Tighten Up: Punishing Russia for its continued involvement in the Ukraine crisis, President Obama yesterday imposed new and more severe sanctions on Russian banks, energy, and defense companies. “I’ve repeatedly made it clear that Russia must halt the flow of …

Ukraine: Turnout appeared to be light today for a referendum on independence in eastern Ukraine, with many voters marking their ballots “yes.” The movement’s backers would create independent republics in Donetsk and Luhansk. The chairman of the election committee for …

Nation: Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is under the gun with the Veterans Administration accused of letting veterans die while they wait months for medical appointments and treatment. Shinseki has been subpoenaed to testify before the House Veterans Committee and …

World: An Afghan security guard at a hospital in Kabul opened fire, killing three American doctors and wounding an American nurse. Two of the doctors were a father and son. The gunman was wounded in the incident and underwent surgery …

Threats: Russia is stepping up threats to use military force in Ukraine according to comments by the foreign minister in a television interview. “Russian citizens being attacked is an attack against the Russian Federation,” said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Ukraine …

Upheld: The Supreme Court today upheld Michigan’s voter initiative that bans racial preference, otherwise known as affirmative action, for admission to the state’s public universities. Michigan’s Proposal 2, passed in 2006 with 58 percent of the vote, prohibits discrimination or …

G Minus One: The G-8 conference of the world’s largest economies is now the G-7. The US and its allies met yesterday and kicked Russia out of the Group of 8 diplomatic conference. Russia had been a member for 15 …

Plane Down: Searchers found a 12-mile long oil slick between Vietnam and Malaysia today, indicating that a missing Malaysia Airlines jet went down yesterday in the Gulf of Thailand. The Boeing 777 carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing …

Ukraine Crisis: Russian troops have surrounded or taken control of all the Ukraine military bases in Crimea. They are ordering Ukrainian troops to leave. “This is a question of defending our citizens and compatriots, ensuring human rights, especially the right …

Money, Money: The economy grew by 3.2% in the fourth quarter of 2013, an indication the economic recovery has legs. Stocks are up this morning. But yesterday the Federal Reserve announced another $10 billion cut in its monthly stimulus bond …