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 …

Crew tried to stop Ohio train after alert about overheating wheel bearing, NTSB says  —  Federal investigators' preliminary report provides clues about the cause of the derailment and the response.  —  By Ian Duncan and Luz Lazo  —  The crew of the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in East Palestine …

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 …

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 …

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.

Murder and Extremism in the United States in 2022 … Advocate with ADL  —  Urge your U.S. Representative to support the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act to ensure the federal government has every tool at its disposal to protect our communities. … Executive Summary

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.

‘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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Appeals court weighs Rep. Perry's immunity from Jan. 6 probe  —  A three-judge federal appeals court panel wrestled Thursday with tangled questions about Congress' immunity from criminal inquiries — and whether it might apply to efforts by Rep. Scott Perry to aid Donald Trump's bid to subvert the 2020 election.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Remembering Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons  —  Dylan Lyons was born and raised in Philadelphia but made Central Florida his home, when he enrolled in, thrived in and graduated from UCF.  —  That's when he began his journey up the ladder of career success.

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.

R. Kelly Sentenced to 20 Years for Child Sex Crimes  —  The singer will serve most of the sentence in federal prison at the same time as a 30-year term for racketeering and sex trafficking.  —  CHICAGO — A federal judge on Thursday sentenced R. Kelly to 20 years in prison for child sex crimes …

Kevin McCarthy's Jan. 6 footage stunt demands a real response  —  Democrats have loudly expressed outrage about House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to grant Fox News's Tucker Carlson exclusive access to surveillance footage of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

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.

Elon Musk's Twitter Goes Dark on Government Data Grabs  —  “That shit went out the window right after Elon came in,” one former staffer says of Twitter's previously routine transparency reports  —  TWITTER BOSS ELON Musk has railed against what he sees as U.S. government attempts to “censor” the social media company.