McConnell miscalculated Republican impeachment count against Trump, book says  —  Mitch McConnell thought the Jan. 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol would finally vanquish Donald Trump, initially predicting that at least 17 Republican senators would vote to convict him in his impeachment trial …

Trump allies breach U.S. voting systems in search of 2020 fraud ‘evidence’  —  Chasing proof of vote-rigging conspiracy theories, Republican officials and activists in eight U.S. locales have plotted to gain illegal access to balloting systems, undermining the security of elections they claim to protect.

Biden seeks $33 billion for Ukraine, powers to liquidate Russian assets  —  The White House will call on Congress to authorize such a move as it continues to seek new ways to punish Russia and support Ukraine  —  The White House on Thursday announced a proposal to allow U.S. authorities …

G.O.P. Concocts New Fake Threat: Voter Fraud by Undocumented Immigrants  —  Far from the U.S.-Mexico border, Ohio's Senate primary shows how the Republican obsession with the fiction of a stolen election has spawned a new cause for fear of illegal immigration.

Inside Twitter, Fears Musk Will Return Platform to Its Early Troubles  —  Content moderators warn that Elon Musk doesn't appear to understand the issues that he and the company will face if he drops its guardrails around speech.  —  Elon Musk had a plan to buy Twitter and undo its content moderation policies.

U.S. GDP Drops 1.4% as Economy Shrinks for First Time Since Early in Pandemic  —  Supply disruptions weighed on the economy, but consumers and businesses continue to spend  —  U.S. gross domestic product shrank at a 1.4% annual rate in the first quarter as supply disruptions weighed on the economy …

U.S. says Russian intelligence orchestrated attack on Nobel laureate  —  Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov was assailed with red paint laced with acetone during a Russian train trip on April 7.  —  The U.S. government has assessed that Russian intelligence was behind an attack earlier …

Georgia governor poll |  Brian Kemp vs. David Perdue & Brian Kemp vs. Stacey Abrams results  —  The poll was commissioned through SurveyUSA and conducted with likely Georgia voters from April 22-27.  —  ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp is on track for reelection as Georgia's governor …

Deborah Birx's first meeting with Donald Trump lasted just 30 seconds as he flipped on Fox News, book says  — Dr. Deborah Birx is out with a tell-all book about her time in the Trump administration.  — Birx says her first meeting with Trump in March 2020 about COVID-19 lasted only 30 seconds.

Candidate cannot use 'Let's Go Brandon' as nickname on ballot, judge rules  —  Republican Colorado State Rep. Dave Williams sued to be allowed to have the nickname printed on the June primary ballot.  —  DENVER — Republican Colorado State Rep. Dave Williams cannot use “Let's Go Brandon” …

Princeton University investigating Sam Wang for research misconduct, toxic workplace issues  —  Head of Princeton Gerrymandering Project faces probe over data manipulation, retaliating against staff  —  Princeton University has launched an internal investigation of Sam Wang …

EXCLUSIVE: ‘I would like to see a naked body beneath my hands.’ GOP Rep Madison Cawthorn is caught on video with male scheduler's hand on his crotch as new ethics complaint claims the congressman gave him thousands of dollars in loans and gifts,  — Footage obtained exclusively …

Reputed federal informant, whistleblower found dead in L.A. after he's reported missing  —  A reputed federal informant and whistleblower who went missing after he was reported to have turned over a trove of secret files about Deutsche Bank was found dead at a Los Angeles school this week, a police official said Wednesday.

Bernie Sanders Wants Democrats to Make Unions Their Biggest Message  —  The moment is finally meeting the man, as national unionization efforts grow.  “To turn your back on the working class, in general, is political suicide,” the senator tells Vanity Fair.

Pregnancy From Rape Is ‘An Opportunity’ For Women, Says Republican Trying To Ban Abortion  —  Ohio state Rep. Jean Schmidt (R) defended her abortion ban recently, arguing that “just because you have emotional scars doesn't give you the right to take a life.”

Revolt Brews in Michigan G.O.P. After Elevation of Trump Allies  —  The Republican old guard is protesting the direction of the party after it put forward two champions of Donald Trump's election falsehoods for attorney general and secretary of state.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

The Elondrop  —  The deal may have been signed, but the campaign is just beginning.  —  Elon should go over the heads of the establishment to offer all Twitter users a deal: every account worldwide gains full control over their username in a crypto wallet, plus a share of Twitter's new coin …

Russia's Long Disdain for Ukrainian Nationhood  —  Even Russian liberals and dissidents have traditionally shared Putin's view that Ukraine has no distinct cultural identity.  —  1x  —  As a young poet in the Soviet Union, Joseph Brodsky was persecuted by the authorities before escaping …

Opinion Are Democrats ‘sleepwalking’ into long-term catastrophe?  —  The frenzied midterm second-guessing among Democrats appears to be intensifying.  —  The stories are everywhere: Democrats fear that they've failed to counter GOP cultural attacks.  That they've fumbled the politics of immigration.

A New Role for Astead Herndon  —  Astead, a national political reporter who has been a valued partner to the Audio team for several years, is joining the Audio team as a host of a new politics show.  Read more in this note from Lisa Tobin and Paula Szuchman.

The Price Kids Pay: Schools and police punish students with costly tickets for minor misbehavior  —  and Jodi S. Cohen  —  PROPUBLICA  —  Illustrations by Laila Milevski  —  PROPUBLICA  —  The courthouse lobby echoed like a crowded school cafeteria.  Teenagers in sweatshirts …

Biden admin struggles to calm the Democratic storm over immigration  —  Memo to the Biden administration: The written plan to handle a summertime migration surge at the border isn't satisfying purple-state Democrats who were pointedly asking for one.  —  Instead, even after reviewing …

Feds seek $3M from Paul Manafort over failing to disclose offshore accounts  —  The Justice Department is suing Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chair, for almost $3 million in penalties related to his alleged failure to file reports disclosing more than 20 bank accounts he controlled …

This Will Not Pass.  And Yet D.C. Republicans Keep Pretending It Will.  —  Hey y'all!  —  It's Tim in for JVL today but do not fret, our Sad King will return tomorrow.  —  Thanks again for all your support for World Central Kitchen.  We are closing in on $100k contributed from Bulwark readers.

Lou Dobbs: ‘Who Reads NR?’  —  In response to my recent piece on howling moonbat Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lou Dobbs sneers: “Who reads NR?”  —  Well, Lou, since you raised the question, I'll answer it: You do.  —  We both know this.  —  We know this because we used to discuss it, often …

Report to Congress on The Estimated Net Worth and Known Sources of Income of Syrian President Bashar Assad and His Family Members Section 6507 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (P.L. 117-81)  —  Scope and Methodology  —  In this report, the Department of State examines …

How it became normal for public officials to attack journalists  —  A California sheriff's targeting of a reporter is the latest instance of authorities misusing power.  ‘These are steps toward autocracy,’ says one press freedom advocate.  —  Los Angeles Times reporter Alene Tchekmedyian had a big scoop …

Key Justice Dept. Official Expected to Step Down  —  John Carlin, who occupies one of the most powerful and under-the-radar posts in the department, has dealt with major matters including the Jan. 6 investigation.  — Give this article- - - Read in app  —  WASHINGTON — A top official …