Wicker: Black Woman Supreme Court Pick An Affirmative Action ‘Beneficiary’  —  The first Black woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court in history will be a “beneficiary” of affirmative action, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker told a radio show this afternoon.  The senior Republican senator from Mississippi …

Trump Campaign Aide Among 14 ‘Alternate Electors’ Subpoenaed By January 6 Committee  —  The list also included multiple local Republican Party officials. … Lisa Vranicar Patton, who identifies herself as the Pennsylvania state events director for former President Trump's 2020 campaign on Linkedin …

White House Warnings Over Russia Strain Ukraine-U.S. Partnership  —  While Ukraine's president complained about “acute and burning” warnings from Washington, the Pentagon issued a dire new appraisal asserting Russia has amassed enough troops to invade his entire country.

News Item  —  I Stand With Neil Young!  —  I've decided to remove all my music from Spotify.  Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives.  I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.  —Joni Mitchell

Top Chinese scientist working in Hypersonic program flees China with critical secrets  —  Vikrant Thardak  —  Reading Time: 4 mins read  —  Become a Patron!  —  The US officials were left stunned when a Financial Times report revealed that Beijing had tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August last year.

The Secret Service Is Watching Former Ambassador John Bolton's House  —  Secret Service Police vehicles have been monitoring the home of John Bolton, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, for at least the past two days.  —  On Wednesday and Thursday, two white SUVs …

Why ‘imminent’ pisses Zelenskyy off  —  With help from Paul McLeary, Nahal Toosi, David Herszenhorn, Oriana Pawlyk and Daniel Lippman  —  In November, Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY couldn't ring alarm bells loudly enough.  “There is a threat today that there will be war tomorrow.

What I Learned in 25 Years of Writing for Slate  —  In 1996, Michael Kinsley called me with an offer.  He was starting a magazine and wanted somebody to write a column, “The Horse Race,” tracking the presidential campaign.  The race was boring—Bob Dole never had a shot against Bill Clinton—but the magazine, Slate, was exciting.

Art Spiegelman sees the new ban of his book ‘Maus’ as a ‘red alert’  —  Art Spiegelman didn't set out to write an educational aid for young-adult readers.  A half-century ago, he simply wanted to better know his own origin story, discover more about his parents' histories — and hear from his father …

Kansas Man on ‘Mission From God’ Charged With Threatening Biden's Life  —  ‘BLOOD OF THE LAMB’  —  A Kansas man claiming he had been told by God to travel to Washington, D.C., to “lop off the head of the serpent in the heart of the nation” has been charged with threatening …

Trump Tower Lawyer Veselnitskaya Accused of Brand New Crime in Leaked Docs  —  NEVERENDING STORY … New court papers accuse the notorious Trump Tower lawyer of a clandestine effort to tamper with official government papers.  —  LONDON—Trump Tower lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya has been accused …

Twitter says it has quit taking action against lies about the 2020 election  —  (CNN)Twitter quit taking action to try to limit the spread of lies about the 2020 election, the company said on Friday — a day after another social media platform, YouTube, removed a Republican congressman's campaign ad because it included a 2020 lie.

White House confirms South Carolina judge is under consideration for Supreme Court  —  The White House on Friday confirmed that President Biden is considering a South Carolina federal judge and favorite of House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) as a potential candidate for the Supreme Court.

We Still Can't See American Slavery for What It Was  —  The historian Marcus Rediker opens “The Slave Ship: A Human History” with a harrowing reconstruction of the journey, for a captive, from shore to ship:  —  An estimated 12.5 million people endured some version of this journey …

Washington trooper who defied state vaccine mandate and told gov to ‘kiss my a—’ dies from COVID-19  —  Former Trooper Robert LaMay was 51 years old  —  Ivy League parents take stand over college vaccine booster mandates  —  A Washington State Patrol officer who defied a statewide vaccine mandate …

Senators Target Google With New Bill to Break Its Grip on Murky Ad Tech Market  —  A bipartisan group of U.S. senators that has been trying to rein in Google and other big tech companies plans to introduce a bill that would regulate the shadowy world of online ads more like how the government regulates Wall Street.

Google stops serving ads on Fox News host Dan Bongino's website  —  Google dealt a major blow to conservative media personality and Fox News Channel host Dan Bongino on Friday, pulling Google ad services from his website Bongino.com.  —  The action follows YouTube's decision Wednesday …

Biden ‘hot mic’ with Fox's Doocy fuels speculation  —  Did President Biden have an accidental “hot mic” moment this week when he was heard insulting a Fox News reporter?  Or did the president intend for his comments to be picked up?  —  A number of observers have speculated about the latter.

Pennsylvania court tosses state's mail voting law  —  A Pennsylvania court struck down the state's mail voting law on Friday morning, saying that voters must amend the state constitution before such legislation is legal.  —  “No-excuse mail-in voting makes the exercise of the franchise …

Michigan Detective Pleads Guilty to Selling Fentanyl-Laced Heroin on the Job  —  ‘TO PROTECT AND SERVE’  —  A Michigan detective pleaded guilty Thursday to selling heroin laced with fentanyl while on the job.  Tiffany Lipkovitch, 46, sold the deadly drugs between Wayne and Oakland counties in 2018 …

The Disillusionment of a Young Biden Official  —  Andrea Flores's efforts to roll back Trump's immigration policies faced opposition inside and outside the White House.  —  In the spring of 2019, Andrea Flores, then a thirty-one-year-old associate at a law firm in Washington, D.C. …

How Trump Coins Became an Internet Sensation  —  Getting to the bottom of a modern mystery.  —  To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.  —  The novelty coins are simple, glistening tokens of admiration for former President Donald J. Trump.