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An estimated 30 to 40% of Americans experience insomnia symptoms each year—and that was before everything went sideways. Today, those numbers are likely to be much worse, and it can be a real struggle to deal with, as it impacts just about every aspect of your life. But cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia…

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Fox News’ Pete Hegseth drew an eyebrow-raising comparison between the Russian invasion of Ukraine and “woke” culture on Monday, as part of a discussion of President Joe Biden’s upcoming State of the Union address.

Hegseth made the comments on The Faulkner Focus, after host Harris Faulkner brought up Biden’s speech, scheduled for Tuesday evening.

The “backdrop is grim” for Biden’s first SOTU address, Faulkner noted, with the war in Ukraine causing the White House to make last-minute changes to the president’s planned remarks, plus his “cratering poll numbers.” She quoted a recent AP article that was “not mincing words,” describing the situation in America as “a state of disunity, funk and peril.”

Faulkner played a clip of Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) offering advice for Biden to avoid spin in his speech, and instead offer solutions.

“We want solutions, regardless of whether you are Republican, Democrat, conservative, liberal,” said Zeldin. “Don’t spin us for an hour. Just tell us what you are going to do. We want competency in government, we want consistency in government, and we want policies, whether it’s abroad or here at home, prioritizing our economy, our safety, our freedom.”

Asked for his reaction, Hegseth said that he didn’t envy the White House speechwriter “whose task it is to take the last year and a half and try to make it look rosy.” He concurred with the assessment in the AP headline and Zeldin’s take, and then brought up conversations he had with attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando:

I was at CPAC this weekend talking to conservatives and young people. And they said, yes, what’s happening in Ukraine is important, but it pales in comparison to the crime I see in my streets, to the wokeness I see in my culture, to the inflation I see in my pocketbook, to the real border I care about, which is the southern border, which is wide open.

On every single issue, the quality of life of average Americans has gone down. The taxi driver I spoke to just yesterday said it costs me twice as much. I didn’t vote for Biden but costs me twice as much to fill up my tank every time I drive. I feel it and I realized I was wrong.

So the best thing Joe Biden could do on this grandest of stages with all eyeballs on him, is admit some short fallings, admit we aren’t where we should be and course correct. But he is in a box of the left, of the hard left, a devil which he made a deal with at the beginning of his administration, and therefore I don’t think he can course correct. I hope that White House speech writer writes the spinniest of spin speeches. Because that’s what they’re gonna need if they stick to the policies they’ve been pursuing.

Perhaps Hegseth would have benefitted from talking to one more CPAC attendee, Ukrainian student Kateryna Lieshok, to get a different perspective.

Watch the video above, via Fox News.

On social media, what was once conventional beauty wisdom can easily start to trend after a quick rebranding to make it seem like a brand-new, cutting-edge tip. Just as easily, it can be replaced with another hot new trend, which could contradict the first one. Remember how beauty gurus used to insist you should put a…

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Ukrainian boxer Viktor Postol was 29 seconds away from doing what none of Gary Antuanne Russell’s previous 14 opponents had done — survive until the final bell. But thanks to a controversial action by the bout’s referee, Postol did not get the chance to finish the contest.

Postol, a 38-year-old former world champion, moved ahead with the fight at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on Saturday despite having a wife and two children still in Ukraine. Though he is now well past his prime, he competed admirably against the undefeated Russell, who is widely considered an elite young prospect — particularly giving Russell some problems in the middle rounds with some effective counter shots.

But ultimately, referee Mike Ortega stopped the fight with just 29 seconds left as Russell was landing particularly strong combinations on Postol. The Ukrainian junior welterweight was visibly disappointed with the stoppage — which was denounced on the Showtime broadcast.

15 fights, 15 KOs @AntuanneRussell stops Viktor Postol to earn an impressive W and stay unbeaten. #RussellPostol #ColbertGarcia pic.twitter.com/s2OETOC93K

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) February 27, 2022

“Referee not giving Postol a chance to finish the fight!” Showtime blow-by-blow announcer Mauro Ranallo said.

“That’s ridiculous! I’m sorry!” Showtime analyst Al Bernstein said. He added, “Postol was defending himself. And you might wait a little. There were 29 seconds left, and he was defending himself.”

