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 …

Russian Oligarch Igor Sechin's Yacht Seized by French Authorities, Who Say It Was Preparing to Depart  —  French authorities said they seized a yacht belonging to a company majority owned by Igor Sechin, the chief executive of Russian oil producer Rosneft.  Mr. Sechin was among a group …

Over a Million Have Fled; 2 Sides Agree to Send Aid to Some Areas  —  Catch up on the latest news on Ukraine.  —  A day after gaining control of their first major Ukrainian city, Russian forces on Thursday laid siege to urban areas across the country in a grinding offensive that has deepened the conflict's humanitarian crisis.

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.

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 …

A Russian businessman has put a $1 million bounty on Vladimir Putin's head, calling for military officers to arrest him as a war criminal  — Russian businessman Alex Konanykhin has put a $1 million bounty on Vladimir Putin's head.  — He has called on Russian military officers to go after Putin and arrest him as a war criminal.

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.

Weighing history, GOP senators wrestle over Supreme Court votes  —  Mitt Romney and Roy Blunt are torn over the same Supreme Court quandary: whether to shake off GOP pressure to oppose Ketanji Brown Jackson and vote for the first Black woman justice.  —  Though Jackson hasn't even had her …

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 …

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 …

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.

‘It could happen tomorrow’: Experts know disaster upon disaster looms for West Coast  —  It's the elevators that worry earthquake engineering expert Keith Porter the most.  —  Scientists say a massive quake could strike the San Francisco Bay Area at any moment.

‘Stop bullying kids’: Students, parents respond to Gov. DeSantis telling students to take off their masks  —  TAMPA (WFLA) - In a video that has been viewed millions of times, Gov. Ron DeSantis asked a group of Hillsborough County High School students to remove their masks during his press conference …

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.

EXCLUSIVE: Melania Trump's BeBest fundraiser ends in failure after official scrutiny  —  The spokeswoman for the agency in charge of Florida's charity regulator just informed Occupy Democrats exclusively that Melania Trump's “exclusive high tea” BeBest charity fundraising party has been scrapped in the wake of official scrutiny.

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 …

FACT SHEET: The United States Continues to Target Russian Oligarchs Enabling Putin's War of Choice  —  Today, the United States, in coordination with Allies and partners, is targeting additional Russian elites and family members who continue supporting President Putin despite his brutal invasion of Ukraine.

‘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.

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 …

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.

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.

Is America to Blame for Russia's War in Ukraine?  —  To explain a bad actor's behavior is not to justify it.  —  In mundane contexts, few people struggle to understand this point.  For example, if an alcoholic relative comes over for Thanksgiving dinner and behaves in a charming …

Former IL House speaker Michael Madigan indicted on racketeering, bribery, more  —  Michael Madigan Illinois: Democrat once most powerful politician in state … Former IL Speaker Madigan indicted on racketeering, bribery, more  —  CHICAGO (WLS) — Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan …

Fitch, Moody's slash Russia's sovereign rating to junk … Ratings agencies Fitch and Moody's downgraded Russia by six notches to “junk” status, saying Western sanctions threw into doubt its ability to service debt and would weaken the economy.  —  Russia's financial markets have been thrown …

White House discussing sending Harris to Warsaw, Bucharest  —  The White House is actively discussing sending Vice President Harris to Warsaw, Poland, and Bucharest, Romania, in the coming days to show solidarity with Ukraine as it faces an escalating Russian invasion, sources familiar with the conversations tell The Hill.

Follow the Mega Yachts  —  Welcome to the inaugural column of Yacht Watch (Tagline: “We're going to need a bigger boat") from Whale Hunting Contributor Alex Finley, a novelist and former CIA officer with the insight to explore who runs the world through the prism of super yachts.  This will be a monthly feature.