With Feds Circling, Trump Asks Allies: Who's ‘Wearing a Wire’?  —  Donald Trump is worried he may have a rat — or multiple rats — in his midst.  He's wondering if his phones are tapped, or even if one of his buddies could be “wearing a wire.”  —  As the federal and state investigations …

FBI delivers subpoenas to several Pa. Republican lawmakers: sources say  —  1,070 … - Meadows' former aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified to the House Select Committee that Perry was among a small group of people who talked with Meadows about a potential appearance by Trump at the Capitol following …

Historians privately warn Biden that America's democracy is teetering  —  When Biden met with historians last week at the White House, they compared the threat facing America to the pre-Civil War era and to pro-fascist movements before WWII  —  President Biden paused last week …

Far-Right Extremists Are Violently Threatening the Trump Search-Warrant Judge  —  “Let's find out if he has children... where they go to school, where they live... EVERYTHING,” one person wrote on a message board where the judge's address was posted.  —  David Gilbert

Trump and James sat across from each other for hours as he said ‘same answer’ again and again.  —  The New York State attorney general, Letitia James, sat across from Donald J. Trump as he repeatedly declined to answer questions, invoking his right against self-incrimination during a deposition on Wednesday …

Yellen directs IRS not to use new funding to increase chances of audits of Americans making less than $400,000  —  Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday directed the Internal Revenue Service not to use any of the new funding allocated in the Democrats' new health care and climate bill …

Why Wait?  Here's Liz Cheney's Concession Speech in Advance  —  Liz Cheney is facing an awkward challenge.  A few days from now, she will deliver the most consequential speech of her career to date.  The polls indicate it will almost certainly be a concession speech.

Yearning for a Banana Republic  —  Emboldened by fever dreams of persecution, Republicans want nothing more than to anoint a strong man to punish their enemies.  —  What an amazingly stupid time this is.  —  Here's an easy thought experiment.  Imagine a Third World banana republic.

Gas Prices in the U.S. Fall Below $4 a Gallon  —  After peaking in mid-June, they have tracked a global decline in oil prices and are back where they were in March.  —  Gas prices in the United States fell below $4 a gallon on Thursday, retreating to their lowest level since March …

Joe Arpaio loses 3rd comeback bid in town mayoral race  —  Joe Arpaio, the 90-year-old former Arizona sheriff who was a once powerful figure in Republican politics but was ousted nearly six years ago amid frustration over his headline-grabbing tactics and legal troubles …

Europe's Energy Crisis May Get a Lot Worse  —  I don't think many Americans appreciate just how tense and tenuous, how very touch and go the energy situation in Europe is right now.  —  For months, as news of the Ukraine war receded a bit, it was possible to follow the energy story unfolding across …

An unusual deal gave Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin $8.5 million in stock.  He paid $0 in tax on it.  —  In January 2020, Glenn Youngkin, now the Republican governor of Virginia, got some welcome news.  A complex corporate transaction had gone through at the Carlyle Group …

How Not To Talk To The Public About Monkeypox  —  A case study in hiding the ball, public health official-style  —  Happy Wednesday!  You may have seen some FBI-related news this week — if you're interested in the Mar-a-Lago raid, including some inferences about the status of the investigations …

Scoop: Miami mayor eyes White House  —  Miami Mayor Francis Suarez's political operation is making subtle but significant moves toward a potential White House run, Axios has learned. … - Suarez is nonetheless considered a rising political star who's overseen the ascendance of one of America's fastest-growing and most dynamic cities.

How did Ukraine strike deep inside Russian-occupied Crimea?  —  How did Ukraine blow up Russia's Saki Air Base in southwest Crimea on Tuesday?  Was it with supersonic ballistic missiles, perhaps made in the United States?  Or did it send a SEAL Team 6-style special ops, dropped deep behind enemy lines, to set explosions?

Bored to Death by Trump  —  Sooner or later, every last thing in American life becomes about the former president.  It's incredibly tedious.  —  I  —  am inordinately bored of Donald Trump.  —  I'm bored of the man himself.  I'm bored of his opponents.  I'm bored of his supporters.

Biden gets some closure  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice.  —  President JOE BIDEN arrived in South Carolina on Wednesday afternoon for a family vacation on Kiawah Island.

Staff allegedly took down an Escambia County teacher's posters of Black heroes.  He quit  —  An Escambia County public school teacher resigned this week over what he characterized as racist behavior by a school district employee.  —  The teacher, Michael James, emailed a letter …