Trump releases audio that appears to refute claim he walked out of interview over 2020 questions  —  WASHINGTON — An audio recording obtained by NBC News appears to show that former President Donald Trump's highly publicized interview with Piers Morgan did not end with Trump storming off the set …

CDC Newsroom  —  CDC Statement on Masks in Public Transportation Settings  —  To protect CDC's public health authority beyond the ongoing assessment announced last week, CDC has asked DOJ to proceed with an appeal in Health Freedom Defense Fund, Inc., et al., v. Biden, et al.

Isn't the Florida bill stripping Disney of its special tax district a case of simple viewpoint discrimination?  —  I'm phrasing the headline as a question in case I'm missing something that would change the equation.  But as far as I'm aware, this is where we are:

Alex Jones Reaches Out to Justice Dept. About Jan. 6 Interview  —  The effort by the Trump ally to get an immunity deal is the latest sign of progress in the investigation, which recently brought on a well-regarded prosecutor.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Inside the New Right, Where Peter Thiel Is Placing His Biggest Bets  —  They're not MAGA.  They're not QAnon.  Curtis Yarvin and the rising right are crafting a different strain of conservative politics.  —  It was Halloween in Orlando, and we had piled into a car to make a short trip …

Trump Campaign Ordered to Pay $1.3 Million to Omarosa Manigault Newman in NDA case  —  An arbitrator found Mr. Trump's campaign owes the former White House aide and “Apprentice” star for legal fees, after he sued her for writing a tell-all book.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Parachute demo causes brief evacuation of US Capitol  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Capitol was briefly evacuated Wednesday evening after police said they were tracking an aircraft “that poses a probable threat,” but the plane turned out to be a military aircraft with people parachuting …

Checking Out: Trump Hotel Sale Will End an Era  —  The $375 million sale of a Washington hotel that served as an influence and access bazaar for lawmakers, administration officials and other Trump allies is slated to be finalized this month.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

We Are Sorry to Say That You Should Take Tucker Carlson's Testicle-Tanning Stuff Seriously  —  Tucker Carlson wants you to tan your testicles.  Or at least to seriously consider it.  No, really, he does.  Unless, of course, he doesn't.  In fact, he's probably just using a juvenile joke …

Sanders ‘has not ruled out another run for president’ if Biden doesn't  —  ‘In the event of an open 2024 Democratic presidential primary, Sen. Sanders has not ruled out another run for president,’ writes a top adviser  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is open to running for president in 2024 …

US unveils latest sanctions targeting Russia  —  The United States on Wednesday unveiled its latest round of sanctions going after Russia over its war on Ukraine, this time targeting a key commercial bank and “a global network of more than 40 individuals and entities led by U.S.-designated Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev.”

Youngkin vetoes bipartisan bill designed to rein in slumlords  —  The horror stories have cropped up from tenants across the state: no heat, holes in the walls, rotten floors and flooded kitchens.  In cases ranging from Glenwood Farms in Henrico to Aqua Vista in Newport News …

Proposal to change Utah GOP platform on abortion eliminates language on exceptions for rape, incest and preserving life of the mother  —  Proposed change takes a harder stance on abortion than the LDS Church.  —  Amid the campaigning and politicking at the Utah Republican State Convention on Saturday …

Jan. 6 panel piecing together details of final Trump-Pence call  —  Congressional investigators entering the last stage of their probe are gathering new evidence about a crucial moment on the Jan. 6 timeline: the final, fateful phone call between Donald Trump and Mike Pence before a pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol.

Russia's Chernobyl seizure seen as nuclear risk ‘nightmare’  —  CHERNOBYL, Ukraine (AP) — Here in the dirt of one of the world's most radioactive places, Russian soldiers dug trenches.  Ukrainian officials worry they were, in effect, digging their own graves.

Romney: 'From what I've seen, I don't think Sen. Lee has done anything illegal'  —  Mike Lee appeared with Mitt Romney and Rep. Blake Moore at an event in Ogden on Wednesday.  —  Ogden  • On Wednesday in Ogden, Sen. Mike Lee again refused to answer questions from reporters …

Peru declares state of emergency to restore copper production at Cuajone mine  —  Peru will declare a state of emergency near Southern Copper Corp's (SCCO.N) Cuajone mine, the country's prime minister said on Wednesday, as protests hit top mines in the Andean nation, halting 20% of national copper output.

Brazil puts five-year seal on data about Bolsonaro's Russia trip  —  The Jair Bolsonaro administration imposed a five-year seal on documents concerning the president's official visit to Russia in February, just days before Moscow invaded Ukraine.  Requested via Brazil's Freedom of Information Law …

Court halts South Carolina plan for firing squad execution  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina's highest court on Wednesday issued a temporary stay blocking the state from carrying out what was set to be its first-ever firing squad execution.  —  The order by the state Supreme Court puts …

Hillary Clinton moves to shut down Trump lawsuit  —  Hillary Clinton is moving quickly to shut down an epic federal lawsuit that former President Donald Trump filed last month accusing her, her political allies and various government officials of a racketeering conspiracy to propagate false claims …

A young Democrat's viral takedown demands a ‘wokeness’ rethink  —  “Wokeness is a problem and we all know it,” James Carville recently told Vox in his inimitably splenetic way.  The veteran strategist called on Democrats to distance themselves from “faculty lounge bulls—” and to undo their image as an …

He Was a Penniless Donor to the Far Right.  He Was Also a Russian Spy.  —  An investigation in Slovakia has exposed how Russian clandestine operations are trying to sow discord in Europe and create sympathy for Moscow over Ukraine.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Barack Obama Takes On a New Role: Fighting Disinformation  —  The former president has embarked on a campaign to warn that the scourge of online falsehoods has eroded the foundations of democracy.  — Give this article- - - Read in app  —  SAN FRANCISCO — In 2011 …

Former Intelligence Officials, Citing Russia, Say Big Tech Monopoly Power is Vital to National Security  —  When the U.S. security state announces that Big Tech's centralized censorship power must be preserved, we should ask what this reveals about whom this regime serves.