Russia says some forces pulling back amid Ukraine crisis  —  MOSCOW (AP) — Russia said Tuesday that some units participating in military exercises would begin returning to their bases, adding to glimmers of hope that the Kremlin may not be planning to invade Ukraine imminently.

Court Filing Started a Furor in Right-Wing Outlets, but Their Narrative Is Off Track  —  The latest alarmist claims about spying on Trump appeared to be flawed, but the explanation is byzantine — underlining the challenge for journalists in deciding what merits coverage.

Accounting Firm Cuts Ties With Trump and Retracts Financial Statements  —  The firm, Mazars USA, said in a letter that it could no longer stand behind the annual statements, which are central to an investigation by the New York attorney general.  —  Donald J. Trump's longtime accounting firm cut ties …

San Francisco voters set to decide fate of three school board leaders in recall vote  —  (CNN)A tense campaign to recall three members of the San Francisco School Board will be decided by voters on Tuesday, as a clash between the city's liberal establishment and movement progressives …

Activist Quintez Brown named in attempted shooting of Louisville mayor candidate Greenberg  —  A Louisville activist has been identified as a suspect in Monday's attempted shooting of mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg.  —  Quintez Brown, 21, was charged with attempted murder and four counts …

How Bad Is the Western Drought?  Worst in 12 Centuries, Study Finds.  —  Fueled by climate change, the drought that started in 2000 is now the driest two decades since 800 A.D.  —  ALBUQUERQUE — The megadrought in the American Southwest has become so severe that it's now the driest …

Sarah Palin judge will dismiss her libel case, finding no malice by New York Times  —  The rare and closely watched case has raised concerns that historic protections for journalists may be at risk.  —  NEW YORK — A judge on Monday said he will dismiss Sarah Palin's libel case against the New York Times …

Chris Crouch was anti-vaccine.  Now his pregnant wife had covid, and he faced a terrible choice. … KINGWOOD, Tex. — Chris Crouch had had low expectations for online dating.  He was a police officer in his 30s, almost a year out from a painful divorce, and, he said, the women he had met had been …

Killing of Christina Yuna Lee Heightens Safety Fears in Chinatown  —  Ms. Lee, who was described as “irreplaceable,” was stabbed to death in her apartment after a man followed her into her building.  —  A 25-year-old man was arrested on murder and burglary charges on Monday …

Wholesale prices rise 1% in January, up near-record 9.7% over the past year  — The producer price index, which measures wholesale prices, rose 1% in January and 9.7% for the 12-month period, the latter just off the record high.  — Core PPI rose 0.9%.  Both increases were at least double the Wall Street estimate.

People Are Going Out Again, but Not to the Office  —  Only a third of U.S. employees have returned to the office, as workers prefer remote and companies fear ordering them back  —  Americans are dining again in restaurants, attending sporting events, and flying throughout the country.

White House, congressional Democrats eye federal gas tax holiday as prices remain high, election looms  —  The White House and Democrats have struggled to address public frustration over inflation, and gas prices have been one of the biggest issues  —  The White House and top Democratic lawmakers …

How Josh Mandel, Son of Suburban Ohio, Became a Right-Wing Warrior  —  The Senate candidate was a rising Republican when he abandoned his moderate roots.  Now, those who have watched his transformation wonder if his rhetoric reflects who he really is.  —  BEACHWOOD, Ohio — In the fall of 2016 …

Republicans Discover the Horror of Gerrymandering  —  The wails of protest began almost immediately after the lopsided votes concluded in the New York legislature earlier this month.  Lawmakers in Albany had redrawn the state's congressional map to create what instantly became perhaps the nation's most brutal gerrymander.

One in four U.S. Democrats say their own party failed to make use of its power … One in four U.S. Democrats say their party did not take full advantage of its grip on the White House and Congress last year, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found, in a troubling sign for their voters' enthusiasm in this year's congressional elections.

What the GOP meant when it called Jan. 6 ‘legitimate political discourse’  —  The Republican National Committee's attempt to unwind the controversy over its characterization of Jan. 6, 2021, as “legitimate political discourse” may have given investigators of the Capitol riot an underappreciated piece of the puzzle they're assembling.

D.C. mayor's WhatsApp dodge: App sparks records concerns  —  D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's administration uses the encrypted messaging app WhatsApp widely across the city government, nine current and former staffers or those within the mayor's circle tell Axios. … - Such messages can be more easily kept secret or destroyed.

How the CDC Abandoned Science  —  Mass youth hospitalizations, COVID-induced diabetes, and other myths from the brave new world of science as political propaganda  —  The main federal agency guiding America's pandemic policy is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which sets widely adopted policies …

The Jolt: Kemp stuns with Clarence Thomas protege for state Supreme Court  —  The word of Gov. Brian Kemp's surprise decision to tap a new Georgia Supreme Court justice had the legal community buzzing hours before he announced Tuesday.Typically, when a sitting justice steps down, there's a lengthy process before a replacement is picked.

2020 Election Denier Will Run for Top Elections Position in Colorado  —  Tina Peters, the Mesa County clerk, has been stripped of her county election oversight but is seeking to oversee her state's elections as secretary of state.  —  A Republican county clerk in Colorado who was stripped …

The “misinformation problem” seems like misinformation  —  If anything people have become better informed  —  People are often misinformed about things.  Sometimes they obtain that bad information from false or misleading media coverage; sometimes that media coverage is deliberately false.

Time's up for unvaccinated medical workers  —  Hellooo, good morning.  Got questions?  Like will my mask protect me?  What's going on with Pfizer and the FDA?  How long is someone contagious?  The Post's health care reporters got answers.  —  Today: The Senate is expected …

America Takes Pole Position on Oil and Gas  —  U.S. exports limit price increases and help check disruptive behavior by the likes of Russia and Iran.  —  While the Ukraine crisis was raising anxiety about Europe's dependence on Russian natural gas, something remarkable happened.