Trump dares Republicans (again) to repudiate him  —  Welcome to The Daily 202!  Tell your friends to sign up here.  On this day in 1791, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in Vienna.  He was just 35.  —  Correction: A previous version of this intro misstated the year Mozart died.  —  The big idea

Blasts Hit Russian Air Bases as Moscow Launches Missile Barrage on Ukraine  —  Intense fighting continues in eastern Ukraine as Russia presses its offensive on Bakhmut  —  Explosions hit two Russian air bases on Monday, while Ukrainian officials hinted at a capability to strike deeper within …

Elon Musk and Matt Taibbi Set Off Debate Over Release of Twitter Files  —  A release of internal documents from Twitter set off intense debates in the intersecting worlds of media, politics and tech.  —  It was, on the surface, a typical example of reporting the news: a journalist obtains internal documents …

Hackers linked to Chinese government stole millions in Covid benefits, Secret Service says  —  Hackers linked to the Chinese government stole at least $20 million in U.S. Covid relief benefits, including Small Business Administration loans and unemployment insurance funds in over a dozen states, according to the Secret Service.

Manhattan DA Hires Ex-DOJ Official to Help Lead Trump Investigation  —  The official, Matthew Colangelo, also worked on the New York attorney general's investigation of the former president.  —  The Manhattan district attorney is hiring a former senior justice department official with a history …

Exclusive: China operating over 100 police stations across the world with the help of some host nations, report claims  —  Beijing has set up more than 100 so-called overseas police stations across the globe to monitor, harass and in some cases repatriate Chinese citizens living in exile …

FBI joins investigation into North Carolina power outage caused by ‘intentional’ attacks on substations  —  With no suspects or motive announced, the FBI is joining the investigation into power outages in a North Carolina county believed to have been caused by “intentional” and “targeted” …

Social Security offices critical to disability benefits hit breaking point  —  State operations that review claims face massive backlogs, leaving disabled Americans waiting months and even years for judgments  —  The Disability Determination Division in Austin was at a breaking point.

The Supreme Court Is About to Ask the Wrong Question About the First Amendment  —  Can an artist be compelled to create a website for an event she does not condone?  That's the question the Supreme Court has said it will take up on Monday, when it hears oral arguments in 303 Creative v. Elenis.

Fearing scandal, Air Force blocked generals' foreign consulting deals … During the height of the war in Afghanistan, U.S. military leaders flocked to the Caspian Sea nation of Azerbaijan to embrace its president, Ilham Aliyev, despite a report from the U.S. Embassy comparing the mustachioed strongman …

Billions in Covid Aid Went to Hospitals That Didn't Need It  —  The federal funds benefited some well-off medical systems but weren't enough for many that were struggling to provide pandemic care  —  When Covid-19 struck, the U.S. government gave hospitals tens of billions of dollars to help them cope with the strains of the pandemic.

Corruption Charges Dismissed Against Ex-Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin  —  A federal judge in Manhattan ruled that prosecutors failed to demonstrate an “explicit quid pro quo” that must underpin the bribery charges against Mr. Benjamin.  —  A federal judge in Manhattan dismissed bribery …

Giuliani pressed on role in Trump 2020 election reversal legal gambits during attorney discipline hearing  —  Facing possible professional sanctions, Rudy Giuliani described on Monday the Trump campaign's legal strategy for challenging the 2020 election results and how the former New York mayor …

Biden Is Putting South Carolina First.  I Won't Vote for That.  —  President Biden's three-part plan to reform the Democratic presidential primary calendar was almost a home run — save for one flaw that dooms it entirely.  —  Our party's lineup of states that nominate …

Did uncontested races cost the Democrats the House popular vote?  —  In last month's midterms, Republican House candidates have won about 54 million votes and Democrats have taken about 51 million — translating into a three percentage point advantage for the GOP.

Michael Avenatti facing more prison time for stealing millions of dollars from clients  —  Michael Avenatti, the once swaggering celebrity lawyer who was undone by his proclivity for embezzlement and fraud, faces a potentially long prison term when he is sentenced Monday for dodging taxes and stealing millions of dollars from clients.

Are Utah voters ready to move on from Donald Trump?  —  Former president finished third in a field of potential 2024 GOP presidential candidates in new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute poll  —  Utah voters might be ready to move on from Donald Trump.  —  The former president didn't fare …