Anxiety Grows in Odessa as Russians Advance in Southern Ukraine  —  ODESSA, Ukraine—Sparks fly day and night at the rail yard of Odessa's tram authority, where men in coveralls are slicing up old steel rails and welding them into barricades called “hedgehogs” to stop Russian tanks.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Western brands flee Russia in unravelling of ‘capitalistic diplomacy’  —  Disney, Nike, Volkswagen and others curtail business while rouble's plunge hits shoppers  —  In late 1990, a former British cabinet minister reflecting on the end of the Cold War picked an image of consumer goods companies' inroads …

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.

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] …

Former Illinois Speaker of the House Indicted on Federal Racketeering and Bribery Charges in Connection With Alleged Corruption Schemes  —  CHICAGO — A federal grand jury in Chicago today indicted former Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives MICHAEL J. MADIGAN on racketeering …

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.

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.

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 …

U.S. to share some coronavirus technologies with World Health Organization … The Biden administration will share U.S. government-devised coronavirus technologies with the World Health Organization, a policy shift intended to allow other countries to replicate some American scientific breakthroughs …

Justice Dept. Announces Task Force to Go After Russian Oligarchs  —  The task force adds to the raft of actions that Western leaders have taken in recent days in an effort to undercut Vladimir V. Putin and the politically connected elite in Russia.  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department announced …

Statement by President Biden on Texas' Attacks on Transgender Youth  —  In recent days, elected leaders in Texas have launched a cynical and dangerous campaign targeting transgender children and their parents.  The Governor of Texas has directed state officials to open child abuse investigations …