| Right now Russia is massing tens of thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine, looking to the world like it is going to invade. That's got President Biden in a tough situation. He's trying to decide how forcefully to respond if Russia does cross into Ukraine, like whether to send thousands more troops to the area. The Pentagon said today it has put some troops on "high alert" for that, and the State Department is urging Americans in the country to leave. This has the potential to be Biden's next big challenge, so let's explore. Some real quick background  Ukraine sits between Russia and Europe. (The Washington Post) | Ukraine has been a big part of U.S. foreign policy going back at least three presidential administrations: Russia annexed the region of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 under the Obama administration; Ukraine was at the center of former president Donald Trump's first impeachment; and now Biden is wrestling with it. Ukraine, because of its history and geographic location, keeps popping up because it is a proxy battle for Russia and the West. Both Ukraine and Russia became independent countries in the early '90s, when the Soviet Union collapsed. Since then, Russia's tried to win it back, and the United States has invested in pro-Western, pro-democracy forces. "It's a country that's caught between Russia and the West," said Susanne Wengle, who studies the post-Soviet region at the University of Notre Dame. As the United States has turned its eye toward China, Russia has gotten more aggressive in poking the United States. Why this could be a big deal for Biden For one, it comes at the wrong time for him: Biden is weak at home, his poll numbers are down, and the nation is focused on the coronavirus, the economy and upcoming midterm elections. And he just yanked America out of a war, with big political consequences for him. Several experts we spoke to said the timing was probably intentional on Russian President Vladimir Putin's part; Biden is distracted, and Putin knows it. The stakes are arguably even higher for Biden. He campaigned on being an experienced foreign policy hand and someone who specifically understands and can outsmart Putin. "I'm looking into your eyes," Biden has said he told Putin once, "and I don't think you have a soul." The Supreme Court: Is it constitutional to use race to admit students?  A view of Harvard University. (Charles Krupa/AP) | The practice, known as affirmative action, helps Black and Hispanic students in particular, and it is often a cultural flash point. The Supreme Court hasn't been shy of those lately. On Monday, the court announced it'll consider whether it's okay for universities to admit people based in part on their race. Just like the issue of abortion rights, the fact that the Supreme Court is willing to consider this at all suggests that conservative justices are open to a change. It could mean schools can no longer use race to decide who to admit, like they have been for decades. What opponents of affirmative action argue: That it's more divisive than unifying; a slippery slope. "It is a sordid business, this divvying us up by race," Chief Justice John Roberts has said in previous cases about this. What supporters of it argue: That race is just one factor schools use to create a diverse student body. Harvard and the University of North Carolina are being sued by conservative groups for this, and both have argued they could have a freshman class with perfect test scores — or one filled with students who have different life experiences. We'll probably hear what the court decides in a year. | 
Email 
