The Man Putin Fears  —  From the confines of his barracks, he still runs a network of dissidents devoted to ousting President Vladimir Putin.  Its top leaders are fugitives from Russian law, though they were not hard for me to find while reporting this story.

In Rebuke to Trump, Supreme Court Allows Release of Jan. 6 Files  —  The House committee investigating the riot received hundreds of pages of documents from the former president's White House within hours of the ruling.  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused a request …

FBI activity underway near Rep. Cuellar's home in Laredo  —  The FBI is conducting what it described as “court-authorized” law enforcement activity at the Laredo home of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar.  —  Although FBI spokesperson Roseanne Hughes did not identify what the agency is investigating …

Police in this tiny Alabama town suck drivers into legal ‘black hole’  —  Ramon Perez came to court last month ready to fight the tickets he'd been handed by Brookside police, including one for rolling through a stop sign and another for driving 48 mph in a 40 zone.

Supreme Court hears arguments on campaign finance law, issues statement on NPR report  —  Three Supreme Court justices issued statements Wednesday addressing an NPR story about relations among the justices.  On Tuesday, NPR reported that Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a longtime diabetic …

Is Old Music Killing New Music?  —  All the growth in the music business now comes from old songs—how did we get here, and is there a way back?  —  I had a hunch that old songs were taking over music streaming platforms—but even I was shocked when I saw the most recent numbers.

Senate Republicans block voting rights bill  —  Senate Republicans blocked Democrats' voting rights legislation from coming to a final vote on Wednesday in what was largely viewed as a doomed effort from the start.  —  Why it matters: The failed vote underscores the Democratic Party's current uphill battle …

Does the Trump Family's Grift Add Up to Fraud?  —  The Trump family has run-ins with law enforcement almost as frequently as other families go grocery shopping.  Those confrontations often produce court filings loaded with salacious details about the clan's machinations …

Biden asks, ‘What are Republicans for?’  Republicans have already chosen not to answer.  —  During a news conference held one day shy of his first anniversary in office, President Biden was asked whether he had made bigger promises to the electorate than he was able to fulfill.

Hana Horka: Czech singer dies after catching Covid intentionally  —  A folk singer from the Czech Republic has died after deliberately catching Covid, her son has told the BBC.  —  Hana Horka, 57, was unvaccinated and had posted on social media that she was recovering after testing positive, but died two days later.

Why I am no longer a tenured professor at the University of Toronto  —  I recently resigned from my position as full tenured professor at the University of Toronto.  I am now professor emeritus, and before I turned sixty.  Emeritus is generally a designation reserved for superannuated faculty …

Omicron Is in Retreat  —  What's next?  —  The latest Omicron developments continue to be encouraging.  New Covid-19 cases are plummeting in a growing list of places.  The percentage of cases causing severe illness is much lower than it was with the Delta variant.

Kathy Griffin Is Trying to Get Back on the D-List  —  Ever since her Trump joke went wrong in 2017, Griffin has been seeking a professional rebirth, and wondering who among the canceled gets a second chance.  —  When Kathy Griffin met last summer with a surgeon to discuss the removal …

Texas GOP Candidate For Governor Won't Fire Staffer With Deep White Nationalist Ties  —  Don Huffines, a candidate with harsh anti-immigrant views, says dismissing Jake Lloyd Colglazier would be “cancel culture.”  —  A Republican candidate for governor of Texas says he will not fire …

Senate President Stuart Adams tested positive for COVID twice Tuesday before publicly announcing he was negative  —  Acknowledgment of positive tests came after Tribune inquiries, records request.  —  (Francisco Kjolseth |  The Salt Lake Tribune) Elder Gerrit W. Gong …

Biden held a record-long news conference.  Conservative media jumped at the chance.  —  President Biden may have discovered one of the drawbacks to holding long news conferences: You might get a few questions you didn't see coming.  —  Biden held a record-long, nearly two-hour exchange …

'Succession's Brian Cox Goes Full Beast Mode On Donald Trump, Talks Jeremy Strong, Johnny Depp, & ‘Adaptation’ Absence In New Memoir  —  “What I have an opinion about 25 years ago, it's not necessarily the opinion I have now,” admits Brian Cox as response to the viewpoint the Succession star offers …

Citing Stand-Your-Ground Law, D.A. Won't File Charges in Kansas Teen's Death  —  Cedric Lofton, 17, was handcuffed and placed face down at a detention center in Wichita, Kan., last year.  The district attorney says the employees were acting in self-defense.

Family of Wyoming Marine killed in Afghanistan suing Alec Baldwin for defamation, privacy invasion  —  The sisters and widow of a Wyoming Marine killed in Afghanistan are suing Alec Baldwin in federal court, alleging the actor defamed them on his social media after he learned one of the sisters attended …

Scoop: Jill Biden expands communications team ahead of midterms  —  Jill Biden is expanding her communications team in anticipation of increased demand for the first lady ahead of this fall's midterm elections, Axios has learned.  —  Why it matters: First ladies are often more popular …

Youngkin names a new diversity officer for the state, orders a new focus for the office's work  —  Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday named Angela Sailor, a policy expert at the Heritage Foundation who has criticized school lessons on systemic racism in the U.S., as the state's new director of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has fought vaccine mandates, tests positive for COVID-19  —  Paxton's office said the Republican “remains working diligently for the people of Texas from home.”  —  Copy link  —  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said Wednesday.

Biden's road back: Asking Republicans ‘What are they for?’  —  The old joke about Wagner's music being better than it sounds applies to President Biden's first year in office: It's better than it looks.  Alas for Biden, that's not good enough.  —  With the president's approval ratings languishing …