki Haley is in Iowa touting her presidential credentials. Rep. Barbara Lee is running to fill the California Senate seat being vacated by retiring Dianne Feinstein. And Virginia is about to elect its first Black woman to Congress.

The calendar says 2023 but it feels like 2024.

Here's what else is happening in politics:

• Putin says Russia will suspend new START treaty, blames other countries for war in Ukraine: Russia's leader delivered a fiery speech ahead of Biden's speech in Poland marking the one-year anniversary of the Ukraine war.

• On the domestic front the Supreme Court returns to the bench this week and resumes oral arguments. Justices heard arguments about a dispute between Google and the family of an American killed in an Islamic State group attack in Paris in 2015.

• Key senators show little urgency on Biden's pick to lead National Archives: Colleen Shogan has been waiting more than six months to run the agency that safeguards the nation’s secrets, but senators responsible for confirming her aren’t showing any urgency to get her across the finish line.

• Jimmy Carter's presidential longevity record: Carter, the 39th president, has lived the longest of any other. His longevity may foretell a new trend among former presidents.

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McCllelan wins Va. special election, making history

Democrat Jennifer McClellan defeated Republican Leon Benjamin to become the first Black woman Virginia will send to Congress.

The Associated Press called the race after the polls closed at 7 p.m. EST

The seat was left vacant by the death of Rep. A. Donald McEachin in November.

– Phillip M. Bailey

Biden administration unveils new proposal that would limit asylum at border

The Biden administration announced a new policy proposal Tuesday that would limit access to asylum for migrants who cross the United States’ southern border illegally if they fail to apply for protections in another country.

The administration did not give a specific date for when the policy would go into effect. But officials said they intend to time the implementation of the new policy to coincide with the end of Title 42.

If the policy is approved, migrants will be ineligible for asylum if they had not used existing lawful processes, such as a humanitarian parole program available for Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, Haitians or Cubans; scheduled a time and place of arrival at a port of entry or been denied asylum in a third country they have traveled through.

The move comes two years after the administration dismantled a similar Trump-era policy that required migrants seeking asylum in the US to first apply for protections in three Central American countries.

– Rebecca Morin

More: New Biden administration proposal seeks to limit access for asylum seekers at southern border

Section 230: Supreme Court eager to steer clear of sweeping changes to internet

The Supreme Court seemed hesitant Tuesday to hand down a sweeping ruling that could change the way search engines and other websites recommend content to users, but the justices struggled with how to address whether Big Tech can ever be held liable when those recommendations cause harm.

At issue in the case, Gonzalez v. Google, is a controversial law known as Section 230, which has been widely interpreted as shielding websites from lawsuits for user-generated content. The question for the court is whether recommendations – such as a suggestion for the next video to watch on YouTube – are covered under that law.

The family of a 23-year-old American killed in a 2015 terrorist attack in Paris sued Google, which owns YouTube, for promoting videos dealing with the Islamic State group. But several of the justices from both ends of the ideological spectrum seemed concerned about potentially holding companies liable for all such recommendations.

- John Fritze

Supreme caution: Supreme Court eager to steer clear of sweeping changes to internet in Section 230 dispute

DOD: Service members told to avoid poppy seed products

The Department of Defense wants service members to cut poppy seeds from their diets to make identifying illicit drug use among the rank and file easier, according to a memo released Tuesday.

Poppy seeds are derived from the poppy plant, which produces opium, the key source for narcotics like codeine and heroin. The DOD warned in the memo that some poppy seed varieties could have higher codeine contamination than previously thought, which might show up on drug tests.

- Ella Lee

‘Kyiv stands strong,’ Biden says, marking one year of Russia’s war in Ukraine

President Joe Biden said the world has responded to a "test for the ages,” marking the one-year anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and the Kremlin.

Biden, in a speech outside the Kubicki Arcades palace in Warsaw, said Russian President Vladimir Putin thought Ukraine would "roll over" when he invaded, but "he was wrong" because of the "iron will" of Ukrainians and nations everywhere.

"One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv," Biden said. "Well, I just came from a visit to Kyiv, and I can report, Kyiv stands strong. Kyiv stands proud. It stands tall. And most importantly, it stands free."

