THIS IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL

Headline

Kerry Heads to Kiev, as Obama Threatens Economic

and Diplomatic Isolation for Russia
Secretary of State
John Kerry is in
Kiev, Ukraine
today to meet
with top officials
of the countrys
new government.
In his one-day
trip, Kerry will
strive to reiterate
the strong support
of the United
States for
Ukrainian sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and the right of
the Ukrainian people to determine their own future, without outside
interference or provocation, according to the State Department.
This follows similar statements made by both the Secretary and President
over the weekend and on Monday, where both floated potential sanctions on
Russia for President Vladimir Putins military invasion of the former
Russian territory of Crimea. Before meeting with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, President Obama told reporters, I think
the world is largely united that the steps Russia has taken are a violation of

international law. Over time, this will be a costly proposition for Russia.
The President continued, urging Congress to pass a bill granting aid to the
Ukraine government, and saying that the U.S. government was considering
economic and diplomatic steps that would isolate Russia if they do not
withdraw forces in Ukraine.
Secretary Kerry also threatened sanctions for Russia Sunday. Hes going to
lose on the international stage, Kerry said of Putin on NBCs Meet the
Press. Russia is going to lose, the Russian people are going to lose, and hes
going to lose all of the glow that came out of the Olympics, his $60 billion
extravaganza.
But the gears have already started turning on punishments for Russian
actions in Ukraine. The seven nations that make up the G8 (without Russia)
released a joint statement Sunday condemning the Russian government. The
G8, or the Group of 8, is made up of the worlds leading industrialized
governments of which Russia is the largest. The group meets annually, and
the next summit is set for June in Sochi, Russia.
In response, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the
United Kingdom, and United States joined together to announce in the
statement the suspension of all preparatory meetings for the Sochi summit.
And the U.S. is moving even further. On Monday, the White House said
they would not be sending a Presidential Delegation to the Paralympic
Games set to open in Sochi on Friday.
The Delegation, which would attend the Opening and Closing Ceremonies,
attend events, and meet with athletes, was going to be led by Rep. Tammy
Duckworth (D-IL), an advocate of the disabled since the loss of both legs
and wounding of an arm in Iraq.
These are expected to be just the beginning of steps on the part of the United
States and other world powers to punish Russia and urge the nation to pull
back troops stationed in Ukraine, in hopes of decreasing tensions there.

White House Watch

The Presidents Schedule At 11:10 AM, President Obama will visit Powell
Elementary School, a D.C. public school.

 At 11:30, the President will speak from Powell Elementary about every kids
favorite topic....the budget! This is the perfect day for that speech as it is the
very day the budget process will start for the next fiscal year, as White
House aides deliver to Congress a bound and sealed copy of the Presidents
FY2015 budget request.
The Presidents budget request, the White House outline of what the budget
should look like, is technically supposed to be submitted to Congress on the
first Monday in February, which was just over a month ago.
Proposals we already know will be in the Presidents budget include more
spending for job training for laid-off workers; Earned Income Tax Credit,
for the working poor; as well as expand education options for preschoolers.
Obama is expected to offset the costs for these programs by ending tax
breaks for corporations.
We also know the budget will include a large cut to personnel strength at the
Pentagon, as well as a greater focus on technology and equipment. The 2015
budget proposal will scratch the Army down to its smallest size since the
1940s. Obama will drop the chained CPI proposal from last years budget,
which would decrease the rate of increase for Social Security checks; and
also will call for a 1% increase in federal workers pay.
Following the First Lady Michelle Obama will be at the State Department
today to join Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom in honoring
the recipients of the International Women of Courage Award. As I explained
in todays Headline, Secretary of State John Kerry is in Ukraine for the day.
Established in 2007 by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Secretarys
International Women of Courage Award annually honors women across the
globe courageously working to advance womens rights. The award is
always bestowed in a ceremony with the First Lady and Secretary of State
(unless when he/she is solving an international crisis) on or around March 8,
which is International Womens Day. March as a whole is Womens History
Month.

Election Central
2014 Primary Season Gets Off to a Start Texas voters go to the polls
today for the first primary election of the 2014 season. Heres a rundown of
some of the races to watch:
U.S. Senate John Cornyn, the Senates No.2 Republican, is running for reelection to a third Senate term. After coming under fire for a number of
votes, on TARP, the debt ceiling, and opposing his home state colleague Ted
Cruzs filibuster, Tea Party leaders were on the hunt for someone to
challenge Cornyn.
They found conservative Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX). After a campaign
launch that brought the endorsements of many Tea Party groups, Stockmans
campaign went down quickly, and was poorly run with little funding. Top
conservatives began distancing themselves from Stockman, who is expected
to lose his challenge to Sen. Cornyn.
Texas Governor This is the first open race for Texas governor since 1990, as
incumbent Republican Rick Perry has announced he will not run for a third
term. Today will not be very suspenseful, as Democratic State Sen. Wendy
Davis and Republican Lt. Gov. Greg Abbott are expected to take home their
respective parties prizes. The general election will bring more fireworks,
with Democrats hopeful that rising star Davis can take back the Governors
Mansion for their party. Polling, however, consistently show Abbott leading
the race.
U.S. House The one House race Ill be watching today is Texas 4th district,
where Ralph Hall is facing the fight of his political career. Hall is seeking a
17th term, and at 90 years old, is currently the oldest member of the U.S.
House. Hall is also the oldest member ever to be elected to a House term,
which could bode badly for him today.
Ex-U.S. attorney John Ratcliffe has spent over $400,000 out of his own
pocket to oust Hall, on the grounds that the congressman is too old and out
of touch to represent the people of northeast Texas.

From the Editors Desk

 Run2Lead Hi everybody! I hope you all enjoyed and were interested in the
feature story, Covering Common Ground, from yesterdays Wake Up, on
my interview with Molly Barker, founder of Run 2 Lead, a program
partnering fourth-graders and lawmakers to run a 5K together. You can read
the CORRECTED version of the story here.

Question of the Day

Todays Question Today, March 4, is the day U.S. presidential
inaugurations used to be held, before the date was moved to January 20.
Which date has hosted more presidential inaugurations, March 4 or
January 20?