A Ukrainian Town Deals Russia One of the War's Most Decisive Routs  —  In the two-day battle of Voznesensk, local volunteers and the military repelled the invaders, who fled leaving behind armor and dead soldiers  —  VOZNESENSK, Ukraine—A Kalashnikov rifle slung over his shoulder …

As Russian Troop Deaths Climb, Morale Becomes an Issue, Officials Say  —  More than 7,000 Russian troops have been killed in less than three weeks of fighting, according to conservative U.S. estimates.  — Give this article- - - Read in app  —  WASHINGTON — In 36 days of fighting …

Sleep experts say Senate has it wrong: Standard time, not daylight saving, should be permanent  —  Sleep experts widely agree with the Senate that the country should abandon its twice-yearly seasonal time changes.  But they disagree on one key point: which time system should be permanent.

Hunter Biden Paid Tax Bill, but Broad Federal Investigation Continues  —  The Justice Department inquiry into the business dealings of the president's son has remained active, with a grand jury seeking information about payments from around the world.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Spain seizes another Russian yacht believed to belong to an oligarch.  —  MADRID — Spain, which has pledged to seize the suspected superyachts of Russian oligarchs targeted for sanctions imposed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, on Wednesday impounded the third such vessel …

Russia's state TV hit by stream of resignations  —  When Marina Ovsyannikova burst into Russian living rooms on Monday's nightly news, denouncing the war in Ukraine and propaganda around it, her protest highlighted a quiet but steady stream of resignations from Russia's tightly controlled state-run TV.

Biden interacted with Taoiseach before positive coronavirus test  —  President Biden interacted with Micheál Martin, the Taoiseach of Ireland, on Wednesday night, shortly before the Irish leader disclosed a positive coronavirus test, a U.S. official said.

‘Mo Brooks is disappointing’: Trump mulls pulling Alabama Senate endorsement  —  EXCLUSIVE — Former President Donald Trump is unhappy with Rep. Mo Brooks, the Republican he endorsed for Senate in Alabama, and is mulling a switch to primary rivals Katie Britt or Mike Durant.

Former WA Rep. Matt Shea, accused of domestic terrorism, working to secure adoptions for Ukrainian children in Poland  —  Former Washington state Rep. Matt Shea, the far-right Republican who was found by a House-commissioned investigation to have planned and participated in domestic terrorism …

Sacramento Democratic Congressman Vic Fazio dies at 79  —  Vic Fazio, a powerful congressman who represented the Sacramento area in Washington for 20 years and became known as a Democratic stalwart who could work with Republicans, has died.  He was 79.  —  A former state assemblyman …

‘Right in the trash’: Texas ballot rejections soar, AP finds  —  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas threw out mail votes at an abnormally high rate during the nation's first primary of 2022, rejecting nearly 23,000 ballots outright under tougher voting rules that are part of a broad campaign …

Court orders Jussie Smollett release from jail during appeal  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Jussie Smollett was ordered released from jail Wednesday by an appeals court that agreed with his lawyers that he should be free pending the appeal of his conviction for lying to Chicago police about a racist and homophobic attack.

Ohio Supreme Court rejects statehouse maps, ending hopes of full May primary  —  The Ohio Supreme Court struck down the third set of state House and Senate maps late Wednesday, effectively ending any hope of a May 3rd primary with both legislative and statewide races.

The Real Jeff Shell-Keith Olbermann Saga  —  Behind the scenes, Olbermann has been privately jonesing to rejoin MSNBC for years, reaching out directly to Jeff Shell repeatedly.  The whole situation simply manifests how bizarre things have gotten at the soon-to-be former House of Maddow.

GOP senator gives trucker protesters a Capitol tour  —  Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) gave truckers in the so-called “People's Convoy” a tour of the Capitol last week — even as the building remains mostly closed to the public.  —  A senior congressional aide alerted the Department of Justice …

Ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo considers running against Kathy Hochul despite opposition from his own party  — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been fielding calls from supporters about a possible campaign against his replacement and fellow Democrat, Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Hundreds of Yale Law Students Disrupt Bipartisan Free Speech Event  —  More than 100 students at Yale Law School attempted to shout down a bipartisan panel on civil liberties, intimidating attendees and causing so much chaos that police were eventually called to escort panelists out of the building.

Idaho's New Anti-Abortion Law Offers Cash Bounties to Rapists' Family Members  —  The slow impending death of Roe v. Wade at the hands of the Supreme Court has encouraged red states to experiment with different approaches to tormenting abortion patients.  In the months since it became clear …

‘The Era of the Foreign Correspondent Is Over’: Justin Smith on His Media Start-Up  —  The former Bloomberg Media C.E.O. offered new details on the venture he is starting with the journalist Ben Smith.  — Give this article- - - Read in app  —  It will be named for a word that is the same in dozens of languages.

Outmatched in military might, Ukraine has excelled in the information war  —  When President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking to U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday, aired a video documenting the human toll of Russia's assault on Ukraine, the images were so graphic they prompted an apology from a cable news anchor …

DOJ wants prison time for rioter who said she would ‘absolutely’ storm Capitol again  —  WASHINGTON — A Texas flower shop owner who bragged about storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and said she'd “absolutely” do it again should be sentenced to 75 days behind bars, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Exclusive: Secret CIA training program in Ukraine helped Kyiv prepare for Russian invasion  —  Ukrainian snipers had a problem: Russian forces in eastern Ukraine were trying to blind them.  —  As the Ukrainians were looking through their scopes in order to find their targets …

Kamala's comms reset  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice.  —  Vice President KAMALA HARRIS' press shop overhaul is almost complete.  —  After months filled with tough headlines …