Russia Says It Has American Basketball Player in Custody  —  The Russian Federal Customs Service said that its officials had detained an American basketball player after finding vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow.

How the Manhattan D.A.'s Investigation Into Donald Trump Unraveled  —  The criminal investigation into the former president crashed amid a disagreement about the merits of bringing a case.  The debate pitted a new district attorney against two veteran prosecutors who had pursued a case against Mr. Trump for years.

Live updates: Israeli prime minister meets with Putin  —  The latest developments on the Russia-Ukraine war:  —  ___  —  JERUSALEM — Israel's prime minister was meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday.  —  Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office confirmed …

The Emptiness Inside Donald Trump's New Social Media Platform  —  Around 9:02 a.m. on Friday, an unexpected flash of purple appeared on my iPhone's lock-screen.  —  “Your wait is over!  Tap here to start using Truth Social.”  —  Tap I did, and inside the new social media platform created …

How the West Marshaled a Stunning Show of Unity Against Russia  —  In a few frantic days, the West threw out the playbook it used for decades against the Kremlin and isolated Russia with unparalleled sanctions and penalties.  —  LONDON — The day after Russian tanks and troops poured across …

Putin Has Already Suffered a Strategic Defeat  —  The question is how many people will die before the consequences of that defeat come to bear.  —  Every week I highlight three newsletters that are worth your time.  —  If you find value in this project, do two things for me: (1) Hit the like button, and (2) Share this with someone.

John Bolton: Putin was ‘waiting’ for possible US withdrawal from NATO  —  Former national security adviser John Bolton said on Friday that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin was “waiting” for a possible United States withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) …

Stoli vodka announces rebrand  —  New York (CNN)The maker of Stolichnaya vodka announced a major rebrand Friday, in direct response to its founder's “vehement position” against the Putin regime and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  —  The vodka, famously marketed as Russian …

Trump's private schedule reveals no plans for him to join 6 January march  —  Ex-president said he would join crowd to US Capitol but his schedule indicates he deliberately lied to his supporters  —  Donald Trump was aware long before he took the stage at the “Save America” …

Republicans Sharpen Their Message on Ukraine  —  Party leaders think that tying President Biden's handling of the war to his domestic woes could be a potent argument with voters in the fall.  —  Immediately after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the political debate in the U.S. was a free-for-all.

'I Just Can't Stand By': American Veterans Join the Fight in Ukraine  —  All across the country, small groups of military veterans are hungry for what they see as a righteous fight to defend freedom against an autocratic aggressor.  —  Hector served two violent tours in Iraq as a United States Marine …

What it's like at the border, delivering Javelins and Stingers to Ukraine  —  NEAR THE UKRAINE BORDER — Javelin antitank missiles, the American-made weapons that can destroy Russian tanks, are stacked in steel racks awaiting quick shipment into Ukraine.  A giant C-17 transport is parked on a nearby runway.

Russia - Level 4 - Do Not Travel  —  Home Главн ая стран ица |  U.S. citizens should depart Russia immediately.  —  U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Russia should depart immediately.

Iran Nuclear Deal Threatened by Russian Demands Over Ukraine Sanctions  —  Western and Iranian officials have said they were very close to reaching a deal to restore the nuclear pact  —  Fresh demands from Russia threatened to derail talks to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear deal …

Twitter bans over 100 accounts that pushed #IStandWithPutin  —  Twitter has banned more than 100 accounts that pushed the pro-Russian hashtag #IStandWithPutin for participating in “coordinated inauthentic behavior,” days after the hashtag trended on Twitter amid the invasion in Ukraine.

Donald Trump looks increasingly like a stray orange hair to be flicked off the nation's sleeve  —  Floundering in his attempts to wield political power while lacking a political office, Donald Trump looks increasingly like a stray orange hair to be flicked off the nation's sleeve.

I've tried to reach Ukrainian snipers I met before the invasion.  One message came back: ‘It is war here.’  —  NEVELSKE, Ukraine — A silhouette stood out for just a moment, which was plenty of time for Dancer to ready his aim.  He squeezed the trigger, and the pixelated human figure …

Yes, We Can Live Without Russian Oil  —  This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, an oil shock of Bloomberg Opinion's opinions.  Sign up here.  —  Today's Agenda  — We can live without Russian oil.  — Russia's economy wasn't in great shape to begin with.  — There are few good outcomes likely in Ukraine.

Rich oligarchs with private jets may be able to evade a U.S. ban on Russian planes … Government watchdogs have repeatedly warned in recent years that the Federal Aviation Administration often lacks information about the true owners of planes even on its own registry, a gap that highlights …

Trump may have legal exposure, but the ballot box will determine his fate … Donald Trump's future is currently playing out in three venues: the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, the judicial system and the broader political arena.

China says it seeks to ‘resolve’ Taiwan question, amid comparisons to Ukraine  —  China is committed to “resolving the Taiwan question in the new era,” it said in its annual government report issued Saturday, using sharper wording than in previous such reports amid debate among foreign-policy experts …

'People's Convoy' Truckers Are Still Very Confused About Their D.C. Plans  —  Some truckers told The Daily Beast they're dead set on driving into D.C. on Saturday.  Others insisted they don't want to wreak havoc in the U.S. capital.  —  HAGERSTOWN, M.D.—Hundreds of truckers and thousands …

Ukraine President Zelenskyy requests more lethal aid during virtual meeting with US senators  —  Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held Saturday morning meeting with the full Senate  —  Senate action to help Ukraine would ‘carry a lot of weight’: Military analyst