Putin leaves a door to diplomacy open, as European, U.S. leaders race to defuse Ukraine crisis  —  MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday left the door open to further talks with Western leaders on his efforts to end NATO's open door policy, when his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov …

Snoop Dogg smokes weed right before star-studded Super Bowl 2022 halftime show  —  Before taking the stage for Sunday's epic Super Bowl 2022 halftime show, Snoop Dogg had something of a pregame warmup.  —  In a video currently making the rounds on social media, Snoop is seen smoking …

Dissatisfaction With U.S. Immigration Level Rises to 58%  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nearly six in 10 Americans, 58%, are dissatisfied with the level of immigration into the U.S. today, while 34% are satisfied.  This marks an eight-percentage-point increase in dissatisfaction since last year and a return to the 2019-2020 range.

Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez an Insider Now?  —  After three years in the halls of power, she's seen the “shit show” up close—and hasn't given up on her vision for how to change it. … Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat representing parts of Queens and the Bronx (including Rikers Island) …

Hackers Just Leaked the Names of 92,000 ‘Freedom Convoy’ Donors  —  GiveSendGo, the Christian crowdfunding site that helped raise $8.7 million for the anti-vax “freedom convoy” in Canada, was hacked on Sunday night.  —  DG  —  The Christian crowdfunding site that helped raise $8.7 million for the anti-vax …

Of course they spied on Trump  —  OF COURSE THEY SPIED ON TRUMP.  One of the most contentious claims Donald Trump ever made was his insistence that he had been the target of spying.  He made the charge in several different ways.  For example, in March 2017, Trump, just two months in office, tweeted, “Terrible!

Why Covid-19 vaccines are a freaking miracle  —  Two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, it's easy to lament all that has come to pass.  The devastating losses.  The upending of what we regarded as normal ways of life.  The sheer relentlessness of it all.  —  But let's stop for a moment …

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.

U.S. Is Closing Kyiv Embassy, Relocating Diplomatic Operations to Western Ukraine  —  State Department orders destruction of computer equipment amid warnings of Russian invasion, according to officials and documents  —  WASHINGTON—The U.S. is closing its embassy in the Ukrainian capital …

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 …

Trudeau plans to invoke Emergencies Act in response to protests: sources  —  Act grants cabinet ability to take ‘special temporary measures that may not be appropriate in normal times’  —  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told his caucus he will invoke the never-before-used Emergencies Act …

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.

Art Spiegelman Loses His Glasses  —  As the latest fight over Maus erupts, its artist-creator searches for his spectacles.  —  Okay, so here's the thing," Art Spiegelman says into the phone as he paces his cavernous Soho studio, humming with anxiety. “  I don't know what happened.

Democrats, Speak to Working-Class Discontent  —  It's the one way to mobilize Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians, not just white workers.  —  America is at a perilous moment when a Trump-led Republican Party is steaming ahead to knock down every guardrail protecting free elections.

After 8 years, a retired Florida police captain will stand trial for killing a man in an argument about texting in a movie theater  —  (CNN)A 79-year-old man is finally expected to stand trial this week, eight years after he fatally shot a man who was texting in a Florida movie theater.

Amy Schumer, Regina Hall, Wanda Sykes Eyed to Host Oscars (EXCLUSIVE)  —  Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes are finalizing details to host this year's Academy Awards, multiple sources told Variety.  —  The three comic forces appear to be the only emcees in the mix for the March awards show …

Mr. President, It's Time for a Little Humility  —  Mr. Axelrod was the senior strategist on Barack Obama's 2008 campaign.  Later, as senior adviser to the president, he helped shape several presidential addresses to Congress.  —  Right now, the White House is gearing up for the president's first State of the Union address.

Shots fired at Louisville mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg, police say  —  LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A person fired a gun at Louisville Democratic mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg in his office on Story Avenue on Monday morning, police say.  —  No one was injured, but an article of Greenberg's clothing was hit …

Ukraine president says he's been told Russia will attack Wednesday  —  Ukraine president warns Russian attack will come Wednesday  —  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that his government has been told that Wednesday, Feb. 16, will be “the day of attack” when Russia invades Ukraine.

A staunch conservative's urgent warning to the GOP about Trump and 2024  —  Donald Trump is telling us exactly how he intends to rerun his coup attempt, should the conditions align for it in 2024.  He regularly flaunts his view that attempting to overturn his 2020 loss was the correct thing to do …