Bernstein was not alone in his criticism of Ortega for not allowing Postol to go the distance. Boxing writers and others on social media criticized the stoppage for being premature:

That is one of the most embarrassing stoppages I’ve seen in quite some time. Viktor Postol was stunned but was not in serious trouble and there wasn’t much time left in the final round. Shame on Mike Ortega. I had Russell up 6-3 heading into final round

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) February 27, 2022

Not a good stoppage. Credit to Russell, who appeared on his way to his biggest win. But Postol was still game and responsible in the final round.

— Brian Campbell (@BCampbell) February 27, 2022

Terrible stoppage. Postal was behind on the cards but he wasn’t hurt to the point of a stoppage. He still had a chance. Horrible.

— Chris Santos (@SantosCooks) February 27, 2022

Russell was on his way to winning, but the stoppage seems absurdly premature.

— Luke Thomas (@lthomasnews) February 27, 2022

Definitely too early. He was still alert and ready to fight as soon as the ref stepped in. 29 seconds left. Bad stoppage.

— Peter Verry (@PeterVerry) February 27, 2022

Wow Bad stoppage with 29 seconds left.. But Gary Antuanne was in full control!!

— Eddie Chambers (@champfasteddie) February 27, 2022

What a terrible stoppage. When will boxing start raising the bar for its officials? Just an awful day for the third man in the ring, on two continents

— Jeff Cox (@JeffCoxCNBCcom) February 27, 2022

As we said on the telecast, we did not agree with the stoppage. But I still thought that was a fascinating fight for many reasons. Russell showing growth against best oppo went he’s face. Postol fighting well despite long layoff & the unbearable pressures on him as a human being

— Al Bernstein (@AlBernstein) February 27, 2022

Gary Antuanne Russell stope Viktor Postol but honestly that was a really bad stoppage. Postol still had his facilities and seemed fine

— MARCOS VILLEGAS (@heyitsmarcosv) February 27, 2022

Watch above, via Showtime.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) didn’t even try to answer George Stephanopoulos’ questions over Donald Trump’s repeated, positive comments about Vladimir Putin.

In an interview ABC’s This Week, Stephanopoulos told Cotton “you’ve been stalwart in your opposition of Vladimir Putin, [but] the same cannot be said for the leader of your party.” Stephanopoulos noted that even though Trump has spoken negatively about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the former president has also lauded Putin as “smart” while panning the U.S. and NATO as “dumb.”

“Are you prepared to condemn that rhetoric from the leader of your party?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“You heard what I’ve had to say about Vladimir Putin. He’s a ruthless dictator who launched a naked, unprovoked war of aggression,” Cotton responded. This didn’t come anywhere close to answering Stephanopoulos’s question, so the ABC anchor followed up by asking “why can’t you condemn Donald Trump for those comments?”

Cotton, more or less, ran away from the inquiry:

George, if you want to know what Donald Trump thinks about Vladimir Putin or any other topic, I would encourage him to invite you on your show. I don’t speak on behalf of other politicians. they can speak for themselves.

From there, Stephanopoulos noted that Trump just gave a Fox News interview in which the former president stated he had “no message” for Putin, even as Russia continues to attack Ukraine.

“Why can’t you condemn that?” Stephanopoulos asked. “I feel quite confident that if Barack Obama or Joe Biden said something like that, you would be the first in line to criticize them.”

Cotton once again refused to answer the question directly, nor did he answer the follow-up question: “If Donald Trump runs again, can you support him?”

Watch above, via ABC.

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Retired Army Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg made a stunning declaration on Fox News, telling anchor John Roberts he thinks that Vladimir Putin “has lost this war.”

On Saturday afternoon’s edition of Fox News Live, Gen. Kellogg was Roberts’ guest to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has revealed a fierce and defiant spirit that has been on vivid display in news coverage of Russia’s invasion.

Kellogg gave voice to a theme that others have only hinted at in the early days of this conflict, that Putin doesn’t just seem to be losing, but has lost:

There’s an old axiom, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog that counts, and you’re sitting there with Ukraine, and with the Ukraine fighting and the leadership of Zelenskyy.

