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.”

U.S. inflation soared 7.9 percent in past year, a fresh 40-year high  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Propelled by surging costs for gas, food and housing, consumer inflation jumped 7.9 percent over the past year, the sharpest spike since 1982 and likely only a harbinger of even higher prices to come.

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.

‘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.

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.”

Someone needs to explain why there are dangerous biological weapons in Ukraine  —  The Pentagon is lying about this - why?  —  Tucker: The Pentagon is lying about bio labs in Ukraine  —  If you had told us just four days ago that the Biden administration was funding secret bio labs …

Sen. Cruz rides with 'People's Convoy' truck to D.C. as Beltway protest enters fourth day … Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) visited the “People's Convoy” at the Hagerstown Speedway on Thursday and rode shotgun in the lead truck, with plans for the vehicle to head into to D.C. for a news conference …

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 …

“Infamy Is Kind Of Fun”: Grimes on Music, Mars, and Her Secret New Baby With Elon Musk  —  So I show up at Grimes's house on a Tuesday afternoon.  Grimes's real name is Claire Boucher, and she answers to Grimes or Claire, or even better, c, as in the speed of light.

‘No light.  No nothing.’ Inside Louisiana's harshest juvenile lockup  —  This article was published in partnership with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power, and The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system.

Nikki Haley's Hypocrisy and Faux Outrage Over Ukraine  —  The wannabe GOP presidential candidate's foolish, self-serving, and pernicious remarks about Putin's invasion.  —  Nikki Haley smells an opportunity.  Donald Trump's U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is getting ready to run …

MedStar doctor hit by his own car and killed after a thief jumped in and sped off … Rakesh Patel pulled his gray Mercedes to a curb near Florida Avenue and U Street in Northwest Washington on Tuesday night, got out and walked over to his waiting girlfriend.  —  He had a package for her, and he set it on the sidewalk.

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 ...

Murkowski on tough Supreme Court choice: ‘This is a different game’  —  Last year, Sen. Lisa Murkowski was one of just three Republicans who voted to elevate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the second most important court in the country.  Now, in the middle of an election year …

Tennessee Republicans revolt against Trump's outsider pick for House seat  —  When Morgan Ortagus announced her bid for a House seat in Tennessee last month, she did so with former President Donald Trump's “complete and total endorsement” — a surefire way for a GOP candidate to quickly become competitive in a crowded field.

Shot down: How Biden scuttled the deal to get MiGs to Ukraine  —  A three-way fighter-jet deal to bolster Ukraine's defenses against Russia is dead — just five days after the White House first revealed an openness to making it work.  —  With Kyiv begging U.S. officials for more military support …

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.

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.

Woman sues Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, says he is her father, court documents say  —  The lawsuit said Jones and the woman's mother had reached a settlement that barred the child from publicly identifying that Jones is her father.  —  A 25-year-old congressional aide who grew …

DCCC Announces Changes To Its 2022 House Battlefield, Names First-Round Of Candidates To Coveted Red To Blue List  —  Today, the DCCC announced additions to its battle-tested Frontline Program, designed to support members of Congress in competitive seats, and changes to its Districts In Play …

Gerhard Schröder in Moscow to meet Putin in Ukraine peace bid  —  Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is in Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday as part of a mediation effort to end the war in Ukraine, people familiar with the matter told POLITICO.

MAGA Candidate Begs For Absolution From Dorm-Room David Duke  —  Running for political office is an inherently humiliating endeavor.  Among other indignities, candidates are forced to grovel for money, both in high-dollar denominations from country-club assholes who think they're masters …

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 …