White House says a leading explanation for the 3 downed unidentified objects is that they were commercial or benign  —  WASHINGTON — The White House said Tuesday that the U.S. intelligence community is considering that three most recent unidentified objects shot down over North America were being used for commercial or benign purposes.

Trump Plans to Bring Back Firing Squads, Group Executions if He Retakes White House  —  The former president wants to expand the use of the death penalty, and expand the federal government's options for carrying out death sentences … That's the question Donald Trump repeatedly asked …

MSU shooter Anthony McRae pleaded guilty to gun charge in 2019  —  Lansing — State officials Tuesday identified 43-year-old Anthony McRae, who was charged with multiple gun-related crimes in 2019, as the attacker who shot and killed three people and wounded five others at Michigan State University.

Nikki Haley announces she is running for president  —  Haley released a video Tuesday saying, “It's time for a new generation of leadership”  —  CHARLESTON, S.C. — Nikki Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador and governor of South Carolina, announced Tuesday that she is running for president …

Pence to fight special counsel subpoena on Trump's 2020 election denial  —  Mike Pence is preparing to resist a grand jury subpoena for testimony about former President Donald Trump's push to overturn the 2020 election, according to two people familiar with the former vice president's thinking.

'They Didn't Understand Anything, but Just Spoiled People's Lives'  —  This article is based on interviews and research by the Reckoning Project, a multinational group of journalists and researchers collecting evidence of war crimes in Ukraine.  —  On the night of February 24, 2022, the sound of missiles jolted Viktor Marunyak awake.

These women journalists were doing their jobs.  That made them targets.  —  Tackling difficult subjects and holding powerful people accountable often triggers online attacks that torment and humiliate women journalists.  Some even lose their jobs as news organizations struggle to respond to the hate.

Indian government raids BBC offices after documentary critical of Modi  —  NEW DELHI — Indian tax authorities raided the BBC and seized its journalists' phones in a stunning — and apparently retaliatory — move Tuesday against the British broadcaster weeks after it aired …

Three-Quarters of House GOPs Endorsed Social Security Cuts Last Year  —  Start your day with TPM.  —  With Republicans telling us, collectively, ‘Who are you going to believe?  Us or your lyin’ eyes?' the work of de-bamboozling is never done.  Don't thank me now.  Just remember to sign up to become a member.

The Real Reason Trump Is Calling DeSantis ‘Meatball Ron’  —  It's no joke. … For Donald Trump, the first step is always to label his victim.  Indeed, assigning a good bad nickname appears to be a sine qua non in the Trump playbook.  Once he gets that part right, the job is half-done.

Ron Klain Looks Back on Biden's First Two Years as President  —  “We have been declared dead, dead, dead many times,” the White House's departing chief of staff says, of the Administration.  “You just have to keep after it.”  —  The mood at the Presidential Inauguration of Joe Biden …

Why I'm Resigning as an FTC Commissioner  —  Lina Khan's disregard for the rule of law and due process make it impossible for me to continue serving.  —  Much ink has been spilled about Lina Khan's attempts to remake federal antitrust law as chairman of the Federal Trade Commission.

Republicans can choose the judge who hears their lawsuits.  DOJ wants to stop that.  —  The Justice Department hopes to neutralize Trump's worst judge.  —  Last week, the Justice Department decided to confront one of the most pernicious and exploited glitches in America's courts.

Biden poised to secure landmark 100th judge in the Democratic-led Senate  —  WASHINGTON — The Democratic-led Senate is poised to confirm President Joe Biden's 100th federal judge on Tuesday, marking a milestone for the president and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The GOP can't ignore the blockbuster report on Trump, Kushner and Saudi funds  —  Editor's Note: Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM radio's daily program “The Dean Obeidallah Show.”  Follow him @DeanObeidallah@masto.ai.  The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.

Banning ideas and authors is not a ‘culture war’ - it's fascism  —  The media's framing of measures like Florida's African American studies ban is a dangerous falsification of reality  —  wave of Republican enthusiasm for banning concepts, authors and books is sweeping across the United States.

John Bolton to be briefed on spy balloons this week  —  Trump's former National Security Advisor told Meet the Press NOW the Biden administration will brief him on Wednesday.  —  John Bolton, who served as former President Donald Trump's National Security Advisor and as ambassador to the United Nations …

Worried residents near Ohio train derailment report dead fish and chickens as authorities say it's safe to return  —  For days, authorities have been telling residents of the area around East Palestine, Ohio, that it is safe to return home after a 150-car train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed Feb. 3.

Inflation rose 0.5% in January, more than expected and up 6.4% from a year ago  — Inflation rose in January by 0.5% following a 0.1% increase in December, according to the consumer price index report released Tuesday.  — The CPI was up 6.4% from the same period in 2022.

Gov. DeSantis ratchets up fight with College Board, hints at getting rid of AP courses in Florida  —  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - As a feud over an African American studies course continues between Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration and the College Board, the governor said Monday that Florida will …

How Ben & Jerry's Ended Up at War With Itself  —  Anuradha Mittal was the kind of person large corporations tend to avoid at all costs.  She'd been politically awakened as a college student in India, working as a volunteer in Bhopal, where a leak at a Union Carbine Corp. pesticide plant …

Elizabeth Warren cultivates anti-crypto coalition  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren is branding herself as the scourge of crypto.  And she's not doing it alone.  —  The progressive Massachusetts Democrat is starting to recruit conservative Senate Republicans to her anti-crypto cause and getting …

Playbook: Plan B talks on debt limit go underground  —  With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  TRAGEDY AT MICHIGAN STATE — “MSU shooting suspect dead of self-inflicted gunshot wound,” by the Detroit News' Craig Mauger, Jakkar Aimery and Beth LeBlanc …

EU lawmakers approve effective 2035 ban on new fossil fuel cars  —  The European Parliament on Tuesday formally approved a law to effectively ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the European Union from 2035, aiming to speed up the switch to electric vehicles and combat climate change.

Bring on the Sanctions Against Israel  —  How will the West explain why Israel is developing nuclear weapons (according to foreign sources)?  That Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East?  —  Zen Read  —  The chutzpah of the Americans!  How does their Secretary …