FIRST ON CNN: DOJ officially decides not to charge Matt Gaetz in sex-trafficking probe  —  The Justice Department has informed lawyers for at least one witness that it will not bring charges against Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz after a years-long federal sex-trafficking investigation, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Donald Trump Changes Tune on Mail-in Voting, Ballot Collection  —  After years of attacks on early voting, Trump follows other Republicans in suggesting party should embrace tactic  —  After years of assailing early voting, Donald Trump is having a change of heart.

Federal Debt and the Statutory Limit, February 2023  —  The debt limit—commonly called the debt ceiling—is the maximum amount of debt that the Department of the Treasury can issue to the public or to other federal agencies.  The amount is set by law and has been increased or suspended …

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 …

Buffalo grocery store mass shooter apologizes for racist attack as he receives sentence of life in prison  —  The 19-year-old White man who killed 10 people in a racist mass shooting at a grocery store in a predominantly Black area of Buffalo last May cried and said he regretted his actions …

Trump DNA Offer in Rape Accuser's Battery Suit Rejected by Judge  —  Donald Trump's offer to provide a DNA sample to a New York author who claims he raped her in the 1990s was rejected by a judge as too late and with unreasonable strings attached.  —  After balking at the request for years …

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

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 …

The Sleeper Charge Related to January 6  —  How do you get Capone?  —  We learned this week that following the 2020 presidential election the Trump campaign hired an outside research firm to attempt to bolster its claims of election fraud.  The firm, Berkeley Research Group …

Christie on DeSantis: ‘None of Us Really Know Who He Is’ … The GOP 2024 presidential field grows from one to two today.  Only 800 more announcements to come! … - Nikki Haley is set to officially kick off her presidential campaign at an event in Charleston today, but the former South …

Chris Miller, the MAGA SecDef, Explains His Anger  —  In a memoir he recounts his military career and his eventful short tenure as Trump's last Pentagon chief—including his bitterness about Jan. 6th.  —  Soldier Secretary: Warnings from the Battlefield & the Pentagon about America's Most Dangerous Enemies

Justice Department tells court there's evidence of a crime in bid to force more answers from Trump attorney  —  Federal prosecutors investigating former President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents are asking a court to force his attorney Evan Corcoran to provide additional testimony …

The Wisconsin GOP's High Court Crackup  —  They've picked a helluva time for a food fight  —  The election that the media has dubbed “the most important election nobody's ever heard of,” is just weeks away, and has already drawn international attention.  —  The “Stakes are monstrous,” declared Britain's Guardian.

Biden's Plan to Limit ‘Junk Fees’ Has Overwhelming, Bipartisan Support  —  Among generations, baby boomers are most likely to support Biden's proposals to reduce or eliminate hidden ticket and entertainment fees  —  Democrats and Republicans don't agree on many things but paying less …

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 …

Alex Murdaugh Intended to Die in Botched Labor Day Shooting, Lawyer Says  —  DESPERATE  —  Alex Murdaugh “didn't intend to still be alive” after the September 2021 botched assisted-suicide plot on a South Carolina backroad, his lawyers said Wednesday.  During a hearing without the jury …

How Deadly Was China's Covid Wave?  —  Two months after China ended “zero Covid,” rough estimates suggest that between 1 and 1.5 million people died — far more than the official count.  —  China's official count  —  83,150 deaths  —  Model based on Shanghai outbreak  —  1.6 million deaths

Syria's Silent Rubble Reproaches the UN's Resounding Failure  —  Trapped under debris, persecuted by the Assad regime and forsaken by allies, the people of northwestern Syria pinned their hopes on the UN — and were betrayed … On a slab of concrete in the rubble of northwest Syria appears a new graffiti.

Warren Calls Out Buttigieg, Vilsack For Failing To Stop Monopolies  —  In a speech Wednesday morning, the senator praised the Biden administration's antitrust work, but said more needs to be done.  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called out two major federal agencies for failing to play …

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 …

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.