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.

George Santos' latest doozy: Records show his mom wasn't in NYC on 9/11  —  Newly obtained documents from the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services show that U.S. Rep. George Santos' mother, Fatima A.C.H. Devolder, was not in the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks on 9/11, as he has claimed.

The stark irony of George Santos's and Marjorie Taylor Greene's committees  —  The new Republican House majority apparently felt it had to put Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and George Santos (R-N.Y.) on some committees.  And in picking which ones, it apparently aimed for …

U.S. prepping major military package for Ukraine  —  The U.S. is gearing up to announce a major new weapons package for Ukraine on Friday, as top military leaders from around the world gather in Germany to discuss how to help Kyiv in its fight against Russia, according to three U.S. officials …

A font feud brews after State Dept. picks Calibri over Times New Roman  —  ‘The Times (New Roman) are a-Changin,’ read the subject line of a cable from Secretary of State Antony Blinken to U.S. embassies as part of an accessibility push  —  The U.S. State Department is going sans serif …

DeSantis pushes to permanently ban Covid-19 mandates in Florida  —  Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called on state lawmakers to make permanent existing penalties for companies that require all employees get the Covid-19 vaccination, his latest move to curtail pandemic mitigation efforts.

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 …

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.

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.

DeSantis Blocks AP African-American Studies Course for Breaking Florida's Anti-CRT Law  —  ‘LACKS EDUCATIONAL VALUE’  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has rejected a College Board request to approve an African-American Studies course in his state on the grounds that the course violates state law, according to a report.

Flyers' Ivan Provorov boycotts Pride night, cites religion  —  Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov did not take the pregame skate Tuesday night because he refused to wear the team's LGBTQ+ Pride Night warmup jersey, citing his religious beliefs.  —  Provorov, 26, told reporters …

Exclusive: Special Counsel has questioned several officials about Donald Trump's handling of Russia probe papers.  —  Trump's conduct in that regard likely will play a role in any decision by prosecutors to charge Trump, say people close to the investigation.  —  Photo Credit... the Department of Justice.

Media Start-up Semafor Plans to Buy Out Sam Bankman-Fried's Investment  —  Semafor is one of several media companies that received money from Mr. Bankman-Fried or his affiliates before his cryptocurrency company fell apart and he was charged with crimes.  —  The news start-up Semafor began …

The Disney Executive Who Made $119,505 a Day  —  Geoff Morrell received over $8 million in compensation for less than four months' work in 2022  —  From Robert Iger to Steve Jobs, Why Companies Bring Back Their CEOs  —  Created with sketchtool. … Even by show-business standards …

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.

Biden calls in Ghostburger order, leaves employee speechless  —  Brittany Spaddy has never seen “The American President,” the 1995 rom-com written by Aaron Sorkin, but she basically lived out one of the film's most memorable scenes, the one in which a flower shop employee collapses …

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 …

Wes Moore sworn in, making history as Md.'s first Black governor  —  In an emotional day for Black leaders steeped in Maryland's racist history, Moore ascends to be America's lone Black state governor  —  With his hand on a Bible once owned by abolitionist Frederick Douglass …

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 …

Americans On Biden's Handling Of Classified Documents: Inappropriate & Serious, But Shouldn't Face Charges, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Biden Handling Of The Mexican Border Hits Record Low While Majority Back His New Immigration Plan  — mail_outline

Trump Derangement Syndrome...on the Right  —  For years, conservative pro-Trumpers and anti-anti-Trumpers have tried to pin a nasty label on Trump critics, claiming they've been besotted by Trump Derangement Syndrome.  They contend that an irrational hatred of the former failed casino owner …

George Santos took $3,000 from dying dog's GoFundMe, veterans say  —  Two New Jersey veterans say now-Congressman George Santos promised to raise funds for lifesaving surgery for one of their dogs in 2016, then became elusive and took off with the money.  —  Santos, the embattled freshman Republican …