House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., argued Friday that global inflation "starts with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," but that increased U.S. government spending on domestic social programs would help decrease the national debt and bring down inflation at home.

During the 2022 House Democratic Issues Conference, Pelosi referred to record gas prices in the U.S. as "Putin’s tax" and "Putin’s gas hike." She said passing components of President Biden’s multi-trillion-dollar social policy bill, called the Build Back Better Act, which is all but dead due to moderates' opposition, would make new investments in education and workforce development in a way that would eventually bring prices down.

Gas prices across the United States had been rising sharply long before Putin launched Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, since Biden's first days in office when he canceled the Keystone XL pipeline and "paused" oil and gas leases on federal lands via executive order. The Biden administration released 50 million barrels of oil from the National Strategic Reserve on November 23, 2021, in an attempt to alleviate growing pain at the pump. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The Biden administration released another 30 million barrels from the reserve in early March 2022.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pelosi-government-spending-national-debt-inflation

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/mar/13/editorial-pelosi-holds-ukrainian-aid-hostage/

A 4.1-magnitude earthquake shook parts of California on Sunday, March 13, geologists reported. The earthquake rattled near Pinnacles at about 1:50 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Light shaking could be felt in Santa Cruz and Salinas.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article259366974.html

One of two Republicans on the House January 6 committee has said he regrets his vote against the first impeachment of Donald Trump, for withholding military aid to Ukraine in an attempt to obtain dirt on rivals including Joe Biden.

In tweets posted on Friday, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continued, with cities besieged and bombarded, Adam Kinzinger said: “I want to be honest, in Congress I have only a few votes that in hinds[igh]t, I regret. My biggest regret was voting against the first impeachment of Donald Trump.

“It’s important for political leaders to be transparent and admit regret when needed. The bottom line, Donald Trump withheld lethal aid to Ukraine so he could use it as leverage for his campaign. This is a shameful and illegal act, directly hurting the Ukraine defense today.

“I wish I could go back in time and vote for it, but I cannot. What we can do now is to ensure that this never happens again, and that we all put the interests of our nation above our party. Alexander Vindman [a White House official who was fired for opposing Trump’s Ukraine scheme] and others deserve our appreciation.”

No House Republicans voted to impeach Trump over the Ukraine scandal, which saw only the Utah senator Mitt Romney vote to convict in the Senate. Kinzinger, from Illinois, was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him for inciting the deadly Capitol attack.

Kinzinger is also among such Republicans who have announced that they will retire at the next election, rather than face a Trump-anointed challenger.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/12/kinzinger-republican-impeach-trump-ukraine-putin-madison-cawthorn