Biden has chance to deliver on 'severe' Russian sanctions: The Note

The TAKE with Averi Harper

President Joe Biden has long promised "swift and severe costs" to Russia if it were to invade Ukraine. Now, after Russian President Vladimir Putin's declaration of a "special military operation," Biden has his chance to deliver on that promise.

Biden is slated to lay out "further consequences" for Russia in remarks from the White House Thursday. Explosions could be heard in Kyiv overnight, a possible signifier of a broader attack.

The president issued a sobering statement in response, calling the attack "unprovoked and unjustified."

"Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable," Biden said in a statement.

The Biden administration had begun to roll out a "first tranche" sanctions, related to Russian banks, oligarchs and the natural gas pipeline Nord Stream 2. Some GOP lawmakers have criticized Biden of not going far enough on sanctions, which haven't resulted in Russia reversing course.

But even as tensions escalate and Ukraine braces for a full-scale attack, the White House reiterated Biden's pledge not to send U.S. troops into Ukraine.

"We are not going to be in a war with Russia or putting military troops on the ground in Ukraine fighting Russia," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Wednesday.

The RUNDOWN with Alisa Wiersema

The uncertainty of this year's election calendar following redistricting is coming to a close as two political battlegrounds gain a clearer picture of their new maps.

In Pennsylvania, the state Supreme Court settled on a congressional map in a 4-3 ruling following a monthslong redistricting saga. The map chosen by the court was submitted by a group of citizens and was drawn by Stanford University professor Jonathan Rodden.

The new map reflects the outcome of the 2020 Census, in which Pennsylvania lost a congressional seat. Although the court did not move the May 17 primary date, it did delay the timeline for when candidates needed to gather and file documentation to get on the ballot by a few weeks.

As reported by FiveThirtyEight, the state now has eight Republican-leaning seats, six Democratic-leaning seats and three highly competitive seats. The 17th District, which is currently represented by Rep. Conor Lamb, who is running for Senate, is one of those highly competitive areas.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina, political tensions over redistricting continued on Wednesday, as a three-judge panel rejected a GOP-backed congressional map and instituted remedial maps in its place. Overnight, the state Supreme Court denied appeals from Republican lawmakers to delay the use of the maps issued by the trial panel.

The TIP with Brittany Shepherd

It's conservatives' time to shine in the Sunshine State with the kickoff of the Conservative Political Action Conference later Thursday morning. Republican ideology is getting its first primary of sorts as moderate to far-right GOP members (and even some Democrats) flock to Orlando and plot their way toward victory for the upcoming midterm election, where they anticipate fruitful returns.

Former President Donald Trump, his son Don. Jr, party allies Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz and Sen. Marco Rubio are among those receiving top billing for this dayslong celebration in Trump's new home state. Rumored GOP 2024 contenders Govs. Ron DeSantis and Kristi Noem will be in attendance. Noticeably absent is former Vice President Mike Pence, whose relationship with his former ticket-mate continues to publicly fracture. In a speech in Orlando a few weeks ago, Pence said Trump was "wrong" for suggesting he had any power in overturning election results. It's unclear if any of the Republicans present will echo Pence's message or instead dig further into false claims.

This year's CPAC is slated to have several conversations around culture-war issues that light up Republican voting bases. The event has such panels as "School Board for Dummies," "War Through Weakness, Elections Matter," "They Can't Shut Us Up!," "The Government is Dangerous to Your Health," "Sorry Stacey, you are not the Governor" and "Fire Fauci."

CPAC runs through Sunday.

NUMBER OF THE DAY, powered by FiveThirtyEight

30,000. That's the number of poll questions FiveThirtyEight has available to readers in its Latest Polls Page, which is home to virtually every public general-election poll for president, Senate, House and governor, virtually every public presidential primary poll, and virtually every public poll of the president's and vice president's approval ratings, other important politicians' favorability ratings and finally, the generic congressional ballot, or which party voters would support for Congress if the election was today. Bookmark this page as your one-stop shop for all your 2022 polling needs. And stay tuned, as we'll be rolling out new Senate, House and gubernatorial polling averages as soon as we have enough high-quality polls.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" Podcast. Start Here begins Thursday morning with ABC’s Ian Pannell in Kyiv as Russian President Vladimir Putin announces military operations in Ukraine. And, the sponsor of Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill defends the legislation critics say demonizes the LGBTQ community. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

Download the ABC News app and select "The Note" as an item of interest to receive the day's sharpest political analysis.

The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the day's top stories in politics. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.