Putin, czar with no empire, needs military victory for his own survival  —  MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin likes to portray himself as a new czar like Peter the Great or Ivan III, the 15th-century grand prince known as the “gatherer of the Russian lands.”

Sanders says Haley's call for competency test ‘absurd’  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) blasted former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, for floating the idea that politicians over the age of 75 should face “competency tests,” calling the thought “absurd.”

4 things to know about Ron DeSantis' idea to slash AP courses in Florida  —  It started with a feud over one course.  Now, tens of thousands of students could be affected.  —  Once upon a time, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was an Advanced Placement fan.  —  In his 2021 address to lawmakers …

The former Trump aide crafting the House GOP's debt ceiling playbook  —  The national debt exploded on Russell Vought's watch.  Now he wants Republican lawmakers to play hardball.  —  Last month, amid the raucous battle to elect House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, former president Donald Trump spoke …

Charges Against Trump Lawyer ‘Very Likely,’ Colleagues Warn Donald  —  As the feds continue to probe the ex-president's handling of confidential documents, his legal team is urging him to distance himself from one of his top attorneys … Some of the former president's lawyers …

Richard Belzer, Extraordinarily Smart-Ass as a Comic and a TV Cop, Dies at 78  —  The stand-up legend and ‘Groove Tube’ actor played Det.  John Munch on ‘Homicide: Life on the Street,’ ‘Law & Order: SVU’ and eight other shows.  —  Richard Belzer, the beloved comedian who began as an edgy stand …

Mary Trump warns ‘Donald will use any opportunity to incite more violence’ if indicted  —  Addressing the massive onslaught of legal problems and investigations dogging Donald Trump, his niece Mary Trump told MSNBC's Katie Phang that an indictment would likely spur him to try and incite more violence.

Kristina Karamo elected chair of Michigan Republican Party  —  LANSING —Kristina Karamo, a Republican who has made unsubstantiated allegations of fraud in the 2020 presidential election and has still not conceded her 14-point loss in the 2022 Michigan election for secretary of state …

Hollywood's China dream is back  —  Early last year, then-Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Qin Gang paid a low-profile visit to the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.  —  Qin, who is now China's Foreign Minister, was on the West Coast to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of President Richard Nixon's visit to China.

Iran Nuclear Inspectors Detect Uranium Enriched to 84% Purity  —  International atomic monitors in Iran last week detected uranium enriched to levels just below that needed for a nuclear weapon, according to two senior diplomats, underscoring the risk that the country's unrestrained atomic activities could prompt a new crisis.

Art Fair Visitor Breaks a Jeff Koons Balloon Dog Sculpture  —  A woman accidentally knocked over a bright blue dog sculpture at Art Wynwood in Miami, causing the $42,000 artwork to shatter, witnesses said.  —  The balloon dog sculptures made famous by Jeff Koons so closely imitate …

Poland calls for Nato security guarantees to postwar Ukraine  —  President Andrzej Duda speaks to FT ahead of Biden visit to Warsaw to mark anniversary of war  —  Poland's head of state has called on Nato powers to give postwar security guarantees to Ukraine, on the eve of a visit …

In 2022, Black farmers were persistently left behind from the USDA's loan system  —  Lucious Abrams is the third generation to take over the family Georgia farm, an operation that has long grown cotton, corn, and soybeans.  When he did not receive a loan in time to buy the seeds and supplies he needed …

Don Lemon Benched on Monday Over Sexist Remark Scandal, Insiders Say  —  CNN sources told Confider that the network changed its Monday lineup to proceed without Lemon while “conversations about Don's future” are ongoing. … Don Lemon will not appear Monday on CNN This Morning as his future …

UFOs have finally gone mainstream.  The UFO community is not thrilled.  —  The president of the United States just addressed the American people on UFOs — but it wasn't the extraterrestrial revelation true believers have been waiting for.  —  After decades on the mockable fringes …

Why does the South have such ugly credit scores?  —  Today, we look at a big, fat map of credit scores reproduced from a recent economics paper.  And while the map suggests any number of tantalizing questions, we are most intrigued by that big band of credit-score calamity that stretches across the American South.

Trump will return to the scene of his crime when he visits Ohio toxic train wreck  —  When Donald Trump accepted the GOP presidential nod in Cleveland in July 2016, he might have been picturing a place like East Palestine, Ohio — just 85 miles southeast of the massive podium where he was standing …

Sen. Graham pushes for F-16s to Ukraine as US declares Russian actions ‘crimes against humanity’  —  “I believe a decision will be imminent” on the jets, he said on “This Week.”  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Sunday pushed the Biden administration to provide more aid to Ukraine after Vice President Kamala Harris said

‘Brainwashing a Generation’: British Schools Combat Andrew Tate's Views  —  Alarmed by an online personality's popularity among their students, educators are mobilizing to combat the sexism he promotes.  —  As the seventh graders settled into a lecture hall at a school near London …