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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

UN suspends Russia from Human Rights Council  —  US Amb. to UN: We have the votes to remove Russia from Human Rights Council  —  (CNN)The United Nations General Assembly voted Thursday to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council.  —  The voting result was 93 in favor, 24 against and 58 abstentions.

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.

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.

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 …

Nancy Pelosi tests positive for COVID-19; Biden not considered close contact, White House says  —  Pelosi, 82, is vaccinated and boosted and does not have any symptoms.  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tested positive for COVID-19, her deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill tweeted Thursday.

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 …

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.

Whitmer sues over abortion law as governors prepare for state policy free-for-all  —  Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging her state's 1931 law banning abortion — the latest move in a flurry of state activity preparing for the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade in a few months.

Why So Many COVID Predictions Were Wrong  —  As many prominent policy makers reckon uncomfortably with persistent inflation after months of forecasting that the phenomenon would be transitory, I've started making a list of other pandemic predictions about the economy that never materialized.

Koch Network Smeared as Pro-Russia for Suggesting Sanctions Might Not Work  —  Stand Together is a charitable organization founded by Charles Koch that gives money to libertarian groups and causes.  It works to advance classically liberal ideas on a variety of issues: school choice …