Inside Ted Cruz's last-ditch battle to keep Trump in power … Sen. Ted Cruz was dining near the Capitol on the evening of Dec. 8, 2020, when he received an urgent call from President Donald Trump.  A lawsuit had just been filed at the Supreme Court designed to overturn the election Trump had lost …

Poll: Americans want tougher sanctions on Russia over Ukraine invasion  —  A majority of Americans believe President Biden has not been “tough enough” on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine but are concerned about the U.S. being drawn into an all-out war with Russia, according to a poll published …

Why Trump Says He ‘Just Might Have to’ Run Again  —  He doesn't want to be remembered as a loser, sure—but he also fears prosecution.  —  At a rally on Saturday in Commerce, Georgia, Donald Trump all but announced his 2024 run for president as he lobbed more verbal missiles …

Zelensky Gives Interview to Russian Journalists.  Moscow Orders It Quashed.  —  It was a remarkable moment in the war in Europe: President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine gave a 90-minute-long Zoom interview on Sunday to four prominent journalists from Russia, the country invading his.

January 6 Committee likely to reach out to interview Ginni Thomas in coming weeks, sources say  —  Following the revelation of Virginia “Ginni” Thomas' text messages with then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, most members of the House select committee investigating January 6 …

Hochul Has Commanding Lead Over Williams & Suozzi with Dems; With Cuomo in Race, Hochul Leads 38-30%, Other Two Way Behind  — 56% of Voters Say Bail Reform Law Has Been Bad for NY; 64% Say it Has Resulted in Crime Increase; 82% Say Give Judges More Discretion; 56% Concerned Discretion Will Result in Poor Being Unjustly Incarcerated

Prosecutors Advance Tax Probe of Hunter Biden  —  Grand jury heard witness in February about past drug use, spending habits of president's son  —  A federal tax investigation into Hunter Biden is gaining momentum as prosecutors gather information from several of his associates about the sources …

Boris Nemtsov Tailed by FSB Squad Prior to 2015 Murder  — Previously, Bellingcat and partners discovered that a secret FSB squad had followed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny during his presidential campaign in 2017, and in the days and months before he was poisoned in 2020.

First look: Biden to ask Congress to fund the police  —  President Biden will propose more than $32 billion in new spending to fight crime, two White House officials familiar with his 2023 budget plans tells Axios, putting a price tag on his State of the Union call to fund — not defund — the police.

How Joe Manchin Aided Coal, and Earned Millions  —  At every step of his political career, Joe Manchin helped a West Virginia power plant that is the sole customer of his private coal business.  Along the way, he blocked ambitious climate action.  —  GRANT TOWN, W. Va. …

Galaxy Brain … Henry Williams was 7 in 2008, and what he remembers about 2008 is that his dad lost his job.  Henry's suburban childhood was comfortable, but even so, it was shadowed by an awareness of precarity.  For a time when Henry was growing up, an aunt in her 20s lived with his family while she was between jobs.

The Boring Bill in Tennessee That Everyone Should Be Watching  —  ASHVILLE — When a new energy infrastructure bill was introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly earlier this month, people could be forgiven for paying little attention.  Compared to the legislature's recent follies …

Biden Renews Pushback Against Stock Buybacks  —  Proposed new limits come as corporations may spend $1 trillion on stock repurchases this year.  — Give this article- - - Read in app  —  Raising the bar on buybacks  —  When the Biden administration unveils its annual budget today …

When Nokia Pulled Out of Russia, a Vast Surveillance System Remained  —  The Finnish company played a key role in enabling Russia's cyberspying, documents show, raising questions of corporate responsibility.  —  Nokia said this month that it would stop its sales in Russia and denounced the invasion of Ukraine.

Scoop: Progressives build massive, cloaked online powerhouse  —  Progressive strategists have quietly built a massive network of social media communities in political battleground states that can activate ahead of elections and policy fights, Axios has learned.

Putin shouldn't remain in power.  Biden's advisers blew it.  —  No civilized person thinks it's a good thing that Russian President Vladimir Putin — widely and correctly regarded as a war criminal and the architect of a unjustifiable war of aggression — leads a nuclear-armed country.

A Middle East Geopolitical Realignment Accelerates to Confront and Contain Iran  —  A first-ever diplomatic summit in Israel illustrates the new relationships being built across the region as the U.S. rethinks its security role in the Mideast  —  New diplomatic and security ties are reshaping …