GOP panics over ‘ultra-MAGA’ Pennsylvania Senate wild card  —  Influential Republicans in Washington and among the nationwide party elite are having a belated “oh s—t” moment over the previously unimaginable prospect that Kathy Barnette could win their party's nomination for the open Senate seat in Pennsylvania.

Senate Democrats' imaginary majority  —  Every day, it seems, brings another reminder of the severe limitations of Democrats' illusory majority in a 50-50 Senate.  —  First Democratic leaders tossed Covid relief from a Ukraine aid bill at the behest of Republicans who were threatening a filibuster.

Elon Musk's Belated Disclosure of Twitter Stake Triggers Regulators' Probes  —  SEC is investigating Tesla CEO for tardy notification after buying 5% of Twitter's stock; FTC has separate probe under way of purchase reporting  —  WASHINGTON—Federal regulators are investigating Elon Musk's late disclosure …

Intelligence-sharing with Ukraine designed to prevent wider war  —  The United States is sending billions of dollars in military equipment to Ukraine, including heavy artillery, drones and antitank missiles.  Administration officials have publicly enumerated those contributions, practically down to the number of bullets.

North Korea says it has detected its first covid case of the pandemic  —  TOKYO — North Korea says it has detected a case of the BA.2 omicron subvariant in its capital, Pyongyang, the first time the country has acknowledged a positive coronavirus infection since the pandemic began more than two years ago.

The Far-Right Troll Known As “Baked Alaska” Just Blew Up His Own Jan. 6 Plea Hearing  —  Gionet was set to plead guilty to a misdemeanor for parading at the Capitol.  He proclaimed his innocence instead.  A trial is set for March 7.  —  WASHINGTON — Anthime “Tim” Gionet …

Roberts may face roadblocks in probe of Roe leak, reporter who published it says  —  WASHINGTON — One of the two Politico reporters who obtained the Supreme Court draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade questions whether Chief Justice John Roberts has the legal authority to order his fellow justices …

John Eastman Pressed Pennsylvania Legislator to Throw Out Biden Votes  —  The lawyer argued that mail ballots in Pennsylvania in the 2020 election could be culled in a way that would reverse President Donald J. Trump's defeat in an electorally critical state.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Statement from President Joe Biden Marking One Million American Lives Lost to COVID-19  —  Today, we mark a tragic milestone: one million American lives lost to COVID-19.  One million empty chairs around the dinner table.  Each an irreplaceable loss.  Each leaving behind a family …

Trump sells D.C. hotel lease to Miami investment group  —  Record-setting price will allow Trump to pay off $170 million loan to Deutsche Bank.  The property will become a Waldorf Astoria hotel.  —  Donald Trump is leaving Pennsylvania Avenue again.  —  The Trump name at the former …

U.K. Donor Said to Have Funneled Russian Money to Tories  —  The cash was part of a fund-raising blitz that helped propel Prime Minister Boris Johnson's party to victory in 2019.  Records track $630,225 to a Russian bank account.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Biden waives executive privilege for new set of Trump records  —  The president has authorized the National Archives and Records Administration to hand over an eighth tranche of presidential records from the Trump White House to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack

Is Anti-Zionism Anti-Semitism?  —  In a recent speech, the head of the Anti-Defamation League unequivocally equated the two.  —  Since 2015, Jonathan Greenblatt has served as the director of the Anti-Defamation League, an organization devoted to chronicling and fighting anti-Semitism in American society.

'We've all made mistakes' - Greg Norman's gaffe over killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi  —  Greg Norman attempted to brush off questions about the murder of the dissident Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi by saying “we've all made mistakes”.  —  The Australian former golfer …

Five Key Midterms Races to Pay Attention To  —  The fate of our democracy doesn't hinge on the battle for the House or the fight for control of the Senate, but on state elections for a once sleepy office: secretaries of state.  —  No elected officials will be more pivotal to protecting democracy …

Biden administration cancels Alaska oil and gas lease sale  —  The Biden administration has canceled one of the most high-profile oil and gas lease opportunities pending before the Interior Department.  The decision, which halts the potential to drill for oil in over 1 million acres …

‘The great MAGA king’: Biden sharpens midterm attacks  —  Joe Biden midterm mode has officially been activated.  —  The president traveled the country on Wednesday, sharpening his lines of attack against the Republican Party as primary season kicks into full gear.

Court: California's under-21 gun sales ban unconstitutional  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A U.S. appeals court ruled Wednesday that California's ban on the sale of semiautomatic weapons to adults under 21 is unconstitutional.  —  In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court …

Susan Rice Criticized for Creating ‘Abusive and Dehumanizing’ Workplace  —  Current and former White House officials say that Rice routinely berates colleagues, including Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.  —  White House Domestic Policy Adviser Susan Rice speaks at an event …

Costa Rica declares state of emergency over ransomware attack  —  Costa Rica has declared a state of emergency after ransomware hackers crippled computer networks across multiple government agencies, including the Finance Ministry.  —  The official declaration, published on a government website Wednesday …

The littoral combat ship's latest problem: Class-wide structural defects leading to hull cracks  —  Half of the Navy's littoral combat ship fleet is suffering from structural defects that have led to hull cracks on several vessels, limiting the speed and sea states in which some ships can operate …

EXCLUSIVE: Bill Clinton's special advisor who let Jeffrey Epstein into the White House seven times and flew on the Lolita Express dies at 59 - the latest associate of the former President to suffer an early demise  — Mark Middleton was Bill Clinton's special advisor who admitted Jeffrey Epstein …

Democrat filibuster derails GOP measure to change initiative petition process  —  The measure originally would have asked voters to increase the number of signatures needed to put a proposed constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot (photo courtesy of the Missouri Senate).

Biden Names Seven to Restock US Sentencing Commission  —  President Joe Biden announced a bipartisan slate of nominees to the US Sentencing Commission, which would give the panel its first quorum since 2019.  —  The list of seven nominees released Wednesday includes US District Judge Carlton W. Reeves …