Trump’s views on Russia put Rubio’s long-held opposition to authoritarian leaders to the test

As Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of the “incredible opportunities” to partner with Vladimir Putin’s Russia if a peace deal to end his invasion of Ukraine is achieved, the Russian leader was sending hundreds of thousands of oil barrels to Cuba, offering a lifeline to a regime Rubio, a Cuban American from Florida, had just recently called “an enemy of humanity.”

A Russian tanker carrying 790,000 barrels valued at $55 million arrived in Havana last week, a reminder of Putin’s geopolitical ambitions in the Western Hemisphere. The shipment will help keep the regime in Havana afloat at a critical time, while also undermining a recent tightening of sanctions that Rubio’s State Department touted as a return to a tough Cuba policy.

The parallel developments pose questions about how Rubio, who had called Putin “a war criminal” and had blasted Cuba for supporting him, will navigate what looks like a disjointed Trump administration’s foreign policy and his long-standing opposition to authoritarian regimes in Cuba, Russia, Venezuela and elsewhere.

Rubio’s first month has been packed with high-profile negotiations about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, a Latin American tour that yielded commitments to help the administration’s immigration agenda, high-level meetings with European allies and the fallout of a controversial slashing of foreign-aid funds.

—Miami Herald

200,000 fake US postage stamps — worth over $100,000 — seized in Alabama, officials say

Thousands of counterfeit forever stamps were blocked from entering postal circulation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Alabama, officials said.

A total of 200,000 postage stamps worth $146,000 from Hong Kong were seized after an inspection determined the stamps were fake, according to a Feb. 21 CBP news release.

The batch included rolls of the Flag Stamp, which according to the United States Postal Inspection Service is the most frequently seen counterfeit stamp.

About a week earlier, Customs and Border Protections officers stopped eight shipments of 161,860 fraudulent U.S. forever stamps, worth more than $118,000, officials said in a Feb. 13 news release.

—The Charlotte Observer

North Carolina town beset by roaming dogs killing other pets

Police in a North Carolina town were on the hunt Monday for a pack of dogs that has been roaming the streets and terrorizing residents for weeks, and had caught one of them.

On Sunday authorities admitted to facing a canine conundrum after “multiple efforts” to catch the problem pups were unsuccessful but vowed not to let the town of Scotland Neck go to the dogs.

“We are actively exploring various strategies to enhance the safety of our community,” the police department of the town, about 85 miles northeast of Raleigh, said Sunday. “This week, a plan involving tranquilizers has been established.”

Police asked the public to report sightings of pack so they can take the hellacious hounds out of circulation. They also urged residents not to approach or feed the dogs.

—New York Daily News

Macron echoes Trump on Ukraine peace, but disagreements remain

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump tried out a new persona on Monday during high-stakes meetings with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron: peacemaker.

The U.S. leader has started his second term threatening to acquire territory, and not ruling out using military force to do so. He also has proposed taking ownership of the Gaza Strip and making Canada the 51st state.

But on Monday, Trump and Macron were narrowly focused on ending the war in Ukraine, Europe’s most deadly conflict in decades. The “America first” commander in chief even suggested it would be up to European security forces to patrol post-war Ukraine. Macron didn’t close the door on sending French troops for “peaceful deployments of troops, not for combat,” adding that other European leaders have told him they would do the same.

“We’re going to help Ukraine like we’ve never helped Ukraine before,” Trump said, seated alongside Macron in the Oval Office on Monday afternoon. “This has been a horrible, bloody mess, and we’ve got to get it solved. … It could lead to World War III if it’s not solved.”

—CQ-Roll Call