French intelligence chief Vidaud fired over Russian war failings  —  The head of French military intelligence, Gen Eric Vidaud, is losing his job after failing to predict Russia's war in Ukraine, reports say.  —  Seven months after he took on the role, one report said he was blamed for …

Biden Plans Record Oil Reserve Release After Failing Twice To Lower Prices  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The Biden administration is considering releasing up to 180 million barrels of oil over several months from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), four U.S. sources said on Wednesday, as the White House tries to lower fuel prices.

Justice Dept. expands Jan. 6 probe to look at rally prep, financing … The criminal investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has expanded to examine the preparations for the rally that preceded the riot, as the Justice Department aims to determine the full extent of any conspiracy …

Ivermectin is the signature example of politics trumping health  —  By April 2020, President Donald Trump, elected in part due to his pledge to challenge the Washington establishment, had tired of the pandemic advice being offered by his health experts.  He began feuding directly with Anthony S. Fauci …

'We've got to stop fooling ourselves': Enthusiasm gap keeps getting worse for Dems  —  At the end of October, Republicans held an 11-percentage-point advantage in voter enthusiasm.  By January, that margin had ticked up to 14 points.  Now, according to the most recent NBC News poll …

Concerns about Bruce Willis' declining cognitive state swirled around sets in recent years  —  Just days before Bruce Willis was scheduled to turn up on the set of one of his latest action films, the director of the project sent out an urgent request: Make the movie star's part smaller.

Daily Wire to make conservative kids' shows to rival ‘woke’ Disney  —  Ben Shapiro grew up loving Disney movies, he told his podcast listeners last week.  The conservative firebrand passed that love on to his kids by taking them to Disneyland as soon as they were old enough — 6 months of age in the Shapiro household.

A key inflation gauge sets 40-year high as gas and food soar  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — An inflation gauge that is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, with sharply higher prices for food, gasoline and other necessities squeezing Americans' finances.

Turmoil at CBS News over Trump aide Mick Mulvaney's punditry gig … CBS News's decision to hire former Trump administration official Mick Mulvaney as a paid on-air contributor is drawing backlash within the company because of his history of bashing the press and promoting the former president's fact-free claims.

“Putin's Regime Is Going to End Very Soon”: The Oligarch Jailed by Putin Speaks  —  There's no name on the front of the nondescript building in Central London's Marylebone neighborhood, known for its preponderance of medical and dental offices.  There's also no visible security at the entrance.

Pence rolls out policy platform, staking out new ground separate from Trump  —  Former Vice President Mike Pence is taking another step toward running for the White House in 2024 — and leaning into his split with former President Donald Trump.  —  Pence is releasing a 19-page policy platform …

Scoop: FEC fines DNC and Clinton for Trump dossier hoax  —  The Federal Election Commission has fined the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign for lying about the funding of the infamous, and discredited, Russian “dossier” used in a smear attempt against Donald Trump weeks …

Chris Rock Responds to Will Smith's Oscars Slap at Standup Show: 'I'm Still Kind of Processing What Happened' … What's on Chris Rock's mind?  —  It's a simple yet valid question, one that the world is wondering after Will Smith slapped the comedian on live television during the Oscars on Sunday.

There Is No Liberal World Order  —  In February 1994, in the grand ballroom of the town hall in Hamburg, Germany, the president of Estonia gave a remarkable speech.  Standing before an audience in evening dress, Lennart Meri praised the values of the democratic world that Estonia then aspired to join.