Putin leaves the west guessing as Ukraine crisis intensifies … A comically large table separated Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron last week after the French president flew to Moscow for crisis talks aimed at averting a war in Ukraine.  —  The official explanation for the yawning distance …

The Right's Would-Be Kingmaker  —  Peter Thiel, one of Donald J. Trump's biggest donors in 2016, has re-emerged as a prime financier of the Make America Great Again movement.  —  Ryan Mac, who is based in Los Angeles, covers the intersection of technology and power.

John Eastman claims attorney-client privilege over thousands of pages sought by Jan. 6 investigators  —  Attorney John Eastman, a close ally of Donald Trump amid his effort to subvert the 2020 election, has attempted to shield more than 10,000 pages of emails and counting from congressional investigators …

Trump's latest political obsession: The baseball team owner not toeing his line  —  Donald Trump has a new fixation: a Major League Baseball scion who hails from one of the country's richest families — and who, unlike most other Republican Senate candidates, isn't bowing to the former president.

Russian Buildup Near Ukraine Features Potent Weapons Systems, Well-Trained Troops  —  The forces give Moscow the means to attack Ukraine from multiple directions but aren't sufficient to occupy the entire country  —  Russia's enormous military buildup near Ukraine features …

U.S.-Canada border crossing reopens after six-day blockade by ‘Freedom Convoy’ protesters  —  The Ambassador Bridge is the countries' busiest land border crossing and a key supply route  —  A subheadline in an earlier version of this article incorrectly said Ottawa is Ontario's capital.

Yesterday I Was Levi's Brand President.  I Quit So I Could Be Free.  —  I turned down $1 million severance in exchange for my voice.  —  When I traveled to Moscow in 1986, I brought 10 pairs of Levi's 501s in my bag.  I was a 17-year-old gymnast, the reigning national champion …

Trevor Noah to entertain at first White House Correspondents' Association dinner since 2019  —  Trevor Noah, host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, will be the featured entertainer when the White House Correspondents' Association hosts its first annual dinner since 2019 on April 30, the association announced Monday.

The MAGA fixation with chaos overrides ‘America First’  —  Once upon a time, the Republican Party stressed social order, the rule of law and capitalism as a vehicle to deliver widespread prosperity.  More recently, the MAGA crowd insisted it wanted an “America First” policy.  Forget all that.

Dr. Deborah Birx, COVID adviser under Trump, has a book deal  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Dr. Deborah Birx has a memoir coming out this spring that will focus on her contentious time as White House coronavirus task force coordinator in the administration of President Donald Trump.

Most Democrats want Hillary Clinton investigated for any role in Russiagate scandal: poll  —  A surprisingly large share of Democrats wants to see Hillary Clinton investigated over her possible role in manufacturing dirt to try to tie Donald Trump to the Kremlin, a new poll shows.

AOC bemoans ‘cancel culture’ that fired Marc Lamont Hill for ‘from the river to the sea’ comments  —  The commentator was let go from CNN following comments made at a United Nations event in 2018  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) defended former CNN commentator Marc Lamont Hill …

The U.S. needs a COVID forecast  —  Experts say the U.S. needs clearer, more defined standards that will help the public understand when it's safe to relax COVID restrictions — and when it might be necessary to bring them back.  —  Why it matters: Experts compare this need to a weather forecast …

Pelosi seeks to bury ‘defund the police’: The Note  —  “Defund” sentiments have lost steam even inside progressive politics of late.  —  It was a raging debate inside the Democratic Party in 2020.  —  The nation's top elected Democrats are doing what they can to make sure it isn't in 2022.