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 …

Judge throws out Palin libel case against New York Times  —  A judge has ruled that a libel lawsuit former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin filed against the New York Times over a 2017 editorial should be thrown out because her lawyers failed to produce adequate evidence that the newspaper knew …

Trump Really Was Spied On  —  Durham says techies linked to the Clinton campaign had access to White House and Trump Tower internet data.  —  By The Editorial Board  —  Special Counsel John Durham continues to unravel the Trump-Russia “collusion” story, and his latest court disclosure contains startling information.

Russian units near Ukraine moved into “attack positions,” official says  —  Russia has moved some long-range artillery and rocket launchers into firing position, threatening Ukraine, according to a U.S. official.  —  Some Russian units have left their assembly areas …

Federal government invokes Emergencies Act for first time ever in response to protests  —  Act grants cabinet ability to take ‘special temporary measures that may not be appropriate in normal times’  —  CBC News Special: PM Invokes Emergencies Act  —  Join CBC News live for special coverage starting …

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 …

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.

Pastor Resigns After Incorrectly Performing Thousands of Baptisms  —  The pastor of a Catholic church in Phoenix changed one word in administering the sacrament, rendering baptisms performed there invalid, the church said.  —  The Rev. Andres Arango was leading a baptism at St. Gregory Catholic Church …

Twitter Declines To Censor Tweets Reportedly Linking To Hacked Freedom Convoy Donor List  —  Twitter is allowing posts to remain on its platform containing the private information of Freedom Convoy donors reportedly obtained through hacking, according to a review of Twitter's platform by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

West megadrought worsens to driest in at least 1,200 years  —  Western Megadrought Record  —  The American West's megadrought deepened so much last year that it is now the driest in at least 1,200 years and is a worst-case climate change scenario playing out live, a new study finds.

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 …

Inside the White House preparations for a Russian invasion  —  A “Tiger Team” of administration officials has spent the past several months preparing a clear series of responses, gaming out scenarios from cyberattacks and limited intervention to an invasion of Ukraine.

Maryland Nuclear Engineer Pleads Guilty to Espionage-Related Offense  —  A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to communicate restricted data related to the design of nuclear-powered warships to a person he believed was a representative of a foreign nation.

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 …

On stage at the Kremlin: Putin and Lavrov's de-escalation dance  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin and his trusty foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, on Monday signaled that there would be no imminent military strike on Ukraine and that they were prepared to continue diplomatic dialogue with the West, led by the United States.

San Francisco police linked a woman to a crime using DNA from her rape exam, D.A. Boudin says  —  The San Francisco police crime lab has been entering sexual assault victims' DNA profiles in a database used to identify suspects in crimes, District Attorney Chesa Boudin said Monday …

Manchin clarifies: He'd oppose second high court nominee right before presidential election  —  Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Monday said he would not support confirming another nominee selected by President Biden for the Supreme Court immediately before the 2024 presidential election …

Plane with 8 aboard crashes off North Carolina; 1 body found  —  MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (AP) — A small plane carrying eight people crashed into the ocean off North Carolina's Outer Banks and left behind multiple debris fields where crews searched for the missing passengers, the Coast Guard said.

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.

Sources: Savino will decline to seek re-election for North Shore Senate seat  —  STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Sources said Monday that State Sen. Diane Savino will not seek re-election, and for the first time in over a decade, Staten Island's North Shore will have a new person in that seat.

Levi's Brand President Jennifer Sey Resigns, Citing School Closure Disagreements  —  I am the assistant editor for Communities and Leadership.  —  Levi Strauss' chief marketer Jennifer Sey has resigned from her position, claiming she was forced out after voicing her opinion that schools should remain open during the Covid-19 pandemic.

How I Got Stung by Viktor Orbán  —  In July 2020, I received an email from an Alexander Werner, who introduced himself as a managing partner at Wilson Energy Consultants, an “experienced investment fund and asset management firm, specializing in renewable energy, based both in London and Doha.”

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) …