Shinzo Abe, former Japanese leader, is assassinated by gunman  —  Listen  —  Gift Article  —  TOKYO — Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, a towering political figure at home and abroad, died after being shot at a campaign event Friday, doctors said, shocking a nation where firearms laws …

Biden signs abortion rights executive order amid pressure  —  President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday morning directing his health department to expand access to abortion pills, beef up enforcement of Obamacare's birth control coverage mandate and stand up an army of pro bono lawyers …

What Happened to Michael Flynn?  —  Michael Flynn faced the camera with brow creased and lips compressed.  He hadn't been born yesterday, his expression said.  He was not going to fall for trick questions.  —  “General Flynn, do you believe the violence on January 6 was justified?”

North Carolina Looks to Remove Public EV Chargers, Probably to the Trash  —  Politicians have to run on some kind of platform, and Ben Moss—my incoming state House representative here in North Carolina's District 52—decided that his animating principle is Being Mad at Electricity.

Michael Flynn cited for unauthorized foreign payments  —  Retired general and former Trump adviser was notified by the Army that it was seeking to recoup nearly $40,000 from him  —  Listen  —  Gift Article  —  Michael Flynn, the retired Army general and onetime adviser to President Donald Trump …

POLITICO Playbook: Schumer ups pressure on McConnell in USICA-reconciliation dance  —  With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  BREAKING OVERNIGHT — Former Japanese Prime Minister SHINZO ABE was shot and killed during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan.  He was 67.

Oath Keepers leader offers Jan. 6 testimony — but only if it's live  —  Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes says he will waive his Fifth Amendment rights and testify to the Jan. 6 select committee if they permit him to testify in person.  —  Rhodes, who is currently incarcerated …

Trust in news collapses to historic low  —  Americans' confidence in newspapers and television news has plummeted to an all-time low, according to the latest annual Gallup survey of trust in U.S. institutions. … - Political party affiliation has become the primary driver of opinions …

Wisconsin Supreme Court disallows absentee ballot drop boxes  —  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's conservative-controlled Supreme Court ruled Friday that absentee ballot drop boxes may be placed only in election offices and that no one other than the voter can return a ballot in person …

‘This Is Disgusting’: An Insider's Account on the Fall of Cuomo  —  “Governor.  Stop.  It's over,” the voice broke through on the conference call line.  —  Six months earlier, it would have been inconceivable that anyone, let alone a mere political consultant, would cut off the most high-profile …

Twitter Is Ready for a Potential Legal Battle With Elon Musk  —  Mr. Musk has appeared reluctant to proceed with the $44 billion agreement, citing uncertainty about the number of fake accounts on the platform.  —  Elon Musk may be preparing for the next chapter in his Twitter takeover journey: court.

Film offers inside look at Roger Stone's ‘Stop the Steal’ efforts before January 6  —  Footage shows key moments of planning with fellow activist Ali Alexander to overturn election results in Trump's favor  —  Weeks before the Capitol attack, top Republican political activists Roger Stone …

Tim Miller Asks the Question Every Conservative Must Answer  —  The No. 2 book on the New York Times nonfiction list is a searing personal reflection by a former Republican strategist named Tim Miller.  It's called Why We Did It: A Travelogue From the Republican Road to Hell …

Armed officers swarm Stephen K. Bannon's house after false report  —  Police were falsely told that a man with a gun was inside and had shot someone  —  Gift Article  —  Heavily armed police on Friday swarmed around the Capitol Hill rowhouse where former Trump White House adviser Stephen K. Bannon lives …

Ukraine targets Russia's ammunition depots, undermining its artillery advantage  —  It is an almost everyday occurrence in the Russian-occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.  —  Russia's ammunition depots blow up, with large fires erupting as tons of ordnance detonate for hours.

WWE's Vince McMahon Agreed to Pay $12 Million in Hush Money to Four Women  —  The longtime chief of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. secured nondisclosure agreements to keep secret allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity  —  Vince McMahon, WWE's longtime leader …

Governor Abbott Authorizes Texas National Guard, Texas Department Of Public Safety To Return Illegal Immigrants To Border  —  Governor Greg Abbott today issued an executive order authorizing and empowering the Texas National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety to apprehend illegal immigrants …

Who Does the Mainstream Media Want the GOP to Nominate in 2024?  —  At this moment, any Republican official or strategist who spends a lot of time thinking about Donald Trump taking on Ron DeSantis in the 2024 presidential election is putting the cart before the horse - there's still a midterm election cycle to win.

The Glaring Contradiction of Republicans' Rhetoric of Freedom  —  For decades Republicans have marketed themselves as the party of freedom.  During the 1990s and early 2000s, conservative activists took up the description of the GOP coined by the anti-tax activist Grover Norquist as the …

More Republicans now call Jan. 6 a ‘legitimate protest’ than a ‘riot’  —  Listen  —  Gift Article  —  When the dust settled on Jan. 6, 2021, we were unable to agree on whether Donald Trump had incited the insurrection.  But at least one conclusion crossed partisan lines: This had been a very bad and violent thing.

Fetterman to attack Oz's residency in ads — including with airplane banner over New Jersey beaches  —  A TV advertisement and an airplane.  —  That's what U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman will launch this weekend in an attempt to contrast his Pennsylvania roots — born and raised …