US Rep. Madison Cawthorn calls Ukrainian president a ‘thug’  —  RALEIGH, N.C. — U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina told supporters he thought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a “thug”—a comment that runs counter to the overwhelming share of Republicans with a favorable view …

2020 Census Undercounted U.S. Population by Nearly 19 Million  —  The Census Bureau said it had undercounted Black, Latino and Indigenous people and overcounted white and Asian Americans.  —  The 2020 census undercounted the country's population by 18.8 million people, the Census Bureau said on Thursday …

The real reason the feds haven't indicted Trump  —  Above all others, there is one question that Democrats cannot stop asking: “Why hasn't Attorney General Merrick Garland indicted former president Donald Trump?”  —  Garland's remarks today, on the one-year anniversary of his appointment …

A Fox News reporter's schooling of Sean Hannity veers into dark territory  —  A virulent claim is circulating in right-wing media and among some Republicans: The United States might be working on biolabs in Ukraine.  This assertion, which echoes Russian propaganda and implies that the United States …

North Korean missile launches were a ‘serious escalation,’ official says … North Korea has tested components of a new intercontinental ballistic missile system, the Biden administration said Thursday, in what one senior official described as a “serious escalation” of North Korea's long-range missile program.

Local Election Officials Survey (March 2022) … Nearly one in three local election officials know at least one election worker who has left the job, partly due to safety concerns, increased threats, or intimidation.

Sources: MLB, union reach tentative agreement on new CBA, salvage 162-game season  —  Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association reached a tentative agreement on a new collective-bargaining agreement Thursday, ending the league's 99-day lockout of the players and salvaging a 162-game season …

Even Russian State TV Is Pleading With Putin to Stop the War  —  State propagandists called for Putin to end the “special military operation” before “frightening” sanctions destabilize his regime and risk civil war in Russia.  —  There is a notable mood shift in Russia …

House Dems try to keep it sunny in Philadelphia  —  PHILADELPHIA — House Democrats planned to pull into town for their retreat toting a shiny spending victory.  Instead they limped up the I-95 corridor near midnight after getting stalled in a familiar intraparty jam.

TSA to extend mask mandate for planes, public transportation until April 18  —  WASHINGTON — The Transportation Security Administration is extending the mask mandate on public transportation until April 18, according to a White House official and a TSA official.

EXCLUSIVE: AOC-backed candidate facing run-off with Texas congressman Henry Cuellar had steamy fling with her high school teacher 23 years her senior, texts reveal, as his ex claims politician broke up her marriage  — Jessica Cisneros, 28, had a long-term affair with her former high school teacher John Balli, 51

EXCLUSIVE Facebook will temporarily allow posts calling for violence against Russians, calls for Putin's death  —  Meta Platforms (FB.O) will allow Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russians and Russian soldiers in the context of the Ukraine invasion …

A Potential Rarity in American Politics: A Fair Congressional Map  —  This year's congressional map, despite continued gerrymandering, is poised to have a nearly equal number of districts that lean Democratic and Republican.  —  For years, America's congressional map favored Republicans over Democrats.

Ready to Die?  Why Most People Flunk the Zelenskyy Test.  —  In his bid for international support for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has found a good line, and he knows it.  —  “This might be the last time you see me alive,” he told European leaders in a conference call, shortly after his country was invaded.

Elephants in the room  —  COEUR d'ALENE — The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee has reportedly planned and recruited volunteers to infiltrate the Kootenai Democrats, install an “antisemitic troll” as party chair and funnel money donated to Democrats to local Republicans instead.

Russia says China refuses to supply aircraft parts after sanctions  —  China has refused to supply Russian airlines with aircraft parts, an official at Russia's aviation authority was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying on Thursday, after Boeing (BA.N) and Airbus (AIR.PA) halted supply of components.

“Infamy Is Kind Of Fun”: Grimes on Music, Mars, and Her Secret New Baby With Elon Musk  —  So I show up at Grimes's house on a Tuesday afternoon.  Grimes's real name is Claire Boucher, and she answers to Grimes or Claire, or even better, c, as in the speed of light.

Outside the West, Putin is less isolated than you might think  —  You're reading an excerpt from the Today's WorldView newsletter.  Sign up to get the rest, including news from around the globe, interesting ideas, and opinions to know sent to your inbox every weekday.

Grassley privately investigating Garcetti, wants nomination held  —  A top Senate Republican is seeking to delay Eric Garcetti's nomination to serve as President Joe Biden's ambassador to India, pending an investigation into whether the mayor of Los Angeles lied when he told a congressional panel …

Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoes proposed Congressional district map  —  Gov. John Bel Edwards on Wednesday night vetoed the congressional redistricting map passed by the Republican-majority Legislature, saying it should have included a district that would allow a second Black candidate a chance …

IRS plans to hire 10,000 workers to relieve massive backlog  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS said Thursday it plans to hire 10,000 new workers to help reduce a massive backlog that the government says will make this tax season the most challenging in history.  —  The agency released a plan …

Michael Flynn testifies in closed-door meeting with Jan. 6 committee  —  WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol interviewed Michael Flynn on Thursday, after subpoenaing him to testify about an Oval Office meeting at which, the panel said …

Oregon Republican chair resigns, citing ‘greater evil than the Democrats’  —  1,506  —  Dallas Heard, chair of the Oregon Republican Party, has resigned, citing “evil” inside the party he leads.  Heard, who is also a state senator from Myrtle Creek, wrote a blistering letter to inform the party of his decision.

‘No off-ramps’: U.S. and European officials don't see a clear endgame in Ukraine … When Russia first invaded Ukraine just over two weeks ago, the near-unanimous global assumption was that it would score a quick and easy military victory over its neighbor to the west.

The Trans Movement Is Failing Where the Gay-Rights Movement Succeeded  —  By abandoning the libertarian ‘live and let live’ approach, transgender activists are alienating Americans.  —  he transgender and gay-rights movements are often lumped together — including in the very acronym LGBT …

Nikki Haley's Hypocrisy and Faux Outrage Over Ukraine  —  The wannabe GOP presidential candidate's foolish, self-serving, and pernicious remarks about Putin's invasion.  —  Nikki Haley smells an opportunity.  Donald Trump's U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is getting ready to run …

Shot down: How Biden scuttled the deal to get MiGs to Ukraine  —  A three-way fighter-jet deal to bolster Ukraine's defenses against Russia is dead — just five days after the White House first revealed an openness to making it work.  —  With Kyiv begging U.S. officials for more military support …

Echoes From Odessa, the Onetime Jewish Metropolis Now Menaced by Putin  —  This is a subscriber edition of Deep Shtetl, a newsletter about the unexplored intersections of politics, culture, and religion.  Sign up for the newsletter here, and subscribe to The Atlantic for access to exclusives like this.