Live Updates: Putin Prepares Decision on Breakaway Ukraine Regions  —  President Vladimir V. Putin said he would decide by day's end whether to recognize the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk.  U.S. officials worry that Russia could use such a recognition to move more forces in.

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.

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 …

‘Something Went Wrong’: Trump's Twitter Ripoff Suffers Bumpy Launch  —  Would-be users of Trump's new app merely struggled to create an account after Sunday night's launch.  —  Team Trump has been cooking up its own social network ever since the then-president was thrown off all major platforms for his posts inciting the Capitol riot.

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 …

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.

Texas GOP revolts against Trump's favorite cowboy  —  Maybe it was his move to raise taxes and fees on farmers.  Or his regular practice of alienating state lawmakers.  Or his decision to pick a fight with the BBQ industry.  Or the bribery scandal surrounding his political consultant.

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 …

New York Times Wins 2 Polk Awards for Investigative Reporting  —  The Times was honored for coverage that revealed a plot behind the murder of the Haitian president and for investigations on the toll of America's air war in the Middle East.  —  The New York Times won two George Polk Awards …

Nearly half of Washingtonians don't like Commanders name, Post poll finds  —  Washington hasn't warmed up to the Commanders just yet.  —  According to a citywide Washington Post poll, close to half of D.C. residents have a negative view of the team's new name, with 32 percent disliking it and 17 percent saying they “hate” it.

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 …

Flush with cash, states eye tax cutting spree  —  Less than a year after Democrats approved a half-trillion dollars in aid to state and local governments, many are now considering cutting taxes.  —  In red states as well as purple and blue ones, governors and state legislators are contemplating …

GOP attorney general hopefuls seek to overturn landmark contraception law, want election ‘audit’  —  It may have been the last question of last week's debate for the three men seeking the GOP nomination for Michigan attorney general, but the inquiry seeking their stances on a 1965 Supreme Court ruling has garnered the most attention.

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 …

Bice: U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes favors eliminating cash bail nationally, aide says  —  Amid the recent furor over major crimes apparently committed by defendants out on low bail, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes is standing his ground.  —  Barnes, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination …