The Smaller Bombs That Could Turn Ukraine Into a Nuclear War Zone  —  In destructive power, the behemoths of the Cold War dwarfed the American atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.  Washington's biggest test blast was 1,000 times as large.  Moscow's was 3,000 times.

Important questions for KBJ … This week, Biden's Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson will be questioned before the Senate.  Concerning questions have been raised about her record and her judicial philosophy.  —  Here are just a few that Americans need answers to:

POLITICO Playbook: Friction between Harris and Biden camps revealed in new book  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  The White House has worked hard to project a united front between President JOE BIDEN and VP KAMALA HARRIS and their respective teams.  —  But the upcoming book “This Will Not Pass …

Kid Rock says Donald Trump sought his advice on North Korea and Islamic State  —  Musician, who visited White House in 2017 with Ted Nugent and Sarah Palin, said I'm like, ‘Am I supposed to be in on this shit?’  —  The rapper Kid Rock said Donald Trump once asked him for advice about US policy on Islamic State and North Korea.

GOP Indiana governor vetoes transgender girls sports ban  —  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana's governor on Monday vetoed a bill banning transgender females from participating in girls school sports.  —  Opponents of the transgender sports bill argued it was a bigoted response to a problem that doesn't exist …

Search for Russian Oligarch Wealth Hits a Wall in SF, Thanks to City's Disregard for Public Records Laws  —  As governments scour the earth for Russian oligarchs' yachts, mansions and bank accounts in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, a global network of news publications today released …

Porn star Stormy Daniels loses appeal in Trump case, owes former president almost $300,000  — Porn star Stormy Daniels must pay ex-President Donald Trump nearly $300,000 in attorneys' fees, a federal appeals court said in a ruling upholding a judge's order in her failed defamation lawsuit.

Wage increases are not keeping up with inflation  —  U.S. wages are increasing, but not nearly enough to keep up with the soaring cost of gasoline and rent, according to a new analysis by the Urban Institute. … - Higher prices for gas and rent are shrinking these families' budgets for other daily needs, like food.

White House officials say U.S. has exhausted funds to buy potential fourth vaccine dose for all Americans … The Biden administration lacks the funds to purchase a potential fourth coronavirus vaccine dose for everyone, even as other countries place their own orders and potentially move ahead …

Covid Tests Show the Omicron BA.2 Subvariant Is Gaining Ground in U.S.  —  The omicron subvariant BA.2 is continuing to gain ground in the U.S., according to Covid-19 tests sequenced over the last two weeks.  —  Helix, a San Diego-based genomics firm, has been watching the BA.2 variant since …

The Rise of the Tucker Carlson Politician  —  Two Republican Senate candidates field-test a new message honed in the cable-news studio.  —  There are legal rules that govern political ads — say, the one that requires federal candidates to appear onscreen and “approve this message” — and then there are aesthetic rules.

Bill Barr says Joe Biden lied to Americans about Hunter Biden laptop: ‘I was very disturbed’  —  Barr had previously refused to speak with Trump about Hunter Biden.  —  Bill Barr says Biden lied to the American people about Hunter Biden laptop  —  Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr appeared on …

Koch Industries, Built on Oil, Bets Big on U.S. Batteries  —  CEO Charles Koch has fought climate regulation; his company is now spreading investments across the U.S. battery supply chain  —  Koch Industries Inc., the energy-based conglomerate whose CEO long opposed environmental regulation …

Tenn. ‘divisive concept’ bill targeting colleges advances  —  Republican lawmakers in Tennessee are nearing final passage of legislation allowing students and staffers to sue public colleges and universities if they feel they've been unfairly punished for not accepting “divisive concepts.”

Navalny sentenced to 9 years in prison by Russian court  —  MOSCOW (AP) — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was convicted of fraud and contempt of court and sentenced to nine years in a maximum security prison on Tuesday, in a trial Kremlin critics see as an attempt …

Inside the making of Greg Bluestein's book “Flipped”  —  Tuesday is book release day for the AJC's Political Insider Greg Bluestein.  In this special episode of the Politically Georgia podcast, Greg and Patricia Murphy go behind the scenes and discuss the making of his new book “Flipped …

World's Dullest Editorial Launches Panic  —  In an inane sequel to the Harper's Letter fiasco, a New York Times editorial ignites a fury proving its anodyne thesis  —  The New York Times ran a tepid house editorial in favor of free speech last week.  A sober reaction:

Accountability to others is the price of freedom for ourselves.  But too many Americans want democracy on the cheap  —  Henry David Thoreau, Jane Addams, Martin Luther King Jr and Audre Lorde knew that shared problems demand shared responsibility.  —  Anne Tyler, the American novelist …

Ted Cruz's Latest Troll?  Turning His Campaign Into a Super PAC  —  Ted Cruz has found a novel approach to supporting candidates. … Federal law says candidates can only give other candidates $2,000 per election.  But Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)—in classic Cruz fashion—may have found a loophole.