Russian forces seize key Ukrainian port, pressure others  —  KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces captured a strategic Ukrainian port and besieged another Thursday in a bid to cut the country off from the sea, as the two sides headed into another round of talks aimed at ending the fighting …

Jan. 6 committee alleges Trump, allies engaged in potential ‘criminal conspiracy’ by trying to block Congress from certifying election  —  Lawyers for the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol said in a court filing Wednesday that former president Donald Trump …

Biden administration requests $32.5 billion in Ukraine aid and coronavirus funds as spending talks continue … The Biden administration is asking Congress to approve $32.5 billion to bolster Ukraine against Russian aggression and shore up the United States in the battle against the coronavirus.

How Volodymyr Zelensky Defended Ukraine and United the World  —  The President wanted to get to the trenches.  He'd already walked for half an hour in his helmet through the mud, surrounded by generals and guards, and he insisted they continue.  On the far side of some sagging power lines …

Ron DeSantis suggests France would ‘fold’ if it was invaded by Russia  —  The 2024 presidential nominee contender also angrily chastised students on stage with him for wearing masks as ‘Covid theatre’  —  Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida and a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination …

NATO Countries Pour Weapons Into Ukraine, Risking Conflict With Russia  —  Brussels is proud to be providing military aid, but Moscow may see it as a dangerous intervention and could move to disrupt the flow of arms through Poland.  —  BRUSSELS — The Dutch are sending rocket launchers for air defense.

‘I have the job I want’: Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey will not run for the U.S. Senate in 2022  —  Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey will not run for the U.S. Senate this year, he told donors in a letter obtained by The Arizona Republic, finally putting to rest whether he held aspirations for elected office this cycle.

POLITICO Playbook: How gas prices could crush Biden and the Democrats  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  POLICY PALOOZA DU JOUR: RUSSIAN OIL — President JOE BIDEN's conservative critics — from Fox News to Capitol Hill Republicans — have slammed the administration for exempting Russian oil from the raft …

Audience Ratings for the 2022 Presidential State of the Union  —  Television Audience Estimates  —  An estimated 38.2 million people tuned in to watch coverage of the U.S. Presidential State of the Union address during primetime on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.  This represents President Biden's …

What I Found When I Looked for the Helpers  —  Pandemic coverage has continually described America's rancor and division, political ineptitude and buck passing, fury at leaders and fellow citizens for restricting too much or not enough, for insisting on masks or refusing to wear them.

The GOP's untouchable loudmouths  —  Far-right Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) are untouchable inside the House Republican conference. … - They've already been stripped of their committees. … - “They literally have nothing tangible [to punish them] …

Rep. Van Taylor apologizes for affair with ‘ISIS bride,’ abruptly drops reelection bid  —  Two-term Plano Republican concedes runoff to Keith Self after admitting ‘horrible mistake’  —  Update: Updated at 3:30 p.m. with Taylor dropping out and apologizing.

Absolute Power  —  Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, is 36 years old and has led his country for almost five years.  His father, the 86-year-old King Salman, has rarely been seen in public since 2019, and even MBS—as he is universally known—has faced the world only a few times since the pandemic began.

International Cat Federation bans Russian cats from competitions  —  The International Cat Federation says it has banned Russian cats from its international competitions in the latest rebuke to Russia since it invaded Ukraine last week.  —  The federation, which considers itself …

Lawmakers slam Reps. Boebert, Greene over heckling during SOTU  —  Rep. Lauren Boebert doubled down Wednesday on her heckling of President Biden during the State of the Union address over his chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal that left 13 US soldiers dead.  —  “The left is pissed because I called …

The gory online campaign Ukraine hopes will sow anti-Putin dissent probably violates the Geneva Conventions … A besieged Ukraine has adopted a gruesome tactic in hopes of stoking anti-government rage inside Russia: posting photos and videos of captured and killed Russian soldiers on the Web for anyone to see.