Hunter Biden's lawyers, in newly aggressive strategy, target his critics  —  His attorneys have sent letters to prosecutors urging probes of Rudy Giuliani, Steve Bannon and others  —  Hunter Biden's lawyers, in a newly aggressive strategy, sent a series of blistering letters Wednesday …

Eager to Challenge Trump, Republicans Aren't So Eager to Be the First  —  Nikki Haley is expected to join the 2024 race this month, but other G.O.P. contenders are taking a wait-and-see approach.  Some anti-Trump Republicans worry that too much dithering could be costly.

Feds probing Santos' role in service dog charity scheme  —  NEW YORK — FBI agents are investigating Rep. George Santos' role in an alleged GoFundMe scheme involving a disabled U.S. Navy veteran's dying service dog.  —  Two agents contacted former service member Richard Osthoff Wednesday …

Biden and McCarthy hold ‘first good’ meeting on debt ceiling, but ‘no agreements, no promises’  —  President Joe Biden met Wednesday with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in search of a path to lifting the nation's debt ceiling — and averting the potential for an economic catastrophe.

Democrats and Republicans clash over where lawmakers can carry guns in the Capitol  —  The House Natural Resources Committee's first meeting of the year turned heated Wednesday when a Democratic member offered an amendment that would prohibit lawmakers from carrying guns in its hearing room.

Lawmakers Call for Inquiry Into Durham's Review of Russia Investigation  —  The Democrats asked the Justice Department's inspector general to scrutinize whether John H. Durham and William P. Barr “violated any laws, D.O.J. rules or practices, or canons of legal ethics.”

Trump Is Losing the Grifter Class to DeSantis  —  And they matter more than you might think.  —  1. Hungry Dogs Have To Eat  —  There was bad news for the Trump 2024 campaign yesterday and it wasn't Nikki Haley's pre-announcement of her campaign to challenge the former president.1

Jan. 6 defendant who sprayed line of police sentenced after tearful apology  —  A Jan. 6 defendant who sprayed a chemical irritant at about 15 police officers — and later bragged about it in a video interview — was sentenced Wednesday to 68 months in prison.  This is one of the stiffest Jan. 6 sentences handed down to date.

Illegal border crossings fell sharply in January, U.S. figures show  —  Tighter restrictions applied by the Biden administration against migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti along the southern border last month led to a precipitous drop in the number of people from those countries crossing …

Ukraine Carries Out Wide Anticorruption Raids Ahead of Visit From E.U. Leaders … More searches are conducted in connection with corruption allegations in Ukraine.  —  The Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday carried out dozens of searches across the country in connection with corruption allegations …

The College Board Strips Down Its A.P. Curriculum for African American Studies  —  After criticism from Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, the official course looks different: No more critical race theory, and the study of contemporary topics — like Black Lives Matter — is optional.

Mike Lee, Rick Scott lose key committee seats, Scott blames McConnell  —  Rick Scott tells Fox News Digital ‘McConnell gets to pick’ committee assignments  —  Sen. Rick Scott loses to Mitch McConnell in GOP Senate leadership bid  —  FIRST ON FOX: Republican Senators Mike Lee of Utah …

Former ABC News journalist charged in child pornography case  —  Federal prosecutors in Virginia have charged a former national security journalist for ABC News with a child pornography offense.  —  James Gordon Meek, a producer who covered wars, terrorism and major crimes for the network …

Fireworks in House after Democrat says ‘insurrectionists’ should be banned from leading Pledge of Allegiance  —  WASHINGTON — A routine House committee meeting erupted into a heated, nearly hourlong debate Wednesday over the Pledge of Allegiance, with one Democratic lawmaker saying that …

South Dakota Senator Censured, Unsuspended After ‘Suckling’ Scandal  —  ‘BEYOND REPROACH’  —  A week after suspending state Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller, the South Dakota Senate voted Wednesday to censure and reinstate the Republican, despite a pending lawsuit in which she claimed the legislature violated …

New $5 Banknote Design  —  The Reserve Bank has decided to update the $5 banknote to feature a new design that honours the culture and history of the First Australians.  This new design will replace the portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  The other side of the $5 banknote will continue to feature the Australian Parliament.

A pro-Russian social media campaign is trying to influence politics in Africa  —  Close to a year since the invasion of Ukraine, activists aligned with Russia are pushing pro-Kremlin messages in Africa using a coordinated French-language network spanning Facebook, YouTube, Telegram and other online channels.

The GOP Attack on Ilhan Omar Trivializes Antisemitism … One of the first things the Republican Party did upon gaining control of the House of Representatives was to restore committee privileges to Marjorie Taylor Greene, whose positions were stripped over a series of deranged and bigoted statements.

US, Philippines agree on larger American military presence  —  The United States and the Philippines announced on Thursday an agreement to expand American military presence in the Southeast Asian country, where U.S. forces would be granted access to four more Philippine military camps …

What Went Wrong?  For Women, Everything  —  On February 1, 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran after 14 years in exile.  The public welcomed his return as a new era of freedom, but the revolution dashed these hopes.  Today, Iran's younger generation wants the end to the Islamic Republic.

An alleged $500 million Ponzi scheme preyed on Mormons.  It ended with FBI gunfire.  —  In Las Vegas, a lawyer with huge gambling debts is accused of a financial fraud that left hundreds of victims in its wake  —  LAS VEGAS — The FBI arrived at the only house on this stretch of Ruffian Road at 1:25 p.m. …

Metro employee killed while trying to stop man shooting at D.C. commuters  —  A witness said the gunman muttered, 'I'm the killmonger' before entering the station and firing several shots  —  A Metro employee who tried to stop a gunman targeting commuters Wednesday was fatally shot …

Senate Republicans pen letter asking DirecTV to explain decision ditching Newsmax  —  A group of leading Senate Republicans is requesting information from cable provider DirecTV surrounding its recent decision to drop conservative network Newsmax from its channel lineup.