Nation
Trump pulls Senate endorsement of Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks

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Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday rescinded his endorsement of Rep. Mo Brooks, the U.S. Senate hopeful from Alabama who spoke at the Jan. 6 rally before a mob of protesters stormed the Capitol.
Brooks had been a fervent backer of Trump, calling himself “MAGA Mo” in campaign materials and voting against certifying the 2020 presidential election results, but he started to distance himself from the election objection last summer.
In August, he was booed by Trump supporters at a rally where he encouraged the crowd to “put that behind you” in reference to the 2020 election.
Trump said in a prepared statement on Wednesday that those comments were among the reasons he was pulling his backing of Brooks.
“When I heard his statement, I said, ‘Mo, you just blew the Election, and there’s nothing you can do about it,'” Trump said. “Very sad but, since he decided to go in another direction, so have I, and I am hereby withdrawing my Endorsement of Mo Brooks for the Senate.”
Judge:Federal civil suits against Trump for inciting Jan. 6 riot at Capitol can go forward
Brooks sliding in GOP Senate primary polls
In his statement, Trump also pointed out that Brooks has been slipping in the polls.
An Alabama television station reported this week that its polling showed Brooks running third, behind Katie Britt and Michael Durant, in the Republican primary to replace retiring Sen. Richard Shelby.
Both Britt and Durant have met with Trump about a potential endorsement, according to Politico.
Brooks had made Trump’s endorsement a key piece of his campaign.
Trump had been primed for weeks to pull his endorsement of Brooks, telling the Washington Examiner earlier this month that Brooks was “disappointing.”
He also had picked up Trump’s war with Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the GOP minority leader who is in position to return as majority leader if Republicans retake the Senate in November.
‘This is insane’:Lawmakers relive Jan. 6 horror alongside fresh trauma of effort to rewrite history
When he took the microphone to speak to Trump supporters at the Jan. 6 rally, Brooks invoked the Revolutionary War.
“Our ancestors sacrificed their blood, their sweat, their tears, their fortunes, and sometimes their lives to give us, their descendants, an America that is the greatest nation in world history,” he said. “So I have a question for you — are you willing to do the same?”
Contributing: Erin Mansfield

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Nation
I'm among the rideshare drivers living in fear, demanding safer work conditions

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Uber, Lyft made safety improvements, but many of those protect riders more than drivers. But drivers are also in danger.

Naomi Ogutu
Opinion contributor
I’ve been a rideshare driver in New York City for six years, and I take pride in my job and helping my passengers get where they need to go safely. But my safety is not a guarantee. I’m a mom of three. I need to know that I’ll make it home to my kids at the end of each night.
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Business
'A bad déjà vu': Under the crush of Western sanctions, Russians fear a return to dark economic days

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Harsh sanctions from Western nations on Russia have reminded citizens of the country’s 1998 debt crisis.
By Anna Nemtsova
USA TODAY
- McDonalds and other American businesses have closed in Russia amid its invasion into Ukraine.
- One expert estimates more than 200,000 Russians have left the country since the start of the war.
- To counter economic turmoil, Putin has demand “unfriendly” countries pay for natural gas exports in rubles.
The once bustling corner of Moscow’s central Tverskaya Street looked deserted on Wednesday, as Russia’s first-ever McDonald’s franchise – opened in 1990 in a move that symbolized the Soviet Union’s opening to the West – shut its doors.
A large mural depicting a giant, Soviet-era medal – the Order of Victory, the highest military decoration awarded in World War II — loomed over over the empty sidewalk.
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Nation
Saint Peter's embodies wackiness and uncertainty of this NCAA Tournament | Opinion

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The lone No. 1 seed still alive heading into the Elite Eight, Kansas needs only a win against No. 10 Miami (Fla.) to book a spot in the Final Four.
No. 2 Duke and coach Mike Krzyzewski can make one last Final Four and chase one final national championship by beating No. 4 Arkansas.
No. 2 Villanova can reach the national semifinals for the third time in six tournaments by winning what should be a defense-dominated brawl against No. 5 Houston.
And after beating No. 4 UCLA in the Sweet 16, No. 8 North Carolina is one win from reaching the Final Four under first-year coach Hubert Davis.
If everything goes according to plan, this year’s Final Four will consist of some of the biggest names in the history of the sport.
But the last week has taught us that this year’s NCAA Tournament will inevitably deviate from the script.
So look for the Jayhawks to be shocked in the Elite Eight, as the Bill Self collection of tournament collapses adds another painful chapter. Based on how things have gone through three rounds, Arkansas is a lock to send Krzyzewski into retirement one game shy of the Final Four. Villanova may be a two-time champion under Jay Wright, but the Wildcats will be smothered by Houston.

And, of course, the Tar Heels will lose to the team that embodies the wackiness and uncertainty of this entire tournament.
Saint Peter’s stands at the precipice of another outlandish achievement: being the first No. 15 seed — the first seed lower than No. 11, in fact — to reach the Final Four.
The Peacocks will be the underdog once again come Sunday, when they’ll match against a deeper and more talented opponent with decades of history to more than overshadow the Peacocks’ three-game run.
But beating another college basketball giant will simply take what we already know the Peacocks can bring to the table: Saint Peter’s reached the Elite Eight with energy, aggressiveness and composure, following the model set by unflappable coach Shaheen Holloway, and that same combination will give the Peacocks a chance at etching themselves into an even more permanent place in NCAA Tournament history.
“We’re happy but don’t mistake, we’re not satisfied, we’re not satisfied at all,” said guard Doug Edert. “The job is not finished. We feel like we belong and the more games we win the more confidence we build.”
That sounds like bad news for the Tar Heels, who might’ve righted the ship after a poor start to ACC play but could be the latest blueblood to the Peacocks’ formula.
At some point, the magic has to run out — for Saint Peter’s, which somehow keeps stacking upsets of higher-ranked opponents, and for the tournament at large, which has been wackier than ever but could suddenly snap back to the status quo.
But this March has not gone according to plan. Several big names lost early. Others failed to get out of the second round. The story of this year’s tournament has been upsets, shockers, letdowns, unpredictable officiating and unpredictability, period — why should the next two days be any different?
Follow colleges reporter Paul Myerberg on Twitter @PaulMyerberg
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