Disabled Veteran: George Santos Took $3K From Dying Dog's GoFundMe  —  QUEENS, NY — In May 2016, Richard Osthoff was living in a tent in an abandoned chicken coop on the side of Route 9 in Howell, New Jersey, with his beloved service dog Sapphire.  A veteran's charity gave the pit mix to Osthoff …

Republicans worry a national sales tax bill would be a ‘political gift’ for Democrats  —  As part of his deal to become House speaker, Kevin McCarthy reportedly promised his party's conservative hardliners a vote on legislation that would scrap the entire American tax code and replace it with a jumbo-sized national sales tax.

DeSantis proposes policy permanently banning Covid-19 vaccine and mask requirements and other pandemic mitigation measures in Florida  —  Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced a policy proposal banning many pandemic mitigation efforts involving mask mandates and vaccine requirements in the state.

Donald Trump prepares for his return to Facebook and Twitter  —  Mounting a comeback for the White House, Donald Trump is looking to regain control over his powerful social media accounts.  —  With access to his Twitter account back, Trump's campaign is formally petitioning Facebook's parent company …

Philadelphia Flyers Player Boycotts His Woke Team's “Pride Night,” Refuses To Wear Their LGBTQ Warmup Jersey (VIDEO)  —  The NHL over the past year has made a concerted effort to portray itself as America's most woke sports league, even at the expense of player safety.

White House strategy to manage documents fallout takes shape  —  The White House strategy to manage the special counsel investigation into President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents has taken shape.  —  Pledge full cooperation.  —  Attack House Republicans.

After Lecturer Sues, Hamline University Walks Back Its ‘Islamophobic’ Comments  —  In an about-face, the school said that using the term was “flawed” and that respect for Muslim students should not have superseded academic freedom.  —  Hamline University officials made an about-face on Tuesday …

Take Detransitioners Seriously  —  When Kristin Beck, a decorated Navy Seal veteran, came out as a transgender woman in 2013, she became a high-profile advocate for the trans community—a role that earned her glowing coverage in left-wing and mainstream center-left media.

Extremely Hardcore  —  Twitter's staff spent years trying to protect the social media site against impulsive billionaires who wanted to use the reach of its platform for their own ends, and then one made himself the CEO. … In April 2022, Elon Musk acquired a 9.2 percent stake in Twitter …

Subject: Focusing on our short- and long-term opportunity  —  Satya Nadella shared the below communication today with Microsoft employees.  —  We're living through times of significant change, and as I meet with customers and partners, a few things are clear.

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 17, 2023  —  Click here to see ISW's interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  This map is updated daily alongside the static maps present in this report.  —  Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced on January 17 …

Since Biden Inauguration, Anonymous Chinese Donors Poured Millions Into University That Houses His Think Tank … Since President Joe Biden took office in 2021 anonymous Chinese donors have poured millions of dollars to the university that houses President Joe Biden's think tank, where at least 10 classified documents were identified.

Why does anyone want to re-elect the RNC chair?  We asked.  —  The Republican National Committee will elect its chair in 10 days, after a contentious campaign between three-term incumbent Ronna McDaniel and California RNC member Harmeet Dhillon, with MyPillow founder Mike Lindell shooting from the sidelines.

Compact Make Birth Free  —  Childbirth in the United States should be free.  Too many couples feel they can't start or grow their families because of our disordered politics and warped economy.  The existing model that erects barriers to family formation and imposes dizzying costs for childbirth is both unworkable and untenable.

Josh Stein Makes His Case  —  The N.C. Attorney General has long been the presumptive Democratic frontrunner for governor in 2024.  Now he has to convince voters.  —  In a drab conference room at the North Carolina Department of Justice last Friday, Attorney General Josh Stein—shirt sleeves, no tie—was relaxed and confident.

MLK Deserved Better.  He's Not Alone.  (Corrected version.)  —  Plus: The latest Santos ripoff  —  Embrace, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. memorial sculpture at Boston Common.  (Photo by Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)  —  In today's Morning Shots: The GOP's fascination …

The criminal history of Solomon Peña  —  Solomon Peña was arrested on Monday, Jan. 17, in connection with four shootings at the homes of political figures in New Mexico.  This isn't his first run-in with law enforcement.  —  COPY LINK  —  COPY  —  Hide Transcript Show Transcript

Statehouse Democrats Embrace an Unfamiliar Reality: Full Power  —  After taking control of four state governments in the midterms, including in politically mixed Michigan, Democrats have a long-sought chance to govern.  —  LANSING, Mich. — For the first time in 40 years …

Biden just outmaneuvered MAGA Republicans — and they barely noticed  —  If President Biden rolls out a major new pro-immigrant policy, and MAGA Republicans don't make any noise about it, did the announcement happen at all?  —  Why, yes, it did.  Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas unveiled …

Tesla video promoting self-driving was staged, engineer testifies  —  A 2016 video that Tesla (TSLA.O) used to promote its self-driving technology was staged to show capabilities like stopping at a red light and accelerating at a green light that the system did not have, according to testimony by a senior engineer.

How One Bad Court Pick in New York Has Turned Into a National Quagmire  —  Today, the New York senate judiciary committee will speak to Hector LaSalle, governor Kathy Hochul's nominee for chief judge of the Court of Appeals, which is the highest-ranking position of the state's highest court.

Pentagon Sends U.S. Arms Stored in Israel to Ukraine  —  Israeli officials had initially expressed concerns that the move could damage its relations with Russia.  —  WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is tapping into a vast but little-known stockpile of American ammunition in Israel …

Biden administration to target use of antipsychotics in nursing homes  —  The Biden administration is planning a crackdown to reduce the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medications in nursing homes and the misdiagnosis of schizophrenia in patients, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Wednesday.

Semafor Davos Daily: Davos, Man  —  Welcome to Day 3 of Davos 2023, where temperatures remain below freezing and the agenda is a little slow.  At least there's free “Emirati hot chocolate” available in sidewalk stalls.  —  It's midweek, which is right about when the “Davos consensus” …

POLITICO Playbook: How to negotiate without negotiating  —  Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  As of tomorrow, the Treasury Department will have to use “extraordinary measures” to keep paying America's bills as the White House …