How Putin blundered into Ukraine — then doubled down  —  The decision to invade was taken after consulting only a tiny circle.  The Russian leader has since become even more isolated  —  At about 1am on February 24 last year, Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, received a troubling phone call.

Most people in most states support legal abortion  —  The Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade last year is perhaps the preeminent modern political example of the dog catching the car.  —  Republican leaders had pledged for decades to restrict abortion and to challenge the precedent in Roe …

Judge orders depositions of Trump, Wray in long-running dispute with ex-FBI officials  —  A federal judge has agreed to permit former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page to take sworn testimony from former President Donald Trump for two hours as part of their long-running lawsuits related …

Special counsel asks judge to compel Mike Pence to testify in Jan. 6 probe  —  Washington — Federal prosecutors have asked the chief judge in Washington, D.C.'s federal court to compel former Vice President Mike Pence to comply with a grand jury subpoena and testify as a witness …

Buttigieg world frustrated at GOP attacks over train wreck  —  This month's toxic derailment in a small Ohio village has put Pete Buttigieg under pressure like never before — leaving him scrambling to contain a public health and transportation crisis only partially under his purview …

Trump's grip on the Republican base is slipping — even among his fans  —  More than 150 interviews in pivotal electoral states show the former president maintains a bond with his GOP voters, but faces rising interest in a new standard-bearer  —  One recent snowy evening at a gun range …

Teen winds up in ambulance after trying to carjack DC grandma on her way to chemo: MPD  —  A teen tried to carjack a DC grandma as she was headed to chemotherapy, MPD says.  The teen ended up in an ambulance.

Take it from a former prosecutor: Emily Kohrs' media tour is reckless  —  As an American citizen, I am gratified to hear that a Georgia special grand jury has recommended indictments against more than a dozen people for election fraud.  But as a former prosecutor, I am mortified that a grand juror is talking about it publicly.

‘Incredibly damning:’ Fox News documents stun some legal experts  —  The disclosure of behind-the-scenes emails and texts greatly increased the chances that Dominion will win its $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox, experts say.  —  The disclosure of emails and texts …

Republicans Will Hold Their First Presidential Debate in Milwaukee  —  The debate is set for August, in the same city that will host the party's 2024 convention.  —  The Republican National Committee will hold its first presidential primary debate in Milwaukee in August, its debates committee decided in a vote on Thursday.

Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson Arrested After a Former Executive Pleads Guilty to Fraud  —  Samir Rao, company's former chief operating officer, appeared in court as John Doe and admitted wrongdoing in probe of the company's practices  —  Ozy Media Chief Executive Carlos Watson …

We Finally Know Why It Costs So Damn Much to Build New Subways in America  —  For the past decade, as the cost of building American mass transit has soared to world records, advocates have found themselves in a bind.  Should they draw attention to the problem, fighting for top-to-bottom reform …

No, Teen Suicide Isn't Rising Because Life Got Objectively Worse  —  Over the past 15 years, the mental health of young people in the United States has rapidly deteriorated.  Between 2007 and 2018, the suicide rate among Americans ages 10 to 24 increased by nearly 60 percent.

WILLIAMSON CONFIRMS PRESIDENTIAL RUN IN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, BECOMING FIRST PROMINENT DEMOCRAT IN 2024 RACE … MEDILL ON TWITTER  —  Tweets by medillonthehill  —  MEDILL TODAY - FEB. 22 SPECIAL REPORTS  —  STATE OF THE UNION 2018  —  Medill on the Hill teamed up with Northwestern News Network …

Axios-Ipsos poll: Republicans call opioids No. 1 health threat  —  Republicans see fentanyl and other opioids as the biggest threat to Americans' public health, while Democrats say it's guns, according to a new Axios-Ipsos survey. … - The survey also found that Americans overwhelmingly …

House GOP looks for plan B after struggling to pass border security bill  —  House Republicans had hoped to pass a narrow border security bill within the first two weeks of their new majority, notching an easy win and delivering on a key campaign promise in the process.

Jeff Bezos hires investment firm to consider bid on Commanders  —  Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has hired an investment firm to evaluate a possible bid for the Washington Commanders, according to two people familiar with the situation.  —  Bezos is working with Allen & Company …

The Billionaire's Daughter Knows What You're Thinking  —  Elizabeth Koch, daughter of Charles Koch, the billionaire right-wing political force, has a new venture that is all about self-investigation.  Two words: Perception Box.  —  Even as a young girl, Elizabeth R. Koch was keenly aware of her family's extreme wealth.

Schiff, Porter in tight race to replace Sen. Feinstein, poll shows; others trail far behind  —  The race to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein is shaping up to be a close contest between two congressional colleagues who have built national profiles and potent fundraising operations but appeal …

Putin Gave Biden $12,000 Pen Set Months Before Ukraine Invasion  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin gave Joe Biden a $12,000 pen and decorative writing set at their first presidential summit in Geneva in 2021 during a momentary thaw in relations that ended with Putin's invasion of Ukraine eight months later.

DeSantis wants to roll back press freedoms — with an eye toward overturning Supreme Court ruling  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' broken relationship with the mainstream media could get even worse.  —  At the governor's urging, Florida's Republican-dominated Legislature …

Trump 2020 Fraud Backer Sidney Powell's Texas Ethics Case Tossed  —  A Texas judge has tossed out a disciplinary case against attorney Sidney Powell finding state bar regulators failed to present enough evidence to keep alive claims that she violated ethics rules by filing frivolous post-election lawsuits.

Internal chaos plagues Bannon-fronted $FJB cryptocurrency, critics say  —  Questions about mismanagement and donations to charities have surfaced.  —  When former Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon and Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn took control of a MAGA-branded  —  cryptocurrency

Kyrsten Sinema's $300,000 Security Expert Is Tulsi Gabbard's Sister  —  The Arizona senator has a security arrangement that raises several ethical red flags, according to campaign law experts. … Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) spends more of her campaign funds on security than nearly every …

Congressman Tim Burchett says he won't lift the debt ceiling — period.  —  Put down Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. as a hard “no” on lifting the debt ceiling later this year.  —  The Congressman told Semafor in a Wednesday phone interview that he doesn't see a circumstance in which he casts …

GOP Politician Uses Polish Slur In Speech Claiming Party Isn't Bigoted  —  “Doesn't matter what your race, your color, your creed, Norwegian, Polack, Somalian, you name it,” said Minnesota state Sen. Mark Johnson (R) Wednesday.  —  A Minnesota state senator is getting criticized after a speech …

Missouri AG issues ultimatum to Gardner: Resign or be removed from office  —  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Amid mounting calls for the St. Louis Circuit Attorney to resign, the Missouri Attorney General has issued an ultimatum for Kim Gardner: resign or face removal.

All U.S. extremist mass killings in 2022 linked to far right, report says  —  Right-wing extremists committed every ideologically driven mass killing identified in the U.S. in 2022, with an “unusually high” proportion perpetrated by white supremacists, according to a new report published Thursday.

West Virginia transgender athlete ban blocked by appeals panel  —  A federal appeals panel this week blocked the enforcement of a West Virginia law barring transgender female athletes from competing on girl's or women's sports teams.  —  The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 …

This ‘climate-friendly’ fuel comes with an astronomical cancer risk  —  Almost half of products cleared so far under a new US federal ‘biofuels’ program are not, in fact, biofuels  — This article is co-published with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power