Ukraine Live Updates: Putin Speaks as He Holds Meeting With National Security Officials  —  Here's what you need to know:  —  Putin says he will consider recognizing the independence of two separatist territories in Ukraine.  —  MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said on Monday …

How Donald Trump Played Himself  —  Donald Trump has survived multiple investigations by following the same playbook: blasting them as “witch hunts” and refusing to testify under oath.  His strategy backfired last week, as a New York state judge ordered him and two of his children to sit for depositions in 21 days.

Who is dying of COVID?  It's still mainly the unvaccinated  —  Recent CDC data shows unvaccinated people are 20 times more likely to die.  —  When the recent COVID-19 wave fueled by the omicron variant hit the U.S., no one expected it would lead to the number of deaths it did.

Havana Syndrome: High-level national security officials stricken with unexplained illness on White House grounds  —  Since 2016, U.S. government officials overseas and their families have reported sudden, unexplained, brain injuries with symptoms of vertigo, confusion and memory loss.

Democrats are engaged in a ‘new politics of evasion’ that could cost them in 2024, new study says … Three decades ago, Democratic policy analysts William A. Galston and Elaine Kamarck published a bracing critique of their party, warning against a “politics of evasion” that they said ignored electoral reality …

This Is How Big Pharma Wins  —  Two years into the pandemic, the industry has evaded reforms a supermajority of voters want.  —  On September 19, 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced the Elijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act.  The bill, known as H.R. 3, was a shot across the bow …

Mexico to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz: At least our presidential candidates accept defeat  —  Mexico's president and U.S. ambassador needle Texas senator over Donald Trump's ongoing lies about 2020 election after Cruz claims ‘deepening civil unrest in Mexico.’  —  MEXICO CITY — Sen. Ted Cruz …

Voters would cut grocery tax; require vaccines for first responders, teachers, medical pros but not for students; keep teaching impact of racism on society, not ban CRT  —  Summary of Key Findings  — A majority of Virginia voters prefer spending the state budget surplus …

The Next Affordable City Is Already Too Expensive  —  In Spokane, Wash., home prices jumped 60 percent in the past two years.  The increase is fueled by buyers fleeing the boom in cities like Austin.  Who will have to flee next?  —  Maybe it was the date night when he and his wife spent …

This ‘Could Kill Far More Afghans Than the Past 20 Years of War’  —  Ninety-five percent of Afghans don't have enough to eat.  Nearly nine million are at risk of starvation.  The U.N.'s emergency aid request, at more than $5 billion, is the largest it has ever made for a single country.

Trump's Truth Social Debuts in Apple's App Store  —  Some people who downloaded the social media app received error messages when they tried to create an account.  Others were placed on a waitlist. … Former US President Donald Trump's social media app Truth Social became available …

Biden needs a Trump substitute  —  Searching for a strategy to avoid a 2022 midterm disaster, advisers to President Biden have discussed elevating a unifying Republican foil not named Donald Trump. … - Biden isn't on the ballot in November. … - Biden advisers and Hill allies told Axios voters …

The money race in two incumbent vs. incumbent primaries is heating up — and Trump's endorsements haven't helped  —  (CNN)Republican candidates across the country are vying for former President Donald Trump's endorsement to help shore up campaign funds and excite the GOP base.

Education, traditionally a strength, has Democrats on their heels  —  Minutes after Democrat Stacey Abrams announced her candidacy for Georgia governor, incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp made clear he would put education at the center of his campaign to keep his job.

Black Farmers Fear Foreclosure as Debt Relief Remains Frozen  —  Lawsuits from white farmers have blocked $4 billion of pandemic aid that was allocated to Black farmers in the American Rescue Plan.  —  Alan Rappeport covers economic policy issues for The Times.