Poll: As Ukraine tensions escalate, 62% of Republicans say Putin is a ‘stronger leader’ than Biden  —  With at least 100,000 Russian troops massing on the border of Ukraine, more than 6 in 10 Republicans and GOP-leaning independents (62 percent) now say Russian President Vladimir Putin is …

A Political Scientist Warns the Democratic Party Is Off Course  —  Ruy Teixeira was co-author of one of the most influential political books of the 21st century.  Now, he says, Democrats are getting its lessons all wrong.  —  A funny thing happened on the way to the emerging Democratic majority.

Dr. Oz stumbles out of the gate in Senate race  —  PHILADELPHIA — Mehmet Oz's introduction to GOP grassroots politics is a code-red crisis.  In his first three unofficial tests as a candidate in Pennsylvania's Republican Senate primary, the celebrity physician known as Dr. Oz has been handily rejected by party activists.

Scoop: White House plans expedited resettlement for Afghan refugees  —  President Biden's advisers are crafting a plan to accelerate bringing potentially thousands of Afghans to the U.S. from Qatar, according to a source with direct knowledge of the administration's internal deliberations on the subject.

Melania Trump auctions off her hat, and has become the latest victim of the cryptocurrency crash  —  The former first lady's chapeau is still far below her asking price.  —  (This article has been updated to reflect that the auction, which was offline for part of Tuesday, is back online.)

Cawthorn Challenge Raises the Question: Who Is an ‘Insurrectionist’?  —  The challenge to Representative Madison Cawthorn's re-election bid could set a precedent to challenge other Republicans who encouraged the Jan. 6 attack.  —  WASHINGTON — A group of lawyers is working to disqualify …

Exclusive: Federal prosecutors looking at 2020 fake elector certifications, deputy attorney general tells CNN  —  Trump ends interview after being pressed about false 2020 election claims  —  (CNN)Federal prosecutors are reviewing fake Electoral College certifications that declared former …

As Islamic State Resurges, U.S. Is Drawn Back Into the Fray  —  “ISIS is not over”: Attacks in Syria and Iraq make clear that the militants have lost neither their will to fight nor their ability to do so.  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq — An audacious attack on a prison housing thousands of former ISIS fighters in Syria.

Fishermen plan to disrupt Russian military exercise off Irish coast  —  A group of fishermen is planning to peacefully disrupt Russia's plans to hold a military exercise off the coast of Ireland in February.  —  The chief executive of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation …

Man Can't Get Heart Transplant Because He's Not Vaccinated Against COVID  —  BOSTON (CBS) - David Ferguson is speaking out passionately on behalf of his son DJ.  He says the 31-year-old is fighting for his life at Brigham and Women's Hospital and in desperate need of a heart transplant.

SALT change likely to be cut from bill, say Senate Democrats  —  Senate Democrats say a proposal to raise the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions, a top priority of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), is likely to be cut from the revised Build Back Better Act.

Thirteen percent of congressional staffers make less than a living wage, report shows  —  About 1 in 8 congressional staffers are not making a living wage, according to a new analysis of payroll data.  —  The problem is particularly acute for staff assistants, who are often the most junior staffers in congressional offices.

Trump-backed Herschel Walker reports hauling in nearly $10M since launching GOP Senate bid in Georgia  —  Walker's the front runner in the GOP primary battle to face off in November against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock  —  Herschel Walker calls to ‘Build Back Trust’

'He's a villain': Joe Manchin attracts global anger over climate crisis  —  The West Virginia senator's name is reviled on the streets of Bangladesh and other countries facing climate disaster as he blocks Biden's effort to curb planet-heating gases  —  Within the brutal machinations of US politics …

Top Human Rights Watch investigator allegedly hacked with Pegasus spyware  —  Allegation marks latest example of how NSO clients have used powerful surveillance tool to target campaigners and journalists  —  The mobile phones of a senior Human Rights Watch staff member are alleged …

Mark Zuckerberg's Stablecoin Ambitions Unravel With Diem Sale Talks  —  The controversial cryptocurrency project that Mark Zuckerberg once defended in front of Congress is unraveling after regulatory pressure.  —  The Diem Association, a cryptocurrency initiative once known as Libra backed …

DontBrowbeatMyPete 😡  —  I still haven't stopped shaking after last night's attack.  Standing at the White House podium, the president of the United States — the most powerful man in the world — launched a violent incursion against my friend Peter Doocy, the finest reporter in history.

Voting rights legislation was defeated.  But activists are not.  —  Many people were depressed and upset over the outcome, but they're seeking a way forward  —  “Where do we go from here?”  I've been hearing that question quite a bit since federal voting rights legislation was defeated last week.

How It Feels to Be an Asian Student in an Elite Public School  —  Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech and other schools across the country are under pressure to end entrance exams.  Students have complicated feelings about that.  —  Tausifa Haque, a 17-year-old daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants …

Mike Lindell's lawyers are dodging meetings for Dominion's defamation lawsuit and refusing to hand over discovery material, court documents show  — Mike Lindell's lawyers are refusing to show up to scheduling conferences for Dominion's defamation lawsuit.

Federal judge rejects challenge to ‘weighty and urgent’ Jan. 6 committee  —  A federal judge in California on Tuesday delivered a forceful defense of the Jan. 6 select committee's efforts, sharply rejecting a bid by attorney John Eastman — a key driver of Donald Trump's effort to subvert the 2020 election …

This Fan Sent Trump His Idea.  The ‘Dirty Bastard’ Stole It.  —  A retired entrepreneur claims he gave Trump the idea for “Keep America Great!”  What the former supporter found out about Trump is a lesson many little guys have learned—in court.  —  Retired entrepreneur Jeff Paul was once …

Florida state Sen. Lauren Book fights back over nude images stolen from her  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — State Sen. Lauren Book often has told the story about how she was sexually abused by her nanny for six years when she was a child.  She channeled the pain into a lifetime of helping other abuse survivors.