Twitter set to accept Musk's original $43 bln offer  —  Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) is poised to agree a sale to Elon Musk for around $43 billion in cash, the price the chief executive of Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) has called his “best and final” offer for the social media company, people familiar with the matter said.

Ukraine Live Updates: U.S. Says It Wants Russian Military ‘Weakened’  —  Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said he wanted to make sure that Russia would not be able to “do the kinds of things that it has done” in the invasion or rebuild its capacity.  It reflected an increasingly emboldened stance by the Biden administration.

Marjorie Taylor Greene doesn't remember anything and you can't prove she does  —  Greene's painful, day-long effort to avoid perjuring herself, explained to me by Ron Filipkowski.  —  On Friday, Marjorie Taylor Greene gave sworn testimony in a case seeking to remove her from the ballot later this year.

The 101 Best Movie Sequels of All Time  —  Whether they come after, before, or between their predecessors, these films have their own indelible legacies.  —  Presented by  —  You loved the movie and you want more.  The studio loves money, and they want more too.

Joe Manchin's Approach to Biden's Presidency Is Paying Off in West Virginia  —  Over the past year, Manchin has seen the largest job approval rating improvement of any senator  — 57% of West Virginia voters approve of Manchin's job performance, up from 40% during the first quarter of 2021.

Sen. Duckworth's pushback after Biden rejected her for VP covered in new book  —  WASHINGTON — A new book, making headlines for catching House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in a lie, also details Sen. Tammy Duckworth's strong pushback to the Biden team rejecting her for vice president …

Political Correctness Is Losing  —  It's been seven or eight years since a wave of illiberal norms around the discussion of race and gender began to hit an expanding array of progressive institutions.  The name for this phenomenon kept changing, from political correctness to call-out culture …

White House's Jen Psaki offered a binder full of Covid spending details.  Taking a peek was a process  —  WASHINGTON — It was a striking visual for the television cameras.  White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki took to the lectern, waving a thick, 385-page binder as evidence that contrary …

Hunter Biden demanded Beau Biden's widow ‘GET TESTED FOR HIV,’ 2018 email reveals  —  'You need to inform me of the result.  —  Federal probe into Hunter Biden's finances expands out to family  —  FIRST ON FOX: Hunter Biden sent an email to his brother's widow, Hallie Biden …

In San Francisco, Revenge of the Obama Democrats  —  A political vibe shift in the nation's bluest city.  —  MAYOR LONDON BREED DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE AT CITY HALL IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF., ON WEDNESDAY, FEB. 16, 2022.  (BULWARK EDIT / GABRIELLE LURIE/THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE VIA GETTY IMAGES)

FBI chief Wray addresses 59% jump in police officer murders  —  There was a 59% increase in the murders of police officers, with 73 officers killed in 2021 — underscoring an issue that doesn't get enough attention, FBI Director Christopher Wray told CBS in an interview airing Sunday evening.

John Fetterman vs. Every Predatory Financier in America  —  Wall Street money rains on the Pennsylvania Senate race.  —  Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D-PA) speaks with guests during a rally at the UFCW Local 1776 headquarters in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, April 16, 2022.

The Top Ten Jew-Hating Colleges and Universities  —  De-Fund the pro-terrorist movement on campus.  —  On college campuses across America, hatred and bigotry directed against Jews is at an all-time high.  It is now almost commonplace for swastikas to appear in university halls and restrooms or scrawled on Jewish fraternity houses.

NLRB sues Starbucks for retaliating against 3 workers involved in unionizing  —  The National Labor Relations Board has sued the coffee shop chain Starbucks for allegedly retaliating against three employees who were involved in organizing a union.  —  One worker was disciplined …

Utah Democrats back independent McMullin in Senate race against Lee  —  Utah Democrats have taken the unusual step of endorsing independent candidate Evan McMullin in his race against Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who has faced questions about his furious efforts to overturn the 2020 election to keep former president Donald Trump in power.

Private Equity Giant KKR Bought Up Hundreds Of Group Homes.  Some People In Its Care Paid A Steep Price.  —  BrightSpring Health Services, which KKR bought in 2019, says it helps thousands of people with disabilities “live their best lives.”  But a BuzzFeed News investigation found conditions …

Biden's decline is obvious to everyone but the press  —  Something is wrong with President Joe Biden, and everyone knows it.  —  Last week, Biden was asked if his administration will consider delaying the end of Title 42, a pandemic immigration restriction that allows for fast deportation …

POLITICO Playbook: Groundhog Day on the Hill, hangover week in Washington  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  NEW OVERNIGHT IN UKRAINE — Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN and Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN briefed reporters on Monday on their covert trip to Ukraine over the weekend.

Biden wades into the midterms by endorsing Oregon Democratic congressman facing progressive challenger  —  (CNN)President Joe Biden has issued his first endorsement of the 2022 campaign cycle and backed incumbent Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon, who is facing a progressive primary challenger supported …

Hawley endorses Thiel-backed Arizona Senate candidate  —  Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley is endorsing Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters, flexing his muscle in a high-profile Republican primary and cementing a new ideological alliance shaping the midterm election.

Why Americans Are Leaving Downtowns in Droves  —  Sign up for Derek's newsletter here.  —  Pop quiz: What do the metros of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., have in common?