Inside Ted Cruz's last-ditch battle to keep Trump in power … Sen. Ted Cruz was dining near the Capitol on the evening of Dec. 8, 2020, when he received an urgent call from President Donald Trump.  A lawsuit had just been filed at the Supreme Court designed to overturn the election Trump had lost …

Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian Peace Negotiators Suffer Symptoms of Suspected Poisoning  —  The Russian oligarch and others developed symptoms they blamed on hard-liners in Moscow who they say want to sabotage talks to end the war  —  Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace …

Poll: Americans want tougher sanctions on Russia over Ukraine invasion  —  A majority of Americans believe President Biden has not been “tough enough” on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine but are concerned about the U.S. being drawn into an all-out war with Russia, according to a poll published …

Novaya Gazeta, the hard-hitting Russian newspaper, suspends publication.  —  President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted that he would not cede sovereignty to Russia, as the two sides prepared to meet in person for the first time in weeks.  Large explosions were reported near Kyiv early Monday.

Chris Wallace's stark admission about Tucker Carlson shames Fox News  —  When Chris Wallace resigned from Fox News last December, media observers correctly diagnosed the move's real meaning: This stripped away one of the last fig leaves disguising Fox's increasing role as a propaganda operation on Donald Trump's behalf.

Biden requests $813B for national defense  —  The White House asked Congress for $813 billion for national defense on Monday — including $773 billion for the Pentagon, or $30 billion more than approved by Congress for this year.  —  The full details of the plan will be released Monday afternoon …

The Revenge of the Normal Republicans  —  HELOTES, Texas—Last spring, having just retired from Congress, Will Hurd was feeling adrift.  He had agreed to write a book, telling his remarkable life story and diagnosing a malfunctioning political system, all while teasing out a run for the presidency in 2024 …

Why Trump Says He ‘Just Might Have to’ Run Again  —  He doesn't want to be remembered as a loser, sure—but he also fears prosecution.  —  At a rally on Saturday in Commerce, Georgia, Donald Trump all but announced his 2024 run for president as he lobbed more verbal missiles …

First look: Biden to ask Congress to fund the police  —  President Biden will propose more than $32 billion in new spending to fight crime, two White House officials familiar with his 2023 budget plans tells Axios, putting a price tag on his State of the Union call to fund — not defund — the police.

Prosecutors Advance Tax Probe of Hunter Biden  —  Grand jury heard witness in February about past drug use, spending habits of president's son  —  A federal tax investigation into Hunter Biden is gaining momentum as prosecutors gather information from several of his associates about the sources …

Putin shouldn't remain in power.  Biden's advisers blew it.  —  No civilized person thinks it's a good thing that Russian President Vladimir Putin — widely and correctly regarded as a war criminal and the architect of a unjustifiable war of aggression — leads a nuclear-armed country.

For red and blue America, a glaring divide in COVID-19 death rates persists 2 years later  —  Post-vaccine, death rates in red states were 38% higher than in blue states.  —  Political polarization in the U.S. was evident and intensifying long before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, two years ago.

Hochul Has Commanding Lead Over Williams & Suozzi with Dems; With Cuomo in Race, Hochul Leads 38-30%, Other Two Way Behind  — 56% of Voters Say Bail Reform Law Has Been Bad for NY; 64% Say it Has Resulted in Crime Increase; 82% Say Give Judges More Discretion; 56% Concerned Discretion Will Result in Poor Being Unjustly Incarcerated

Donald Trump just can't stop praising Vladimir Putin  —  When someone tells you who they are, believe them the first time.  Or in the case of Donald Trump, the 10th time.  —  At a campaign rally in Georgia over the weekend, the former President, again, praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.

War with Russia?  Finland has a plan for that  —  For decades, the country has harnessed every level of society to prepare for the possibility of conflict with its neighbour  —  If the worst fears of Europe are realised and the conflict in Ukraine spreads across the continent to other neighbours of Russia, then Finland will be ready.