US believes Russia had failed intercontinental ballistic missile test around when Biden was in Ukraine  —  Russia carried out a test of an intercontinental ballistic missile that appears to have failed around the time President Joe Biden was in Ukraine on Monday, according to two US officials familiar with the matter.

Jury in Georgia Trump Inquiry Recommended Multiple Indictments, Forewoman Says  —  She would not discuss specific indictments in the special grand jury's report but noted that its recommendations were “not going to be some giant plot twist.”  —  A special grand jury that investigated election interference …

Jennifer McClellan will win special election and become Virginia's first Black congresswoman, CNN projects  —  Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan will win the special election for Virginia's 4th Congressional District and will become the first Black woman to represent the commonwealth in Congress, CNN projected Tuesday.

Two Starkly Different Judges Advance in Wisconsin Supreme Court Election  —  Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal, and Daniel Kelly, a conservative, will face off on April 4 in a race that could tilt the balance of the court, with abortion rights, gerrymandered maps and more in the balance.

Joe may not run — and top Dems are quietly preparing  —  Joe Biden's closest advisers have spent months preparing for him to formally announce his reelection campaign.  But with the president still not ready to make the plunge, a sense of doubt is creeping into conversations around 2024: What if he decides not to?

Dozens of ‘New York Times’ Journalists Hit Staff Union for Its Defense of Trans Coverage Criticism  —  Some of the paper's top reporters signed a letter objecting to the Guild's response to newsroom leaders.  “We ask that our union work to advance, not erode, our journalistic independence,” they wrote.

Montana Sen. Jon Tester to seek reelection in major boost for Democrats  —  Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) announced Wednesday that he will seek reelection, bolstering Democratic hopes as the party faces a tough Senate map in 2024.  —  Casting himself as a fighter who can hold Washington accountable …

Why Fox News' lies about Trump's defeat probably aren't protected by the 1st Amendment  —  Fox News responded to an incendiary court filing in Dominion Voting System's $1.6-billion defamation suit last week by asserting that “the core of this case remains about freedom of the press and freedom of speech …

Rep. Eastman sparks outrage after asking about the potential economic benefits of the deaths of abused Alaska children  —  JUNEAU - Wasilla Republican Rep. David Eastman sparked outrage online after asking whether there could be economic benefits from the death of abused children.

Supreme Court skeptical of limiting powerful legal shield for internet companies  —  Washington — The Supreme Court appeared resistant on Tuesday to limiting the scope of a federal law that has served as a powerful legal shield for internet companies, expressing concerns about the ramifications …

Kevin McCarthy's apparent deal with Tucker Carlson to share Jan. 6 footage surprised some top Capitol security officials.  —  News and analysis from Capitol Hill for when you only have a few minutes, from POLITICO.

Russian propagandists said to buy Twitter blue-check verifications  —  The verifications mean their tweets, mostly opposing U.S. aid to Ukraine, are given added prominence  —  SAN FRANCSICO — Accounts pushing Kremlin propaganda are using Twitter's new paid verification system to appear …

George Santos reported spreading campaign cash to other Republicans.  The money never showed up.  —  One of George Santos' first acts as a candidate for Congress in 2019, according to his campaign finance filings, was making a series of four-figure donations from his campaign to a pair …

Many lawmakers Trump endorsed last year aren't returning the favor  —  Good morning, Early Birds.  Get ready for a full House.  Tips: earlytips@washpost.com.  Thanks for waking up with us.  —  Reading this online?  Sign up for The Early 202 to get scoops and sharp political analysis in your inbox each morning.

Mitt Romney: Call for ‘national divorce’ is ‘insanity’  —  SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Mitt Romney on Tuesday firmly denounced Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's recent call for a “national divorce,” harkening back on what happened in the U.S. during the Civil War.  —  “You know, I think Abraham Lincoln dealt …

Biden administration announces first-ever wind energy lease sale in Gulf of Mexico  —  The Biden administration on Wednesday announced the first-ever US offshore wind energy lease sale for the waters in the Gulf of Mexico, an area long dominated by oil and gas production.

Companies Can't Ask You to Shut up to Receive Severance, NLRB Rules  —  The board reverses two previous decisions that held that such severance agreements were lawful.  Limits on free speech have become increasingly common aspect of many severance agreements.

Nikki Haley defended right to secession, Confederate History Month and the Confederate flag in 2010 talk  —  Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley defended states' rights to secede from the United States, South Carolina's Confederate History Month and the Confederate flag in a 2010 interview …

Donald Trump Has Been Lying About Trump Tower For Decades  —  As the former president tries to fend off authorities, new revelations about Trump Tower suggest that the building is—and always was—something of a fraud.  —  For decades, Trump Tower has embodied the various stages of Donald Trump.

DeSantis gets 7-figure checks from top GOP donors as he soft launches presidential campaign  —  As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis intensifies his preparation for a White House bid, several of the wealthiest and most prolific Republican donors are already giving him a major financial boost.