Special counsel is locked in at least 8 secret court battles in Trump investigations  —  Special counsel Jack Smith is locked in at least eight secret court battles that aim to unearth some of the most closely held details about Donald Trump's actions after the 2020 election and handling …

Senior Democrats' Private Take on Biden: He's Too Old  —  High-level Democrats are rallying to President Biden's reelection, not because they think it's in the best interest of the country to have an 82-year-old start a second term but because they fear the potential alternative …

Republicans take aim at food stamps in growing fight over federal debt  —  Some GOP lawmakers are eyeing work requirements and other changes to the SNAP program in a bid to reduce the deficit  —  Top House Republicans are exploring significant changes to the nation's food stamps program …

Microsoft's Bing is an emotionally manipulative liar, and people love it … Microsoft's Bing chatbot has been unleashed on the world, and people are discovering what it means to beta test an unpredictable AI tool.  —  Specifically, they're finding out that Bing's AI personality is not as poised or polished as you might expect.

Top Russian Military Official Dead After Fall From 16th Floor  —  ANOTHER ONE...  Marina Yankina handled cash flows for the Western Military District.  —  A Russian military official in charge of financial provisions for the military district blamed for the Kremlin's worst losses in Ukraine …

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.

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.

George Santos barricaded in district office as local residents are refused meeting with embattled congressman  —  Residents were reportedly told by a staffer that the congressman would not speak to the ‘mob’ … The office of embattled Republican congressman George Santos was surrounded …

Exclusive: British intel caught FBI spy chief secretly meeting a Russian in London  — An FBI spy chief's secret meeting with a Russian contact was detected by UK officials.  — Charles McGonigal, the ex-FBI official, is charged with taking money from Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska.

As Russians inch forward near Bakhmut, Ukrainians dig fallback defenses  —  ORIKHOVO-VASYLIVKA, Ukraine — The closest Ukrainian artillery position to the raging battle for Bakhmut is tucked into a leafless tree line about 13,000 feet from the enemy.  The fighters here have been hanging on for weeks …

Virginia governor blocks bill banning police from seeking menstrual histories  —  Glenn Youngkin essentially kills bill passed in Democratic-led state senate to ban search warrants for menstrual data on tracking apps  —  The Republican governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin …

Don Lemon Annoys Female Colleagues Again With ‘Completely Offensive’ Remarks  —  In what is becoming a habit, the CNN anchor drew the ire of his female colleagues over tone-deaf remarks related to gender—this time, about Nikki Haley being in her “prime.”  —  Don Lemon just can't help himself, it seems.

FEC presses Santos to identify campaign treasurer  —  The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is demanding Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) to name a new treasurer for his campaign and several affiliated political committees, warning that a failure to do so will bar the groups from raising or spending any money.

Alarmed by DeSantis, Black leaders protest and prepare for 2024  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Rev. Lowman Oliver marched for civil rights and racial equity across Florida in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, hoping to build a state he viewed as just and equal for Black Americans.

How a Fog of Questions Over a Spy Balloon and U.F.O.s Fed a Diplomatic Crisis  —  U.S. officials now suspect that the balloon was sent to spy on bases in Guam and Hawaii and that other downed objects were not surveillance machines.  Washington's evolving view reflects U.S. and Chinese difficulties in discerning each other's intentions.

Tesla Just Terminated Dozens in Response to New Union Campaign, Complaint Alleges  —  Tesla Inc. terminated dozens of employees Wednesday at its plant in Buffalo, New York, one day after Autopilot workers at the facility announced a union campaign, organizers said in a complaint.

EXCLUSIVE: Doctors from St Louis transgender clinic told teachers to ‘affirm’ an entire group of fifth graders - despite fears they were being influenced by their friends  — The teacher contacted staff in October 2021 with concerns about a group  — They said multiple children came out as trans after a classmate did

Buttigieg faces questions about whether he has become a liability to Biden  —  Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is again attracting controversy in the wake of the Ohio train derailment, with elected officials from both parties questioning his ability to lead the department and respond to crises.

Kari Lake's lawyers hit with bar complaints  —  A legal group plans to file bar complaints Thursday against four lawyers representing Kari Lake in voter fraud litigation, NBC News has learned.  —  Lake, a Donald Trump acolyte who has refused to accept that she lost the governor's race in Arizona last year …