Breakingviews: Elon Musk probably won't buy Twitter  —  Four years ago, Elon Musk vowed to set up a peanut brittle company to take on Warren Buffett's iconic U.S. confectioner See's Candies.  Then he changed his mind.  It wouldn't be surprising if Musk's $44 billion deal to buy social network Twitter went the same way.

The Republican blueprint to steal the 2024 election  —  Ex-Judge who played key role in Trump-Pence feud speaks out for first time  —  J. Michael Luttig, appointed by President George H. W. Bush, formerly served on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for 15 years.

Judge Says Real Estate Giant Broke Rules for Trump  —  Judge Arthur Engoron has already determined that one of the largest real estate firms in the world broke its own rules to help the Trump Organization.  —  A New York judge has determined that Cushman & Wakefield, one of the world's …

Tucker Carlson Pushed Trump to Endorse J.D. Vance With ‘Disgusting’ Sexual Innuendo  —  Exclusive: In a critical GOP Senate primary in Ohio, Trump's support was swayed in part by a Fox News host spreading rumors about another man's sex habits  —  In the days before Donald Trump endorsed J.D. Vance …

Scalise and Gaetz meet privately after tension over leaked audio  —  Reps. Steve Scalise and Matt Gaetz met Wednesday to discuss leaked audio of the House minority whip suggesting the Florida firebrand may have acted illegally after the Capitol riot.  And Scalise isn't quite offering a full-throated apology.

Scoop: Former U.S. ambassador accused of illegal foreign lobbying  —  Richard Olson, a former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, has been criminally charged for his alleged role in an undisclosed lobbying campaign for the Qatari government, records show.

Exclusive: MAGA Candidate Evicted from Home After Wife Asks Court for Emergency Order of Protection  —  His current wife is now the third domestic partner to accuse him of abusive or threatening behavior  —  Teddy Daniels, a far-right Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania …

Elon Musk Isn't Buying Twitter to Defend Free Speech  —  Conservatives on Twitter have greeted Elon Musk as a liberator.  The mega-billionaire is in the process of purchasing the social-media platform and reorienting it toward what he calls “free speech.”  The conservative columnist Ben …

A fight over coronavirus safety at journalists' gala event  —  White House correspondents rebuff proposal to install special lights to stop viral spread  —  More than 2,000 journalists, celebrities and politicians, including President Biden, are set to descend on the White House Correspondents …

How deep does the rot in the Russian army go?  —  The fiasco in Ukraine could be a reflection of either a bad strategy or a poor fighting force  —  THE JOB of organising NATO's biggest military exercise since the cold war kept Admiral James Foggo, then the commander of American naval forces …

Trump's Spokeswoman Calls For Arrests Over 2020 Election at QAnon Rally  —  “They're gonna start arresting political opponents.  They're gonna start throwing political dissidents in jail,” Liz Harrington warned the crowd.  —  CJ  —  Former President Trump's chief spokeswoman spoke …

Marjorie Taylor Greene Rips Catholic Church For Helping Migrants: 'Satan's Controlling the Church'  —  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) tore into the Catholic Church in a recent interview with right-wing activist Michael Voris of Church Militant.  In the wild interview …

‘Enormous impact’: US intelligence prevented the fall of Kyiv  —  Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text size  —  Washington: America helped foil Moscow's efforts to take Kyiv and repelled its advances elsewhere by sharing such detailed intelligence that Ukraine knew exactly …

Why did Kamala take the Pfizer pill?  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice.  —  For the last several weeks, Americans across the country have struggled to access the new Covid-19 antiviral pill, Pfizer's Paxlovid.

Bad Hand  —  As unimaginable as it might have been a year ago, Joe Biden is starting to resemble Donald Trump in public-opinion polling.  The current U.S. president's approval rating is only slightly higher than his predecessor's was at the same point in his tenure, in late April 2018.

ESPN Anchor Sage Steele Sues Network, Alleging Violation of Free-Speech Rights  —  Lawsuit centers on Ms. Steele's comments about Covid-19, ex-President Obama in a podcast interview last year  —  ESPN anchor Sage Steele sued the network and its parent, Walt Disney Co. …

Donald Trump worried ‘dangerous’ fruits could be thrown at him by protesters, a new deposition reveals  — Donald Trump said “pineapples, tomatoes, bananas, stuff like that” could be thrown at him at protests.  — Trump's concerns were revealed Tuesday night, in his sworn deposition for an upcoming Bronx trial.

Gov. Reeves Vetoes Suffrage Bill, Keeping Jim Crow-Era Voting Policy in Place  —  A Jim Crow-era policy meant to prevent Black citizens from voting will remain intact after Gov. Tate Reeves vetoed a bill to restore voting rights to people who have disenfranchising crimes expunged.

The hybrid war in Ukraine  —  Tom Burt - Corporate Vice President, Customer Security & Trust  —  Today, we released a report detailing the relentless and destructive Russian cyberattacks we've observed in a hybrid war against Ukraine, and what we've done to help protect Ukrainian people and organizations.

First on CNN: US left behind $7 billion of military equipment in Afghanistan after 2021 withdrawal, Pentagon report says  —  Washington (CNN)Approximately $7 billion of military equipment the US transferred to the Afghan government over the course of 16 years was left behind in Afghanistan …

Drones Have Come of Age in Russia-Ukraine War  —  “A child can operate these drones,” one expert said.  —  Ukraine's eastern Donbas region is flat, open, and streaked with cloudy skies, terrain that Western officials believe has already limited Russia from carrying out the withering air …

Citing cost pressures on homeowners, DeSantis vetoes bill to end solar incentives  —  Citing “steep increases in the prices of gas and groceries,” Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have allowed Florida electric utilities to impose steep fees on businesses and homeowners who install solar panels.

Just Call Trump a Loser  —  Let's assume Donald Trump runs again for president in 2024.  Yes, I know, caveats, caveats.  Republicans say it's too early to discuss '24.  A lot can change between now and then.  Maybe Trump won't actually run.  Maybe he's just teasing the possibility to milk the attention.

Republican senator calls for ethics probe into Madison Cawthorn  —  A red-state Republican senator calling for an investigation into a GOP colleague from his home state just doesn't happen often.  —  By any fair measure, Rep. Madison Cawthorn appears to be in a difficult political position.

Trump election meddling probe to cause downtown Atlanta road closures  —  The Fulton County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday the department will close some roads in downtown Atlanta next week ahead of major court proceedings.  —  The agency plans to close four roads starting Monday …

CEO: Boeing Should Have Rejected Trump's Air Force One Deal  —  The company revealed that it has lost $660 million outfitting the next presidential jets—so far.  —  Boeing should have rejected then-President Donald Trump's proposed terms to build two new Air Force One aircraft, the company's CEO said Wednesday.