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 …

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 …

Adnan Syed Murder Conviction Should Be Vacated, Prosecutors Say  —  State's attorney for Baltimore City is asking for new trial in case that became the subject of first hit ‘Serial’ podcast  —  Prosecutors in Baltimore are asking a judge to vacate Adnan Syed's conviction for the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee …

Rubio cosponsors bill by Graham banning abortions nationally after 15 weeks  —  Republican Sen. Marco Rubio is co-sponsoring a bill that would ban abortions nationwide after 15 weeks, an aide confirmed Wednesday, throwing support behind a measure that both aligns with his longstanding desire …

New Hampshire Shows GOP Isn't Learning the Right Lessons  —  Republican Party dysfunction was on display in New Hampshire Tuesday.  Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan and both the state's House Democrats were considered highly vulnerable this year.  So what did Republicans do …

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 …

Trump Called in to a Pro-January 6 Rally at the DC Jail  —  Former President Trump called into a small rally held in support of January 6 prisoners at the DC Jail Tuesday.  He phoned Micki Witthoeft, whose daughter Ashli Babbitt was killed during the assault Trump supporters led on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

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.

Satanic panic is making a comeback, fueled by QAnon believers and GOP influencers  —  PROVO, Utah — On June 1, David Leavitt, the prosecuting attorney for Utah County, stood behind a lectern in his windowless Provo office before a gaggle of reporters.  Wearing a gray suit and an exasperated look …

Clear Creek County deputies shoot and kill man who asked for help after car crash … After getting stuck on a dirt road in Clear Creek County in June, Christian Glass called 911 for help.  —  Instead, the 22-year-old was killed while locked inside his own car after a long, tense …

U.S. indicts Iranian hackers for attacks on critical infrastructure  —  The Justice Department on Wednesday announced charges against three Iranian individuals alleged to have launched cyberattacks against U.S. and global critical infrastructure.  —  A senior Justice Department official told reporters …

Why aren't medical breakthroughs in obesity a bigger deal?  —  We're stuck in a dead-end debate over body positivity and dieting when real solutions to the problem exist.  —  Editor-at-Large  —  Back in the fraught winter of 2020 when covid vaccines were first authorized but not yet widely available …

House members roll out bipartisan election bill aimed at preventing future coups  —  Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Fred Upton, R-Mich., are introducing legislation aimed at preventing stolen elections in the wake of Jan. 6.  A rival bill could be unveiled later this week.

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.

Louisiana woman travels to New York for abortion of fetus with no skull  —  A Louisiana woman who was denied an abortion after her fetus was diagnosed with a fatal condition traveled to New York to receive the procedure earlier this month.  —  Nancy Davis said last month that she was not allowed …

Trump tells authors of ‘The Divider’ book he won't pick Pence for 2024  —  Former president told Peter Baker and Susan Glasser that Pence ‘committed political suicide’ by refusing to reject Biden victory  —  Donald Trump will not pick Mike Pence as his running mate if he runs for the presidency again …

A new reminder of the advantage misinformation has over reality  —  Dangerous nonsense burrows deep while accountability is still drafting subpoenas  —  Mike Lindell does not have any evidence that the 2020 election was tainted by significant voter fraud.  —  He'll argue with this …

One Big Winner of Eric Adams's Rare Mayoral Veto: the Owner of Zero Bond  —  With his veto, Mayor Adams eliminated an enforcement mechanism designed to target wealthy, non-artist residents who are flouting City rules by living in spacious downtown artist lofts.

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.”

Pelosi confident Democrats will hold House majority  —  Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is confident Democrats will not only hold the House majority but also pick up seats as polls spell trouble for her narrow majority.  —  Pelosi, along with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer …

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 …

First on CNN: Biden to nominate new ambassador to Russia  —  President Joe Biden plans to nominate Lynne Tracy, a career diplomat currently serving in Armenia, as the next US ambassador to Russia, according to three sources familiar with the matter.  Tracy, who speaks Russian and was the No. 2 diplomat …

Trump raised disputed security concerns in bid to relocate NY AG testimony: Report  —  Former President Donald Trump's legal team purportedly leaned on the Secret Service as a cudgel in a failed bid to relocate the deposition of his hotly anticipated appearance before the New York Attorney General's Office …

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 …