I think Putin is losing. I think Russia is losing. He’s thrown his first line units against Ukrainians, and they’re beating him. And it’s the heart that they’re showing is incredible. And that’s the reason why the world is rallying there. They see what they’re doing. You see they’re fighting for their homeland and they’re seeing President Zelenskyy stand up and say, “I don’t need a ride. I need ammunition.”

And I think Putin’s got a real problem right now because I think that he’s going to be on the losing end of this.

He may throw a lot more forces at it, and he may take the city of Kyiv that that is entirely possible just by sheer numbers. But the occupation of that country, now, they will fight back. There will be an insurgency. We could help that as well. And I think if the Soviet Union thought Afghanistan was bad, well, Putin, better look at Ukraine because it’s going to be a real hornet’s nest for him.

And I will tell you right now, I think he’s lost his war. And it’s stunning to me because I don’t think anybody thought that. I thought when I looked at the forces, the numbers that he had his first-line units, one hundred and seventy thousand, all of his air throwing them against Ukraine, and they’re standing up to him. I think the world is just stunned by it, and I’m glad everybody’s pushing back.

Watch above via Fox News.

MSNBC national security analyst Malcolm Nance told SiriusXM host Dean Obeidallah that people like Tucker Carlson are equivalent to traitorous “fifth columnists” from World War II.

On Friday’s edition of The Dean Obeidallah Show, the host talked with Nance about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. and whether he sees echoes of the Jan. 6 insurrection in Vladimir Putin’s actions. Nance used the opportunity to rip Mr. Carlson over his recent and past support for Putin:

Dean: Do you see a connection between Trump’s January 6 attack to overturn our democracy and Putin’s attack to overturn and end Ukrainian democracy–and in both cases install essentially a dictator?

Malcolm: I will tell you every person that supported January 6 is coming on television and supporting Vladimir Putin. That’s all you need to know, America has a fifth column in it. 5th columnists–if you guys don’t know–go watch the Porky Pig cartoon and Bugs Bunny in World War II where they talk about what a fifth columnist is: People who support a foreign power against their own country and work to undermine their own people. Those are fifth columnists.

I’ll say it right now: Tucker Carlson is a 5 columnist. I protect Tucker Carlson’s right to say any stupid thing he wants in support of Vladimir Putin. I did it with my life, I defended him with when I served in the armed forces. I protect any Americans right to say any stupid thing they want right up to the moment where they become an enabler to an enemy and it costs humans’ their lives.

I suspect that Tucker Carlson when the videos of young Caucasian women and children’s dead bodies then there’s going to be a change of heart because they’re not people of color, they’re not people in the Middle East who they just equate to being non-humans. They look like them and Russia is out there slaughtering them right now. There’s a video of the tank that ran over an old man in a car in the tank obviously deliberately ran this man over. If his neighbors hadn’t come out and dragged him out of the car but he was crushed in there I don’t know whether he lived or died. But this is Russia, a dictator and I equate this dictator [Putin] with the Nazis and anybody that would support Vladimir Putin in this invasion, likely, historically would have supported Adolf Hitler invading Czechoslovakia or Poland or in Austria seizing control of the government. History is no longer rhyming anymore, it’s being recreated here.

Watch the clip above, via SiriusXM.

Reporters from around the world are in Ukraine, many in Kyiv, as the Russian invasion continues and fighting rages in the streets. Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst is among the journalists who are posting videos from the conflict on Twitter and Instagram, some of which are shocking, all of which are gripping and a glimpse into the nightmare that residents of the city face.

On Saturday, Yingst shared aftermath clips as a night of intense fighting turned into a sunrise over a still Ukrainian city with President Volodymyr Zelensky bravely walking the streets.

Yingst shared one clip in particular that offered a startling jolt of reality. His tweet warns the content is graphic. We add the same caution, this shows the result of a battle. There are no wounded or dead in this video, it’s simply a brief view of graphic aftermath. It is powerful in its quiet imagery. The photo below the video does show the body of a dead Russian solider.

A photographer for the New York Times captured in this photograph what will surely become one of the war’s most indelible images, which was also shared online.

Photojournalists and reporters are bringing the battles of Russia vs. the West to our computers, and like many other video journalists, Fox’s Yingst was able to illustrate some of the scale of the destruction Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine are facing.

The people of Kyiv have taken up arms to defend their homes and way of life, coming out by the thousands to be armed and sent to fight.

