Joni Mitchell Says She's Removing Music From Spotify: ‘Irresponsible People Are Spreading Lies’ … Joni Mitchell has pledged to remove her music from Spotify, just a few days after fellow singer-songwriter icon Neil Young did the same.  —  In a note on her official website titled …

Putin's case for invading Ukraine rests on phony grievances and ancient myths … Last July, Vladimir Putin supplied the mythical basis for Russian war propaganda in an essay titled “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians.”  The essential idea is that Russia has the right to Ukraine …

Wicker: Black Woman Supreme Court Pick An Affirmative Action ‘Beneficiary’  —  The first Black woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court in history will be a “beneficiary” of affirmative action, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker told a radio show this afternoon.  The senior Republican senator from Mississippi …

Mostly dead or slightly alive?  Democrats don't yet know if Build Back Better can be revived  —  The fate of Democrats' top agenda item will not only have major policy repercussions for the country but also the party's political prospects in the midterm elections.

Federal judge bucks prosecutors, jails CA man who mailed 75 racist death threats to anti-Trump politicians  —  Cards included racist language, ‘KKK’ signature  —  SAN FRANCISCO — In a rare rebuke of prosecutors, a federal judge handed down a jail sentence to a California man who spent …

Art Spiegelman sees the new ban of his book ‘Maus’ as a ‘red alert’  —  Art Spiegelman didn't set out to write an educational aid for young-adult readers.  A half-century ago, he simply wanted to better know his own origin story, discover more about his parents' histories — and hear from his father …

Turkey's Erdogan Fires Statistics Chief After Record Inflation  —  President also appoints another member of ruling party as justice minister  —  ISTANBUL—Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan replaced the head of the state statistics agency weeks after it reported record inflation …

New York Police Officers Remember Jason Rivera  —  We don't hear much about good cops these days.  —  Their stories get lost amid the scalding episodes with trigger-happy, racist and sadistic cops.  —  The good ones get tarred with the same brush, even though the last person who wants …

Why hasn't Fauci been fired and put under FBI investigation yet?  —  Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House top medical adviser, shouldn't be on TV; he should be under federal investigation answering serious questions about his knowledge of the National Institutes of Health's reckless funding …

Trump WH spokesman is sent subpoena by January 6 committee  —  (CNN)The House Select Committee investigating January 6 has issued a subpoena Friday for a former White House spokesman with firsthand knowledge of Donald Trump's behavior before and during the January 6 attack on the Capitol …

Washington trooper who defied state vaccine mandate and told gov to ‘kiss my a—’ dies from COVID-19  —  Former Trooper Robert LaMay was 51 years old  —  Ivy League parents take stand over college vaccine booster mandates  —  A Washington State Patrol officer who defied a statewide vaccine mandate …

The Equal Rights Amendment Is Now the Law of the Land.  Isn't It?  —  Mr. Wegman is a member of the editorial board.  —  Even if you are a political junkie, there's a good chance you didn't realize that the United States Constitution grew 58 words longer this week.

Trump facing legal, political headwinds as he eyes comeback  —  CONROE, Texas (AP) — As he prepared to tee off at one of his Florida golf courses, a fellow player introduced Donald Trump as the “45th president of the United States.”  —  “45th and 47th,” Trump responded matter-of-factly, before hitting his drive.

Kansas Man on ‘Mission From God’ Charged With Threatening Biden's Life  —  ‘BLOOD OF THE LAMB’  —  A Kansas man claiming he had been told by God to travel to Washington, D.C., to “lop off the head of the serpent in the heart of the nation” has been charged with threatening …

Top Chinese scientist working in Hypersonic program flees China with critical secrets  —  Vikrant Thardak  —  Reading Time: 4 mins read  —  Become a Patron!  —  The US officials were left stunned when a Financial Times report revealed that Beijing had tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August last year.

White House confirms South Carolina judge is under consideration for Supreme Court  —  The White House on Friday confirmed that President Biden is considering a South Carolina federal judge and favorite of House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) as a potential candidate for the Supreme Court.

The Secret Service Is Watching Former Ambassador John Bolton's House  —  Secret Service Police vehicles have been monitoring the home of John Bolton, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, for at least the past two days.  —  On Wednesday and Thursday, two white SUVs …

Twitter says it has quit taking action against lies about the 2020 election  —  (CNN)Twitter quit taking action to try to limit the spread of lies about the 2020 election, the company said on Friday — a day after another social media platform, YouTube, removed a Republican congressman's campaign ad because it included a 2020 lie.

What I Learned in 25 Years of Writing for Slate  —  In 1996, Michael Kinsley called me with an offer.  He was starting a magazine and wanted somebody to write a column, “The Horse Race,” tracking the presidential campaign.  The race was boring—Bob Dole never had a shot against Bill Clinton—but the magazine, Slate, was exciting.

Biden Had Strategy to Beat Covid-19.  Then Variants Arrived.  —  Some public-health officials say president's team overlooked steps that could have helped mitigate Omicron surge  —  WASHINGTON—President Biden took office with a detailed plan to battle Covid-19 by accelerating vaccinations …