RT America ceases productions and lays off most of its staff  —  New York (CNN Business)The production company behind the American version of the Russian state-funded network RT laid off most of its staff on Thursday, according to a memo obtained by CNN.  —  Misha Solodovnikov …

The Justice Dept. and the Jan. 6 inquiry make moves to snare Trump  —  Those criticizing Attorney General Merrick Garland for not moving expeditiously against former president Donald Trump for an attempted coup should take heart.  —  On Wednesday, we saw a matter-of-fact announcement …

When I Confronted Trump About Election Fraud  —  In an excerpt from his new memoir, the former Attorney General recalls the explosive White House meeting where he rejected President Trump's claims about the 2020 election.  —  The first day of December 2020, almost a month after the presidential election, was gray and rainy.

Another Russian yacht seized in France (plus two more that could be seized soon)  —  Yesterday, German authorities seized the largest yacht in the world after sanctions on Russian oligarchs were put in place by the US and EU.  The 512-foot Dilbar belongs to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov and is reportedly worth $600 million.

Wisconsin Supreme Court picks Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' maps in redistricting fight  —  MADISON - A divided state Supreme Court approved election maps Thursday that were drawn by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers but will let Republicans keep the upper hand in races for the Legislature.

BBC revives shortwave radio dispatches in Ukraine, and draws ire of Russia.  —  As Russia is trying to cut off the flow of information in Ukraine by attacking its communications infrastructure, the British news outlet BBC is revisiting a broadcasting tactic popularized during World War II: shortwave radio.

Putin Thought Ukraine Would Fall Quickly.  An Airport Battle Proved Him Wrong.  —  Russia wanted to use Hostomel Airport outside Kyiv to bring troops directly to the capital.  A band of Ukrainian soldiers fought to keep the Russians from using the landing strip, forcing them to move soldiers and supplies over land.

Florida Lawmakers Vote to Ban Abortions After 15 Weeks  —  The legislation is modeled after an abortion law in Mississippi that the Supreme Court appears poised to uphold in a ruling expected this summer.  —  MIAMI — Florida legislators voted to ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy on Thursday …

Putin vows to continue war as Russian missiles lay waste to Ukraine's cities  —  After Putin-Macron call, France says Russia's goal is to ‘take control of all of Ukraine’  —  Russia subjected the Ukrainian port of Mariupol and the cities of Chernihiv and Kharkiv to relentless missile bombardment …

Melania Trump Event Called Off After Officials Question Fund-Raising  —  Florida regulators found that a company working on the charitable event had not registered properly.  The former first lady's office said it would be rescheduled.  —  WASHINGTON — A Florida fund-raiser planned for April …

YouTube Won't Distinguish Between Misinformation and Reporting, So It Suspended My Channel  —  On December 9, 2020, YouTube announced it would take down videos that alleged widespread fraudulent voting in the 2020 presidential election.  A month later, after President Donald Trump's lies …

“Anastasia” Removed From Disney+ (US)  —  With the start of a brand new month, Disney is often forced to remove some content from Disney+ in the United States due to pre-existing contracts made before Disney+ was created.  —  Unfortunately, this month, the classic animated film from 20th Century Studios …

Putin's war is a nightmare for the Ukrainian people and for Russia, an expert warns  —  Michael Kimmage, a specialist on U.S.-Russia relations who formerly served in the State Department, says the war in Ukraine is not going the way Russian President Vladimir Putin had planned.

Secretary Mayorkas Designates Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status for 18 Months  —  WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the designation of Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months.  —  “Russia's premeditated and unprovoked attack on Ukraine …

Ex-Fox News Director Charged With Working for Russian Oligarch … Jack Hanick, a onetime director at Fox News, has been indicted on charges of working for a sanctioned Russian oligarch to establish TV networks in Russia and in other European countries.  —  Hanick, 71, is accused of working …

Deep Dive: The U.S. military program to arm Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles  —  In 2014, the Russian military annexed Crimea in a largely bloodless irregular warfare operation before they invaded and captured parts of Donbas in Eastern Ukraine.  The United States military took immediate notice.

Bronx subway feces attack suspect curses judge, is back on the street day later  —  A homeless defendant with a double-digit rap sheet, accused of smearing his own feces on a woman inside a Bronx subway station, left a courtroom in handcuffs — for his monthsold murder threat against a Jewish man …

Mayor Lori Lightfoot blocked Columbus statue deal, berated lawyers with obscene remarks, lawsuit claims  —  Mayor Lori Lightfoot blocked a deal the Chicago Park District made with an Italian American group to allow a Christopher Columbus statue to be displayed in a parade and made obscene remarks aimed …

Jon Stewart on Why the Right Would ‘Rather Do a Deal With Putin Than Pelosi’  —  (SINGING) When you walk in a room, do you have sway?  —  Oh, wait one second.  I'm going to just turn off my heat.  —  Jon Stewart  —  Did you say turn off your heat?  She's going to freeze to death if this goes on.

Treasury Sanctions Russians Bankrolling Putin and Russia-Backed Influence Actors  —  United States and its Partners and Allies Continue Campaign Against Putin's Affiliates in Response to the Premeditated and Unprovoked Invasion of Ukraine  —  Treasury to Share Financial Intelligence …

How Ukraine's Military Has Resisted Russia So Far  —  Ukrainian troops have mounted a stiffer-than-expected opposition against a superior force in the early days of the war.  But U.S. officials say it may not last.  —  WASHINGTON — Ukraine's soldiers have blown up bridges to halt advancing Russian ground troops.

UC Berkeley must withhold thousands of acceptance letters after state Supreme Court ruling  —  UC Berkeley must cut enrollment by about 3,000 students for next fall after the California Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court's order that the prestigious university freeze enrollment at 2020 levels.

Here's the message that wins the midterms for Democrats, if they're not afraid  —  It hasn't aired yet, but I want to share with you the political ad that could win the 2022 midterm elections for the Democrats — even with all the doom and gloom about President Biden's approval rating and all the historical trends that favor the GOP.

Kentucky lawmaker apologizes for referencing Jewish women's sex life amid abortion debate  —  Kentucky Rep. Danny Bentley made comments about Jewish women and the Holocaust during a debate Wednesday over anti-abortion legislation, quickly drawing condemnation from several members …

Biden holds back on going after GOP on Russia, to some Dem chagrin  —  Joe Biden's long, cold staredown with Vladimir Putin is uniting Europe.  Global sanctions are decimating the Russian economy.  Republicans are splintering at home.  —  But while Democrats are increasingly emboldened …

American Pro-Gun Activists See an Opening as Ukraine Arms its Citizens  —  One of the first things Ukrainian leaders did to thwart Russian invaders under President Vladimir Putin was arm tens of thousands of its citizens with automatic weapons — better known in the U.S. as machine guns …

AIPAC's PAC endorses dozens of Republicans who refused to certify Joe Biden as president  —  WASHINGTON (JTA) — The American Israel Public Affairs Committee's newly formed political action committee released its first list of 120 congressional endorsees, and more than a quarter of them are Republicans …

Not All Russians  —  Beware the temptation to damn an entire country of 140+ million people and its culture for the actions of Putin's tyrannical regime.  —  uring the First World War, the British public took to booing dachshunds in the street — or so I was told as a boy.