Fiona Hill: ‘Elon Musk Is Transmitting a Message for Putin’  —  It's been nearly eight months since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops and tanks over the border into Ukraine, and a lot has changed in that time.  Ukraine has shown itself to be a far more robust military force than pretty much anyone predicted.

Trump and Kanye West speak amid rapper's antisemitic rants, acquisition of Parler  —  Former President Donald Trump spoke with Kanye West over the phone following the rapper's decision to buy his own social media platform, a person familiar with the call told POLITICO.

The Problem of Marjorie Taylor Greene  —  What the rise of the far-right congresswoman means for the House, the G.O.P. and the nation.  —  “There's going to be a lot of investigations,” Marjorie Taylor Greene said, describing what she anticipates if the Republicans regain the House majority this November.

Saudi Arabia sentences U.S. citizen to 16 years in prison for tweets  —  The Saudi government has sentenced a 72-year-old U.S. citizen to 16 years in prison for tweets he posted while inside the United States, some of which were critical of the Saudi regime.

Trump charged Secret Service ‘exorbitant’ rates at his hotels, records show  —  Former president Donald Trump's company charged the Secret Service as much as five times more than the government rate for agents to stay overnight at Trump hotels while protecting him and his family, according to expense records newly obtained by Congress.

Exclusive: Gisele Fetterman calls for NBC to apologise following ‘shocking’ interview with husband John Fetterman  —  John Fetterman's wife speaks to Eric Garcia about closed captioning and the controversy after Senate candidate's interview with NBC News  —  Pennsylvania Democratic Senate …

Boston University researchers' testing of lab-made version of Covid virus draws government scrutiny  —  Research at Boston University that involved testing a lab-made hybrid version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is garnering heated headlines alleging the scientists involved could have unleashed a new pathogen.

Scalise acknowledges GOP plan to change Social Security, Medicare  —  As the midterms elections near, voters don't appear focused on Republican plans for Social Security and Medicare.  That's probably a mistake.  —  The latest New York Times/Siena College poll asked respondents about the major issues facing the country.

Exclusive: Republican JD Vance has slight lead on Democrat Tim Ryan in Senate race in Ohio  —  Republican J.D. Vance has opened a narrow edge over Democrat Tim Ryan in the Senate race in Ohio, a USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds, as President Joe Biden's unpopularity complicates …

Oath Keepers Trial Rocked by Wacky Sexts Between Militia Boss and Lawyer  —  The case against the far-right group for its role in the Capitol riot was already disturbing.  Then came evidence of what prosecutors say is an inappropriate relationship.  —  Oath Keeper founder Stewart Rhodes …

No Laughing Matter  —  John Oliver badly botches the “gender-affirming care” debate.  —  The Social Order  —  Health Care  —  Yesterday, John Oliver devoted an episode of Last Week Tonight to transgender rights, specifically the controversy over “gender-affirming care” for minors.

New Select Subcommittee Report Details Trump Administration's Assault on CDC and Politicization of Public Health During the Coronavirus Crisis  —  Report is the third installment detailing findings from investigation into Trump Administration's political interference with federal coronavirus response

New law asks Texas schools to distribute kits to students to keep DNA samples in case of emergencies like Uvalde  —  Texas public school systems are set to distribute DNA and fingerprint identification kits for K-8 students to parents who wish to store their child's DNA is case of emergency.

Congress braces for new members who were at Capitol on Jan. 6  —  Three people who were on Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 stand a serious chance of returning to the site of the deadly riot next January — this time as duly elected Republican members of Congress.

Lee Chatfield suspected of engaging in criminal enterprise  —  Lansing — Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield is under investigation in connection with an alleged “criminal enterprise,” potentially involving embezzlement, bribery, campaign finance violations and controlled substances …

Blinken Says China Wants to Seize Taiwan on ‘Much Faster Timeline’  —  China has made a decision to seize Taiwan on a “much faster timeline” than previously thought, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday, shortly after China's leader reiterated his intent to take the island by force if necessary.

Ted Cruz reimbursed himself $555,000 after successfully challenging a political spending law at the Supreme Court  — Ted Cruz's campaign paid him $555,000 to cover old personal loans to his Senate committee.  — It comes after Cruz successfully challenged a law that capped the amount candidates could repay themselves.

Ex-UK pilots lured to help Chinese military, MoD says  —  Former British military pilots are being lured to China with large sums of money to pass on their expertise to the Chinese military, it is claimed.  —  Up to 30 former UK military pilots are thought to have gone to train members of China's People's Liberation Army.

New poll shows Hofmeister leading Stitt in Oklahoma Governor's race  —  New polling from Oklahoma-based political consulting firm Ascend Action shows a close gubenetorial race just weeks ahead of November's midterm elections.

Fox News Execs Hunt Down the Tucker-Kanye Video Leaker … This reporting appears as one of several scooplets featured in this week's edition of Confider, the newsletter pulling back the curtain on the media.  Subscribe here and send your questions, tips, and complaints here.

Herschel Walker tries to turn ‘prop’ badge controversy into campaign gold  —  GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker discusses why he flashed a badge during Friday's debate  —  Herschel Walker was widely mocked and criticized for flashing an honorary deputy sheriff's badge onstage …

Furrygate: A Litterbox of Lies  —  What are the teachers doing with their students' poo poo?  Does the smell just waft through the room until class is over?  Doesn't that embarrass the little kitties . . . errr, kiddies?  —  These are just some of the questions that have been nagging at me for the last few weeks.

In Kari Lake and Tudor Dixon, the GOP offers a cynical alternative to Trump  —  Arizona Republican nominee for governor Kari Lake declared in a Sunday interview on CNN that she will accept the results of her state election in November — if she wins.  —  In that declaration …

U.N. Security Council considers sending multinational force to Haiti  —  United Nations — The U.N. Security Council met in an urgent session on Monday to deal with the gang violence that has enveloped Haiti.  The Caribbean nation has been dealing with what the U.N. called “catastrophic” …

Tulsi Lobs a Bomb in NH: She Compares Biden to Hitler  —  Gabbard, who is campaigning for Republican Senate hopeful Don Bolduc in the Granite State, has endorsed several GOP candidates since her departure from Democratic Party last week. … In her first weekend on the campaign trail …