Russia Set to Ban Commodity Exports Following Western Sanctions  —  President Putin's decree didn't specify which commodities and countries would be subjected to the export ban  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin is banning exports of certain commodities and raw materials, according to a decree issued Tuesday evening in Moscow.

Saudi, Emirati Leaders Decline Calls With Biden During Ukraine Crisis  —  Persian Gulf monarchies have signaled they won't help ease surging oil prices unless Washington supports them in Yemen, elsewhere  —  The White House unsuccessfully tried to arrange calls between President Biden …

Trump's man in North Carolina struggles in Senate primary  —  Donald Trump's pick in North Carolina's contentious Republican Senate primary is struggling to gain traction, raising concerns among his powerful backers about his prospects in a race that is key to control of the Senate.

Endurance, Ernest Shackleton's Ship, Lost in 1915, Is Found in Antarctica  —  Explorers and researchers, battling freezing temperatures, have located Endurance, Ernest Shackleton's ship that sank in the Antarctic in 1915.  —  The wreck of Endurance has been found in the Antarctic …

Cardiff Philharmonic removes Tchaikovsky from programme in light of Russian invasion of Ukraine  —  The orchestra had an all-Tchaikovsky concert scheduled for next week, but has decided to change the programme having deemed it to be ‘inappropriate’ at this time

Giant spiders expected to drop from sky across the East Coast this spring  —  An invasive species of spider the size of a child's hand is expected to “colonize” the entire East Coast this spring by parachuting down from the sky, researchers at the University of Georgia announced last week.

Do Covid Precautions Work?  —  Yes, but they haven't made a big difference.  —  Daily life in red and blue America has continued to be quite different over the past few months.  It's a reflection of the partisan divide over Covid-19.  Consider:  — In the country's most liberal cities, many people are still avoiding restaurants.

Thank God Trump Isn't President Right Now  —  Biden isn't perfect, but he beats the alternative.  —  Joe Biden is not a very good president.  His communication skills are subpar, e.g. when he found himself praising the “Iranian” instead of the Ukrainian people in his State of the Union speech.

Mark Meadows Spread Trump's Voter Fraud Claims.  Now His Voting Record Is Under Scrutiny.  —  The former Trump aide listed a mobile home in rural North Carolina as his residence at the same time that he was running operations at the White House.  —  Mark Meadows, the White House chief …

Iconic U.S. brands Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonald's and Starbucks suspend business in Russia  — PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Starbucks each said Tuesday they are suspending business in Russia after that country's invasion of Ukraine.  — It's a symbolic move by the iconic U.S. brands …

Israeli officials say Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks at critical point  —  The ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine are at a critical juncture, Israeli officials said today. … - Israeli officials said they hope these are signs that more progress toward a diplomatic solution might be possible.

DC ‘freedom convoy’ gets defeated by regular traffic for second day in a row  —  Some vehicles of convoy broke down while others were separated from each other  —  Trucker convoy protest in Washington DC fails as no-one shows up  —  An American truckers' rally inspired by the self-styled …

Why Isn't Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story in the Country?  —  The second-best player in every sport is a superstar at a level that 99.999 percent of professional athletes — who are already the elite of the elite of the elite — will never come close to achieving.

GOP pushes for an ‘earthquake in American electoral power’  —  A legal argument lurking in two Supreme Court cases could give Republican legislators in battleground states sweeping control over election procedures, with ramifications that could include power over how states select presidential electors.

Bill banning textbooks that ‘support’ LGBTQ issues advances  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — House Republicans in Tennessee advanced legislation on Tuesday that would ban public schools from using textbooks or materials that “promote, normalize, support or address LGBT issues or lifestyles.”

Disney CEO addresses silence on Florida 'Don't Say Gay' bill  —  “I firmly believe that our ability to tell such stories — and have them received with open eyes, ears, and hearts — would be diminished if our company were to become a political football in any debate.”  —  Story at a glance

Russian Agent Maria Butina Tells BBC Ukrainians Are Killing Themselves  —  ‘HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?’  —  Free press may be silenced in Russia, but that has not stopped Vladimir Putin's minions from defending him to media outlets outside the country.  On Thursday, convicted Russian agent …

Graham signals he's a likely no on Biden SCOTUS pick  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), an influential Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is signaling he's leaning toward voting “no” on President Biden's nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court …

The hidden billion-dollar cost of repeated police misconduct  —  More than $1.5 billion has been spent to settle claims of police misconduct involving thousands of officers repeatedly accused of wrongdoing.  Taxpayers are often in the dark.  —  About 8:30 one Thursday evening in Detroit …