Live Updates: Senate Confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court  —  The 53-47 vote elevated the first Black woman to the pinnacle of the judicial branch as senators erupted in cheers.  Three Republicans joined Democrats in supporting President Biden's nominee.  —  Here's what you need to know:

Trump deflects blame for Jan. 6 silence, says he wanted to march to Capitol … PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former president Donald Trump voiced regret Wednesday over not marching to the U.S. Capitol the day his supporters stormed the building, and he defended his long silence during the attack …

McConnell pressed on contradiction with Trump and moral red lines  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said during an Axios NewsShapers interview with Jonathan Swan that he'd be obligated to support former President Trump despite the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol if the GOP renominates him for president in 2024.

Exclusive: Leaked Messages Reveal the Origins of the Most Vile Hunter Biden Smear  —  Late in the 2020 presidential campaign, trailing in the polls, Donald Trump and his allies worked to make a campaign issue out of a trove of files on a laptop that his opponent's son, Hunter Biden, had apparently abandoned at a Delaware repair shop.

LEAKED MEMO: The New York Times has issued a Twitter ‘reset,’ urging reporters to 'meaningfully reduce how much time you're spending on the platform'  — NYT Executive Editor Dean Baquet said in a memo that Twitter is now “purely optional” for staffers.  — Baquet said that the newsroom …

German Intelligence Intercepts Radio Traffic Discussing the Murder of Civilians in Bucha  —  DER SPIEGEL has learned that German intelligence intercepted radio traffic from the Russian military regarding the murder of civilians in Bucha.  It appears that such atrocities were part of the plan.

Statement by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Ongoing Investigation Concerning The Trump Organization  —  In recent weeks, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has been repeatedly asked whether our investigation concerning former President Donald J. Trump, the Trump Organization, and its leadership is continuing.

US: Man impersonated agent, claimed ties to Pakistani intel  —  WASHINGTON — One of two men accused of impersonating federal agents and giving actual Secret Service agents gifts and free apartments in Washington has claimed to have ties to Pakistani intelligence and had visas showing travel …

American Airlines Restarts Philadelphia Regional Routes With Landline Buses  —  American Airlines is the latest carrier to contract Landline for connecting “flights” operated with buses.  The move comes as U.S. airlines face the concurrent challenges from a pilot shortage primarily hitting regional operators …

A Push for Normalcy Tests the Gerontocracy  —  Yesterday afternoon, President Joe Biden hosted a good old-fashioned bill-signing ceremony at the White House.  Before an audience of several dozen in the State Dining Room, the president celebrated the long-awaited enactment of a postal-reform bill.

‘This is a crazy, unjust attack’: Pink Floyd re-form to support Ukraine  —  Exclusive: Disgusted by the Russian invasion, David Gilmour speaks about band's first brand new song in 28 years, which samples a Ukrainian musician now on the front line - and expresses ‘disappointment’ in Roger Waters

A Texas teacher faces losing her job after fighting for gay pride symbols in school  —  The school year at MacArthur High in Irving, Texas, began last fall with the administration scraping off rainbow stickers that had been posted on campus, prompting hundreds of students to walk out in protest.

Putin has ‘probably given up’ on taking Kyiv, Austin says  —  Defense secretary says Putin ‘now focused on the south and east of the country’  —  British general says US has a ‘window of opportunity’ to act in Ukraine  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin has “probably given up” …

Request for investigation sent before alleged abuse by Greitens  —  Missouri state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed grew concerned enough about Gov. Eric Greitens' potential for violence in April 2018 that she sent a letter asking the Department of Public Safety to investigate rumors of an incident involving …

After Touting Ivermectin as a Covid Treatment, Fox News Hosts Ignore New Study Showing It Doesn't Work  —  A full week has passed since the New York Times flagged a major new study showing that ivermectin does not work against Covid-19.  Despite this, Fox News - a network that spent …

How much is Mehmet Oz worth?  A lot, a new Pa. Senate campaign report shows.  —  As he runs for U.S. Senate, Mehmet Oz has derided big tech as a “cartel” and boasted about taking on the Silicon Valley giants.But he's also deeply invested in them.Oz's personal financial disclosure report …

Expulsion of Russian ‘diplomats’ may strangle Moscow's spying  —  In the international game of spy vs. spy, Europe has dealt Russia a potentially crippling blow.  —  Nearly two dozen European countries have expelled hundreds of Russian government personnel from embassies …

Nato states agree to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine  —  Russia admits ‘significant losses of troops’ as Donbas region prepares for fresh offensive  —  Nato member states have agreed to supply new types of advanced weaponry to Ukraine, alliance representatives have said …

DOJ plans to investigate boxes of records taken to Trump's Mar-a-Lago  —  The Justice Department has begun taking steps to investigate former president Donald Trump's removal of presidential records to Mar-a-Lago — some of which were labeled “top secret,” people familiar with the matter said.

Peruvian prime minister's praise of Hitler sparks wave of protest  —  Aníbal Torres said his words were misunderstood but offered to apologize in person to Israeli ambassador Asaf Ichilevich  —  The Israeli embassy in Lima has led a wave of protest after Peru's prime minister …

Jeff says goodbye, Ashish says hello  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice.  —  JEFF ZIENTS, the Biden administration's outgoing “Covid czar,” gathered current and former members …

Trump's Judge-Shopping Flop  —  Cynicism, mendacity, and incompetence rolled into one.  —  (CORBIS / GETTY)  —  Donald Trump has what might charitably be called a poor relationship with judges.  It's not clear that he even understands what they do.  Recall Trump's claim that …

U.S. life expectancy falls for 2nd year in a row  —  Despite the availability of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines, so many people died in the second year of the pandemic in the U.S. that the nation's life expectancy dropped for a second year in a row last year, according to a new analysis.