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 …

Jeff Zients to Leave as Biden's Covid Czar and Be Replaced by Ashish Jha  —  The choice of Dr. Jha, an outspoken public health expert, is a sign that the White House believes the country is entering a new phase of the pandemic.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

POLITICO Playbook: Scoop: RNC down to two 2024 convention finalists  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  ZELENSKYY'S APPEAL FALLS SHORT (FOR NOW) — No one was surprised by the request: a no-fly zone — and if not that, then access to those Soviet-style fighter jets in Poland that could help them “close the sky.”

Trump White House aide was secret author of report used to push ‘big lie’  —  Report on Dominion voting machines produced after 2020 election was not the work of volunteer in Trump's post-election legal team  —  Weeks after the 2020 election, at least one Trump White House aide was named …

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

With legislation languishing and midterms approaching, Democratic lawmakers pressure Biden to issue executive orders  —  Liberal House Democrats realized late last year that many of their policy ideas for improving the lives of Americans had little chance of passing through the party's narrow majorities …

Russia says it made a payment to avoid default  —  New York (CNN Business)Russia says it has ordered the $117 million in interest payments it owes Wednesday to be sent to investors, attempting to avoid its first international default in more than a century.  But it's not out of the woods yet.

Chris Cuomo blasts CNN for ‘selectively enforcing’ its rules, points to Lemon, Tapper, Toobin controversies  —  The ex-anchor slammed CNN's ‘long-established pattern’ of policy ‘exceptions’ in his $125M arbitration demand  —  Chris Cuomo goes after Don Lemon for CNN cash

Broke Oligarch Says Sanctioned Billionaires Have No Sway Over Putin  —  When I first called Mikhail Fridman to ask if he would talk about what it's like to be sanctioned, he all but hung up on me.  A couple of days later, he said he still didn't think it was a good idea.

Brittney Griner's detention extended until May, Russian news agency says  —  American basketball star Brittney Griner's detention in Russia has been extended until May, Russian state news agency TASS reported, citing the Khimki Court of the Moscow Region.  —  “The court granted the petition …

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 …

This Week In the Mayonnaise Clinic: Actually, Changing the Clocks Is Good  —  Plus, why Los Angeles is awesome.  —  Dear readers,  —  As you may have seen, the US Senate agreed by unanimous consent on Tuesday to abolish standard time and keep clocks on daylight saving time all year.

Living in red America can be life-threatening  —  It should come as no surprise that the highest rates for covid-19 deaths and murders are found mainly in red states.  A political mind-set that prioritizes racial resentment, anti-science zealotry and manufactured cultural wedge issues …

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.

New federal ventilation guidelines mark next step in fight against COVID  —  It's the first time such a standard has been created at the national level.  —  The Biden administration will announce new building ventilation standards for schools and businesses on Thursday …

Irish Taoiseach abruptly leaves DC gala attended by Biden after testing positive for Covid-19  —  Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, left, talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a gala at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, Wednesday.  Martin left the event after testing positive for Covid-19.

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 …

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.

Hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett marches out of prison after serving just six days of 150-day sentence: Actor is released on $150,000 bond following order from appeals court  — Disgraced ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett was released from jail at 8pm local time on Wednesday after serving just six days of his 150-day sentence

UK to clamp down on libel ‘lawfare’ by the rich in English courts  —  Claimants will have to prove malice, as government seeks to curb ‘Slapps’ that use wealth to deter scrutiny  —  Ministers have set out plans to cap the costs of libel lawsuits and force claimants to prove “actual malice” …

The Ukraine Speech Biden Should Give Now  —  Americans want and need to hear from the president. … My fellow Americans, our country has been through several tough years.  The pandemic was a severe blow.  But even more serious than the disease was the fraying of our national spirit.

Trump Reveals What Kept Putin From Invading Ukraine During His Presidency  —  And why Biden has done more damage than “the 5 worst presidents in American history.”  —  Nothing is more controversial about Donald Trump than his personality; even many people who supported his policies and believe …

Stop buying from these companies.  They're funding Putin's war.  —  In his gut-wrenching address to Congress, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked the United States for more — and more he will get.  —  U.S. leaders across the spectrum saluted Zelensky after he spoke to them Wednesday …

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.