Biden escalates fight over Social Security and Medicare, frustrating Republicans  —  WASHINGTON — After President Joe Biden pummeled Republicans on Social Security and Medicare during his State of the Union address, drawing shouts of outrage from the party, Republican leaders urged …

Pentagon memo says object shot down over Canada was a ‘small, metallic balloon’  —  The unidentified flying object shot down in Canadian airspace on Saturday appeared to be a “small, metallic balloon with a tethered payload below it,” according to a Pentagon memo sent to lawmakers on Monday and obtained by CNN.

Politically connected interim president of New College gets $699,000 salary plus perks  —  The newly remade board of trustees at New College of Florida voted Monday to give the Sarasota school's interim President Richard Corcoran a pay bump of nearly $400,000 over his predecessor.

Twitter is just showing everyone all of Elon's tweets now … For many of us, Twitter's “For You” is full of tweets and replies to tweets from Elon Musk.  Not everyone is getting the Elon-first feed, but on Monday afternoon, more than a few people noticed something was different.

Lindsey Graham's legal expense fund pumped full of cash by nine Republican lawmaker friends  —  Forced to testify before a grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) got some significant financial help from some of his U.S. Senate friends.

Teen girls ‘engulfed’ in violence and trauma, CDC finds  —  Teen girls across the United States are “engulfed in a growing wave of violence and trauma,” according to federal researchers who released data Monday showing increases in rape and sexual violence, as well as record levels of feeling sad or hopeless.

The Hunter Biden laptop and claims of ‘Russian disinfo’  —  DONALD TRUMP: “It's the laptop from hell ...” … — exchange during the final presidential debate, Oct. 22, 2020 … — exchange on 60 Minutes, Oct. 25, 2020  —  About a month before the 2020 presidential election …

Life after the Ohio Train Derailment: Trouble Breathing, Dying Animals, and Saying Goodbye  —  On February 3, a devastating 150-car train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, leaked noxious chemicals like carcinogenic vinyl chloride into the surrounding air, soil, and water.

Kevin McCarthy leans on ‘five families’ as House GOP plots debt-limit tactics  —  The White House and Senate Democrats have calculated that Speaker Kevin McCarthy won't have enough votes to raise the national borrowing limit and will end up caving to their demands to avoid a first-ever debt default …

What Was Kyrie Irving Thinking? … Last fall, September 11 fell on a Sunday, and Kyrie Irving spent much of it at home in West Orange, New Jersey, playing video games.  It was rainy and quiet, and his life was uncharacteristically lacking in drama.  Irving had won an epic standoff …

Biden fires Architect of the Capitol after calls for his resignation  —  President Joe Biden fired the Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton's on Monday following allegations that he misused government resources and was not physically present on the Capitol grounds during the January 6 …

Reporter's dismissal exposes political pressures on West Virginia Public Broadcasting  —  Late last fall, West Virginia Public Broadcasting's Amelia Ferrell Knisely reported one story after another about allegations that people with disabilities were abused in facilities run by the state.

Russians abandon wartime Russia in historic exodus  —  YEREVAN, Armenia — As Russian troops stormed into Ukraine last February, sending millions of Ukrainians fleeing for their lives, thousands of other Russians raced to pack their bags and leave home, fearing the Kremlin would shut the borders and impose martial law.

Robbing From the Poor to Educate the Rich  —  The bait of school vouchers—and the switch to strangling public education.  —  The assault on public education currently unfolding in state legislatures across the United States stands to annually transfer tens of billions of dollars …

Exclusive: Ex-Russian military bomber engineer seeks asylum at U.S. border, offers military secrets  —  Government officials told Yahoo News that the man was deemed credible and potentially of interest to the U.S.  —  Read full article  —  Russian politician, lawyer and anti-corruption activist

How Teens Recovered From the ‘TikTok Tics’  —  A wave of teenagers who developed tics during the pandemic has receded, illustrating the powerful influence of stress on the body and the resilience of adolescents.  —  CALGARY, Alberta — Aidan's tics erupted one day after school in early 2021 …

U.S. warns Ukraine it faces a pivotal moment in war  —  As first anniversary nears, White House fears flow of arms may be harder to come by  —  As the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine nears, U.S. officials are telling Ukrainian leaders they face a critical moment to change …

Biden Will Name Fed's Lael Brainard as His Top Economic Adviser  —  President Joe Biden has decided to name Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard as his top economic adviser, with an announcement coming as soon as Tuesday, people familiar with the matter said Monday night.

Arkansas Cop Caught in Viral Arrest Video Now Accused of Deleting Evidence  —  Deputy Levi White “performed a factory reset” on his department-issued iPhone 11, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by The Daily Beast. … An Arkansas cop accused last summer of viciously beating a handcuffed man …

Steve Bannon Ran Up Huge Legal Bills and Stiffed His Lawyers  —  It's not that Steve Bannon doesn't have the money.  But for some reason, he hasn't been willing to pay his lawyers. … Steve Bannon—the nativist American media personality who's backed by a Chinese billionaire …

Russian Prisoners of War in Ukraine Recount ‘Gigantic’ Losses  —  Poorly trained Russian soldiers captured by Ukraine describe being used as cannon fodder by commanders throwing waves of bodies into an assault.  —  LVIV, Ukraine — Creeping forward along a tree line late at night toward …

Moldova's pro-EU President Sandu accuses Russia of coup plot  —  Moldova's president has accused Russia of plotting to use foreign “saboteurs” to overthrow her pro-EU government.  —  Maia Sandu nominated a new prime minister on Friday, Dorin Recean, who is pro-EU like his predecessor.

Ukraine's allies prepare pledges of more ammunition and air defences  —  Western officials to meet and discuss Kyiv's most urgent needs as conflict intensifies  —  Western capitals will lay out additional pledges of ammunition and air defence equipment for Ukraine at a meeting on Tuesday …

How My Work For Trump and Giuliani Sought to Make Ukraine Defenseless  —  The other day I watched some street interviews in Moscow.  The first person said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was justified because Ukrainian government officials were Nazis.  The second said that the invasion …

Abortion, Every Day (2.13.22)  —  TN's biggest anti-choice group says hemorrhaging isn't an ‘objective’ medical reason for abortion  —  Audio playback is not supported on your browser.  Please upgrade.  —  Daily audio updates & commentary on abortion in the United States. … In the states...

The Junk Economics of ‘Junk-Fee’ Politics  —  Biden's regulatory assault on common business practices will reduce competition and harm low-income Americans.  —  By The Editorial Board  —  WSJ Opinion: Joe Biden Has Become Bernie Sanders  —  YOU MAY ALSO LIKE  —  Created with sketchtool.

Longtime NJ senator who was a Trump delegate switches to the Democratic Party  —  After four terms as a Republican state senator, Samuel Thompson is going to try to keep his seat — but from the other side of the aisle.  —  Thompson intends to run this year as a Democrat after losing Republican Party support ahead of the primary.