Five Rings in China: Events have begun and the opening ceremony is tonight as the Winter Olympics in Beijing get underway in a bubble of Covid-19 caution and political oppression.   In a public show that was no coincidence, Russian President Vladimir Putin …

Pointless: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani described the latest round of economic sanctions as pointless and called the White House “mentally retarded.”  “Today, the Americans have become desperate and confused,” he added. “This has made them take unusual measures and talk nonsense.”  The new …

Short Shutdown: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul kept Congress up all night, blocking a budget vote and causing a six-hour government shutdown. Paul delivered a long and impassioned speech condemning the hypocrisy of his own party for deepening the national deficit …

Winter, Y’all: A new winter storm is beginning to dump snow and ice on the south and southeast before it heads up the East Coast. Atlanta, which got socked with major traffic jams only two weeks ago, is preparing to …

Out: Missouri football star Michael Sam, a defensive end who’s expected to be an early round NFL draft pick, announced that he’s gay. He’s 6-2, 260 pounds and would be the first openly gay player in the NFL. But he’s …

Sochi: American skier Bode Miller, the fastest in training runs, finished a disappointed eighth in the men’s downhill. Austria’s Matthias Mayer was the surprise winner. Miller was ahead of the competition on the first two split times, but then fell …

Pete Seeger: The great folk singer Pete Seeger, leader of the folk revival and an agent for social change, has died at age 94 in New York. He sang and played guitar and banjo everywhere from labor rallies to college …