Premise:
"But this undermines his entire case about Stalin's unique responsibility."
Hypothesis: This made his entire case about Stalin's unique responsibility seem more real.

no

Premise:
"If a ruler died without direct heir, his state lapsed into British hands."
Hypothesis: If a ruler died without an heir, a new one was just selected.

no

Premise:
"um-hum yeah and i still need to assess the damage outside from the the freeze this winter"
Hypothesis: Damage from the cold this winter still needs to be assessed.
yes