‘He absolutely betrayed me’: Steve Schmidt tells all about John McCain  —  Schmidt's been harboring secrets about McCain and the McCain campaign for 14 years.  —  This week on Playbook Deep Dive, we sat down over Zoom with Steve Schmidt, the architect of the late Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential run …

Pence to headline Georgia rally for Kemp in new break with Trump  —  Former Vice President Mike Pence will headline a get-out-the-vote rally with Gov. Brian Kemp on the eve of Georgia's May 24 primary, marking a new split with Donald Trump as each maneuver for a possible 2024 White House run.

‘They were furious’: the Russian soldiers refusing to fight in Ukraine  —  Troops are saying ‘no’ to officers, knowing that punishment is light while Russia is not technically at war  —  When the soldiers of an elite Russian army brigade were told in early April to prepare for a second deployment …

Elon Musk Says His Takeover of Twitter Is ‘On Hold.’  —  Mr. Musk said he wanted to confirm Twitter's findings that spam and fake accounts make up less than 5 percent of its users.  — Give this article- - - Read in app  —  Elon Musk said his $44 billion bid to purchase Twitter was …

Conor Lamb Had All the Makings of a Front-Runner.  So Why Is He Struggling?  —  In the Democratic primary on Tuesday in Pennsylvania, Mr. Lamb, the congressman running for Senate, has been a less competitive candidate than his supporters had hoped.  —  Representative Conor Lamb was supposed …

Jan. 6 panel's historic subpoenas to House GOPers — and what's next  —  The Trump presidency and its aftermath have led our politics to yet another apparently unprecedented place: A House committee subpoenaing its own colleagues for testimony.  —  The Jan. 6 committee announced Thursday …

'He's Not OK': The Entirely Predictable Unraveling of Madison Cawthorn  —  HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — In August of 2015, 16 months after the accident that nearly killed him and left him unable to walk, Madison Cawthorn exchanged text messages with the friend who had fallen asleep at the wheel and careened into a concrete wall.

Alito reluctant to discuss state of Supreme Court after Roe leak  —  In his first public address since the explosive leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion he wrote that would overturn Roe v. Wade, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. breezed through a detailed examination of statutory textualism …

David Perdue's ‘Sour Grapes’ Election Fraud Suit Amounts to ‘Speculation, Paranoia and Conjecture,’ Judge Rules in Scorching Dismissal  —  Former senator and current Georgia gubernatorial candidate David Perdue's (R) lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results failed on Thursday …

White House prepares to ration vaccines as Covid funding impasse looms  —  A painful and foreboding reality is setting in for the White House as it enters a potentially dangerous stretch of the Covid fight: It may soon need to run its sprawling pandemic response on a shoestring budget.

Norm Macdonald Shot Secret Final Netflix Stand-Up Special Before Passing  —  In a comedy first, the late actor-comedian self-shot a final hour of new stand-up to be released in the event of his death: “The material's fantastic. ...  I hope people appreciate that he did this.”

Opinion An inflation conspiracy theory is infecting the Democratic Party  —  A conspiracy theory has been infecting the Democratic Party, its progressive base, even the White House.  It's not quite as self-sabotaging as the horse-dewormer-cures-covid false theory that swept up many Republicans last year …

Prosecutors Pursue Inquiry Into Trump's Handling of Classified Material  —  A federal grand jury has issued at least one subpoena, and investigators are seeking interviews in the case of sensitive documents that ended up at the former president's Florida home.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Cryptocurrencies Melt Down in a ‘Perfect Storm’ of Fear and Panic  —  A steep sell-off that gained momentum this week starkly illustrated the risks of the experimental and unregulated digital currencies.  — Give this article- - - Read in app  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The price of Bitcoin plunged to its lowest point since 2020.

Why Ron DeSantis Is the New Republican Party  —  Two weeks ago, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida appeared with the Fox News host Laura Ingraham for a town hall that lasted the full hour of her prime-time show.  That kind of airtime tends to be reserved only for Donald Trump, but Mr. DeSantis has had a meteoric rise.

Michael Luttig: Lessons of January 6 & the Ongoing Threat  —  On advising Vice President Pence in January 2020, the vulnerabilities in our constitutional system, and what we must do to ensure election integrity.

US intelligence community launches review following Ukraine and Afghanistan intel failings  —  Washington (CNN)The US intelligence community is carrying out a sweeping internal review of how it assesses the fighting power of foreign militaries amid mounting pressure from key lawmakers …

Scoop: New Trump venture  —  Donald Trump has found a new way to milk his ex-presidency — and test another — hitting the lucrative motivational speaking circuit with more fervor than any other active U.S. politician in history. … - It's privately run — and, according to organizers, it's driving huge audience interest.

Missouri Looks to Ban Pharmacists From Disputing Efficacy of Ivermectin  —  BEATING A DEAD HORSE  —  When the Missouri state legislature on Wednesday passed a standard-issue licensure bill for physical therapists, few noticed a clandestine provision on its 32nd page banning pharmacists …

Netflix Updates Corporate Culture Memo, Adding Anti-Censorship Section and a Vow to ‘Spend Our Members’ Money Wisely' (EXCLUSIVE) … Netflix loves to tout its culture of avoiding rules and minimizing corporate red tape.  But of course, the company does have operating guidelines …

John Durham Goes to Court  —  How his case against Michael Sussmann unravels the Russia collusion hoax.  —  1x  —  Special Counsel John Durham steps into court Monday with the first trial of his probe into Democrats' Russia-collusion hoax.  That's a formality.  Mr. Durham has already won.

Judy Woodruff Expected To Step Down As Anchor Of ‘PBS NewsHour,’ With Plans For Amna Nawaz And Geoff Bennett To Succeed Her  —  PBS NewsHour is preparing for a major transition in its broadcast, with plans for Judy Woodruff to step down from the anchor chair and for Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett to succeed her.

US secretly issued subpoena to access Guardian reporter's phone records  —  Newspaper decries ‘egregious’ move by DoJ to obtain details of Stephanie Kirchgaessner as part of investigation into media leaks  —  The US justice department secretly issued a subpoena to gain access to details …

Abortion, Economy Top Midterm Issues  —  Difficulty paying for groceries, other bills inches up  —  West Long Branch, NJ - The American public is divided as to which party they want in control of Congress, and the issue picture has shifted since the last midterm - with the economy …

How the conservative Christian right is hijacking homeschooling  —  “Public education has become public enemy No. 1,” the actor Kirk Cameron opines in a promotion for “The Homeschool Awakening,” his documentary scheduled to hit theaters in June.  The documentary, funded by the Trinity Broadcasting Network …

House Dems Insert Poison Pill Into Bipartisan Bill To Protect Supreme Court Justices  —  House Democrats are undercutting bipartisan legislation to bolster security for Supreme Court justices as heated protests erupt outside their homes.  —  The Senate passed an emergency …