POLITICO Playbook: ‘This retreat is cursed’  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  HEADS UP — “White House bracing for Thursday inflation report,” per CNN's Betsy Klein: “The consumer price index, a key report indicating inflation in the U.S., will be released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics at 8:30 a.m.”

Silicon Valley tech worker was the Ukrainian mom lying dead on street in brutal photo that sparked outrage  —  A Silicon Valley employee and her children are the subjects of photos so devastating that they shocked the world: A Ukrainian family lying dead on the pavement, killed by Russian mortar fire while trying to flee the conflict.

Ready to Die?  Why Most People Flunk the Zelenskyy Test.  —  In his bid for international support for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has found a good line, and he knows it.  —  “This might be the last time you see me alive,” he told European leaders in a conference call, shortly after his country was invaded.

Outside the West, Putin is less isolated than you might think  —  You're reading an excerpt from the Today's WorldView newsletter.  Sign up to get the rest, including news from around the globe, interesting ideas, and opinions to know sent to your inbox every weekday.

Garland says the Jan. 6 investigation won't end until everyone is held to account  —  On his first anniversary as attorney general, Merrick Garland said he's committed to unraveling the conspiracy behind the storming of the U.S. Capitol, in what he calls “the most urgent investigation in the history of the Justice Department.”

‘No off-ramps’: U.S. and European officials don't see a clear endgame in Ukraine … When Russia first invaded Ukraine just over two weeks ago, the near-unanimous global assumption was that it would score a quick and easy military victory over its neighbor to the west.

Subtle Shifts Raise Hopes for a Cease-fire in Ukraine  —  ISTANBUL — When President Vladimir V. Putin launched his invasion two weeks ago, he said a primary goal was the “denazification” of Ukraine.  He referred to the Ukrainian government as a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis,” making it clear that his aim was to topple it.

Inflation rose 7.9% in February, as food and energy costs push prices to highest in more than 40 years  — The consumer price index for February rose 7.9% from a year ago, the highest level since January 1982.  — Excluding food and energy, both of which moved sharply higher during the month …

Russia and QAnon have the same false conspiracy theory about Ukraine  —  New York (CNN Business)A new conspiracy theory has become popular among some of the online communities that formed around QAnon — one simultaneously being promoted by the Kremlin as a justification for its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia says China refuses to supply aircraft parts after sanctions  —  China has refused to supply Russian airlines with aircraft parts, an official at Russia's aviation authority was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying on Thursday, after Boeing (BA.N) and Airbus (AIR.PA) halted supply of components.

Abramovich and Deripaska among seven Oligarchs targeted in estimated £15bn sanction hit  —  The UK has announced sanctions against seven Oligarchs including Roman Abramovich and Oleg Deripaska. … - Owner of Chelsea FC sees his assets frozen, a prohibition on transactions with UK individuals …

NYT Reporter: CIA/NSA Sources Involved With Trump “Pee Tape” & “Leftist sh*t” At The Times  —  New York Times Reporter Discusses CIA / NSA Sources; 'Ridiculous Pee Tape Didn't Exist' ... ‘Crazier Leftist Sh*t’ Influences Reporting  • Rosenberg on infamous ...

Oligarch renounces Russian citizenship, saying ‘everything Putin touches dies’  —  TEL AVIV — Russian-Israeli oligarch Leonid Nevzlin announced Tuesday that he plans to give up his Russian passport in protest of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  —  “Everything that Putin touches dies,” Nevzlin wrote in a Facebook post.

Disney Censors Same-Sex Affection in Pixar Films, According to Letter From Employees  —  In a statement attributed to “the LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies” obtained by Variety, employees of the animation studio allege that Disney corporate executives have demanded cuts from …

Kamala Harris, Poland president insist they're ‘unified’ after public disagreement on fighter jets for Ukraine  —  Pentagon rejected Poland's plan for NATO to send MiG planes to Ukraine as too ‘high-risk’  —  VP Kamala Harris says US ready to defend NATO territory

MAGA Candidate Begs For Absolution From Dorm-Room David Duke  —  Joe Kent, a grown-ass man and candidate for Congress, humiliates himself on a livestream for teenage white nationalists.  —  Running for political office is an inherently humiliating endeavor.

White House warns Russia could use chemical weapons in Ukraine, rejects false ‘conspiracy’ of U.S. biolabs  —  The Biden administration warned Wednesday that Russia could use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, as it rejected Russia's claims that U.S. biological weapons labs are operating in the war-torn country.

Trump lawyer knew plan to delay Biden certification was unlawful, emails show  —  John Eastman conceded that scheme represented violation of Electoral Count Act but urged Mike Pence to go ahead anyway  —  Interrupting the certification of Joe Biden's election win on 6 January last year …

Ukrainian family fleeing Russian invasion turned away from U.S. border  —  A woman and her three children tried to request asylum at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, but Customs and Border Protection officials told them they couldn't come in  —  U.S. border officials in San Diego …

Why record-high gas prices won't be solved by drilling more oil in the US  —  (CNN)As US oil and gasoline prices skyrocket, politicians in both parties have called for a seemingly easy solution: Drill our way out of the problem to ease prices at the pump and supply additional energy to Europe.

Sidney “Release The Kraken” Powell Is Secretly Funding The Legal Defense Of Oath Keepers  —  As the government's prosecutions of members of the Oath Keepers — by most measures, the most significant of any to come out of the Jan. 6 insurrection — move toward trial, defense lawyers face a daunting task …

Ketanji Brown Jackson's Harvard ties raise recusal questions in Supreme Court's affirmative action case  —  Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson is expected to face sharp questions from Republican senators about whether she would sit out an upcoming case examining the role race can play …

D.C. police officer's suicide after Jan. 6 riot declared line-of-duty death  —  WASHINGTON — The death of a Washington police officer who died by suicide just days after he was assaulted during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has been ruled a line-of-duty death, a finding that makes …

EXCLUSIVE: Trump silent as Pence criticizes his Putin love affair and “Big Lie”  —  Former President Donald Trump is silent in the face of questioning about his former VP sharply criticizing his open praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, praise which he publicly proclaimed in appearances …