In Ukraine, at the time of this post, night is falling again, and Yingst posted another clip a short time ago, showing that it will be another long one for the residents of Kyiv.

Journalists in the city of Kyiv and across Ukraine are delivering on the best ideals of their profession as this explosive and historic conflict continues to unfold. Where we can, Mediaite will try to highlight some of that outstanding reporting.

Let’s get real: Sometimes accent walls can look more like accident walls—where someone ran out of paint, and never finished the job. Maybe it was their choice of color, or the wall they selected, but whatever it was, it’s not working. And yet, Instagram is plastered with posts from design accounts showing perfectly…

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The New York Rangers mopped the ice with the Washington Capitals Thursday night in a dominating 4-1 victory, but extra assistance was needed in cleaning the stands.

Following the victory, Rangers star center Mika Zibanejad was speaking to reporters, when his postgame press conference was surprisingly interrupted by a call for help.

“These are big games,” Zibanejad said before his answer was abruptly cut off by an announcement shouting through the PA system.

A PA announcement looking for a mop interrupted Mika Zibanejad’s press conference tonight pic.twitter.com/2wuMRg4AWW

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) February 25, 2022

“Can I please get a mop section 120, row 8? Section 120, row 8 mop,” the announcement pleaded, as someone clearly needed assistance in cleaning Madison Square Garden. “Anybody else gonna take that?” Zibanejad joked.

Earlier in the month, the Houston Texans introductory press conference for new head coach Lovie Smith was interrupted by the sounds of a blaring fire alarm. The Garden’s need for a mop seemed a little less urgent.

With more than 18,000 fans in attendance, it’s kind of surprising they don’t have easier access to mops during the postgame cleanup. Spills that amount to gallons of beer and other beverages undoubtedly get dumped on the floor during every game.

Zibanejad was all smiles after the Rangers win over Washington and joined reporters in laughing at the PA disturbance.

There are tons of things you can do on your own without professional help. This website is full of them. One thing you should not try to do by yourself, though—especially as a newbie—is buy or sell a home. There’s a lot of money on the line here and a lot of things you, a regular person, do not know about this process…

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A security entourage at CPAC bulldozed NBC News reporter Vaughn Hillyard out of the way as he grilled former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Pompeo spoke Friday morning at this year’s Conservative Political Action Convention (CPAC), but the real action occurred off-stage as Pompeo strode through the convention’s venue surrounded by aides and security personnel.

Bravely doing the old “walk and talk,” Hillyard confronted Pompeo with the fact that his recent words of praise for Putin are being played on Russian state television to support the invasion of Ukraine.

But as Hillyard questioned Pompeo, the security entourage repeatedly used physical force to direct the reporter away from Pompeo:

HILLYARD: Russian state, Russian state media has played your own words fro this week, in which you called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s shrewd, capable, you’ve said you have enormous respect. Do you regret your words?

POMPEO: Been fighting communism since I was a teenager. I’m going to keep fighting communism.

HILLYARD: Do you regret your words about Putin this week, though?

POMPEO: I have worked my entire life to make sure that the United States was free of communist dictatorships. I understand my enemy, I’ll always call an enemy for what he is. We need to make sure that we continue to (inaudible) the Russians. They’re now destroying people’slives in Kyiv…

HILLYARD: Why, why, why, why speak words that come off as soft praise for Vladimir Putin?

(to security personnel) Hey, hey! Hands off! Hands off!

(to Pompeo) Secretary? Do you wish that those in the Republican Party…

Hillyard posted video of the encounter on Twitter.

From CPAC—>

NBC: Russian state media has played your own words…[calling] Putin shrewd, capable & you said you have enormous respect. Do you regret your words?

Pompeo: I’ve been fighting communism since I was a teenager. I’m going to keep fighting communism. pic.twitter.com/sPJGoKCd72

— Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) February 25, 2022

Watch above via Vaughn Hillyard.

The sum of human knowledge—and millions of people’s perspectives—are available on your phone. Unfortunately, not everyone sharing information is reliable. Some people or sources might want to deliberately mislead you, while others just might be doing it out of ignorance.

