THE SHOW NOTES: Biden to Kyiv, Update on Jimmy Carter, & Biden's 2024 Course

Welcome! Jimmy Carter has declined additional medical treatments and will remain in hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia.

BREAKING: Don Lemon has been benched following comments on Nikki Haley.

NEW: Chick-fil-A tests $7 plant-based sandwich.

LOL: CNN’s ridiculous story on Ron DeSantis.

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Clip of the day:

RNC Research @RNCResearch

Alejandro Mayorkas has a very tough time nailing down his definition of "secure": "By that measure, the border's never been 'secure,' right?"

Biden to Kyiv

Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv, Ukraine over the weekend marking the one-year anniversary of the war. Volodymyr Zelensky and President Biden stepped out onto the streets of Kyiv as air-raid sirens blared across the capital city.

Details: President Biden flew into Poland, taking a 10-hour train ride to reach Kyiv. Biden committed to releasing $500 million in military funding for Ukraine.

Why this matters: In striking contrast to Biden’s trip, China’s top foreign policy advisor is scheduled to land in Moscow for extended meetings later this week. The news comes as CNN reports that China is considering increasing its military support of Russia.

Biden Plans 2024

President Biden is mapping out a 2024 strategy that is deeply reminiscent of 2020 but with the benefits of incumbency according to The New York Times. While Biden won’t be riding the basement, he will be preparing to frame his opponent in the likeness of Donald Trump - whether it is Donald Trump or not. The real question is whether it will work. Here are the two quotes from the story that matter:

Whether he ultimately faces Donald J. Trump again or another Republican trying to be like Mr. Trump, the president plans a campaign message that still boils down to three words: Competent beats crazy.

But…

While Mr. Biden seems eager for a rematch, it is hardly certain that he can replicate the 2020 outcome. Not only is his approval rating hovering at an anemic 43 percent, but two recent surveys, the Washington Post-ABC News poll and the Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll, found Mr. Trump leading by several points. Moreover, despite Mr. Biden’s legislative victories, 62 percent told The Post and ABC that he had accomplished “not very much” or “little or nothing.”

Trump Fatigue

GOP voters in early primary states defended their decision to vote for Donald Trump in 2020 but are weighing other options in 2024 according to new data from The Washington Post. Nearly half of the group of Republican primary voters said they are planning to vote for Ron DeSantis. Here’s the paragraph that matters from The Post:

“To borrow a phrase from the late Ross Perot, what we heard was the giant sucking sound of persuadable GOP voters migrating away from Donald Trump,” said Rich Thau, moderator of the focus groups and president of Engagious, a firm specializing in policy message testing. “People tend to vote more on how they feel than how they think. And Trump is evoking more negative than positive emotions in these voters.”

The rest of the news:

• Packers are 'disgusted' with Aaron Rodgers, former NFL beat writer says - Fox News

• Marcellus Wiley says his daughter wont compete against transgenders - Outkick

• Shock and sadness in Los Angeles Catholic community after a bishop is found shot to death in his home - CNN

• Larry Hogan says decision about 2024 run will come this spring - Politico

• The Reagan Republicans Take On the Putin Apologists - National Review

• Not a single student can do math at grade level in 53 Illinois schools. - Wirepoints

• Critics reject changes to Roald Dahl books as censorship - AP News

• The High Cost of Disparaging Natural Immunity to Covid - WSJ (paywall)

• Smaller, safer, cheaper? Modular nuclear plants could reshape coal country - The Washington Post (paywall)

Tweets that caught my eye:

Jason Howerton @jason_howerton

Here's the thing about Bill Maher... When I was hyper partisan, I didn't like him because he was a "liberal." A decade later, he's still liberal. But the rest of the left has gone so far off the reservation, he now seems sane. I am Team Sanity.

Brad Wilcox @BradWilcoxIFS

2. For a majority of single, college-educated women these are dating liabilities: Being ✔️ Republican ✔️ Not college-educated ✔️ Very religious Narrows the pool a good bit. Source: @dcoxpolls

Erick Erickson @EWErickson

"Just three to five years ago, the trans community claimed male and female were immutable sexes while man and woman were genders that could be changed. Now, the sexes themselves are changeable, and it is all far more complicated than anyone without the open.substack.com/pub/ewerickson…… https://t.co/OMKSbNfYQe

Market snapshot: