In Fiery Speech, Putin Backs Independence of Breakaway Regions  —  President Vladimir V. Putin addressed the nation late on Monday, bitterly accusing Ukraine of being a “puppet” of the United States.  The U.S. and E.U. said they would begin imposing limited sanctions.  —  Here's what you need to know:

Press statement by President Charles Michel of the European Council and President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission, 21 February 2022  —  President Michel and President von der Leyen condemn in the strongest possible terms the decision by the Russian President to proceed …

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2021 GEORGE POLK AWARDS IN JOURNALISM  —  Coverage of Political Upheaval, Corporate Subterfuge, Victimized Children, Exploited Migrants, a Haitian Plot and Madagascar Famine Among 15 Winners  —  Long Island University (LIU) has announced the winners …

‘Something Went Wrong’: Trump's Twitter Knockoff Suffers Bumpy Launch  —  Would-be users of Trump's new app struggled to even 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.

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.

Everything You Need to Know About Biden's Messaging Problems with One Easy Test  —  Democrats won't take success for an answer.  —  One of the biggest differences between Republicans and Democrats is that Republicans sing Donald Trump's praises even if he's done something abjectly stupid and evil …

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.

Trump's GOP critics to gather in Washington with an eye on 2024 presidential race  —  A group of Republican critics of former President Donald Trump will gather in Washington, D.C., this week to cheer on the two GOP members of the House select committee investigating the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol …

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 …

‘Paper terrorism’: Parents against mask mandates bombard school districts with sham legal claims  —  Jill Griffin had a panic on her hands.  —  Teachers and staff members of her school district in Bethalto, Illinois, a small town outside of St. Louis, were suddenly worried that they would not be paid.

California trans child molester Hannah Tubbs gloats over light sentence in jailhouse phone calls  —  Los Angeles DA George Gascon's policies allow for light sentencing in 2014 attack  —  Los Angeles district attorney under fire after distrubing audio leaked from violent sex offender

Grandstanding Republican senators try to protect unruly passengers  —  The federal government does not maintain an official “no-brainer list” of policies.  If it did, there's a good chance many Americans would applaud if one were a rule barring violent, unruly and disruptive airline passengers from the skies.

It's Time To Cancel Presidents Day  —  The fracturing of society in recent years under the strain of Donald Trump's presidency and the racial reckoning spurred by George Floyd's murder has had one positive consequence: A widespread awakening of interest in the American past.

Critical Race Theory: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)  —  John Oliver explains what critical race theory is, what it isn't, and why we can expect to hear more about it in the coming months.Connect with Last Week Ton...

Kids-Last COVID Policy Makes No Sense  —  Local governments are relaxing pandemic restrictions at a dizzying pace, removing mask requirements and vaccine entry rules for businesses.  Politicians are generally pushing for a return to normalcy.  But for one group, change is not forthcoming: children.