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As former President Donald Trump continues to speak of Vladimir Putin in glowing terms during his invasion of a sovereign country, his former national security adviser says the Russian leader is not worthy of praise.

Retired General H.R. McMaster joined CNN’s John Berman Thursday on New Day to talk about the full-scale military campaign Russia launched against Ukraine. As McMaster reacted to the devastating attack, Berman asked him of Putin: “Is this a man to be praised? To be honored by the West as we watch an invasion like this?”

“He is certainly not someone to be praised,” McMaster said, “and I think what we ought to be encouraged by is the reaction across the free world. Really, what Putin wants more than anything is disunity, because disunity will lead to an ineffective response.”

McMaster saying Putin should not be praised is a considerable divergence from the rhetoric Trump has been running with throughout the Ukraine crisis.

In the past week, Trump repeatedly praised Putin as “smart” and “savvy” for how the Russian leader was sending “peacekeeping” forces into Ukraine when it was really the first phase of their invasion. As he wailed about his failed re-election and called President Joe Biden weak, Trump doubled down by saying Putin was “smart” to disregard sanctions against Russia (even though their stock market just nosedived).

McMaster said that even though Germany and France both had stumbles in responding to Russia’s aggression, “the story is one of unity” in terms of how the world is reacting to Ukraine.

“It’s time for us certainly to lead as part of the free world, and to recognize that this is a return of great power competition, and it’s a dangerous competition,” McMaster said. “This is one campaign in his larger effort to drag everybody else down.”

Watch above, via CNN.

Throw blankets—along with mattresses and duvet covers—are the types of household items whose cleanliness tends to be taken for granted. Because we may only use them an hour or two each day, it’s easy to forget them when laundry day arrives. But considering they largely exist in common areas, where all manner of food,…

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After season four of Ozark dropped in January, and the premiere of Inventing Anna in February, it looks like March will be tragically devoid of projects starring the incredible Julia Garner. Nevertheless, we march on, and next month brings a typical Netflix slate of murder (fake, scary), murder (fake, funny), and…

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Ohio Republican Senate candidate Josh Mandel joined Fox & Friends on Wednesday to discuss the off the rails debate he and Democrat Morgan Harper had on Monday.

The debate between Mandel and Harper took place in a Black Church in Cleveland, Harper’s choice, and after trading barbs and Mandel calling Harper “like AOC only dumber,” the audience got involved.

“You ain’t coming in the Black community. Put ’em out,” an audience member interrupted after the moderating asked Mandel about previous comments in which he called Black Lives Matter activists “thugs.”

“Hey, hey, we’re not doing that,” the moderator added, trying to shut down the exchange.

“You mean like put him out with a, with a bullet? What do you mean put him out?” Mandel demanded to know, engaging with the audience member.

“No, no, no, Mr. Mandel. Mr. Mandel. Mr. Mandel,” the moderator jumped in, trying to get the debate to focus between the candidates.

“Ask him to leave. He don’t belong in the Black community,” the audience member clarified. “I thought this was America where we debate freely,” Mandel replied.

“Hey sister, listen to me. Don’t do that… This is America. He can be here. Don’t do that. Don’t embarrass me,” the moderator said

“I’m not embarrassing you. But to bring that White man in the Black community like that, I’m finished,” the audience member added. “Don’t you suck up to him.”

Fox’s Pete Hegseth played Mandel a clip of the exchange and asked for his response.

Mandel replied, “She didn’t like that I was there. She didn’t like that I was White in a Black church. And she didn’t like what I was saying and what I told her was, you know, when I was in the Marine Corps. I did a couple of tours in Iraq and I put my life in the hands of young Black men.”

“And they put their lives in my hands,” Mandel continued, parroting the response he gave at the debate. “And we didn’t see each other as Black or White or Hispanic or Asian. We saw each other as brothers as United States Marines and frankly, I think that’s the way that society should be as well. I’m sick and tired and, Pete, I know your viewers are sick and tired too, the Democrat party and the left is making everything about race that’s what this lady tried to do at the debate.”

Hegseth quickly agreed and asked Mandel to discuss the broader “dynamics of the debate.”

