Cory Booker Aside, Democrats Stranded Ketanji Brown Jackson  —  The third day of hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation to the Supreme Court came to a close on Wednesday following another 10-plus hours filled with character smears about child pornography from Republican senators …

U.S. Makes Contingency Plans in Case Russia Uses Its Most Powerful Weapons  —  A team of national security officials has been assigned to sketch out responses if President Vladimir V. Putin unleashes chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Trump Is Guilty of ‘Numerous’ Felonies, Prosecutor Who Resigned Says  —  Mark F. Pomerantz, who had investigated the former president, left after the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, halted an effort to seek an indictment.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Madison Cawthorn Committed the One Unforgivable Sin of Politics  —  The ingredients are there for an upset.  —  If the worst thing Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) did this month was call Ukraine's President “a thug,” or get caught speeding multiple times with a revoked license …

North Korea fires first suspected ICBM since 2017  —  Seoul, South Korea (CNN)North Korea has fired what is believed to be its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in more than four years as Western leaders gather in Brussels for a security summit.

Why Trump Is Losing His Grip on the GOP  —  It strains memory now to recall that when Donald Trump first shoved his way into presidential politics seven years ago this spring, and soon after humiliated a long parade of establishment Republicans, his appeal to voters had a coherent dimension.

White House moves to oust Dr. Oz and Herschel Walker from presidential advisory panel  —  White House removes Dr. Oz and Herschel Walker from advisory panel after Senate runs  —  The Biden administration threatened Wednesday to remove Dr. Mehmet Oz and Herschel Walker from a federal advisory committee …

My State's Texas-Style Abortion Ban Is Terrible, Idaho GOP Guv Declares As He Signs Ban Into Law  —  On Wednesday, Idaho became the first state to follow Texas' lead on banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy with a private lawsuit enforcement mechanism that awards thousands of dollars …

Americans want Biden to be tougher on Russia: AP-NORC poll  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Joe Biden meets with key allies in Brussels to coordinate a stronger response to Russia's monthlong assault on Ukraine, a new poll shows Americans have yet to rally around his leadership.

Exclusive: Russia Backs Europe's Far Right  —  Emails and documents show just how closely Italian, French, German and Austrian politicians coordinate with Moscow … So wrote Mikhail Yakushev, a Russian national, in a Microsoft Word document he emailed to himself on June 18, 2019.

Foreign Secretary announces 65 new Russian sanctions to cut off vital industries fuelling Putin's war machine  —  New sanctions target strategic industries, banks and business elites.  —  From:  —  Liz Truss has announced 65 sanctions, targeting strategic industries, banks and business elites

Cities Lost Population in 2021, Leading to the Slowest Year of Growth in U.S. History  —  Although some of the fastest growing regions in the country continued to grow, the gains were nearly erased by stark losses in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.  —  Substantial population loss …

Biden Administration Drafting Order to Invoke Defense Production Act for Green Energy Storage Technology … The Biden administration is drafting an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to alleviate shortages of key minerals needed for the technology to store clean energy.

Top Russian military leaders repeatedly decline calls from U.S., prompting fears of ‘sleepwalking into war’ … Repeated attempts by the United States' top defense and military leaders to speak with their Russian counterparts have been rejected by Moscow for the last month …

The west is rash to assume the world is on its side over Ukraine  —  It runs the risk of mistaking a local consensus on Russian aggression with a global one  —  One of the most frequent lines heard in Washington is that Russia is now globally isolated — with China being the key prevaricator.

Supreme Court endorses pastor's laying on of hands at moment of inmate's execution  —  The justices ruled 8-1 in the case of a Texas death-row prisoner.  —  The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, in an 8-1 decision, has endorsed a pastor's audible prayer and laying of hands on an inmate …

WATCH: Senate candidate Mo Brooks sits down for a one-on-one interview  —  You can watch the whole interview in the video player above.

A ‘fixer’ was killed in Ukraine.  She was doing one of journalism's most thankless jobs. … Miguel Angel Vega became a “fixer” for journalists visiting his native Mexico in 2010 to raise money for a film project.  Like most starting out in this specialized branch of journalism …