U.S. and U.K. Move to Ban on U.S. Import of Russian Oil Today  —  The U.S. and the U.K. will impose a ban on imports of Russian energy on Tuesday without the participation of European allies, according to people familiar with the matter.  —  The U.S. ban will include Russian oil …

As Russia's Military Stumbles, Its Adversaries Take Note  —  President Vladimir Putin could still reduce cities in Ukraine to rubble, officials say.  But European countries that once feared Russia say they are not so scared anymore.  —  CONSTANTA, Romania — When it comes to war, generals say that “mass matters.”

Socialists' Response to War in Ukraine Has Put Some Democrats on Edge  —  The Democratic Socialists of America's view that U.S. “imperialist expansionism” through NATO fueled Russia's invasion has created challenges for politicians aligned with the group.  —  Not long after Russia invaded Ukraine …

How Did This Many Deaths Become Normal?  —  The United States reported more deaths from COVID-19 last Friday than deaths from Hurricane Katrina, more on any two recent weekdays than deaths during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, more last month than deaths from flu in a bad season …

Shell won't buy any more Russian oil and gas  —  London CNN Business —  Russia is finding it ever harder to sell its oil and gas.  —  Shell (RDSA)said Tuesday it was breaking completely with Russia's giant energy industry, halting all purchases of Russian crude oil immediately and shutting its service stations in the country.

Clarence Thomas' Strange Pick to Promote His Book Says It All  —  Right-wing judicial activist Leonard Leo has been exerting influence over the Supreme Court for three decades.  So why is Clarence Thomas hiring Leo's firm to do public relations?  —  When Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas …

Arizona lawmaker speaks to white nationalists, calls for violence — and sets fundraising records … Midway through a white nationalist's conference in Orlando last month, one speaker drew applause calling for gruesome violence against “traitors” after excoriating critics of the “honorable” …

Former NC congressman registered to vote in home where he purportedly never stayed  —  RALEIGH, N.C. — Former U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, one of North Carolina's most prominent political figures, is registered to vote using the address of a mobile home in which the former property owner says the Republican never lived.

POLITICO Playbook: EXCLUSIVE: ‘Limited’ no-fly zone gains steam among foreign policy elite  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  This morning we have a pair of significant Ukraine-related exclusives.  — The first is a letter signed by more than two dozen of the nation's top foreign policy minds calling for a partial no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Two Days of Russian News Coverage: An Alternate Reality of War  —  To watch news broadcasts of the fighting in Ukraine on the main state channels in Russia is to witness the extent of the Kremlin's efforts to sanitize its war.  —  At a televised gathering with female pilots and crew members from Aeroflot …

The new silent majority: People who don't tweet  —  Most people you meet in everyday life — at work, in the neighborhood — are decent and normal.  Even nice.  But hit Twitter or watch the news, and you'd think we were all nuts and nasty. … We dug into the data and found that, in fact …

Iran Chief Negotiator Unexpectedly Leaves Vienna as Nuclear Talks Hit Standstill  —  Ali Bagheri-Kani says he will return to the negotiations soon, but Western diplomats warn the talks could fail  —  VIENNA—Iran's chief negotiator at the nuclear talks in Vienna unexpectedly returned home Monday night …

Congress Gives Final Approval to Make Lynching a Hate Crime  —  The bill's unanimous passage in the Senate ended more than a century of failed attempts to explicitly criminalize lynching.  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate unanimously approved a bill that would make lynching a federal hate crime …

A 459-Foot Mystery in a Tuscan Port: Is It a Russian's Superyacht?  —  As European authorities seize the luxury assets of oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin, a superyacht cloaked in secrecy has come under investigation.  —  From Germany's North Sea ports to the French Riviera, open season has been declared on superyachts.

Beijing is re-writing the Ukraine narrative  —  The Chinese government is scrubbing the country's internet of sympathetic or accurate coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and systematically amplifying pro-Putin talking points. … - Online comments expressing sympathy for Ukraine have been deleted …

Millions of Palm-Sized, Flying Spiders Could Invade the East Coast  —  A huge invasive spider that invaded Georgia from East Asia could soon take over most of the U.S. East Coast, a new study has revealed.  —  New research, published Feb. 17 in the journal Physiological Entomology …