Russia's spies misread Ukraine and misled Kremlin as war loomed  —  KYIV, Ukraine — In the final days before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's security service began sending cryptic instructions to informants in Kyiv.  Pack up and get out of the capital, the Kremlin collaborators were told, but leave behind the keys to your homes.

What Mitt Romney says about Liz Cheney possibly running for president  —  As Rep. Liz Cheney contemplates her next move after losing the Republican primary in Wyoming this week, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney says he wouldn't encourage her to run for president.  —  “I'm not going to encourage anyone to run for president.

Mueller Memo Advising Barr on Trump Findings Is Ordered Released  —  The US Justice Department must release a 2019 memo advising then-attorney general Bill Barr on how to handle the conclusion of the Mueller investigation and the department's decision not to charge Donald Trump, a federal appeals court ruled.

Top Ohio Democrat breaks with Biden in new campaign ad  —  A top Ohio Democrat is breaking with President Joe Biden in a new campaign advertisement, hammering the president over his trade polic y as she seeks reelection in a district newly redrawn to favor Republicans .

Newly unsealed documents from the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago put Trump in even worse legal peril, experts say  — New legal documents were unsealed by a federal judge Thursday in the wake of the Mar-a-Lago raid.  — They show new details about the possible crimes the FBI was investigating with the search.

Louisiana's Abortion Law Sows Confusion and Fear  —  Louisiana doctors fearful of running afoul of new abortion bans in post-Roe America gave a pregnant woman a devastating diagnosis, but not an abortion.  —  Nancy Davis says that when she learned this month that the fetus she was carrying …

Sanna Marin: Finnish PM reveals she has taken drug test  —  Finland's prime minister has said she has taken a drug test, after new footage emerged showing the leader dancing with a Finnish popstar.  —  Sanna Marin, 36, came under fire this week after a leaked video showed her partying …

Brian Stelter: A retrospective of CNN's ousted media reporter  —  Brian Stelter emerged as one of CNN's most partisan hosts under Jeff Zucker's leadership  —  Sean Hannity addresses CNN's Brian Stelter leaving the network  —  There was an earthquake in the media landscape when CNN announced …

Lawmakers demand data about online threats against law enforcement  —  House Oversight Committee leaders called on eight social networks, including Meta, Truth Social and Gab, to turn over details about how they're responding following the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago

Biden to host ‘unity’ summit against hate-fueled violence  —  President Joe Biden will host a White House summit next month aimed at combating a spate of hate-fueled violence in the U.S., as he works to deliver on his campaign pledge to “heal the soul of the nation.”

America just got a $100-a-month raise  —  New York (CNN Business)Next time you stop at a gas station, think of it as a $100-a-month tax cut.  Or a maybe $100-a-month raise.  —  The steady drop in gas prices over the last few months has turned into an unexpected form of economic stimulus …

The Constitution Is Broken and Should Not Be Reclaimed  —  When liberals lose in the Supreme Court — as they increasingly have over the past half-century — they usually say that the justices got the Constitution wrong.  But struggling over the Constitution has proved a dead end.

Kari Lake > Ron DeSantis  —  In the fight to become the heir of Trumpism.  —  1. The Trump Progression  —  We've done versions of this dance a dozen times before:  — He didn't do it; there is no story here.  — You don't have irrefutable evidence that he did it.  — That “evidence” is a fake-news plant.

Low water levels on Danube reveal sunken WW2 German warships  —  Europe's worst drought in years has pushed the mighty river Danube to one of its lowest levels in almost a century, exposing the hulks of dozens of explosives-laden German warships sunk during World War Two near Serbia's river port town of Prahovo.

Californians oppose Biden and Trump running for President in 2024  —  By a nearly two-to-one margin (61% to 31%) California voters oppose Joe Biden seeking a second term as President in 2024.  Republicans are overwhelmingly against the President running again (87% to 9%) …

Islamic State Militant Sentenced to 8 Life Terms in Killing of U.S. Hostages  —  In April, a jury found El Shafee Elsheikh guilty on four counts of hostage-taking and four counts of conspiracy after a two-week trial.  —  ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A key member of an Islamic State cell known …

Ron DeSantis Wants To Fake His Way To The Presidency, And It Could Work  —  Conservatives Love Being Mad About Things That Don't Exist  —  To live in the make believe world of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, one has to believe in a series of interlocking fairy tales, conspiracy theories, lies, and hoaxes.

U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez and his wife defied property tax law for eight years by claiming two homestead exemptions  —  In Texas, married couples generally can claim only one such exemption, meant to provide some tax relief on properties considered “principal residences.”

Flood of 2,300 departing workers leaves Texas child welfare agency scrambling: ‘Absolutely a crisis’  —  Nearly 2,300 employees have left the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services since the beginning of the year, stressing an agency that has already experienced …

Tribe: The Criminal Case Against Trump is Another “Slam Dunk”  —  In past columns, we have discussed the litany of “slam dunk” crimes that Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe has declared as established against former President Donald Trump, none of which have been actually charged.

Even Trump Thinks Dr. Oz Will ‘F-king Lose,’ Sources Say  —  The former president is growing increasingly worried that, unless something dramatically changes, the TV doctor he picked for Senate is going down  —  AS THE CRITICAL Pennsylvania Senate race between Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman …