-Chris Wallace, on why he left Fox News in the year of our lord 2021

With Ukraine and Russia gearing up for another round of peace talks, President Biden sought to clarify an ad-libbed remark that reverberated around the world: “Keep my wife's name out your fucking mouth.”  “For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power.”
 

• Biden made the off-the-cuff comment about Russian President Vladimir Putin during an address in Warsaw on Saturday. The White House hurriedly explained that Biden wasn’t calling for regime change, and (clunkily) argued that he was talking about Putin’s power over his neighbors, not in Russia, while Republicans (hilariously) clutched their pearls pretending to care about the importance of a presidential failure to stay on script. On Monday, Biden said he stood by the remark, clarifying that it was a personal expression of “the moral outrage I felt toward this man,” not an announcement of a dramatic shift in U.S. policy.
   
• Biden’s controversial comment came as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators prepared for more peace talks in Turkey this week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his government was prepared to consider neutral status as part of a peace deal. A draft ceasefire agreement reportedly no longer includes Russia’s demands for “de-Nazification” and “demilitarization,” and would allow Ukraine to join the European Union if it abandoned its bid for membership in the NATO alliance.
   
• There continue to be, uh, indications that the Kremlin may not be continuing the talks in good faith. Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainian negotiators suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning earlier this month, according to a Wall Street Journal report. After a March 3 meeting in Kyiv, the three of them developed symptoms that included red eyes, painful tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands. The three of them have since improved, and the investigative outlet Bellingcat said that experts had concluded that whoever targeted them had most likely used “an undefined chemical weapon” in order to scare them, not kill them.

Ukrainian forces have recaptured some key towns as Russia shifts its focus to the eastern regions, but the city of Mariupol remained under heavy attack on Monday.
 

• The mayor of Irpin, a strategically important suburb of Ukraine, said on Monday that most Russian troops had retreated from the city, though fighting continued in some areas. The Pentagon couldn’t independently confirm that claim, but has verified that Ukrainian forces regained control of the northeastern town of Trostyanets. In the northern town of Slavutych, Russian troops agreed to release the mayor, whom they had taken prisoner, and clear out after residents staged mass protests. 
   
• Russia’s revised goal of cutting off the Donbas region will depend in part on how quickly its forces can gain full control of Mariupol, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said on Monday that the city was largely “in the hands of the occupiers,” and called for a complete evacuation of the remaining population. Boichenko’s office said that nearly 5,000 residents have been killed, including about 210 children, and that 90 percent of the city’s buildings have been damaged. 

Calling for Putin’s ouster as a policy matter would fall under the forbidden umbrella of Things That Could Easily Start World War III, but Biden’s comment spoke to the fundamental horror of the war, as well as to the reality that any diplomatic path to peace will be in serious doubt for as long as he remains in power. 

In 2022, we need to work harder than ever to inform and mobilize voters to make sure their voices are heard in spite of the efforts of anti-democratic forces across the country. That’s why Vote Save America is launching its biggest volunteer effort yet and asking you to be part of your region’s Midterm Madness team: East, South, Midwest, West. Sign up and learn more at votesaveamerica.com/midterms to receive actions you can take every week to get involved in the most important elections in 2022, from the Senate to your school board.

A federal judge ruled that it was “more likely than not” that disgraced former President Trump committed a felony by attempting to obstruct Congress on January 6, 2021, and ordered pro-Trump lawyer John Eastman to turn over more than 100 emails to the January 6 committee. That’s both a major win for House investigators, and marks the first time a federal court has found that Trump probably did some crimes. (Hoarsely) U up, Merrick Garland? Eastman’s emails might help answer the committee’s question of whether he was in contact with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), an old pal of his. Cruz pursued a congressional election-stealing plan that was oddly similar to the scheme outlined in Eastman’s coup memos—one of which mentioned Cruz specifically. The committee has yet to subpoena Cruz himself, or any member of Congress. It will reportedly seek the testimony of Supreme Court Wife Ginni Thomas, who repeatedly texted then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about overturning the election. The panel on Monday evening unanimously voted to recommend contempt charges for former Trump aides Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino.

• The FDA is expected to authorize a second booster shot for anyone over 50 as soon as this week. Meanwhile, as other countries place their advance orders for more doses, the Biden administration has run out of funds to purchase a fourth shot for all Americans. 
   
• Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has signed Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill that will limit what public-school teachers can say about gender and sexuality, require schools to notify parents when their children receive health services (even if that means outing kids to unsupportive parents), and allow parents to sue schools that they believe have violated the vague law.
   
• Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) announced on Saturday that he will resign from Congress after he was found guilty of lying to the FBI about an illegal campaign contribution.
   
• Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has made political decisions that benefit his personal financial interest in a West Virginia power plant throughout his career, blocking urgent climate legislation in the process. 
   
• Some Ukrainian Holocaust survivors have fled to Germany for safety, in the latest surreal wrinkle of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s celebrated de-Nazification campaign.
   
• Even Fox News host John Roberts couldn’t stomach Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-FL) false claims that the toxic contents of his own policy plan were “Democratic talking points”: “No, it’s in the plan! It’s in the plan."
   
• If you haven’t yet heard about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, congratulations on your tranquil, Twitter-less existence! Also, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards.
   
• A Boston Dynamics robot dog has been deployed to Pompeii to help identify structural and safety issues, and give visitors a better sense of what the real robot dogs of Pompeii would've looked like. 

President Biden has proposed a new tax on the 700 richest Americans as part of his 2023 federal budget, in the administration’s most aggressive move to date to make Elon Musk lose his shit online. The Billionaire Minimum Income Tax would set a 20 percent baseline tax rate on households worth over $100 million–the top 0.01 percent of American families—which would apply to both income and currently untaxed investment gains. That new revenue stream would generate $360 billion over the next decade, with the majority of it coming from billionaires. Biden’s budget proposal would also cut the national deficit by over $1 trillion over the next ten years, according to the White House. Congress will still need to approve that proposal, and our old buds Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) have both been squeamish about raising taxes on the rich in the past. At the very least, Biden’s plan will set up a nice contrast between Democrats and the Raise Taxes on Millions of Working Americans Party in the midterms. 

Relationships take work. A lot of us will drop anything to  go help someone we care about. We’ll go out of our way  to treat other people well, but how often do we give ourselves the same treatment? 

This month, BetterHelp online therapy wants to remind you to take care of your most important relationship– the one you have with yourself. Whether it’s hitting the gym, making time for your haircut, or even trying therapy, you are your greatest asset, so invest the time and effort into yourself like you do for other  people.  

BetterHelp is customized online therapy that offers video, phone and even live chat sessions with your therapist, so you don’t have to see anyone on camera if you don’t want to. It’s much more affordable than in-person therapy and you can start communicating with your therapist in under 48 hours.

Give it a try and see why over 2 million people have used BetterHelp online therapy. This newsletter is sponsored by BetterHelp, and What A Day readers get 10% off their first  month  BetterHelp.com/crooked.

One of North America’s largest wind farms is now up and running in Oklahoma. 

Andi Mudryk has become the first openly trans judge to be appointed to California’s judicial bench. 

Ariana DeBose has become the first Afro Latina and first openly queer woman of color to win an Oscar in an acting category.

The volunteers of the Chileno Valley Newt Brigade managed to save about 4,400 Pacific newts from getting squished on roadways during their last winter migration.