Kremlin Insiders Alarmed Over Growing Toll of Putin's War in Ukraine  —  Almost eight weeks after Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine, with military losses mounting and Russia facing unprecedented international isolation, a small but growing number of senior Kremlin insiders are quietly questioning his decision to go to war.

House Rating Changes: Eight Races Move in Republicans' Direction  —  President Biden's approval rating remains stuck at 42 percent, and if anything the political environment has deteriorated for Democrats since January as inflation concerns have soared and Build Back Better has stalled.

They Know How Journalism Works!  They're Just Against It!  —  On Tuesday, Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz published a story about a repulsive creep who uses her large online following to, essentially, subject random LGBTQ people (and especially trans people) to harassment, and worse.

Tennessee GOP kicks Trump-backed Morgan Ortagus, Baxter Lee and Robby Starbuck out of primary  —  Adam Friedman Melissa BrownNashville Tennessean  —  The Tennessee Republican Party on Tuesday voted to remove three congressional hopefuls from the primary ballot in the new-look 5th Congressional District …

Majority of Americans want masks for travelers: AP-NORC poll  —  FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A majority of Americans continue to support a mask requirement for people traveling on airplanes and other shared transportation, a new poll finds.  A ruling by a federal judge has put the government's transportation mask mandate on hold.

Defeat Has Not Defanged Trump — or Trumpism  —  The fissures in the Democratic Party are on display for all to see, since it is the party in power, but the divisions in the Republican Party and the conservative movement are deeper, wider and far more threatening.

EXCLUSIVE Ex-CIA analyst says she ‘got bloodied’ in tangled U.S. war on Al Qaeda  —  In the 2012 Hollywood hit “Zero Dark Thirty,” a red-haired Central Intelligence Agency analyst played by Jessica Chastain travels to a secret CIA prison and watches a colleague waterboard a screaming Al Qaeda suspect …

Text Messages Show the Critical Role the Trump White House Had in Giving MBS His Job  —  On Monday, I published excerpts including text messages from legal documents that supported my previous reporting about the relationship forged between Jared Kushner and the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, known as MBS.

Biden's Errors Worsen Inflation  —  He needs to ditch his woke advisers and make growth the overriding priority.  —  1x  —  Three factors combined during the past two years to create the perfect economic storm.  Covid-19 scrambled the U.S. economy's supply lines.

Saturday's Utah State Republican Convention would be a great place for Mike Lee to come clean, Editorial Board writes  —  Even if Lee abandoned the plot as unworkable, he owes voters a full accounting.  —  By The Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board  —  Confession, it is said, is good for the soul.

Trump's Most Loyal Lawmakers Are Actually Losing Money  —  The members of Congress trying to mirror Donald Trump's politics the most are spending an awful lot.  —  Last year, it was a fundraising feast for the MAGA Goon Squad.  But in 2022, without the donor stimulus of an attempted insurrection …

Scoop: Biden considers delaying Title 42 repeal  —  President Biden's inner circle has been discussing delaying the repeal of Title 42 border restrictions, now set to end May 23, according to a source with direct knowledge of the internal discussion. … That already endangers Democratic incumbents …

The misinformation cope  —  Democrats are misunderstanding their losses with less-educated voters  —  A couple of weeks ago, Barack Obama spoke at a University of Chicago seminar on Disinformation and the Erosion of Democracy.  And as you might expect from a speaker at a seminar on Disinformation …

'It's Just Scaring People, and It's Not Saving Lives'  —  As the United States nears its numbing, millionth COVID death and shrugs its shoulders at a rise in cases, some Americans are feeling left behind.  Immunocompromised people have suffered disproportionately throughout the pandemic …

Ginni Thomas also texted Meadows about another friend who shared election fraud conspiracy theories  —  (CNN)A day before the 2020 presidential election, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas mugged for the camera wearing a Trump baseball cap with her friend Connie Hair, chief of staff to GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas …

‘Anti-Woke’ GOP Candidate Totally Forgot He Used to Condemn ‘Structural Bigotry’  —  Senate candidate David McCormick has pledged to “fight the woke mob,” but he once called for “solidarity by denouncing and eradicating structural bigotry.”  —  CJ  —  Pennsylvania Republican David McCormick …

Biden launches $6B effort to save distressed nuclear plants  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is launching a $6 billion effort to rescue nuclear power plants at risk of closing, citing the need to continue nuclear energy as a carbon-free source of power that helps to combat climate change.

Judge sends Assange extradition decision to UK government  —  LONDON (AP) — A British judge on Wednesday formally approved the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States to face spying charges.  The case will now go to Britain's interior minister for a decision, though the WikiLeaks founder still has legal avenues of appeal.

The rise of solo judges nixing nationwide policies  —  The Biden administration's mask mandate for airplanes and public transportation might be going out with a whimper, rather than a bang.  Asked about a U.S. district judge halting the mandate this week, Biden was somewhat noncommittal …

As DeSantis administration rejects textbooks, only one publisher allowed for K-5 math classes in Florida  —  Accelerate Learning's website includes a diversity statement: “Our nation's black communities have long faced the repeated, harmful effects of systemic racism within the justice and education systems.”

Netflix Explores a Version With Ads as Subscriber Base Shrinks  —  Company ends first quarter with 200,000 fewer subscribers and says it expects to lose two million more in current quarter  —  Netflix Inc. said it is exploring offering a lower priced ad-supported version of the platform …

Tucker Carlson and the Crisis of Masculinity  —  America needs more—and better—male role models.  —  Tucker Carlson's foray into testicle toasting is only the latest (and possibly most amusing) example of the right-wing's masculinity obsession.  The manliness theme keeps reappearing.

Exclusive: ATF Acting Director Demoted, Replaced  —  The ATF is undergoing a major shakeup.  —  Acting Director Marvin Richardson is being demoted, and US Attorney Gary Restaino will take over his position, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the move.