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 …

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.

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.

Biden requests Mehmet Oz and Herschel Walker resign from presidential council or be terminated  —  (CNN)President Joe Biden has formally asked two Trump-appointed members of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition to resign from their posts or be terminated.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

Statement by NATO Heads of State and Government  —  We, the Heads of State and Government of the 30 NATO Allies, have met today to address Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades.  Russia's war against Ukraine has shattered peace in Europe …