The message of solidarity – delivered in front of U.S., Poland and Ukraine flags – came shortly after Putin said Russia will pull back from the New START nuclear treaty in response to a surprise visit Biden made Monday to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

– Joey Garrison

'Kyiv stands strong’: Biden declares Putin ‘was wrong,’ marking one year of Russia’s war in Ukraine

Nikki Haley tells voters considering Trump to ‘look forward’

In her first visit to Iowa since announcing she would run for president, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley made a direct pitch for her candidacy over former President Donald Trump, saying “we’ve got to look forward.”

The answer came after Haley opened a campaign event in Urbandale to audience questions. West Des Moines Republican activist Gary Leffler asked Haley why Iowans who supported Trump in the past should caucus for her instead.

“President Trump is my friend. I think he was the right president at the right time,” Haley responded, but adding that “we need to leave the status quo in the past. We’ve got work to do. We’ve got to look forward.”

– Brianne Pfannenstiel

Nikki Haley in Iowa: Nikki Haley begins Iowa courtship for 2024, tells those considering Trump to 'look forward'

First lady Jill Biden heading to Africa

First lady Jill Biden will travel to Namibia and Kenya this week, part of the Biden administration’s effort to strengthen ties in sub-Saharan Africa and regain trust amid growing influence from China and Russia in the region.

Later trips by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are also in the works.

The first lady is expected to focus on the role of young people in strengthening democracies, empowering women and the food crises in Kenya.

She will be the first top official to visit sub-Saharan Africa since the start of the Biden administration.

– Maureen Groppe

First lady Jill Biden heading to Africa: Youth, empowering women, food crises are on the agenda

Rep. Cicilline, a co-author of Trump impeachment article, to leave Congress

Rep. David Cicilline, the Rhode Island congressman who served as a manager in former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial, will leave Congress before the end of his term to lead the Rhode Island Foundation, his office announced on Tuesday.

Cicilline was a lead author of the Trump impeachment article considered by the House and held a prominent role throughout the proceedings, at one point urging his GOP colleagues to think about what they will tell their children and grandchildren about that moment.

“Do you stand for the republic or for this president?” Cicilline asked of his peers in January 2021.

The Rhode Island congressman challenged Rep. James Clyburn in November for assistant Democratic leader, calling on Democrats to “fully respect the diversity of our caucus” by putting a member of the LGBTQ community in a top leadership position. Cicilline is gay. He withdrew his challenge ahead of the party’s vote.

Cicilline’s last day will be June 1, the press release said.

– Ella Lee

Rep. Barbara Lee announces Senate run

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., has officially entered the Senate race to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who won't seek reelection in 2024.

In a video released Tuesday, Lee said she was “running for U.S. Senate because Californians deserve a strong, progressive leader who has accomplished real things and delivered real change.”

Lee, however, faces a growing field of contenders for the Senate seat: Rep. Katie Porter and Rep. Adam Schiff have both announced their campaigns.

– Mabinty Quarshie

Supreme Court declines case of man who mocked police online

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear the case of an Ohio man who was arrested for creating a parody Facebook page in 2016 to mock his local police department.

Anthony Novak was arrested and indicted for violating a state law that makes it illegal to use a computer to disrupt police functions. He was acquitted by a jury.

Novak then sued the police and the city, alleging violations of the First and Fourth Amendments. A Cincinnati-based appeals court sided with the police, holding they were entitled to what's known as qualified immunity – a legal doctrine that protects police from liability for civil rights violations in many circumstances.

The case received additional attention when The Onion, the Chicago-based satirical publication, filed a legal brief poking fun at the police and the legal community’s obsession with Latin.

– John Fritze

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg calls for rail safety after Ohio derailment

Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is pushing for stronger rail regulation after the fiery train derailment in East Palestine, including safer train cars and bigger fines for companies that break the rules.

"I would say there's a window of opportunity with Congress now, after what happened to East Palestine, that I do not think existed before," Buttigieg told reporters Monday. "We need to use that window of opportunity to raise the bar."

Buttigieg called on Norfolk Southern and other railways to expedite the implementation of DOT 117 train cars, which are designed to prevent the release of the car's contents if something happens. The Biden administration also wants federal officials to increase the maximum fine for railroads that violate safety rules.

Republicans and some Democrats have been skeptical of the response by Buttigieg, who was quiet in the days after the crash. He said he's been letting the NTSB conduct its investigation but plans to visit the area "when the time is right."

– Haley BeMiller, The Columbus Dispatch

Putin announces suspension of New START arms treaty

Shortly before concluding his nearly /two-hour speech to lawmakers and various Russian elites, President Vladimir Putin announced he was suspending Moscow's participation in New START - a strategic arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and Russia.

