Fox Stars Privately Expressed Disbelief About Election Fraud Claims.  ‘Crazy Stuff.’  —  The comments, by Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and others, were released as part of a defamation suit against Fox News by Dominion Voter Systems.  —  Newly disclosed messages and testimony …

The senator Biden loves to hate  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice.  —  Over his 36 years in the Senate, JOE BIDEN took pride in establishing friendships across the aisle.

Judge to release parts of Georgia special grand jury report  —  A Georgia judge on Thursday released parts of a report produced by an Atlanta-area special grand jury investigating efforts by President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss in Georgia …

Hobby Club's Missing Balloon Feared Shot Down By USAF  —  A small, globe-trotting balloon declared “missing in action” by an Illinois-based hobbyist club on Feb. 15 has emerged as a candidate to explain one of the three mystery objects shot down by four heat-seeking missiles launched by U.S. Air Force fighters since Feb. 10.

Fetterman Checks Into Hospital to Seek Treatment for Clinical Depression  —  A spokesman for the first-term senator from Pennsylvania, who suffered a near-fatal stroke last year, said his depression had grown severe in recent weeks, as he has worked to adjust to life in the Senate.

Businessman, economist, cop, international sex crimes expert?  The stories of Congressman Andy Ogles  —  Congressman places block on confirmation of educational credentials, but NewsChannel 5 digs up an old résumé  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — If you believe Middle Tennessee's …

EXCLUSIVE: FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP LEAKED CLASSIFIED RUSSIA PAPERS TO CONSERVATIVE JOURNALIST  —  Trump's leak of the records raises new questions regarding his handling of classified information as the special counsel's probe of Trump's removal of classified documents to Mar-a-Lago intensifies.

Top Putin war official plunges 160 feet to her death from high-rise building  —  A high-ranking Russian defense official in the war against Ukraine was found dead Wednesday after falling from a 16th-floor window in an apartment building.  —  Marina Yankina, 58, was discovered by a passerby …

Ron DeSantis Shouldn't Be Covered Like Just Another Republican  —  Florida's wannabe autocrat and possible 2024 contender isn't Trump, but he's as dangerous to democracy.  —  Trumpism without Donald Trump has long been a fantasy of the GOP donor class.  Plenty of things about the Trump …

Fight the Anti-Trans Backlash With Accountability, Not Silence  —  A new book by Hannah Barnes describes how the Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock clinic in London, the United Kingdom's only dedicated gender-identity clinic, routinely put children on puberty blockers with inadequate assessment.

Idaho lawmakers introduce legislation to criminalize those who administer COVID vaccines  —  The bill would make administering an mRNA vaccine — a COVID vaccine — a misdemeanor.  —  IDAHO, USA — Two Idaho lawmakers have introduced a bill to charge those who administer mRNA vaccines with a misdemeanor.

Proud Boys' lawyers plan to subpoena Donald Trump in seditious conspiracy trial  —  The defense argues that the Proud Boys participated in the Jan. 6 riot because Trump “called on patriots to stop the steal.”  It's far from certain that Trump will actually take the stand.

Alex Jones is ‘holding firearms’ for Jan. 6 rioters, bankruptcy docs show  —  As Infowars founder Alex Jones is facing bankruptcy for damages he owes to the families of victims of the mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a new filing shows the right-wing conspiracy theorist has been …

Research, Teaching, and DEI  —  Diversity statements—short essays that express one's past contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and future plans to advance the cause—have become ubiquitous in academia.  As I've written before, many universities embrace these requirements …

Train that derailed in Van Buren Township operated by Norfolk Southern; no hazmat leak reported  —  No injuries reported in train derailment  —  A train operated by Norfolk Southern, the same operators behind the Ohio derailment, went off the rails Thursday morning in Van Buren Township.

Jes Staley's emails with Jeffrey Epstein revealed in New York  —  Filing includes details from 1,200 emails exchanged between late sex offender and former Barclays boss  —  Emails exchanged by former Barclays chief executive Jes Staley and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein …

Tesla recalls 362,758 vehicles, says Full Self-Driving Beta software may cause crashes  — Tesla is recalling 362,758 vehicles and warns that its experimental driver-assistance software, marketed as Full Self-Driving Beta, may cause crashes.  — The recall notice was posted on the website …

Republicans Turn a Blind Eye to Elon Musk's Twitter Manipulation  —  “If he wants to get his word out that he owns the show, doesn't he own it?”  —  Good afternoon and welcome to Press Pass.  Before we jump into today's edition, please do me a favor and share this newsletter with someone …

In Defense of J.K. Rowling  —  “Trans people need and deserve protection.”  —  “I believe the majority of trans-identified people not only pose zero threat to others but are vulnerable.”  —  “I respect every trans person's right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them.”

AZ Senate: Gallego Leads in All Head-To-Head Matchups  —  Sinema's Independent Status is the Real Wild Card  —  Toplines and crosstabs can be found here  —  PHOENIX (February 16th, 2023)- The 2024 Senate election is inching closer and the race for Arizona's Senate seat is wide open.

‘Chernobyl 2.0’?  Ohio Train Derailment Spurs Wild Speculation.  —  For many influencers across the political spectrum, claims about the environmental effects of the train derailment have gone far beyond known facts.  —  Stuart Thompson writes about online information flows.

Friends of Israel, Be Very Afraid  —  Friends of Israel, please be afraid.  Be very afraid.  We are not kidding around when we say Israel's democracy can be blown to smithereens in one fell swoop.  —  already dubbed “Black Monday” by opponents of the current government …

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki is stepping down  —  One of the most prominent women in tech — and one of Google's earliest employees — is leaving the company.  —  YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who has led the world's largest video site for the last nine years, is stepping down from her role.

Kari Lake loses appeal of loss in Arizona governor's race  —  An Arizona appeals court has rejected Republican Kari Lake's challenge of her defeat in the Arizona governor's race to Democrat Katie Hobbs, denying her request to throw out election results in the state's most populous county and hold the election again.

Justice Dept. in DC taking over Texas AG corruption probe  —  Justice Department officials in Washington have taken over the corruption investigation into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, removing the case from the hands of the federal prosecutors in Texas who'd long been leading the probe, according to state prosecutors.