Suspected Chinese spy balloon found over northern U.S.  —  The government has been monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been hovering over the northern U.S. for the past few days, and they have discussed shooting it out of the sky, according to two U.S. officials and a senior defense official.

Trump campaign staff on 2020 election lies: ‘fan the flame’  —  A newly released audio recording offers a behind-the-scenes look at how former President Donald Trump's campaign team in a pivotal battleground state knew they had been outflanked by Democrats in the 2020 presidential election.

AOC decries vote to remove Omar from House Foreign Affairs Committee  —  Moments before House Republicans voted to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over what a resolution said was a series of antisemitic remarks, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. …

Leaked Audio And Staff Dispute Show Chaos Inside George Santos' Office  —  Start your day with TPM.  —  After a little over a week working with embattled Rep. George Santos (R-NY), Derek Myers was informed that he would not be getting a permanent job.  During that tense conversation, Santos also offered some parting advice.

Former Trump Executive, Already Jailed, Could Face More Fraud Charges  —  Manhattan prosecutors warned that they might charge Allen H. Weisselberg with insurance fraud to pressure him to cooperate in an investigation of the former president.  —  Manhattan prosecutors this week warned …

Questioned on Biden documents, his press secretary has only one answer  —  Karine Jean-Pierre, eight months into her tenure as White House press secretary, has frustrated reporters with her inability to shed light on the classified documents probe, raising doubts about her own access.

Hunter Biden Claims His Laptop  —  And asks his dad's government to target his critics.  —  WSJ Opinion: The Biden Classified-Document Payback  —  YOU MAY ALSO LIKE  —  Created with sketchtool.  —  1x  —  Hunter Biden did some reckless things, is unhappy people found out, and so is now doing something equally reckless.

All shook up: Why Dems see sliver of opportunity in deep-red Mississippi  —  Republicans have had a lock on the Mississippi governorship for decades.  But Democrats hope that a candidate with one of the most famous last names in America can change that.  —  Democrats are coalescing around …

Soaring Death Toll Gives Grim Insight Into Russian Tactics  —  Moscow is sending poorly trained recruits, including convicts, to the front lines in eastern Ukraine to pave the way for more seasoned fighters, U.S. and allied officials say.  —  WASHINGTON — The number of Russian troops killed …

Close to 1,000 migrant children separated by Trump yet to be reunited with parents  —  Nearly 1,000 migrant children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border by the administration of former President Donald Trump have yet to be reunited with their parents despite a two-year effort by President Joe Biden.

The GOP Can't Remember Why It Took the Debt Ceiling Hostage  —  Hostage taking is, traditionally, a means to an end.  A criminal organization wants to earn fast cash, so it kidnaps the child of a business tycoon.  Or a militant group wants some of its members released from prison, so it seizes a government building.

Old Bay melee: Maryland Dems circle as Cardin weighs reelection  —  Sen. Ben Cardin is still assessing whether to run for another six-year term in 2024.  In the meantime, ambitious fellow Democrats are preparing campaigns that can strike ASAP if the genial Marylander retires.

Law barring people with domestic violence restraining orders from having guns is unconstitutional, court rules  —  A federal law that prohibits people subject to domestic violence restraining orders from possessing firearms is unconstitutional, a conservative-leaning appeals court ruled Thursday.

The Powerful Lobbyist Behind Kevin McCarthy  —  Jeff Miller is the new House speaker's top fund-raiser and closest confidant.  He is also one of Washington's most prominent corporate lobbyists, an arrangement that is drawing scrutiny.  —  WASHINGTON — As he waged his messy campaign …