U.S. weighs sending top-level official to meet Zelenskyy in Kyiv  —  The Biden administration is holding internal discussions about sending a high-level official to Kyiv to show further support to Ukraine, two U.S. officials told POLITICO.  —  No decision on the potential visit has yet …

Book details tension with McConnell over Trump's bid to reverse Biden's electoral win  —  In the weeks after he lost the 2020 election, then-President Donald Trump had a plan to stay in office - and he wanted Mitch McConnell to know about it.  —  If Trump could successfully pressure Republican …

Gov. Greg Abbott eases truck inspections at key border crossing in Laredo  —  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott relented Wednesday, agreeing to ease the additional safety inspections of trucks at the busiest border entry point near Laredo in exchange for promises of more border security by Mexican officials along one 8-mile stretch of the border.

Biden White House waives executive privilege for more Trump records  —  President Biden has authorized the National Archives and Records Administration to hand over a new tranche of Trump White House documents to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Kentucky legislature overrides governor's veto of sweeping abortion bill  —  (CNN)Kentucky's GOP-controlled legislature on Wednesday overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's veto of a broad abortion bill that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, restricts access to medication abortion …

Democrats Are Doing Basically Nothing to Counter the GOP's ‘Pedophile’ Attacks  —  Democrats are rolling their eyes at GOP attacks that they're, as Marjorie Taylor Greene put it, the “party of pedophiles.”  Should they be?  —  CJ  —  Republicans are increasingly accusing Democrats …

DNC panel strips Iowa of guaranteed first vote for president; state party can still apply for coveted spot … Iowa Democrats are no longer guaranteed a place at the front of the presidential nominating calendar after a panel of Democratic National Committee members voted Wednesday …

Democrats ‘stunned’ as Youngkin vetoes 25 bipartisan bills — including 3 from Hampton Roads lawmakers  —  Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed 25 bills this week — all from Democrats — that received bipartisan support in the General Assembly, a move some lawmakers viewed as an act of retaliation.

Le Pen Backs NATO-Russia Reconciliation and Reduced French Role in Alliance  —  PARIS — Rejecting a “herd-like conformity” with the Biden administration, Marine Le Pen, the French far-right candidate for the presidency, said Wednesday that France would quit NATO's integrated military command …

Mark Meadows removed from N.C. voter rolls amid fraud investigation  —  Mark Meadows, a former top Trump aide, has been removed from the voter rolls in North Carolina as the state investigates allegations that he committed voter fraud in the 2020 election, election officials said Wednesday.

How Jared Kushner and the Trump admin traded U.S. foreign policy for $2 billion  —  Chris Hayes: “Essentially, the Trump administration sold U.S. foreign policy, Jamal Khashoggi's life, and American principles on liberal democracy and freedom of the press for $2 billion that went straight into Jared Kushner's pocket.”

How to Make Sense of the New L.B.G.T.Q. Culture War  —  To understand the contours of the renewed culture wars over sex education, sexual orientation and gender identity, start with a Rorschach test.  —  According to Gallup, the share of younger Americans who identify as lesbian, gay …

Yellen Warns Nations Staying Neutral in Russia's War With Ukraine  —  The U.S. has cautioned China, India and others not to aid Moscow or undercut sanctions  —  WASHINGTON—Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said countries that maintain their ties to Russia after its invasion …

CNN+ Is Said to Surpass 100,000 Subscribers in Its First Week  —  Under pressure from new owner Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. to justify its costs, CNN's streaming service eclipsed 100,000 subscribers in its first week, according to a person familiar with the matter.

74% Of Americans Think Worst Of War In Ukraine Is Yet To Come, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; More Than 8 In 10 Think Vladimir Putin Is A War Criminal  — mail_outline  —  As the world witnesses the atrocities in Ukraine committed by Russian troops, the vast majority of Americans …

Culture War, Corporate Dominance, and the Authoritarian Movement  —  The clash between Right Wing reactionaries and Disney showcases where power lies and what the future might look like  —  Outside the gates of Disney World, protesters have squared off in opposition.

Here Are All House Members Russia Didn't Sanction  —  The Russian Foreign Ministry announced sanctions on most members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday.  —  In response to what were called “anti-Russian sanctions” imposed on 328 deputies of the Russia's federal assembly …

The Movement to Defund and Abolish Immigration Jails Is Winning Major Victories  —  Last month, the national movement to end immigration detention achieved two major campaign victories that invite our attention and signal opportunities ahead.  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) …

Note from Asha: When the Right-Wing Eye of Sauron Landed on Me … - Show Notes  —  A couple of weeks ago, I was heading to bed close to midnight on a Sunday night when I decided to check Twitter (always a mistake).  It was Oscars night, and the twitterverse was buzzing with shock …

Fox Corp LGBTQ Staff Group Condemns Fox News' ‘Hateful’ Rhetoric  —  Fox Corp's staff-wide Pride Board denounced in an internal Slack message the anti-LGBTQ rhetoric of their colleagues at Fox News. … Fox News' overtly anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and coverage of Florida's “Don't Say Gay” …

Police in Michigan release videos of fatal police shooting of Patrick Lyoya  —  Lyoya, a 26-year-old Black man, was killed April 4 during a traffic stop.  An interpreter for his family said the shooting was “execution style.”  —  Video shows moments leading up to fatal shooting of Black man in Michigan

Army's suicide crisis in Alaska spurs bipartisan call for action … WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of lawmakers called on the Army to address its alarming problem of suicide in Alaska, requesting plans to improve living conditions and ensure soldiers have timely access to mental health counselors …

Billionaire Facing Record $2 Billion Tax Case Says Covid Worsened His Dementia  —  Lawyers for the 80-year-old software tycoon are again arguing that he's incompetent to stand trial in the largest tax evasion prosecution in American history.  —  Attorneys for the billionaire Robert Brockman claimed …