N.Y. Attorney General Can Question Trump and 2 Children, Judge Rules  —  Former President Donald J. Trump and two of his children had sought to block Letitia James, the attorney general, from interviewing them under oath.  —  The New York attorney general can question Donald J. Trump …

EXCLUSIVE: GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy Endorses Top Cheney Opponent Harriet Hageman In Wyoming  —  Opposition to hand-picked Pelosi lieutenant Liz Cheney is uniting the GOP's establishment and voter base.  —  House Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy made history on Thursday by endorsing …

Russia Answers NATO  —  This is a free edition of Peacefield, a newsletter about the survival of liberal democracy in the United States and around the world, plus contrary, often curmudgeonly takes about everything from nuclear weapons to classic rock.  Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

GOP plunges into season of ‘self-hate’ that will rewire the party  —  Republicans are embarking on a primary season that is poised to reshape the GOP for a generation, and that journey begins in Texas.  —  In less than two weeks, the first primary election of 2022 will take place …

Democrats' internal polling shows swing voters believe party went ‘too far’ on COVID  —  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is concerned that Republican attacks on the Democrats' handling of the COVID-19 pandemic have “alarming credibility,” according to a slide deck obtained by SFGATE.

Oregon Supreme Court will rule on whether Nick Kristof can run for Oregon governor  —  The Oregon Supreme Court says Nick Kristof, the former New York Times columnist who quit his newspaper job to run for Oregon governor, cannot appear on the state's May primary ballot.The justices' decision …

Spotify's Joe Rogan Deal Is Said to Be Worth Over $200 Million  —  The deal that brought his podcast to Spotify is said to be worth over $200 million, more than was previously known.  Accusations that he spreads misinformation have roiled the company.  —  It was the deal that helped …

How a Saudi woman's iPhone revealed hacking around the world … A single activist helped turn the tide against NSO Group, one of the world's most sophisticated spyware companies now facing a cascade of legal action and scrutiny in Washington over damaging new allegations that its software …

Trudeau reprimanded in Parliament for remarks made to Jewish Conservative Party MP  —  Any time a politician resorts to making Nazi references during an argument, you know he or she is losing that argument.  It's always an out-of-bounds reference.  Yet, politicians continue to make the mistake of doing it.

In San Francisco and elsewhere, Democrats fight Democrats over where they stand  —  As Democrats look fearfully toward the midterm elections, many of the party's candidates, strategists and voters are recoiling from some of the left-wing proposals that gained prominence during the Trump administration.

P. J. O'Rourke, 1947-2022  —  Brilliant writer, beautiful soul  —  This past Tuesday morning, the news broke hard and cruel that another of the good guys had left us.  Though “good” guy is a sinful understatement in the case of P.J. O'Rourke.  He was the best guy.

Pro Gamer Fired After Saying Short Men 'Don't Have Human Rights'  —  The Tekken esports pro made the peculiar remarks during a Cyclops Athlete Gaming stream  —  Professional Tekken player Tanukana has been booted from Osaka-based esports team Cyclops Athlete Gaming for remarks she made about men's heights during a livestream.

Google Has Made Millions Advertising Phony Government Handouts  —  Paid Google ads urging people to apply for fake payments were viewed more than 100 million times in five months — and stayed up until HuffPost reached out.  —  The ad caught Gordon Turner's eye immediately.

‘Woman in Michigan’ Governs the No. 1 Economy  —  “That woman from Michigan” is the T-shirt worn by the 49th governor of the 10th-largest U.S. state after President Donald Trump berated her for ordering some indoor business services closed in 2020.  Michiganders were among the most afflicted …

Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine, World of Women Partner to Adapt NFTs Into Movies, TV Shows (EXCLUSIVE) … World of Women launched in July 2021 with some 10,000 artworks from women creators, quickly becoming one of the most popular and profitable purveyors of non-fungible tokens.

Partisan tactic by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's campaign delays thousands of requests for mail-in ballots from Texas voters  —  Patrick's mass mailing urging voters to apply for mail-in ballots included return envelopes addressed to the Texas secretary of state's office.

LGBT Identification in U.S. Ticks Up to 7.1%  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — The percentage of U.S. adults who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something other than heterosexual has increased to a new high of 7.1%, which is double the percentage from 2012, when Gallup first measured it.

Michelle Childs Sentenced a Man to 12 Years for Selling Eight Ounces of Weed  —  ‘I had more time than people in there who killed somebody,’ says Willie Roy Goodwin, who received the harsh sentence from the Supreme Court hopeful.  —  Since Willie Roy Goodwin's 2009 sentencing …

Ron Johnson Is Blocking His Own Judicial Nominee  —  The GOP senator recommended William Pocan to President Joe Biden, but now may tank his nomination for no real reason.  —  Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) announced this week that he will block one of President Joe Biden's judicial nominees …

Craig Greenberg joins chorus of criticism over jail release of Quintez Brown in shooting  —  Watch Video: Mayoral candidate attacked by gunman, Craig Greenberg, talks to media in wake of shooting  —  LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The bail release of a Louisville activist from jail just two days …

‘The brand is so toxic’: Dems fear extinction in rural US  —  SMETHPORT, Pa. (AP) — Some Democrats here in rural Pennsylvania are afraid to tell you they're Democrats.  —  The party's brand is so toxic in the small towns 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh that some liberals have removed bumper stickers …

The MyPillow Guy Is Seriously Planning to Drop Pillows From the Sky Over Canada  —  PREPARE THE TEENY TINY PARACHUTES!  —  After his initial Tuesday shipment of MyPillow products was denied entry into Canada, Mike Lindell now has a backup plan to get free pillows to Canadian truckers: drop them from the sky via a helicopter.

‘Candy Bomber’ who dropped sweets during Berlin airlift dies  —  DENVER (AP) — U.S. military pilot Gail S. Halvorsen — known as the “Candy Bomber” for his candy airdrops during the Berlin airlift after World War II ended — has died at age 101.  —  Halvorsen died Wednesday following …

Sidney Powell Sues Verizon to Hide Phone Records From Jan. 6 Committee  —  KRAKEN-ED  —  Sidney Powell, a former attorney for Donald Trump, has sued Verizon to shield her phone records from a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

COVID Won't End Up Like the Flu.  It Will Be Like Smoking.  —  Hundreds of thousands of deaths, from either tobacco or the pandemic, could be prevented with a single behavioral change.  —  It's suddenly become acceptable to say that COVID is—or will soon be—like the flu.

Senate clears funding patch to kick shutdown cliff into March  —  The Senate passed a short-term funding bill Thursday night to head off a government shutdown, after Democrats bent to Republican demands for controversial votes on vaccine mandates.  —  The three-week spending patch is expected …

Mike Pence to visit Israel and Morocco in early March  —  Former VP to get honorary degree at Ariel University; will travel on to Morocco  —  Former Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to visit Israel on March 7 for two days, and will then travel to Morocco in an effort to bolster the Abraham Accords, Jewish Insider has learned.

Charlie Kirk likens a restaurant asking him for his vaccine status to living in Nazi Germany  —  Update (2/17/22): On the February 17 edition of his radio show, Charlie Kirk doubled down on his statements about being asked for his vaccination status at a restaurant, saying, “Yeah, of course, I'm likening it to” Nazi Germany.