Mandel explained that the debate stemmed from a challenge by Harper and that she choose the venue. He doubled down on the racial element of his reception, saying:

You had other radical leftists there who kept interrupting me and basically asking me to leave because I was a White guy in a Black church. Horrible, after everything Martin Luther King marched against. He said let’s judge everyone on the content of one’s character and not the color of one’s skin. The democratic party of today is trying to make everything about skin color.

Watch above, via Fox News

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Fox News host and panelist on the top-rated The Five, Geraldo Rivera, appeared to take aim at Fox’s highest-rated opinion host, Tucker Carlson, on Tuesday.

Without mentioning Carlson by name, Rivera tweeted a clarification regarding Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) ethnicity, writing, “To be clear Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is a proud woman of color. To claim otherwise is mere provocation.”

To be clear Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is a proud woman of color. To claim otherwise is mere provocation.

— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) February 22, 2022

Rivera, who is of Puerto Rican ancestry, apparently felt the need to correct a claim from Carlson, in which the prime time host told his audience that Ocasio-Cortez is seen as a “rich, entitled, White lady.”

Last Friday, Carlson tore in Ocasio-Cortez over a new book about the congresswoman entitled, Take Up Space: The Unprecedented AOC.

Carlson quoted from the book, which said, “Ocasio-Cortez is the first politician in history to live fully out loud while female. And the degradations of womanhood are deeply personal to her.”

Carlson took issue with this description, saying, “No one has done more personally to degrade American womanhood than Sandy Cortez has.”

He continued:

No one ever dares to challenge that description, but every honest person knows it is hilariously absurd. There is no place on Earth outside of American colleges and newsrooms where Sandy Cortez would be recognized as a quote, woman of color, because she’s not! She’s a rich entitled White lady. She’s the pampered obnoxious ski bunny in the matching snowsuit who tells you to pull up your mask while you’re standing in the lift line at Jackson Hole. They’re all the same. It doesn’t matter what shade they are.

Ocasio-Cortez, whose mother was born in Puerto Rico, has been a frequent target of Carlson’s vitriol. The second-term congresswoman called him “basura,” Spanish for trash, after that segment in which he also jested that Ocasio-Cortez was eliciting a “Booty Call” by saying “I’m alone today” in a social media post.

Re-entering the work force after taking time off to take care of young children is no easy feat. Logistically speaking, there’s a resume gap, a potential lapse in relevant industry connections, and childcare to set up. Behind the scenes, there’s often confidence to rebuild, guilt to tackle, and the mental load of…

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Famed law professor Laurence Tribe deleted an eyebrow-raising tweet suggesting that Fox News host Tucker Carlson excusing Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine could be tantamount to “treason.”

On Monday, the Harvard Law professor emeritus posted a tweet warning of a Carlson-led effort on behalf of the Trump wing of the Republican Party to back Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Ukraine crisis.

“If Putin opts to wage war on our ally, Ukraine, such ‘aid and comfort’ to an ‘enemy’ would appear to become ‘treason’ as defined by Article III of the U.S. Constitution,” Tribe said in a tweet that has since been deleted.

Carlson has questioned U.S. support for Ukraine as Russia amassed troops on its border in recent weeks, in what the U.S. government says is the preparation for an invasion. The Fox News has mocked those calling him a stooge for Russia.

Since Tribe brought up Article III of the Constitution, here’s what it says about treason in Section 3:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted.

While Carlson has been criticized by even Republican lawmakers for his defenses of Russia, Tribe’s suggesting he committed treason by merely criticizing U.S. foreign policy drew objections from experts.

“This is completely false,” said conservative writer and lawyer David French. “Constitutional text, history, and precedent say this is false. It’s not even in the same ballpark as the truth.”

“Please stop, Sir,” implored national security lawyer Bradley Moss.

Please stop, Sir.

— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) February 21, 2022

This is completely false. Constitutional text, history, and precedent say this is false. It’s not even in the same ballpark as the truth. Here’s a very helpful discussion of “treason” from the National Constitution Center: https://t.co/zFL2sQ4ouO https://t.co/RcxjpNKXWH

— David French (@DavidAFrench) February 21, 2022

This is not the type of “aid and comfort” that would qualify as treason. Please leave these tropes in the past where they belong. https://t.co/EEc4JDTN4d

— Adam Steinbaugh (@adamsteinbaugh) February 21, 2022

Eventually, Tribe dialed back his comments by offering a clarification that since the U.S. is not currently at war with Russia, he was not speaking literally and “treason prosecutions should be off the table.”

