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.

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.

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 …

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

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …