This is Brian Lair's Daily Politics podcast from WNYC Studios.

It's Thursday, February 24th.

I'm Bridget Bergen from the WNYC and Gothamist Newsroom, filling in for Brian Lair, who's off today. As you've undoubtedly heard,

Russia has launched a military attack on Ukraine, a full-scale attack from multiple directions,

according to Ukraine's foreign minister, with explosions heard in the Ukrainian capital.

In a statement last night, President Biden condemned the attack as unprovoked and unjustified,

promising the world will hold Russia accountable for what he expects to be catastrophic loss of life and human suffering.

He's meeting virtually with the G7 leaders this morning and is expected to address the nation this afternoon.

While the Russian invasion of Ukraine is the most high-stakes situation demanding his attention,

President Biden has said he would announce his pick for the Supreme Court this month,

which ends Monday, and his first state of the union address is scheduled for Tuesday.

To talk about all of this, including what more the U.S. could do to halt Russia and the other

matters vying for the president's attention, we're joined by Philip Bump, national correspondent

at the Washington Post, where he writes the How to Read This Chart newsletter.

Philip, welcome back to WNYC.

Thank you very much.

Philip, let's start with Putin and Ukraine where there's so much at stake politically, geopolitically,

and very personally for those under attack. What are you seeing as this situation on the ground now?

Yeah, I mean, it's pretty remarkable. I mean,

obviously, I'm based outside New York City, so my view is through the lens of reporting and

social media. There are a lot of, you know, I think one of the things that's really remarkable

about the conflict as it unfolds is how well documented this. There was a point that was made

...