US intel shows Russians fear Mariupol abuse will backfire  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has gathered intelligence that shows some Russian officials have become concerned that Russian forces in the ravaged port city of Mariupol are carrying out grievous abuses, a U.S official familiar with the findings said Wednesday.

Is the Democratic Party Giving Up Already? … The Democratic Party has a lot of problems right now.  Many of these problems lie outside its control: A global wave of inflation and continuing waves of coronavirus infection have prevented the recovery Joe Biden imagined when he took office last year …

The coming food catastrophe  —  War is tipping a fragile world towards mass hunger.  Fixing that is everyone's business  —  By invading ukraine, Vladimir Putin will destroy the lives of people far from the battlefield—and on a scale even he may regret.  The war is battering …

GOP candidate for Colorado governor says eliminate one-person, one-vote system  —  Under Greg Lopez's proposal, the 2018 gubernatorial race would have been a runaway win for Republicans, who lost the actual race by double-digits.  —  DENVER — Coloradans have elected just one Republican governor in the last 50 years.

The Battle for State Legislatures  —  Dear Readers: Crystal Ball Senior Columnist Louis Jacobson is analyzing several categories of state-level races for us this cycle.  After taking a first look at attorney general and secretary of state races, he is now assessing the battles for state legislatures this year.

Poll: Two-thirds say don't overturn Roe; the court leak is firing up Democratic voters  —  About two-thirds of Americans say they do not support overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal in the United States, according to the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.

At Wells Fargo, a Quest to Increase Diversity Leads to Fake Job Interviews  —  Black and female candidates are sometimes interviewed after the recipient of a job is identified, current and former employees say.  —  Joe Bruno, a former executive in the wealth management division of Wells Fargo …

He Was a World-Renowned Cancer Researcher.  Now's He's Collecting Unemployment.  —  Behind the fall of David Sabatini, ‘one of the greatest scientists’ of his generation.  —  In 2018, David Sabatini was a world-renowned molecular biologist.  He was a tenured professor at MIT.

The Secret History Of Richard Nixon, Mets Sicko  —  When he came off the mound on Sept. 30, 1988 after finishing off his eighth complete game and 20th win of the season, David Cone high-fived his teammates and walked into the home dugout unaware of what awaited him.

Pete Williams to retire from NBC News after epic Washington career  —  A former Pentagon spokesman, Williams made the unusual move 29 years ago to return to hard-news reporting.  Many historic scoops followed.  —  A jolt went through Washington when the news broke just before noon on Jan. 26 …

Wall Street Appears Headed For Another Rocky Day  —  Rising interest rates, high inflation, the war in Ukraine and a slowdown in China's economy have caused investors to reconsider the prices they're willing to pay for a wide range of stocks.  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street headed …

Fiona Hill says Putin got ‘frustrated many times’ with Trump because the Russian leader ‘had to keep explaining things’ to him  — Putin often became frustrated with Trump over his lack of knowledge on big issues, Fiona Hill said.  — “He had to keep explaining things, and Putin doesn't like to do that,” Hill said.

More Subprime Borrowers Are Missing Loan Payments  —  Borrowers with limited or troubled credit histories are defaulting on credit cards, car loans and personal loans  —  Consumers with low credit scores are falling behind on payments for car loans, personal loans and credit cards …

Rep. Henry Cuellar's allies smear Democratic contender Jessica Cisneros with ‘homewrecker’ billboard  —  WASHINGTON — With early voting underway in a fiercely contested South Texas primary runoff, supporters of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar have launched a campaign to smear the longtime Laredo …

How Ted Cruz Became a ‘Blatantly Cynical’ Election Law Troll  —  Pay Dirt is a weekly foray into the pigpen of political funding.  Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Thursday.  —  In the pantheon of politicians fighting for unpopular causes, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has now secured a prominent place.

Illinois becomes first Midwest state to ban ‘ghost guns’  —  Illinois has become the first state in the Midwest to pass legislation banning untraceable “ghost guns” amid a surge of gun violence in the United States.  —  On Wednesday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 4383, banning the so-called ghost guns across the state.

Analysis of Hunter Biden's hard drive shows he, his firm took in about $11 million from 2013 to 2018, spent it fast  —  Records show Hunter Biden's company made millions from joint venture funded by Chinese company  —  From 2013 through 2018 Hunter Biden and his company brought …

Fox News Poll: Georgia's GOP primary race for governor sees Kemp holding wide lead over Perdue  —  Former NFL star Herschel Walker dashes ahead by 58 points in Republican Senate primary contest  —  Fox News Flash top headlines for May 18  —  Incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp leads former …

Senate set to pass $40B Ukraine aid bill  —  The Senate is on track to pass a $40 billion emergency aid package to buttress Ukraine with weapons and other military help as the Eastern European country fends off the Russian invasion.  —  The chamber is expected to clear the legislation …

China Insists Party Elites Shed Overseas Assets, Eyeing Western Sanctions on Russia  —  An internal Communist Party directive bars senior officials from owning property abroad or stakes in overseas entities, whether directly or through spouses and children  —  HONG KONG—China's Communist Party …

Trump uses Pa. primary to continue effort to undermine electoral system  —  Good morning, Early Birds, and a special good morning to the U.S. women's national soccer team for landing a “game-changing” deal to close the pay gap with the men's soccer team.  😎 💪 Tips? earlytips@washpost.com.

George W. Bush compares Zelenskyy to Churchill, mistakenly calls Iraq invasion unjustified  —  At Bush center event, Condoleezza Rice compares Jan. 6 to non-democratic countries  —  In some of his most extensive public comments about the Russian invasion of Ukraine since the war began …

Jill Biden's six-day tour of Latin America is high-stakes diplomacy  —  The first lady is making her third solo foreign trip, weeks before a major hemispheric summit that's going off the rails  —  Jill Biden is embarking on a high-stakes, six-day diplomatic tour of three Latin American countries …