The clarification was eventually deleted too, along with the original post.

At the end of his televised and seemingly choreographed meeting with his Security Council on Monday regarding recognizing the Russian separatist regions, President Vladimir Putin said that he would make a final decision “today.” A short time later, Russian state TV cited spokesman Dmitry Peskov in announcing that Putin will hold a televised address, set to take place shortly.

The recognition by Russia of two self-proclaimed republics in the Donbas region would essentially mean a war in Europe. No members of the security council advised against recognition of the breakaway Republics in the pre-recorded meeting.

Putin: So now I would like to ask everyone attending do we have any diverging points of view or any diverging opinions about the matters we are discussing now. No?
Sec. Council members: [quiet breathing] pic.twitter.com/8qo277jT5I

— Caleb Howe (@CalebHowe) February 21, 2022

It was only a short time after the meeting was aired on Russian TV and online that news broke of Putin’s televised address to the Russian people, during which it is most likely that he will recognize the separatists as independent.

Once that recognition is made Russia can be expected to deploy “peacekeeping forces” to the areas, which the Russian government has claimed are home to an attempted “genocide.”

NEW: Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin will make a national TV address shortly, Kremlin says. This comes after Putin said he would decide today whether to recognize Russia-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. https://t.co/ztl4wd7gWp

— ABC News (@ABC) February 21, 2022

UPDATE: Russia Today and other outlets are now reporting that Putin has told French President Emmanuel Macron he will be recognizing Donbass “independence.”

UPDATE 2: Russian state TV has changed the estimated time of Putin’s address from within a half hour to “shortly.”

Watch the clips above, via Ruptly on YouTube.
RT is funded by the Russian government.

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Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) argued it should be “illegal” for President Joe Biden to say he will follow through on his campaign promise to nominate an African-American woman to the Supreme Court.

In an interview on Fox News Sunday, anchor Bill Hemmer noted how the senator has derided Biden’s pledge as “offensive” and “insulting” to Americans. Asked if he’s an automatic “No” vote on whoever Biden nominates, Cruz answered by claiming “Democrats today believe in racial discrimination” and “what the president said is that only African American women are eligible for this slot, that 94 percent of Americans are ineligible.”

Cruz continued:

I think our country has such a troubled history on race, we ought to move past discriminating based on race. The way Biden ought to do it is to say, I’m going to look for the best justice, interview a lot of people. And if he happened to nominate a justice who was an African American woman, great. But, you know what, if Fox News put a posting, we’re looking for a new host for Fox News Sunday and we will only hire an African American woman or an Hispanic man or a Native American woman, that would be illegal. Nobody else can do what Joe Biden did. And there’s a reason for that. Racial discrimination is wrong.

The Texas senator went on to say he will consider Biden’s nominee based on their record, so Hemmer took that to mean there is “a window of consideration” from Cruz on how he’ll vote.

Cruz’s remarks echo the common criticism from Biden’s detractors who say his pledge to replace outgoing Justice Stephen Breyer with a black woman is essentially affirmative action. This comes after Cruz laughably suggested Biden would nominate Vice President Kamala Harris for the job as a way to get rid of her.

Watch above (start at 7:00), via Fox News Sunday.

Days after filming a video outside Trump Tower in which she touted her support for a wide-range of former President Donald Trump’s policies, in what appeared to be a desperate effort to win back his support, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) now says she’s prepared to defeat a primary challenger he has endorsed.

“I’m gonna win without him,” Mace told South Carolina news outlet The State, in a feature which ran Sunday.

Mace, who is facing Trump-endorsed opponent Katie Arrington, denied that her video at Trump Tower was part of a last-ditch effort to try to get back in the former president’s good graces.

From the article:

“If you call it groveling, I would say you didn’t watch the video,” Mace said. “I think it’s important to know what I said, but also what I didn’t say — present tense versus past tense.”

In that video, which took Mace six takes to get exactly right, she said she supports Trump’s policies.

Present tense.

Mace also said she supported Trump.

