Exclusive: As war began, Putin rejected a Ukraine peace deal recommended by aide  —  Vladimir Putin's chief envoy on Ukraine told the Russian leader as the war began that he had struck a provisional deal with Kyiv that would satisfy Russia's demand that Ukraine stay out of NATO …

Durham Inquiry Appears to Wind Down as Grand Jury Expires  —  The special counsel appointed by the Trump administration to examine the Russia investigation seems to be wrapping up its work with no further charges in store.  —  WASHINGTON — When John H. Durham was assigned by the Justice Department …

Fear of a Black Hobbit  —  Maybe you've heard that people are mad about Black actors being cast in Lord of the Rings.  Or Game of Thrones.  Or maybe it was Star Wars.  Or perhaps Thor.  Wait, maybe it was Titans, or Superman.  The Witcher?  Or maybe you heard that people are angry …

Mike Lindell: Feds Seized My Cellphone at Hardee's  —  Lindell also posted a subpoena and what appears to be a search warrant.  —  MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell told The Daily Beast on Tuesday night that the FBI seized his cellphone while he was at a Hardee's restaurant.

POLITICO Playbook: Did Lindsey Graham just score an own goal on abortion?  —  With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, most Republicans stuck to a simple message: The decision merely sent the issue back to the states …

Police: Armed man wearing clown wig said he wanted to ‘kill all Democrats’  —  DELMONT, Pa. (KDKA) - A Westmoreland County man is facing several charges after police said he wanted to “kill all Democrats.”  —  Jan Stawovy, 61, took a loaded gun into a Delmont Dairy Queen and police said the quick action of an officer saved lives.

Economy, abortion shape Pennsylvania midterm races — CBS News Battleground Tracker  —  Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman leads Mehmet Oz by five points among Pennsylvania's likely voters, in a Senate race that seems still fluid, with Republicans less enamored by the candidates they nominated …

Texas delays publication of maternal death data until after midterms, legislative session  —  Texas health officials have missed a key window to complete the state's first major updated count of pregnancy related deaths in nearly a decade, saying the findings will now be released next summer …

Ken Starr, Independent Counsel in Clinton Investigation, Dies at 76  —  Mr. Starr's investigation into President Clinton's affair with a former White House intern propelled issues of sex and morality to the center of American life for more than a year.  —  WASHINGTON — Ken Starr …

Former Gov. Phil Bryant helped Brett Favre secure welfare funding for USM volleyball stadium, texts reveal  —  Text messages entered Monday into the state's ongoing civil lawsuit over the welfare scandal reveal that former Gov. Phil Bryant pushed to make NFL legend Brett Favre's volleyball idea a reality.

Republicans plan to grill Gen. Mark Milley if they take back the House  —  The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has been cast in books about the Trump administration as a critic of the ex-president.  He has received death threats from Trump supporters.

1 person injured at Northeastern University after package detonated on Boston campus, officials say  —  (CNN)A Northeastern University staff member was injured Tuesday when a package he was opening detonated on the Boston campus, officials said,  —  “The staff member sustained minor injuries …

Trump Called In to a Pro-January 6 Rally at the DC Jail  —  The former President said the January 6 prisoners in the jail were “being treated very, very unfairly.”  —  Former President Trump called into a small rally held in support of January 6 prisoners at the DC Jail Tuesday.

Matt Yglesias and Laura McGann Launch a Podcast to Counter the Internet's ‘Bad Takes’ (EXCLUSIVE) … Matt Yglesias returns to podcasting today with “Bad Takes,” a new show that aims to challenge political pieties that take hold online.  —  Yglesias will co-host the show with his longtime editor …

9/14/22 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM  —  AS WE SCOOPED YESTERDAY, NEW YORK REP. ELISE STEFANIK IS RUNNING FOR ANOTHER TERM AS HOUSE REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE CHAIR.  —  STEFANIK, A CLOSE ALLY OF FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, IS THE ONLY ANNOUNCED CANDIDATE FOR THE SLOT.

FTC and Six States Sue Roomster Over Alleged Deception, Including Fake Reviews … The FTC and six states allege violations of the FTC Act and various state statutes, prohibiting deceptive trade practices (state UDAP statutes) at a cost of over $27 million to consumers.

Biden admin makes it more expensive to drill for energy.  Again  —  During yesterday's White House press briefing, Karine Jean-Pierre tried to brag about gas prices coming down no less than five times while insisting that there was “more work to be done” and Joe Biden was on top of the problem.

Harvard Tells Students: ‘Using Wrong Pronouns’ Constitutes ‘Abuse’  —  Welcome to Harvard!  —  “Fatphobia” and “cisheterosexism” perpetuate “violence.”  “Using the wrong pronouns” constitutes “abuse.”  And “any words used to lower a person's self-worth” are “Verbal Abuse.”

Trafficked Teenager Who Killed One of Her Abusers Ordered to Pay Restitution  —  Pieper Lewis was 15 years old when, according to court documents, the man sheltering her forced her to have sex with other men for money.  She stabbed one abuser 30 times.  —  Pieper Lewis was a 15-year-old repeat runaway …

Why Buttigieg is sparking 2024 chatter  —  The ordinarily polished Mayor Pete suddenly was casual.  —  “Who knows,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told Vox Media's Code Conference when asked last week about the idea of running for president again.

Mainstream Democrats romped in the primaries.  Republicans went full MAGA.  —  The 2022 primary season has come to an end — and with it so should any claims that our politics is afflicted by “polarization.”  —  In both parties, ideological forces did indeed try to pull the center of gravity toward the extremes.

First on CNN: Former Gov. Bill Richardson held meetings in Moscow this week with Russian leadership  —  Former Gov. Bill Richardson and his team were in Moscow this week and held meetings with Russian leadership, CNN has learned.  The details around those meetings were not immediately clear.

Florida sees sharp rise in white power, anti-Semitic incidents, report finds  —  Florida saw a sharp increase in anti-Semitic incidents last year, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League, the New York-based organization that tracks anti-Semitic incidents and other extremist activity across the country.

Election deniers advanced to November ballots in 27 states, report finds  —  Candidates who deny the results of the 2020 election have advanced to November ballots in statewide races for positions that will oversee, defend or certify elections in more than half of the states, according to a nonpartisan group tracking the races.