Liberation Without Victory  —  Kyiv is halfway normal now.  Burnt-out Russian tanks have been removed from the roads leading into the city, traffic lights work, the subway runs, oranges are available for purchase.  A cheerful balalaika orchestra was performing for returning refugees …

CNN Exclusive: 'We need ammo.  We need fraud examples.  We need it this weekend.' What the Meadows texts reveal about how two Trump congressional allies lobbied the White House to overturn the election.  —  The texts, which have not been previously reported, were sent by Republican Sen. Mike Lee …

Twitter Weighs Poison Pill to Prevent Musk From Increasing Stake Significantly  —  Tesla CEO's $43 billion offer contains as many questions as answers  —  Twitter is weighing a poison pill that would prevent Elon Musk from increasing his stake in the company significantly, a person familiar with the situation said.

Gov. Greg Abbott announces deals with two more Mexican governors to halt Texas' vehicle inspections at the border  —  The announcements come a day after Abbott reached a similar deal with Nuevo León's governor, who agreed to add security at a major border bridge in exchange for an end …

Ohio Republicans gang up to stop Vance endorsement  —  Republican rivals to J.D. Vance have embarked on a last-ditch effort to stave off an endorsement from Donald Trump in Ohio's Senate primary, a response prompted by swirling speculation that the former president is close to backing Vance in the contentious race.

GOP Primary poll reveals front runners in Georgia  —  ATLANTA (CBS46) — The race for Georgia's Governorship begins with the GOP primary in just six weeks.  —  Former President Donald Trump has endorsed David Perdue, but his attempt to unseat Brian Kemp isn't showing up in the polls.

Ed Buck to face judgment for injecting two men with fatal doses of drugs in sexually deviant pattern  —  Ed Buck, once a fixture of West Hollywood's political scene, was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison for drug and sex crimes that included providing lethal doses of methamphetamine to two men.

The AP Interview: UN food chief says Mariupol is starving  —  KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The head of the U.N. World Food Program said people are being “starved to death” in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, and he predicted the country's humanitarian crisis is likely to worsen as Russia intensifies its assault in the coming weeks.

Seeking: GOP dealmakers who won't ‘burn the House down’.  Apply to: Kevin McCarthy.  —  When Rep. Fred Upton announced his retirement from Congress, colleagues in both parties lined up to lament.  The one who misses him the most, in the end, may be Kevin McCarthy.

Moscow Times' Russian Service Blocked Over War Coverage  —  Russia blocked The Moscow Times' Russian-language service on Friday after it published what authorities call a false report on riot police officers refusing to fight in Ukraine.  —  The Moscow Times' English-language edition is not affected by the block.

Inside the Campaign Against “Putin's Pope”  —  Like a lot of insiders associated with Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev has faced calls for international ostracism in the weeks since the invasion of Ukraine.  It's no surprise why: He's used his powerful Moscow perch to endorse …

Jan. 6 Panel Presses Stephen Miller on Whether Trump Sought to Incite Crowd  —  In about eight hours of questioning, investigators pressed the former White House aide on former President Donald J. Trump's use of “we” in his speech to supporters before the riot.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Ukraine's battle for control of its skies  —  Defence Correspondent in Donbas, Ukraine  —  Much of the focus of the war in Ukraine has so far been about the battle on the ground - but the fight to dominate the skies is just as important.  The BBC has been given an exclusive interview …

Democrats in tough races revolt over Biden administration border move … President Biden is facing a growing mutiny from Democratic candidates — including five vulnerable senators — who are questioning his administration's decision to lift a pandemic health order that has drastically …

Biden's pollster on the recipe for how to ‘not get our a—  kicked’ in the midterms  —  In the coming weeks and months, the Playbook team will be out covering the key districts and states that will decide the outcome of the midterm elections.  This week, co-author Ryan Lizza was in Las Vegas …

Democrats' redistricting gains hit a roadblock: The Supreme Court  —  Wisconsin Democrats thought they had won the redistricting war.  They took over the governor's office, competed in and won state judicial races and filed lawsuits as early as they could, determined to prevent another cycle of Republican-leaning maps.

Under Biden DHS Has Released More Than 756,000 Southwest Border Migrants  —  Not counting more than 146,000 kids and 620,000 ‘got-aways’ — and the president has no plan to stop it  —  Back in November, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “estimated” that 375,000 illegal migrants encountered …

Sen. Dianne Feinstein defends her job performance, says she won't step down after colleagues raise concerns  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Dianne Feinstein defended her service representing California in the Senate in the wake of reporting by The Chronicle that colleagues of hers are concerned about her ability to continue serving.