Prosecutors Seek Trump Lawyer's Testimony, Suggesting Evidence of Crime  —  The Justice Department cited the crime-fraud exception to attorney-client privilege in demanding testimony from a lawyer representing former President Donald Trump in his documents case.

Scotland's Nicola Sturgeon quits  —  Nicola Sturgeon is resigning as Scotland's first minister in a move that stunned her pro-independence party and fired the starting pistol on the race to succeed her.  —  The Scottish National Party leader — who has led the party and the country's devolved …

Nikki Haley endorsed by top Trump ally Ralph Norman who says GOP needs ‘new leadership’  —  Norman addressed the elephant in the room, saying that the Republican Party is looking for a “new vision” at the top of the ticket  —  How will Nikki Haley's candidacy for president shake up a potentially crowded GOP field?

Revealed: the hacking and disinformation team meddling in elections  — Group sells hacking services and access to vast army of fake social media profiles  — Evidence unit behind disinformation campaigns across world  — Mastermind Tal Hanan claims covert involvement in 33 presidential elections

‘This is absurd’: Train cars that derailed in Ohio were labeled non-hazardous  —  Ohio governor calls on Congress to investigate how that could happen.  —  Nearly two weeks after a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in rural Ohio, questions still linger about the lasting effects …

New York Times Writers Call Out the Paper's Anti-Trans Onslaught  —  “This is not quite business as usual anymore,” one of the organizers of an open letter to the NYT told Hell Gate.  —  On Wednesday morning, a group of almost 200 journalists and writers released an open letter addressed …

McConnell vs. Scott: The Senate beef that won't die  —  Rick Scott suspects he was booted from his preferred committee in an act of retribution by Mitch McConnell — after the Florida senator challenged the longtime GOP leader for his post.  —  Scott says he's figured out a novel strategy …

Tesla Will Open Some Chargers to All Electric Vehicles  —  An agreement with the White House to allow electric cars made by other automakers is part of a broad drive to improve charging and increase sales of battery-powered vehicles.  —  Tesla will open some of its fast chargers …

U.S. tracked China spy balloon from launch on Hainan Island along unusual path  —  The large Chinese surveillance device that flew across Alaska and the continental United States may have been diverted on an errant path caused by unusual weather conditions  —  By the time a Chinese spy balloon crossed …

Fox News must face Smartmatic's lawsuit over election-rigging claims  —  A New York state appeals court rejected Fox News' bid to dismiss a multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuit accusing the network of falsely accusing an electronic voting systems company of helping rig the 2020 U.S. presidential election …

From George to Barack: A Look at Secret Bush Memos to the Obama Team  —  Newly declassified memos offer a window into how the world appeared as the Bush administration was winding down.  —  WASHINGTON — The world was a volatile place when President George W. Bush was leaving office.

The rise of the Trump-Russia revisionists  —  The attempt to rewrite the Trump-Russia scandal is underway.  But the critics leading the charge are showing their own blind spots.  —  Nearly four years after the Mueller investigation concluded, the Trump-Russia scandal has largely faded from the nation's political consciousness.

The time George Santos tried to raise crazy money to host a simple rally for Trump  —  NEW YORK — One of Rep. George Santos' first-known forays into politics was an attempt to raise $20,000 for a pro-Trump rally in 2019 in Buffalo, N.Y. that never happened.

Justice strongest candidate against Manchin, GOP poll says  —  Republicans are coming to an increasingly popular consensus: Gov. Jim Justice is by far the best candidate to take on Joe Manchin.  —  In fact, the two-term governor and Democrat-turned-Republican is the only potential challenger …

Yes, Elon Musk created a special system for showing you all his tweets first  —  After his Super Bowl tweet did worse numbers than President Biden's, Twitter's CEO ordered major changes to the algorithm  —  This story is based on interviews with people familiar with the events involved …

The ‘Only Democrat Who Can Win’ in Montana Might Not Run  —  Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) is undecided about running for re-election.  If he chooses not to, it could be disastrous for Democrats.  —  He has a flat-top haircut, seven fingers after a meat grinder accident, and a Twitter profile picture …

DeSantis got a glowing reception during a secretive, high-profile conservative summit at Trump Doral — then the ex-president called in  — An influential conservative group, the Council for National Policy, held one of its summits this weekend.  — DeSantis was one of the speakers at the dinner …

Youngkin opposes effort to shield menstrual data from law enforcement  —  By Laura Vozzella and Gregory S. Schneider  —  RICHMOND — The administration of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) helped defeat a bill this week to put menstrual data stored on period-tracking apps beyond the reach of law enforcement …

Ukraine aid support softens in the US: AP-NORC Poll  —  1 of 2  —  Support among the American public for providing Ukraine weaponry and direct economic assistance has softened as the Russian invasion nears a grim one-year milestone, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

2/15/23 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM  —  Senate Republicans are warning their House GOP counterparts to stay away from the Pentagon's budget as part of any proposed spending cuts tied to upcoming debt-limit talks.  —  Republican senators are generally supportive of Speaker Kevin McCarthy …

Revealed: Mississippi bill would carve out separate judicial district for 80% of white residents in majority-Black city … Eighty per cent of the white residents in Mississippi's majority-Black capital city would be included in a proposed new judicial district with hand-selected prosecutors and judges …

Biden Administration to Brief ‘Gang of Eight’ on Mishandled Classified Files  —  The disclosure won't include sharing the specific documents that improperly accompanied top officials when they left office, which lawmakers of both parties have demanded to see.

Charlottesville Tiki Torcher Killed Himself Before Drug Smuggling Trial  —  Teddy Joseph Von Nukem, one of the most prominent faces from the 2017 neo-Nazi rally, was set to face trial for smuggling fentanyl across the southern border. … Teddy Joseph Von Nukem, one of the most prominent faces lit …

An Oklahoma judge just transferred a lesbian mom's parental rights to her son's sperm donor  —  A ruling citing the state's parentage act could have substantial implications for marriage equality and LGBTQ+ parental rights nationwide, legal experts warn.

DeSantis threatens to rid Florida of Advanced Placement classes  —  Florida's Republican leader has been critical of a new AP course in African American studies  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened Tuesday to withdraw state support for Advanced Placement programs and expand other methods …

Before Michigan State Shooting, Some Students Survived Sandy Hook and Oxford  —  The gunfire on Monday night left three dead and five critically injured.  For some students, the familiar rituals of sorrow, anger and disbelief were playing out again.  —  EAST LANSING, Mich. …

Michigan State University gunman turned ‘evil and mean’ after his mother died, his father says  —  “He was grieving his mom.  He wouldn't let it go.  He got bitter, bitter and bitter,” the suspect's father, Michael McRae, said in an interview.  —  LANSING, Mich. — The gunman who police …