Putin's Newest Annexation Is Dire for Russia Too  —  Vladimir Putin today announced his annexation of four provinces of Ukraine—four provinces that he does not fully control, that did not vote to join Russia, that have been the site of mass murder and mass deportation since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

Trump's legal team divided over how to handle Mar-a-Lago case  —  New lawyer's advice to seek an ‘off-ramp’ with Justice Department is not being heeded, people familiar with discussions say  —  After attorney Christopher Kise accepted $3 million to represent Donald Trump in the FBI's investigation …

Facebook scrambles to escape stock's death spiral as users flee, sales drop  — Meta is trading at its lowest since early 2019, and the stock is one of the worst performers this year in the S&P 500.  — The company's problems are mounting, whether it's the ad hit from Apple's iOS changes or the growing threat posed by TikTok.

Gavin Newsom's trolling deftly unmasks Ron DeSantis's cruelty  —  It's hard to deny that Gov. Gavin Newsom harbors garish and even cringeworthy presidential ambitions.  The California Democrat regularly trolls Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a top 2024 GOP contender, and Newsom surely knows playing foil …

Dysfunction in Texas AG's office as Paxton seeks third term  —  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's staff this month quietly dropped a series of human trafficking and child sexual assault cases after losing track of one of the victims, a stumble in open court emblematic of broader dysfunction inside …

List of 49 Republicans Who Voted Against Food Security Help for Veterans  —  The House of Representatives passed a bill to establish an Office of Food Security at the Department of Veterans Affairs, with 49 Republicans voting against the proposal.  —  The Food Security for All Veterans Act …

For Obama, One Trump Term Wasn't a Big Worry, but ‘Eight Years Would Be a Problem’  —  Barack Obama told reporters in his last days as president that he wasn't worried about a single Donald Trump term, but was concerned about a “sustained period” of political norms being undermined if he served two terms …

GOP congressional candidate Joe Kent's ties to white nationalists include interview with Nazi sympathizer  —  Despite disavowing White nationalism last spring when one of its adherents endorsed him, a US House candidate in Washington subsequently gave a previously unreported interview in June to a Nazi sympathizer and White nationalist.

Judge upholds Georgia election laws on all counts in voting rights case  —  Ruling ends lawsuit filed by Fair Fight Action after 2018 election  —  A federal judge delivered a decisive ruling Friday against allies of Democrat Stacey Abrams in their 4-year-old voting rights lawsuit …

Fired Fox News Anchor Must Face ‘Revenge Porn’ Allegations, Judge Rules  —  After a former Fox News associate producer filed a lawsuit accusing Henry of sexual assault, his legal team included 15 explicit photos of her in the public docket.  —  Disgraced former Fox News anchor Ed Henry's motion …

Hurricane Ian's Staggering Scale of Wreckage Becomes Clearer in Florida  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — The extent of Hurricane Ian's destruction became clearer on Thursday as people across southwestern Florida, left without electricity, drinking water or inhabitable homes, began to assess the damage …

Liz Truss' Woes Multiply After Media Blitz  —  In a round of interviews, the prime minister showed little sympathy for the pain that high interest rates could inflict on mortgage holders, critics said.  —  LONDON — For Prime Minister Liz Truss, it was a chance to steady the waters after days …

Darkened skin in anti-Abrams ad racially charged, ‘pernicious,’ political analyst says  —  Kemp and Abrams alter colors in negative ads - an expert explains the impacts of this.  —  ATLANTA — Viewers of negative political ads in Georgia may notice something: The bad guys in the ads always seem …

Tucker Carlson Secretly Tried to Get Jared Kushner to Broker Pardon for Roger Stone, Book Reveals  —  Maggie Haberman writes in Confidence Man that the Fox News host went to great lengths to get former President Trump to let his former campaign adviser off the hook

It Isn't Journalism's Job To Hand-Hold People To The Correct Moral Conclusions  —  Stop hating your readers  —  One of the silliest ideas to infect mainstream journalism in recent years is the notion that when journalists produce work about a bad person, they must signpost that work …

You thought the Supreme Court's last term was bad?  Brace yourself.  —  The cataclysmic Supreme Court term that included the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion and the end of constitutional protection for abortion would, in the normal ebb and flow, be followed by a period of quiet …

The 'Lizzo Playing James Madison's Flute' Controversy: A Blogger's Analysis  —  Gold, I tell you.  —  As my second week as a staff writer at The Dispatch comes to a close, I need to confess.  I'm ... not really a writer.  —  Some of you will have already noticed.  —  Jonah Goldberg is a writer.

Transition from hell  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice.  —  While DONALD TRUMP was attempting to prevent then President-elect JOE BIDEN from ascending to office in the months after the election …

Trump allies have interviewed nearly 200 election officials to probe for weaknesses  —  Volunteers for “Operation Eagles Wings” are using surveys in eight states to seek support for conspiracy theories.  —  Two of Donald Trump's most prominent allies in his fight to overturn the 2020 election …

Republicans count on candidates of color to expand the House map  —  Nonwhite candidates are helping the GOP build bridges into minority communities—and deflect Democratic attacks.  —  On Wednesday, as Hurricane Ian bore down on the Florida district Anna Paulina Luna is likely to represent next year …

The January 6 Committee Can't Quit Before It Examines the Clarence Thomas Connection  —  In addition to exposing Trump's coup plotting, the committee must examine whether a Supreme Court justice abused his position to aid the plotters.  —  The House Select Committee to Investigate …

It's “Oppo Dump” O'Clock: OH-09 Moves from Toss Up to Lean Democrat  —  With less than six weeks to go, it's “oppo dump” o'clock — the time when both parties start unleashing their most damning opposition research about the other side's candidates on the airwaves or leaking it to friendly (or curious) media outlets.

Hatred Makes Fools of Us All  —  Tucker Carlson's conspiracies show that animosity fuels gullibility. … Earlier this week, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that supplies natural gas from Russia to European customers suffered serious damage in what many believe was an act of sabotage.