Zelensky Urges Biden To Impose No-Fly Zone Over Ukraine; Turkey Shuts Straits To All Warships

Update(1845ET): Ukraine's President Zelensky has urged the West to consider imposing no-fly zone against Russian aircraft. Zelensky on Monday appealed directly to Joe Biden to consider a no-fly zone for "significant parts" of Ukraine. Zelensky issued the statement in an exclusive Axios report. He told Axios that there's a chance for Ukraine's armed forces to "beat the aggressor" if the Western allies are willing to "do their part."

He also suggested that this would result in less total bloodshed, and spare civilians: "If the West does this, Ukraine will defeat the aggressor with much less blood," Zelensky conveyed through an advisor.

However, not only did Biden rule out sending American troops to Ukraine in a Monday statement, but press secretary Jen Psaki also stressed that a no-fly zone is also ruled out, given that either scenario would bring Washington into direct war with Russia, and likely lead to WW3.

"Here's what's important for everybody to know about a no-fly zone: What that would require is implementation by the U.S. military. It would essentially mean the U.S. military would be shooting down Russian planes," Psaki told MSNBC on Monday.

Zelensky had described additionally of current measures, "The sanctions are heading in the right direction. In addition to disconnecting the Russian Central Bank from SWIFT and providing more Stingers and anti-tank weapons, we need the West to impose a no-fly zone over significant parts of Ukraine."

An additional major development Monday is that Turkey as expected has invoked the Montreux Convention and now closed the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits to all Russian warship traffic. This means Russian vessels cannot enter the Black Sea from the vicinity of the Mediterranean.

But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğluhas since declared that "all countries, that have coast to Black Sea, or not, not to let warships pass through the straits" according to state-run Anadolu. It follows Turkey issuing formal recognition of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a "war" - which in turn triggers the Montreux Convention.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ukraine-frustrated-low-level-russian-delegation-ceasefire-talks-kick-belarus

DeSantis Rejects Biden’s Request To Send State National Guard To DC

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that he rejected President Joe Biden’s request to send state National Guardsmen to Washington, D.C., before Biden’s State of the Union address.

DeSantis said in a tweet that the Biden administration requested State National Guards be deployed to Washington, D.C., for his State of the Union address, to which the Florida governor said he rejected Biden’s request and that no Florida National Guardsmen will be in the nation’s capital for Biden’s speech.

“Last week, the Biden Administration requested the assistance of State National Guards to deploy to Washington D.C. I have rejected this request — there will be no @FLGuard sent to D.C. for Biden’s State of the Union,” DeSantis tweeted.

Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger released a statement Sunday, announcing the plan to put up a fence around the Capitol before the State of the Union address had been approved and mentioning he requested help from the National Guard. The Pentagon authorized 700 National Guardsmen on Tuesday to deploy to D.C., citing the trucker convoys that are reportedly on their way to D.C. to protest Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

After the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, there were National Guard troops on the ground for weeks. There was fencing and razor-wire installed around the complex after the Capitol riot, where acts of vandalism and violence postponed the Electoral College certification process and forced members of Congress to evacuate the building. A fence has now been put back up for security measures.

https://dailycaller.com/2022/02/28/ron-desantis-rejects-joe-biden-request-send-national-guard-dc-state-of-union-address/

US Expels 12 Russian "Intelligence Operatives" From UN Mission In New York

The US has announced Monday afternoon that it is moving to expel a dozen Russians with diplomatic credentials from US soil. The State Department and US agencies have identified the twelve as "intelligence operatives" who worked out of the Russian Mission to the United Nations in New York.

A statement by the US Mission to the United Nations said "twelve intelligence operatives from the Russian Mission who have abused their privileges of residency in the United States by engaging in espionage activities that are adverse to our national security."

The statement didn't spell out those alleged espionage activities or name any evidence of their spying activities.

While the statement says "the action has been in development for several months" - it's hard not to see this as also likely related to a crackdown on suspicious Russian diplomatic personnel connected to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia's ambassador the UN Vassily Nebenzia responded by slamming the explanation as "not satisfactory."

"I’ve just received information that the US authorities have undertaken another hostile action against the Russian Mission to the United Nations grossly violating their commitments on the host country agreement that they undertook," Nebenzia said to the press. "They just visited the Russian Mission and gave us a note prescribing us to do what they demand."

The move comes after multiple months of tit-for-tat expulsions between the Russian and US sides, with dozens of Russian diplomats sent home from the embassy in Washington D.C. in January, which had first been announced last November. In the most recent incidents, the State Department has cited that it won't renew their visas.

Countries across the globe, including the United States, often send intelligence officers to the foreign country in which they are embedded under cover of diplomatic credentials.

With the United States for example, intel officers often work out of the embassy or consulates as "official" State Department personnel, while in reality working for US intelligence, in a practice which has become so normative as to be an 'open secret'. US adversaries like Russia or China also regularly do the same.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-expels-12-russian-intelligence-operatives-un-mission-new-york

‘ISIS Bride’ Says Texas Congressman Van Taylor Paid Her to Keep Quiet About Affair

Texas Rep. Van Taylor (R) allegedly paid $5,000 in hush money to an ‘ISIS bride’ he was engaged in an affair with during his time in Congress, Breitbart News has learned.

According to documents ‘ISIS bride’ Tania Joya shared with Breitbart News, Taylor was engaged in a raunchy sexual escapade with Joya that allegedly lasted from November 2020 to June 2021 — during which time she says Taylor paid her $5,000.

The payment, she says, was made in cash given to her by the congressman. Joya showed Breitbart News banking records that demonstrate she made a $5,000 deposit into her account when she says the affair occurred, as shown in the photo below:

Joya has not revealed their relationship until now.

Joya told Breitbart News she first met Taylor in August of 2019, when she was looking to get involved with the Preventing Violent Extremism program in the district’s school system; Joya thought the congressman might have connections to facilitate her involvement.

Taylor, married with three children, and elected to Congress in 2019, is a Republican. He is one of the 35 Republicans who voted in favor of creating House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) January 6 Committee. Taylor is running for reelection in 2022 against four other Republican primary challengers. The primary is Tuesday, March 1.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/02/28/exclusive-isis-bride-says-texas-congressman-van-taylor-paid-her-to-keep-quiet-about-affair/

Kash live

https://rumble.com/vw45uf-live-world-on-brink-of-nuclear-war-over-ukraine-perverting-gods-creation-af.html

Devon Archer Sentenced To A Year And A Day In Prison For The Fraudulent Issuance And Sale Of More Than $60 Million Of Tribal Bonds

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/devon-archer-sentenced-year-and-day-prison-fraudulent-issuance-and-sale-more-60-million