Nuclear doomsday becomes big news for the press

NEWS AND OPINION:

It could be the mere provocative topic du jour among journalists — or something more. As the Ukraine situation continues, discussion about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s potential use of a nuclear weapon has exploded on the news cycle.

Press coverage in the past 48 hours suggests that this dire possibility is on press radar — at least for now. Consider a few headlines of note:

“Why Putin’s nuclear threat could be more than bluster” (Washington Post); “A hard look at the risk of a Putin-ordered tactical nuke” (National Review); “World War III ‘may have already started’ with Russian invasion, Zelenskyy says” (NBC News); “Ukraine war: Could Russia use tactical nuclear weapons?” (BBC News); “Putin’s nuclear threats are a wake-up call for the world” (The Atlantic); “Wild Kremlin TV hosts threaten the U.S. with nuclear strikes” (The Daily Beast); “Putin plays his nuclear get-out-of-jail-free card” (The Wall Street Journal); “Putin’s nuclear threats against Ukraine demand a NATO response” (Fox News); “Ukraine’s Zelenskyy invokes Pearl Harbor, 9/11, calls out Biden in plea to Congress for more US help” (ABC News); “Putin’s dangerous nuclear brinkmanship in Ukraine” (The Heritage Foundation); and “In striking Ukraine, Russia also hit nuclear arms control” (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists).

SUPREME COURT TERM LIMITS

Voters appear to have some pronounced opinions about the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a significant national survey conducted by C-SPAN. Among many things, it revealed that 69% of voters support an 18-year term limit for justices over the current lifetime appointments. Another 72% also support a code of ethics for the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, 84% say Supreme Court decisions have “an impact on their everyday lives” while 65% say the court should allow TV coverage of its oral arguments. Seven out of 10 say the presence of TV cameras would build trust in the court itself.

“This survey demonstrates that Americans have found and are listening to the Court’s oral arguments and that listeners are coming away with a generally higher opinion of the Court,” C-SPAN co-CEO Susan Swain said in a statement.

“That’s a strong message that more transparency is good for the Court — and good for the public,” she said.

The survey also revealed that among the sitting justices, the two best known are Justice Clarence Thomas (cited by 24%) and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. (cited by 22%). Only one landmark Supreme Court case is well-known to American voters: Roe v. Wade (named by 40%). Brown v. Board of Education was cited by 6%.

“Voters favor greater racial diversity (69%) on the Court, and 59% say it would be better if justices came from a more diverse set of universities beyond northeastern Ivy League colleges,” a C-SPAN analysis of the findings noted.

The poll of 1,001 likely U.S. voters was conducted March 3-6 by Pierrepont Consulting LLC, in association with Mercury Analytics, and released Tuesday.

MEANWHILE IN THE ARCTIC

“Cold Response 2022” is now underway in Norway. Unfamiliar with the event? It is a massive NATO military winter exercise involving some 30,000 soldiers and sailors from 27 nations, plus 220 aircraft and 50 vessels.

“What does it take to defend, fight and survive in an Arctic environment? What do you do if you fall through the ice while wearing 20 kilograms of military gear? Cold Response 2022 is a long-planned exercise bringing together thousands of troops from NATO Allies and partners, testing their ability to work together in cold weather conditions across Norway — on land, in the air and at sea,” NATO said in a statement.

“Over the coming weeks, Allied and partner armed forces will trek across the vast wilderness, conduct live-fire drills, leap into freezing lakes, and much more. It’s all about training vital skills, making sure that our armed forces are prepared to respond to any threat or crisis — and keep our countries and people safe,” the organization said.

“Observers from all members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have been invited to Cold Response, but Russia declined the invitation,” NATO also noted.

TO RUN OR NOT TO RUN?

President Biden has made some jaunty references about running for a second term on several occasions. A new Wall Street Journal poll conducted March 2-7 and released Tuesday, however, reveals that 52% of U.S. adults don’t think he’ll follow through.

Perhaps these respondents have done presidential math, recalling that Mr. Biden was 78 when he became president. If he runs again, the president would be 82 on his Inauguration Day.

What about former President Donald Trump? The poll also found that 49% of the respondents expect Mr. Trump to run again; 27% disagree and 24% are unsure about the issue. Should Mr. Trump run — and win — he’d be 78 on Inauguration Day.

AND THE LATEST MEDIA RUMOR

Yes, it is unsubstantiated, but the rumbling is out there on Twitter. Dozens of tweets have appeared in the last 48 hours claiming that MSNBC is considering replacing primetime host Rachel Maddow with Chuck Todd, currently the moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press” and political director of NBC News.

Other names are also receiving attention, including former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann, White House press secretary Jen Psaki and Showtime network host and MSNBC political analyst Alex Wagner.

Ms. Maddow revealed Jan. 31 that she would take a “hiatus” from her nightly show to work on a new podcast and a forthcoming movie.

“Change is good. Change is absolutely terrifying, but in this case it’s good,” Ms. Maddow said at the time.

POLL DU JOUR

• 26% of registered U.S. voters are “extremely enthusiastic” about voting in the midterms; 33% of Republicans, 13% of independents and 29% of Democrats agree.

• 20% are “very enthusiastic” about voting; 23% of Republicans, 13% of independents and 23% of Democrats agree.

• 27% are “somewhat enthusiastic” about voting in the 2022 midterm elections; 24% of Republicans, 32% of independents and 27% of Democrats agree.

• 18% are “not too enthusiastic” about voting; 15% of Republicans, 26% of independents and 16% of Democrats agree.

• 9% are “not at all enthusiastic” about voting; 6% of Republicans, 17% of independents and 5% of Democrats agree.

SOURCE: A Politico/Morning Consult poll of 2,005 registered U.S. voters conducted March 11-14.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.