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:

Why the MAGA Movement Loves Putin  —  The Far Right's adulation for Putin is closer to mainstream GOP thinking than many would have you believe.  —  It says everything about the modern Republican Party that in the days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it wasn't clear whose side the GOP would be on.

Omicron Subvariant Takes Hold in U.S. as New York Cases Tick Up  —  More than a third of last week's U.S. Covid-19 cases were caused by the omicron BA.2 subvariant, a notable increase from just a week earlier when predictions were at just under one-quarter, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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 …

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 …

Disney employees plan walkout to demand action against 'Don't Say Gay' bill  —  Some employees have been walking out for 15 minutes each day for the past week.  —  LGBTQ workers and employee allies at The Walt Disney Company are planning to stage a walkout in protest of Florida's Parental Rights …

In Kharkiv's Rubble, Hatred for Russia Is Strong  —  Once an admirer, citizens have now nothing but contempt and worse for the invaders  —  “Russian terrorists did this. ...  And my father is Russian, from Belgorod!”  Galina, a 63-year-old cashier, says as she pulls her belongings from the wreckage of what used to be her apartment.

School apologizes after teacher leads California preschoolers in anti-Biden chant  —  NORCO, Calif. — A Southern California private school apologized to parents after a teacher shared a video last month of her leading preschool students in a chant denouncing President Joe Biden.

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 …

Alcohol-Related Deaths Spiked During the Pandemic, a Study Shows  —  The deaths were up 25 percent in 2020 compared with 2019, amid heightened stress factors and delayed treatment, according to a new report.  —  Almost a million people in the United States have died of Covid-19 in the past two years …

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 …

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 …

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 press secretary Jen Psaki tests positive for COVID for second time  —  White House press secretary Jen Psaki has been benched from a second foreign trip in a row after testing positive for COVID-19.  —  Psaki had two two socially-distanced meetings with President Joe Biden …

First convicted Jan. 6 rioter requests new trial  —  The first Jan. 6 rioter to be convicted by a jury has requested a federal judge for a new trial, seeking acquittal on all five charges.  —  Attorneys for Guy Wesley Reffitt submitted filings for a new trial on Monday …

Democrats circulate plan for changing 2024 nomination calendar, moving against Iowa and welcoming new early states  —  Democratic Party officials circulated plans Monday for a 2024 presidential nominating calendar that would select up to five states to hold contests before March based upon …

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.”

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.

Ukraine Must Win  —  Ukrainians and the world's democratic powers must work toward the only acceptable endgame.  —  About the author: Anne Applebaum is a staff writer at The Atlantic, a fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, and the author of Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism.