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.

12 Questions That Would Actually Tell Us Something About Ketanji Brown Jackson  —  Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will face a barrage of senatorial questions over the next two days, as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee scramble to get their moment of face time in a high-profile confirmation hearing.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

Friends beg Putin's lover Alina Kabaeva to persuade him to end the war  —  Friends of Vladimir Putin's “Eva Braun” Alina Kabaeva are begging her to go to Moscow to persuade him to end the war - as she faces expulsion from Switzerland.  —  “Alina's female friends are begging her to fly …

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:

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 …

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 …

Vulnerable Democrats eye GOP transit mask repeal  —  The chair of the House Democrats' campaign arm and some of the vulnerable members he's charged with re-electing are voicing support for a Republican-led mask mandate repeal bill. … - The backing also illustrates how Democrats …

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 …

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.

How ‘shock therapy’ created Russian oligarchs and paved the path for Putin  —  It's been a rough few weeks for Roman Abramovich.  —  The British government blocked him from entering the country and froze his assets, depriving him of a glittering collection of sports cars …

Amid War Crimes in Ukraine, American Right Wingers Are Applauding Russia  —  From Trump adviser Roger Stone to rocker Aaron Lewis, MAGAworld has unleashed a flood of praise for Putin  —  Vladimir Putin is ramping up his brutal assault on Ukraine, shelling civilians from Odessa to Kharkiv …