Trump campaign officials, led by Rudy Giuliani, oversaw fake electors plot in 7 states  —  Washington (CNN)Trump campaign officials, led by Rudy Giuliani, oversaw efforts in December 2020 to put forward illegitimate electors from seven states that Trump lost, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the scheme.

NPR reporting on Supreme Court mask controversy merits clarification  —  An inaccurate verb choice made the reporting unclear  —  On Tuesday morning, NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg reported that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch had declined to wear a mask in court …

FBI raid on House Democrat's home related to Azerbaijan probe, source says  —  An FBI spokesperson said any law enforcement activity was “court-authorized.”  —  The FBI on Wednesday raided Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar's home and campaign office in Texas as part of a wide-ranging …

Arizona Democrat says some senators urging him to challenge Sinema with party at a ‘breaking point’  —  (CNN)Rep. Ruben Gallego says his phone has been ringing a lot recently — with many Democrats making a pitch to him: Run against Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in 2024.

Rep. Lauren Boebert Asked A Group Of Jewish Capitol Visitors If They Were Doing “Reconnaissance”  —  Rep. Lauren Boebert left a group of Jewish visitors to the Capitol bewildered Thursday morning when she asked them if they were doing “reconnaissance” after seeing them at an elevator at the Capitol.

Scoop: Trump's friends worry legal pick for N.Y. case lacks experience  —  Close associates and advisers to Donald Trump tell Axios they're concerned by his decision to use a relatively inexperienced New Jersey attorney, Alina Habba, in his high-stakes legal fight against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Due to COVID Concerns, ESPN Will Not Staff Winter Olympics in China  —  Robust remote coverage plans will kick off prior to start of competition  —  Due to concerns about COVID-19 and other COVID-related restrictions, ESPN will not be sending any news personnel to the Winter Olympics in China …

Russia raises pressure by sending more troops to Ukraine border  —  Western officials believe further deployments would be needed for full-blown invasion  —  Diplomats from the US and Russia have shuttled across Europe for security talks over Ukraine but military analysts have had their eye …

BYU is under federal investigation for how it disciplines LGBTQ students  —  The private religious school says it's exempt from Title IX requirements.  But students say it's time for a change.  —  (George Frey |  Special to The Tribune) Students and others gather in front …

California bill would allow preteens to be vaccinated without parents' consent  —  Currently in California, minors ages 12 to 17 cannot be vaccinated without permission from their parents or guardian, unless the vaccine is specifically to prevent a sexually transmitted disease

Peloton to halt production of its Bikes, treadmills as demand wanes  — Peloton is temporarily halting production of its connected fitness products as consumer demand wanes and the company looks to control costs, according to internal documents obtained by CNBC.

BREAKING: Fulton DA requests special grand jury for Trump probe  —  Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is requesting a special grand jury to aid in her investigation of former President Donald Trump and his efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results.

13,000 Pounds at 118 Miles Per Hour  —  It was the deadliest wreck in years.  And the man behind it was one of the FBI's most notorious informants.  —  Photo-Illustration: Mark Harris.  Photo courtesy of of the National Transportation Safety Board  —  On September 4, 2018, Nauman Hussain …

Biden Re-Nominates Trump Pick and GOP Donor Jennifer Rearden as a Federal Judge  —  President Joe Biden yesterday nominated a slate of judges, including a controversial selection in Jennifer Rearden, who was first nominated for the federal bench by former President Donald Trump.

Judge denies InfoWars host motion to dismiss  —  (CNN Business)A federal judge on Thursday denied InfoWars host and right-wing conspiracy theorist Owen Shroyer's attempt to dismiss the four charges against him in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot.  —  Shroyer has been charged …

Rittenhouse seeks return of gun used during Kenosha protest  —  KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Kyle Rittenhouse, the Illinois man acquitted of fatally shooting two men and wounding a third during street protests in Kenosha in 2020, is seeking the return of the gun and other property that police seized after his arrest.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn Cleans Gun During Veterans Hearing  —  The North Carolina Republican lived up to his claim to fame on Wednesday of being the youngest current member of Congress.  —  The House Veterans' Affairs Committee took Wednesday as an opportunity to hold a virtual hearing on how toxic chemicals are killing U.S. soldiers.

POLITICO Playbook PM: Pelosi plays cleanup for Biden  —  BIG MEDIA MOVE THIS MORNING: BOB COSTA, the star politics reporter for the Washington Post and BOB WOODWARD's recent co-author, is joining CBS as chief election and campaign correspondent.  More from the NYT

Biden goes long form  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With Allie Bice.  —  JOE BIDEN does solo press conferences so rarely that the build up to Wednesday's session became a news story in its own right.

Rand Paul: Biden's ‘Muddled Message’ is ‘Dangerous to the Country,’ He Probably Shouldn't ‘Speak and Appear in Public’  —  Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said during an interview on Thursday that Joe Biden's inability to express a coherent message on foreign policy has become such a national security risk …

In catering to selfish parents, Youngkin is failing Virginia's kids  —  His executive order, which gives parents the power to choose whether children wear masks in school, ignores reality  —  When children test positive for the coronavirus at my children's Virginia elementary school, parents don't normally get much information.

New Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll: A Majority of Americans Support Legal Limits on Abortion, and Oppose Taxpayer Funding  —  NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A new Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll released today shows that 71% of Americans support legal limits on abortion.

Never Mind the Facts.  Trump Fans Feel Like a Majority  —  Donald Trump's obsession with inflated estimates of the crowd sizes at his various live events has been a long-running joke in American politics.  This was exhibited most famously in his bitter argument with the National Park Service …

Hochul Amassed a Campaign Fortune.  Here's Who it Came From.  —  Gov. Kathy Hochul's record-setting $21.6 million in donations flowed from a who's who of New York's special interests.  —  Last November, when many of Manhattan's skyscrapers sat half-empty, Gov. Kathy Hochul made a high-stakes wager …

Mitch McConnell Says Black People Vote Just as Much as ‘Americans’  —  COME AGAIN?  —  If only politicians thought before they talked.  Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) seemingly implied on Wednesday that Black Americans are not true Americans.  Following a failed vote on Democrats' John Lewis …

Belarusian Government Officials Charged With Aircraft Piracy For Diverting Ryanair Flight 4978 To Arrest Dissident Journalist In May 2021  —  Senior Belarusian Officials Conspired to Use a False Bomb Threat to Unlawfully Divert a Passenger Flight Carrying American Citizens in Order to Arrest Belarusian Dissident

Subject of ‘Just Mercy’ film visits Utah to push for abolishing death penalty  —  A national voice on social justice met with top Utah leaders Wednesday to push for a bill that would get rid of the death penalty in Utah.  Bryan Stevenson, an attorney and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative …

Hunter Biden, former Biden aide invested in Chinese company tied to Communist Party, NBA China  —  Former top Biden aide told Hunter that Chinese executive was 'being groomed to take over his family's dynasty'  —  EXCLUSIVE: As recently as March 2017, Hunter Biden's private equity firm held …

'Let's ban algebra, too!' adds Fla. legislator who is clearly not three kids in a trench coat  —  TALLAHASSEE — Florida legislators are working hard to pass a bill that, as the Associated Press observed, would “prohibit public schools and private businesses from making white people feel 'discomfort …