Missiles target US consulate in north Iraq, no casualties  —  BAGHDAD (AP) — As many as 12 missiles were fired Sunday toward the U.S. consulate in Iraq's northern city of Irbil, Iraqi security officials said.  A U.S. defense official said missiles had been launched at the city from neighboring Iran.

Kidnapping of Ukrainian Mayor in Melitopol Met With a Show of Resistance  —  The 33-year-old mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fyodorov, encouraged defiance.  Then he was arrested, and hasn't been heard from since.  —  LVIV, Ukraine — Ivan Fyodorov, as his name suggests, is an ethnic Russian …

Police investigated ‘unlawful entry’ onto property of White House national security aide … Law enforcement officials have been investigating an incident in which someone accessed the property of a top White House official working on U.S. sanctions against Russia, according to a police report and people familiar with the matter.

Justice Thomas slams cancel culture, ‘packing’ Supreme Court  —  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said he's concerned efforts to politicize the court or add additional justices may erode the institution's credibility, speaking Friday in Utah at an event hosted …

Bodies of Russian Soldiers Filling Up Belarusian Morgues, Residents Say  —  The bodies of Russian soldiers killed in battle in Ukraine are filling up morgues in Belarus, local residents told RFE/RL.  —  Russian soldiers killed in battle are being brought by truck to the morgues and then sent …

HALLELUJAH!  —  The women of America just won a major decision in Federal Court!  —  All of us don't have to be afraid to speak up, to protest against mistreatment, abuse, or worse.  And didn't we already know—three weeks ago!—that the best civil rights attorney in the world—Robbie Kaplan …

Living in a Florida we no longer recognize  —  TALLAHASSEE — Elections police.  Thought police.  Censoring teachers.  Banning books — then cynically calling it parental involvement.  —  Welcome to America's culture war capital.  —  This is no longer the Florida where you chose to go to college, launch a new career or retire.

A Jewish girl was saved by a Ukrainian family during World War II.  Now her grandchildren are returning the favor.  —  Cousins and Ukrainian refugees Lesia Orshoko and Alona Chugai are among the millions who are running for their lives as Russian forces invade their country.

Democratic campaign chair Sean Patrick Maloney faces toughest job in politics … PHILADELPHIA — Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) has spent years preparing to helm the Democratic political operation.  —  Maloney led an investigation into the disappointing 2016 campaign.

$200 Million in New Security Assistance for Ukraine  —  The people of Ukraine are inspiring the world as they defend their country from Russia's premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified invasion of their country.  The United States and our Allies and partners stand in solidarity with the people …

Saudi Arabia executes 81 men in 24 hours  —  Officials say those executed were convicted of charges including terrorism and holding ‘deviant beliefs’  —  Saudi Arabia has executed 81 men over the past 24 hours, including seven Yemenis and one Syrian national, on charges including terrorism and holding …

Kremlin arrests FSB chiefs in fallout from Ukraine chaos … A Russian spy chief is said to have been placed under house arrest in a sign that President Putin is seeking to blame the security services for the stalled invasion of Ukraine.  —  Sergey Beseda, head of the FSB's foreign intelligence branch …

At Least 9 Reported Killed, Dozens Injured in Military Base Attack  —  Dozens more were injured after missiles hit a base used to ferry weapons and train foreign fighters.  Russia had warned that arms shipments were “legitimate targets.”  —  Here are the latest developments in Ukraine.

AP video shows tank and sniper fire in besieged Mariupol  —  MARIUPOL, Ukraine (AP) — A tank emblazoned with a giant Z backs up clumsily in the besieged city of Mariupol, crashing into destroyed buses before letting loose a shell.  Ukrainian fighters later destroyed it, notching up one small victory.

The Things I'm Afraid to Write About  —  One evening, I sat on the brown-leather couch of a younger man who admired me for my writing, and maybe other things, if the salty text messages were true.  He came from a different generation, but I was pleased to discover that he shared …

Did masks really help slow COVID-19 spread in schools?  Study says ...  SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — Some skeptical parents and anti-mask advocacy groups questioned the necessity of forcing students and teachers to wear masks for the majority of the 2021-22 school year.

Police: Woman stabbed date in revenge of Iranian's killing  —  HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — A woman stabbed her date whom she had met online in retaliation for the 2020 death of an Iranian military leader killed in an American drone strike, police said.  —  Nika Nikoubin, 21 …

O'Rourke calls Abbott a “thug” and an “authoritarian” who's “got his own oligarch here in the state of Texas”  —  The Democratic nominee for governor slammed the Republican incumbent in harsh terms, presaging a bitter lead-up to an election nearly eight months away.  —  Copy link

A Back-Channel to Vladimir Putin?  —  Letters exclusively obtained by Byline Times, between Boris Johnson and Evgeny Lebedev, shed new light on how the son of a Russian oligarch and former KGB officer built such a close relationship with Britain's Prime Minister