Biden, in State of the Union, mixes bipartisanship with defiance  —  Speech is marked by unusual back-and-forth between president and Republican lawmakers  —  By Toluse Olorunnipa and Yasmeen Abutaleb  —  President Biden, facing a vocal and divided Congress, used his second State …

‘He would never do such a thing!’  Trump posts photos of Ron DeSantis as a teacher, allegedly partying with high school girls, as he ramps up attacks on Republican rival  — Trump re-posted photos of Florida Gov. DeSantis allegedly in his twenties  — ‘Whistleblower’ story claimed he was pictured with high school seniors

House GOP's under-the-radar Hunter Biden problem: DOJ got there first  —  House Republicans are itching to investigate Hunter Biden.  But they have a problem: The feds got there first.  —  Though their probes differ in focus and scope — Republicans are looking at possible conflicts …

Estimate of misspent Covid unemployment payments leaps to $191B  —  The Labor Department's internal watchdog identified nearly $30 billion more in pandemic unemployment benefits that were wrongfully sent out than previously estimated, according to testimony submitted Wednesday to the House Ways and Means Committee.

Half in U.S. Say They Are Worse Off, Highest Since 2009  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Reflecting on their personal financial situations, 35% of Americans say they are better off now than they were a year ago, while 50% are worse off.  Since Gallup first asked this question in 1976 …

Putin implicated by Dutch prosecutors in downing of Malaysia passenger jet  —  Dutch prosecutors said Wednesday that it was likely Russian President Vladimir Putin personally signed off on a decision to supply long-range antiaircraft missiles systems to pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine …

How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline  —  The New York Times called it a “mystery,” but the United States executed a covert sea operation that was kept secret—until now  —  The U.S. Navy's Diving and Salvage Center can be found in a location as obscure as its name …

NBC, MSNBC employees plan walkout in protest of layoffs  —  It's the latest major labor action to strike a national news organization in recent months as the media industry faces headwinds and cut-backs  —  More than 200 employees of NBC represented by the NewsGuild of New York plan to walk off …

Doctors raise concerns over Florida possibly requiring student athletes' menstrual info  —  While a change in diet, medication, exercise and stress can all affect a girl's menstrual flow, doctors say cycle irregularities don't affect their ability to play sports and are raising privacy concerns …

Pa. Democrats sweep 3 Allegheny County special elections and win the state House  —  Democrats cruised to victory in three special elections for the state House on Tuesday, giving the party control of the lower chamber of the legislature for the first time since 2010.

Appeals court backs N.C. attorney general in battle to avoid criminal libel prosecution  —  A federal appeals court has sided with North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein in his bid to avoid prosecution under a state law criminalizing “derogatory” statements related to political candidates.