Neo-Nazi leader and girlfriend accused of targeting Md. power stations  —  A neo-Nazi leader recently released from prison has been arrested again and accused of plotting an attack on the Maryland power grid with a woman he met while incarcerated.  —  Brandon Russell, 27, and Sarah Clendaniel …

Record numbers of people are worse off, a recipe for political discontent: POLL  —  4 in 10 Americans say they are worse off financially since Biden took office.  —  Four in 10 Americans say they've gotten worse off financially since Joe Biden became president, the most in ABC News/Washington Post polls dating back 37 years.

Kamala Harris Is Trying to Define Her Vice Presidency.  Even Her Allies Are Tired of Waiting.  —  Ms. Harris is struggling to carve out a lane for herself in what may be one of the most consequential periods in the vice presidency.  —  WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris was frustrated.

Ticket to ride: NYC mayor gives free bus tickets to Canada for asylum-seekers  —  The hustle and bustle of New York City are just too much for some illegal aliens, so they are taking advantage of free tickets to Canada.  Free to them, of course, but no one is saying exactly where the money is coming from for the tickets.

Inside the Trump Campaign's Plan to Take Down Nikki Haley  —  “The difference between her and DeSantis is she's an also-ran.  Donald Trump doesn't need to fear her.  He's gonna toy with her.” … Nikki Haley's decision to become the first Republican to jump into the 2024 race against Donald Trump …

The Defiance of Salman Rushdie  —  After a near-fatal stabbing—and decades of threats—the novelist speaks about writing as a death-defying act.  —  When Salman Rushdie turned seventy-five, last summer, he had every reason to believe that he had outlasted the threat of assassination.

Convicted Jan. 6 Capitol rioter caught secretly filming woman undressing at tanning salon owned by his father: Police  —  An Iowa father who recently pleaded guilty to interfering with police during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has found himself once again embroiled in scandal …

China's military keeps rivals on edge with balloon strategy  —  Data gathered by swelling ‘lighter than air’ programme could have defence applications  —  The Chinese balloon that transfixed America in recent days was no surprise to Cheng Ming-dean.  “This balloon has been appearing for a long time! …

Ranks of Republicans Refusing a ‘Clean’ Debt Ceiling Hike Grows … Republican pragmatists in the House of Representatives have a message for President Joe Biden: We don't support a clean debt ceiling increase, either.  —  Rep. Dusty Johnson says that the group of pragmatic conservatives …

Unfortunately, the Biggest Election Case of the Supreme Court Term Could Be Moot  —  Will a power grab by the new Republican majority on North Carolina's Supreme Court—ostensibly to reverse a power grab by the earlier Democratic majority on North Carolina's Supreme Court …

Marines Charged in Capitol Riot Got Highly Sensitive Spy Jobs After Jan. 6 … A Marine charged with taking part in the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was transferred into a highly sensitive intelligence assignment at the headquarters of the National Security Agency after the violent attempt …

AI-Generated ‘Seinfeld’ Show Banned on Twitch After Transphobic Standup Bit  —  “Nothing, Forever,” has been banned for at least 14 days.  —  Jason Koebler  —  “Nothing, Forever,” the infinitely-generating AI version of Seinfeld that tens of thousands of people were watching has been banned …

White House Calls Proposed GOP Commission a ‘Death Panel’ for Medicare, Social Security  —  The White House slammed a proposal by House Republican committee and caucus chairs to set up a panel examining Social Security and Medicare solvency as part of debt-limit negotiations, likely shutting the door on the approach.

Failure to raise U.S. debt ceiling would lead to ‘economic and financial catastrophe,’ Yellen says  — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said raising the debt ceiling is non-negotiable, as House Republicans continue efforts to negotiate ahead of a bill.  — Yellen said the U.S …

Melania Trump watched 2019 ISIS raid from Situation Room, suggested ‘hero dog’ story in media  —  Melania Trump in October 2019 sat in and watched the U.S. raid that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a compound in Syria, according to a new memoir set for release this week.

Ted Cruz, Marjorie Taylor Greene Raise Hell Over Sam Smith's Grammys Performance  —  Right-wingers are using Pfizer's sponsorship to fuel conspiracies that Satan is controlling the federal government and coming for your kids  —  THE GRAMMYS WAS its usual lavish spectacle featuring scores of styled-out celebrities on Sunday night.

Eric Trump tourmate claims Jewish people are frauds and “Hitler was actually fighting the same people that we're trying to take down today”  —  Scott McKay also claims Jewish people are responsible for 9/11, presidential assassinations, and child sacrifices  —  Eric Trump has been touring …

Kevin McCarthy's newly appointed sergeant at arms opposed installing security fencing around the Capitol for Joe Biden's State of the Union address.  —  News and analysis from Capitol Hill for when you only have a few minutes, from POLITICO.

Here's Who Will Be Talking About Jesus On Super Bowl Sunday  —  The foundation behind a $20 million Christian Super Bowl ad campaign has funded a group fighting to limit abortion access and allow anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.  —  The foundation behind a $20 million Super Bowl advertising campaign to promote …

Federal judge says constitutional right to abortion may still exist, despite Dobbs  —  A federal judge in Washington, D.C., suggested Monday that there may be a constitutional right to abortion baked into the 13th Amendment — an area she said went unexplored by the Supreme Court …

The Road to a Supreme Court Clerkship Starts at Three Ivy League Colleges  —  The chances of obtaining a coveted clerkship, a new study found, increase sharply with undergraduate degrees from Harvard, Yale or Princeton.  —  WASHINGTON — When Ted Cruz attended Harvard Law School …

One smart way to win over working-class voters and help the economy  —  Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has held his job for less than a month, so it's probably too early for him to think about running for president.  But it's not too soon for other governors considering a White House run …

Cops Seemingly Put a Fake MLK Quote on a Cruiser to Celebrate Black History Month  —  The director of The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University said “we have no record of the maxim.”  —  PB  —  The police department in Columbus …

The grid is under attack  —  A record number of attacks on electrical grids plunged thousands of Americans into darkness last year, as authorities worry neo-Nazis are targeting critical infrastructure … On the evening of December 3, the lights went out in Moore County.

George Santos, who claimed mom survived 9/11, invites ground zero volunteer to SOTU  —  Records dispute Santos' account that his mom was at the World Trade Center.  —  Rep. George Santos leaves the Capitol Hill Club as members of the press follow him on Jan. 31, 2023 in Washington, DC.  —  New York Rep.

How to Stop a Senator From Blocking a Federal Judge  —  The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values.  It is separate from the newsroom.  —  Last February, Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin …

About Those 2,500 Dogs That George Santos Claims He Saved  —  Several people questioned the way Mr. Santos's charity, Friends of Pets United, handled funds that were raised to benefit the animals.  —  Money had come in from raffles and sales of gift baskets; a few pets had found new homes.

Disney won't show ‘Simpsons’ episode in Hong Kong that mentions ‘forced labor’  —  Hong Kong CNN —  An episode of “The Simpsons” that includes a line about “forced labor camps” in mainland China has been pulled from Disney's streaming platform in Hong Kong.

Dark Brandon Takes His Shot  —  Plus: Lordy, those Wisconsin tapes.  —  Are you not entertained?  —  “The whole response to the balloon thing,” complains Damon Linker, “vividly illustrates how degraded American public life has become.  Politicians spouting BS to gain likes and applause online …