Putin said this action was being taken because of the U.S. and NATO, without specifying more.

“In this regard, I am forced to announce today that Russia is suspending its participation in the strategic offensive arms treaty,” he said.

New START is the last remaining nuclear arms deal between the U.S. and Russia. It was signed in 2010 and extended for five years in 2021. It limits each side to 1,550 long-range nuclear warheads.

– Kim Hjelmgaard

Dig deeper: In combative speech, Putin suspends nuclear arms treaty while lashing out at West over Ukraine war

Putin delivers combative speech ahead of Biden address

Hours before U.S. President Joe Biden was expected to address, from Poland, his view of Russia's war in Ukraine as the conflict approaches the one-year mark, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech in Moscow ahead of Friday's anniversary.

As he has done many times before, Putin blamed the West for provoking the war, accusing the U.S. and its European allies of wanting to acquire "limitless power." He said Ukraine's allies were "playing a dirty game," that NATO members were openly talking about supplying Ukraine with nuclear weapons - they aren't - and that the entire planet was "dotted" with U.S. military bases.

In a wide-ranging speech before Parliament, Putin claimed that western economic sanctions on Russia were not working, that Russian farmers just had a "record" grain harvest (Russia has stolen Ukraine's grain over the last year), and that he plans to bolster Russia's diplomatic and economic ties to the Middle East.

About an hour into the speech, Putin was mostly focused on domestic policies connected to infrastructure spending and financial reforms. He praised Russian soldiers and said he would "systematically" continue with the Ukraine invasion he ordered a year ago. He has not yet mentioned any new military objectives. He ruled out Russia making a first nuclear strike in Ukraine.

– Kim Hjelmgaard

Clarence Thomas may be one to watch as Supreme Court takes up Section 230 case

As the Supreme Court turns to the thorny issue Tuesday of whether Big Tech firms such as Google and Twitter should be immune from lawsuits over online content, many observers will be closely watching Associate Justice Clarence Thomas.

Among the court's most stalwart conservatives, Thomas has made his views on the controversial Section 230 law clear: In a series of statements, he has criticized lower courts for reading too much into the law and has made a case for giving the government greater power to regulate social media. Thomas' point is that the 1996 law appears to give internet firms protection from lawsuits in some cases – but not the broad immunity embraced by lower courts.

At issue in the Google case is whether targeted recommendations YouTube's algorithm makes to users – suggesting the next video to watch, for instance – are shielded by Section 230. The family of a woman killed in an Islamic State group attack in 2015 sued Google, which owns YouTube, for promoting the group's videos via its algorithms.

The other eight justices are largely a blank slate.

– John Fritze

More: As Supreme Court takes up Google case, only Thomas has made his thoughts clear

Virginia set to elect first Black congresswoman

State Sen. Jennifer McClellan will likely become Virginia's first Black congresswoman Tuesday, as the result of a special election to replace the late Rep. Donald McEachin.

McEachin represented Virginia's reliably blue 4th Congressional District before he died after battling cancer last year.

McClellan, who previously ran for governor of Virginia in 2021, faces Republican Leon Benjamin Tuesday. Benjamin ran for the House seat twice before, but lost each time to McEachin.

– Mabinty Quarshie

Battle over ideological tilt of Wisconsin Supreme Court takes shape

The Wisconsin Supreme Court's conservative tilt is on the ballot this year and it could determine abortion rights, the fate of legislative maps and other key policies in the battleground state.

Voters will decide during Tuesday's primary, to replace a retiring conservative justice, which two candidates will advance to the general election on April 4.

The winner in April will determine whether conservatives continue their control of the court, or if liberals will gain the majority.

In 2020 Wisconsin's supreme court blocked former President Donald Trump's lawsuit to overturn the state's election results. And in 2024 it could once again play a critical role in determining election results.

– Mabinty Quarshie

More: Post-Roe abortion battle draws attention to state judicial elections, new legal strategies

How President Biden pulled off a secret trip to Ukraine

While most of Washington slept, President Joe Biden arrived in Kyiv around 8 a.m. local time Monday.

The dramatic display of solidarity with Ukraine was the culmination of months of planning by a small team of administration officials. A final decision came in an Oval Office meeting Friday to move forward with a secret trip to war-torn Ukraine ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion.

– Joey Garrison, Rebecca Morin

More: How President Biden pulled off a secret trip to Ukraine

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: VA poised to elect first Black woman to Congress as campaigns heat up