Evan Gershkovich's Arrest Means No Journalist Can Feel Safe in Russia Today

[Daily Kos Morning Roundup]( A morning roundup of worthy pundit and news reads, brought to you by Daily Kos. [Click here to read the full web version.]( - [Evan Gershkovich's Arrest Means No Journalist Can Feel Safe in Russia Today]( Evan Gershkovich's Arrest Means No Journalist Can Feel Safe in Russia Today, Andrei Soldatov, The Moscow Times Foreign correspondents in Russia have been forced to develop a very sophisticated early warning system for danger in the two decades since Vladimir Putin came to power. In a country where the letter of the law matters only when someone powerful decides to use it, this mechanism has been the only way most journalists have been able to continue operating safely inside the country. Under Putin, Russia very rapidly reverted to the tried and tested methods employed by police states for dealing with foreign journalists, namely threatening to withhold visas, and thus access to the country, as leverage in an attempt to coerce them to provide more positive coverage. Even as early as 2002, when Putin had only been in power for two years, 31 foreign journalists had their press passes revoked for alleged “illegal journalistic activity,” 18 of whom were subsequently refused re-entry to Russia and had their Russian visa applications rejected. The early warning system for journalists involved two key institutions: the Foreign Ministry and Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesperson. The FSB also played a role in the Kremlin's cat-and-mouse game with foreign journalists as it was the agency's counterintelligence department that formally revoked press visas. It also fell to the FSB to look out for any “missteps” by foreign correspondents (entering one of Russia's many "prohibited zones" was always the transgression most beloved by the Chekists) and then to use those mistakes to approach and recruit. - [Shocked and defiant: How Trump is responding to unprecedented indictment]( Shocked and defiant: How Trump is responding to unprecedented indictment, Ashley Parker and Josh Dawsey, The Washington Post Since a grand jury issued charges related to hush money to an adult film star, the former president has cycled through a range of emotions and postures. 'Trump was not happy, said one person with direct knowledge of his reaction. Others described Trump as “upset,” “irritated,” “deflated” and “shocked,” though some noted that he also remained “very calm” and “rather stoic, actually.” - [Daily Kos is facing tough financial times. Grassroots donors like you make it possible for us to offer top-notch political coverage & activism. Can you chip in $3 a month to help us keep fighting?]( - [The data’s clear: The indictment makes Republicans like Trump more]( The data’s clear: The indictment makes Republicans like Trump more, Steven Shepard, Politico There were a number of public surveys conducted in the lead up to the indictment. And they all showed a similar story. Pollsters will likely go back into the field now, but the protracted run-up to charges being filed against the former president allowed a number of pollsters to gauge Americans’ opinions about the matter. In a number of surveys released over the past two weeks, most Americans said the then-rumored charges against Trump were fair and serious. In an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist College poll released last week, 56 percent of Americans said, taken together, the investigations into Trump’s conduct were fair, and 55 percent of voters in a Quinnipiac University poll out this week said the probe into Trump’s alleged hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels was serious. But among Republicans, those numbers were all reversed. They believed Trump was being unfairly targeted — 80 percent of Republicans in the Marist poll said Trump is facing a “witch hunt” — and New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office was bringing charges for conduct that is either legal or not serious enough to merit criminal indictment. - [New York, city of Trump’s dreams, delivers his comeuppance]( New York, city of Trump’s dreams, delivers his comeuppance, Matt Sedensky, AP His name has been plastered on this city’s tabloids, bolted to its buildings and cemented to a special breed of brash New York confidence. Now, with Donald Trump due to return to the place that put him on the map, the city he loved is poised to deliver his comeuppance. - [Want to show your support for progressive, independent media? Click here to get your Daily Kos t-shirt now]( - [Trump’s Legal Problems Are Putting the GOP in a Vise]( Trump’s Legal Problems Are Putting the GOP in a Vise, Ronald Brownstein, The Atlantic The investigations highlight all the aspects of his political identity that have alienated so many swing voters. The dilemma for the Republican Party is that Donald Trump’s mounting legal troubles may be simultaneously strengthening him as a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination and weakening him as a potential general-election nominee. In the days leading up to the indictment of the former president, which Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced two days ago, a succession of polls showed that Trump has significantly increased his lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, his closest competitor in the race for the Republican nomination. Yet recent surveys have also signaled that this criminal charge—and other potential indictments from ongoing investigations—could deepen the doubts about Trump among the suburban swing voters who decisively rejected him in the 2020 presidential race, and powered surprisingly strong performances by Democrats in the 2018 and 2022 midterms. “It is definitely a conundrum that this potentially helps him in the primary yet sinks the party’s chances to win the general,” says Mike DuHaime, a GOP strategist who advises former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a potential candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination. “This better positions [in the primary] our worst candidate for the general election.” - [The unhinged GOP defense of Trump is the real ‘test’ for our democracy]( The unhinged GOP defense of Trump is the real ‘test’ for our democracy, Greg Sargent and Paul Waldman, The Washington Post Voters often take their cues from elites. The degree to which senior Republicans acknowledge that the law should be applied to Trump, just as it is to everyone else, will help shape how accepting voters, especially Republican ones, are of the outcome. Are you hearing any such acknowledgment? Even worse, some elite right-wing media figures are hinting at violence. “People better be careful, and that’s all I’ll say about that,” snarled Fox News host Jesse Watters. His colleague Tucker Carlson warned that this is “probably not the best time to give up your AR-15s.” The position implied here is that the price of social peace is absolute impunity for Trump. The insistence that Trump must be kept above the law — no matter his wrongdoing — courses through all these GOP responses. Media accounts should centralize this fact. This appalling civic conduct is itself a major story. Yes, a prosecution of a president is unprecedented in the United States. But as a new Post piece demonstrates, many other advanced democracies — including Israel, Italy, France and South Korea — have seen prosecutions of former presidents and prime ministers, usually for various kinds of corruption. ICYMI: Popular stories from the past week you won't want to miss: - [Mouse makes DeSantis scream]( - [TRUMP INDICTED AT LAST]( - [Trump reportedly caught off guard by news of indictments]( Want even more Daily Kos? Check out our podcasts: - [The Brief: A one-hour weekly political conversation hosted by Markos Moulitsas and Kerry Eleveld]( - [The Downballot: Daily Kos' podcast devoted to downballot elections. New episodes every Thursday]( Want to write your own stories? [Log in]( or [sign up]( to post articles and comments on Daily Kos, the nation's largest progressive community. Follow Daily Kos on [Facebook](, [Twitter](, and [Instagram](. 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