What Fox News Says When You're Not Listening  —  People who remember Fox News host Tucker Carlson as a bow-tied creature of establishment Washington often wonder what happened to him.  Twenty years ago, he was a preppy Beltway habitue and impishly libertarian magazine writer …

CNN's Chairman Rebukes Don Lemon Over His Nikki Haley Comments  —  Mr. Lemon's assertion that the presidential candidate Nikki Haley was not “in her prime” roiled the network and put a harsh spotlight on its struggling morning show.  —  Don Lemon, the CNN morning-show anchor …

It Is Journalism's Sacred Duty To Endanger The Lives Of As Many Trans People As Possible  —  The task of reporting is not a simple one.  Each and every day, reporters and editors at publications like The Onion make difficult decisions about which issues should receive attention …

Haley says DeSantis didn't go ‘far enough’ with 'Don't Say Gay'  —  Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) on Thursday criticized the so-called Don't Say Gay measure signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last year, saying it doesn't go “far enough.”

Republican losers look to run again in '24 — and the party's at odds over how to stop them  —  House and Senate Republicans widely acknowledge that bad candidates cost them seats in the 2022 election.  They just don't agree on what to do about it in 2024.  —  After a midterm cycle …

6 fatally shot in small Mississippi town, suspect in custody  —  Six people were fatally shot Friday in a small town in rural Mississippi near the Tennessee state line, and authorities said they had taken a suspect into custody.  Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin confirmed …

Is Bing too belligerent?  Microsoft looks to tame AI chatbot  —  Microsoft's newly revamped Bing search engine can write recipes and songs and quickly explain just about anything it can find on the internet.  —  But if you cross its artificially intelligent chatbot, it might also insult your looks …

Ann Coulter tells Nikki Haley ‘go back to your own country’ in racist attack  —  Ann Coulter went on a racist tirade earlier this week in which she suggested that Nikki Haley “go back to [her] own country” where people are “starving” while “worshipping cows and rats.”

Republicans to adopt loyalty pledge for debate participants  —  1 of 3  —  Republican presidential candidates will be blocked from the debate stage this summer if they do not sign a pledge to support the GOP's ultimate presidential nominee, according to draft language set to be adopted …

Inconvenient truths for Joe Biden, Democrats, and the Washington establishment  —  Joe Biden, Democrats, and some leaders of the Washington establishment have made a lot of claims about me over the last few weeks.  —  Here's the truth about my Rescue America plan: I proposed …

Tesla Workers Say Twitter Shadowbanned Their Union Account: NLRB Charge  —  Workers alleged in an NLRB filing that Twitter intentionally made the Tesla union account to be “less accessible and functionally hidden.”  —  PB  —  Tesla workers are claiming that their new union's Twitter account …

Busted: Yet another Republican congressman's resume has Santos-like gaps  —  Congressman George Santos (R-NY) has been facing a blizzard of scandals after he was discovered to have lied about nearly every detail of his personal history on the campaign trail, from his education to his work background …

Biden campaign struggles to fill top job with a complicated set of duties  —  WASHINGTON — Finding a campaign manager for President Joe Biden's re-election remains a problem for his top aides, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, underscoring the difficulty …

‘That could be one of our balloons’: Hobbyist says downed object may belong to amateur club  —  It's possible that the object shot down by American forces over the Yukon last weekend “could have been our balloon,” a member of an Illinois hobbyist group said Friday.

Progressive Group Roiled by Accusations Diversity Leader Misrepresented Her Ethnic Background … Members of the American Friends Service Committee, a prominent Quaker organization known for its progressive values and social justice advocacy in the U.S. and abroad, have raised an alarm …

SEC Charges NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce for Unlawfully Touting and Making Misleading Statements about Crypto Security  —  The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against former NBA player Paul Pierce for touting EMAX tokens, crypto asset securities offered and sold by EthereumMax …

‘Unfathomable’: Florida parents, students blast DeSantis idea to nix APs  —  Families may pay more for college without the classes and fall short when they seek admission to competitive schools  —  As news zipped across Florida that the governor had threatened to eliminate Advanced Placement classes …

Exclusive: Trump lawyer hires own attorney in classified documents probe  —  A lawyer for former President Donald Trump retained an attorney to represent himself as prosecutors step up their inquiry into the handling of sensitive documents at Trump's Florida residence, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

Marianne Williamson is entering the chat  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice.  —  PROGRAMMING NOTE: We'll be off this Monday, Feb. 20 for Presidents Day but will be back in your inboxes on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Political Consultant Sentenced for Scheme Involving Illegal Foreign Campaign Contribution to 2016 Presidential Campaign  —  A Texas man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for his role in funneling illegal foreign campaign contributions from a Russian national to a 2016 presidential campaign.

Bankrupt Alex Jones spends nearly $100,000 a month  —  Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has filed for bankruptcy but has nearly $10m (£8.3m) in assets and spends almost $100,000 (£83,000) a month, according to court filings.  —  He owes almost $1.5bn in court-awarded damages …

Political fallout over federal response to Ohio train derailment  —  Residents are upset and the Biden administration is taking bipartisan heat.  —  When Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan  —  came to  —  East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday, he was the first top …