How McConnell Hopes to Thwart Trump in the Midterms  —  Senator Mitch McConnell is working furiously to bring allies to Washington who will buck Donald J. Trump.  It's not going according to plan.  —  PHOENIX — For more than a year, former President Donald Trump has berated Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona …

Why the West's Diplomacy With Russia Keeps Failing  —  Oh, how I envy Liz Truss her opportunity!  Oh, how I regret her utter failure to make use of it!  For those who have never heard of her, Truss is the lightweight British foreign secretary who went to Moscow this week to tell her Russian counterpart …

Pelosi has stark warning for Putin: ‘He has to know that war is not an answer’  —  “There's very severe consequences to his aggression,” she said.  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had a stark warning for Russian President Vladimir Putin as the Russian military buildup near the Ukraine region showed no signs of slowing on Sunday.

Joe Rogan's use of the n-word is another January 6 moment  —  (CNN)The podcaster Joe Rogan did not join a mob that forced lawmakers to flee for their lives.  He never carried a Confederate flag inside the US Capitol rotunda.  No one died trying to stop him from using the n-word.

The Seeds of Political Violence Are Being Sown in Church  —  The new insurrection is being organized, in a sanctuary near you.  —  On Thursday night in Castle Rock, Colorado, a group called “FEC United” (FEC stands for faith, education, and commerce) held a “town hall” …

Jim Jordan Says Trump ‘Right On Target’ With Statement Suggesting Clinton Campaign Operatives Should be Executed  —  Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) is concurring with a Donald Trump statement in which the former president suggests Democrat operatives tied to the Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign should have been executed.

CNN screenshot altered to add fake chyron about Putin and Biden  —  CLAIM: A screenshot shows a CNN chyron reading: “Sources: Putin to delay invasion until Biden delivers weapons to Ukraine for Russia to capture.”  —  AP'S ASSESSMENT: Altered image.  The text was added to a screenshot of a CNN news report from 2017.

Trump's unorthodox phone habits complicate January 6 investigation  —  (CNN)In Donald Trump's White House, telephones were a valued commodity.  The then-President loved to talk to everyone, said a former White House aide.  —  “He took everybody's calls,” the aide said …

Overdose Deaths in the United States Are Rising at a Troubling Rate  —  Overdoses are increasing at a troubling rate.  —  Drug overdoses now kill more than 100,000 Americans a year — more than vehicle crash and gun deaths combined.  —  Sean Blake was among those who died.

Inside the Bitcoin Laundering Case That Confounded the Internet  —  The arrests of Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan left the world of cryptocurrency incredulous: Could this goofy young couple have been Bitcoin's Bonnie and Clyde?  —  When anonymous hackers infiltrated …

Police arrest protesters who remained at US-Canada bridge  —  WINDSOR, Ontario (AP) — Police moved in to clear and arrest the remaining protesters near a key U.S.-Canadian border bridge early Sunday, trying to end a demonstration against COVID-19 restrictions that has hurt the economy …

CNN Poll: Neither Biden nor Trump has their party's full support for a 2024 run  —  (CNN)A significant number of both Democrats and Republicans currently hope to see their parties find alternatives to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in the next presidential election, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

He Knows Putin Well.  And He Fears for Ukraine.  —  The Finnish president, Sauli Niinisto, has carved out a vital role as interpreter between East and West, and he is not optimistic about the prospects for peace.  —  HELSINKI — As the threat of a new Russian invasion of Ukraine grew …

Russians Have Already Started Hybrid War With Bomb Threats, Cyberattacks, Ukraine Says  —  Moscow is using cyberattacks, economic pressure and, most recently, false bomb threats, to undermine its neighbor, Kyiv says  —  KYIV, Ukraine—U.S. officials are warning that Russia could be about to attack Ukraine.