Russia Set to Ban Commodity Exports Following Western Sanctions  —  President Putin's decree didn't specify which commodities and countries would be subjected to the export ban  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin is banning exports of certain commodities and raw materials, according to a decree issued Tuesday evening in Moscow.

Giant spiders expected to drop from sky across the East Coast this spring  —  An invasive species of spider the size of a child's hand is expected to “colonize” the entire East Coast this spring by parachuting down from the sky, researchers at the University of Georgia announced last week.

Trump's man in North Carolina struggles in Senate primary  —  Donald Trump's pick in North Carolina's contentious Republican Senate primary is struggling to gain traction, raising concerns among his powerful backers about his prospects in a race that is key to control of the Senate.

How Western Firms Quietly Enabled Russian Oligarchs  —  Investment, law and lobbying firms have helped enmesh Kremlin-linked oligarchs into the Western financial and legal systems.  —  Behind a set of imposing metal doors in an easy-to-miss office building in a New York City suburb …

Cardiff Philharmonic removes Tchaikovsky from programme in light of Russian invasion of Ukraine  —  The orchestra had an all-Tchaikovsky concert scheduled for next week, but has decided to change the programme having deemed it to be ‘inappropriate’ at this time

Endurance, Ernest Shackleton's Ship, Lost in 1915, Is Found in Antarctica  —  Explorers and researchers, battling freezing temperatures, have located Endurance, Ernest Shackleton's ship that sank in the Antarctic in 1915.  —  The wreck of Endurance has been found in the Antarctic …

Do Covid Precautions Work?  —  Yes, but they haven't made a big difference.  —  Daily life in red and blue America has continued to be quite different over the past few months.  It's a reflection of the partisan divide over Covid-19.  Consider:  — In the country's most liberal cities, many people are still avoiding restaurants.

Pulitzer Prize Winning New York Times Reporter: January 6 Media Coverage ‘Overreaction,’ FBI Involved, Event Was Not Organized Despite Ongoing Narrative  — NYT National Security Correspondent, Matthew Rosenberg, contradicts his own January 6 reporting: “There were a ton of FBI informants amongst the people who attacked the Capitol.”

GOP pushes for an ‘earthquake in American electoral power’  —  A legal argument lurking in two Supreme Court cases could give Republican legislators in battleground states sweeping control over election procedures, with ramifications that could include power over how states select presidential electors.

A judge uses Tucker Carlson's own words against Fox News  —  It's a pretty remarkable state of affairs when a judge is approvingly citing Tucker Carlson's journalistic rigor, but that's precisely the situation we find ourselves in now.  —  And rather ironically, that could be bad news for Fox News.

Thank God Trump Isn't President Right Now  —  Biden isn't perfect, but he beats the alternative.  —  Joe Biden is not a very good president.  His communication skills are subpar, e.g. when he found himself praising the “Iranian” instead of the Ukrainian people in his State of the Union speech.

The Short, Strange, Very Predictable Story of Caroline Calloway's Snake Oil  —  As the controversial online personality says she's leaving New York, complaints about Calloway's latest business venture pursue her out the door.  —  Anna Merlan  —  To know about Caroline Calloway is to be deeply …

Saudi, Emirati Leaders Decline Calls With Biden During Ukraine Crisis  —  Persian Gulf monarchies have signaled they won't help ease surging oil prices unless Washington supports them in Yemen, elsewhere  —  The White House unsuccessfully tried to arrange calls between President Biden …

Democrats embrace politically risky strategy on rising gas prices … President Biden and congressional Democrats united Tuesday behind a ban on Russian oil and natural gas imports, embracing a politically risky strategy that is expected to drive up already-rising fuel prices while seeking …

Mark Meadows Spread Trump's Voter Fraud Claims.  Now His Voting Record Is Under Scrutiny.  —  The former Trump aide listed a mobile home in rural North Carolina as his residence at the same time that he was running operations at the White House.  —  Mark Meadows, the White House chief …

House panel flags Amazon and senior executives to Justice Department over potentially criminal conduct  —  A bipartisan group of members of the House Judiciary Committee has alerted the Justice Department to “potentially criminal conduct” by Amazon and senior executives in relation …

Why Isn't Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story in the Country?  —  The second-best player in every sport is a superstar at a level that 99.999 percent of professional athletes — who are already the elite of the elite of the elite — will never come close to achieving.

Iconic U.S. brands Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonald's and Starbucks suspend business in Russia  — PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Starbucks each said Tuesday they are suspending business in Russia after that country's invasion of Ukraine.  — It's a symbolic move by the iconic U.S. brands …

Bill banning textbooks that ‘support’ LGBTQ issues advances  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — House Republicans in Tennessee advanced legislation on Tuesday that would ban public schools from using textbooks or materials that “promote, normalize, support or address LGBT issues or lifestyles.”

Trump Refinances $100 Million Mortgage On Trump Tower With A Bank Headed By A Political Supporter  —  Donald Trump refinanced Trump Tower in February, taking out a $100 million loan, according to documents recorded Tuesday by New York City's Department of Finance.

Russian Agent Maria Butina Tells BBC Ukrainians Are Killing Themselves  —  ‘HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?’  —  Free press may be silenced in Russia, but that has not stopped Vladimir Putin's minions from defending him to media outlets outside the country.  On Thursday, convicted Russian agent …