Past tense

Mace was a vocal critic of Trump’s following the attack on the Capitol. Though she did not vote to impeach, she did tell CNN that Trump’s “entire legacy was wiped out” as a result of the attack. But she then dramatically toned down her criticism of Trump. Nonetheless, Trump threw his support to Mace’s primary opponent.

But The State reports that polling of South Carolina’s first Congressional district shows Mace with a 46-31 lead over Arrington in a head-to-head matchup. Trump’s endorsement did help Arrington — as the margin without him was 54-25 in Mace’s favor. But the incumbent currently stands as the heavy favorite to win her party’s nomination.

In addition to the usual pet videos and pop culture memes, cleaning tips and demonstrations have become a constant presence in our social media feeds. Dramatic before-and-after photos of objects, once tarnished beyond recognition, now shiny and new, thanks to a specific technique or product the poster swears by.

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A well-known public relations and crisis management pro in D.C. who has represented a slew of controversial and high-profile clients is working with two new big names that are embroiled in controversy: former CNN president Jeff Zucker and former chief marketing officer Allison Gollust.

CNN has been conducting internal investigations for months now that have resulted in the firing of ex-anchor Chris Cuomo and the resignations of both Zucker and Gollust, and have revealed multiple issues relating to the three. Zucker resigned earlier this month after he failed to disclose a consensual relationship with Gollust. She resigned this week at the conclusion of the internal investigation.

In the wake of Gollust’s resignation, both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have new reporting on some of what those investigations revealed, including that Gollust reportedly coordinated with her former boss, Andrew Cuomo, on questions he’d be asked on-air on CNN.

Those stories quote statements from a spokesperson, identified by the New York Times as Risa Heller, CEO of Risa Heller Communications.

Heller, who got her start working in Sen. Chuck Schumer‘s office, has reputation in reputation management as a go-to in Democratic circles in the state. But it’s not just big (D) names she’s repped but big names in scandal, including some from within the Trump world.

Heller worked with former New York Governor David Paterson, for example, but also the equally plagued but opposite party Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.

Heller also worked with disgraced former U.S. representative Anthony Weiner and with disgraced former Match Group CEO Greg Blatt. She was even a Harvey Weinstein spokesperson.

Now Heller is acting as a spokesperson for Allison Gollust — as well as Zucker.

TJ Ducklo — who joined Heller Communications after resigning from the Biden White House press office for threatening a reporter — has been working as a spokesperson for Zucker.

Former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton went off on Republicans over a litany of issues that included “let(ing) Donald Trump trash our democracy!”

Secretary Clinton spoke at the 2022 New York State Democratic Convention this week, during which she attacked Republicans and Trump over the insurrection and the flailing attempt to make her a news story again.

But she also circled back toward the end of her speech to derisively tick through a list of reasons people should not vote for Republicans, and should vote for Democrats, in her view:

Democrats are fighting for safer communities and healthier families, with more opportunities for our kids, and schools that are both open and fully funded.

Democrats are fighting for better jobs and higher wages for everyone, for health care and housing that doesn’t break the bank. For making life affordable, not just for those at the top.

Democrats are fighting for cleaner air to breathe and water to drink. For common sense that tells us vaccines work and climate change is real.

Democrats are fighting for the rule of law and for judges who follow it. For the right to vote, the cornerstone of our democracy. For the right to organize because we need unions now more than ever. For the right… for the right for women to make our own health care decisions.

Now, all this and more is at stake in this election, isn’t it? New York and the country has an important choice to make because Republicans have a very different agenda.

Republicans will take tax cuts like the child tax credit away from hardworking families, and give them to millionaires.

Republicans will claim they’re on the side of parents and family values, but they will do nothing for actual parents or families. Nothing on child care, nothing on paid leave. Nothing to help working moms and dads get by and get ahead. They will do nothing to invest in our schools or make college more affordable.

They’ll ban books, but doing nothing about guns, they’ll make it harder for people to vote, but easier for big corporations to bust unions.

They’ll let polluters trash our environment and let Donald Trump trash our democracy.

That’s why I intend to work my heart out to elect Democrats up and down the ticket this November.

Watch above via Fox News.

In case you blinked and missed the TikTok #barkatyourdogchallenge, it’s exactly what it sounds like: A person barking at their dog. More specifically, the goal of the challenge is to take a video of your dog reacting to you barking at them, in their face.

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