No ‘apologists for Putin’: Pence draws contrast with DeSantis on support for Ukraine  —  Former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday rebuked fellow Republicans who have given less-than-robust support for America's defense of Ukraine — a group that includes potential presidential campaign rivals like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

We are dropping the Dilbert comic strip because of creator Scott Adams' racist rant: Letter from the Editor  —  Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip, went on a racist rant this week on his Coffee with Scott Adams online video show, and we will no longer carry his comic strip in The Plain Dealer.

GOP Ex-Sen. Inhofe Retired Due To Long COVID After Opposing COVID Aid  —  The longtime senator from Oklahoma said complications from the virus contributed to his stepping aside.  —  Former Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) attributed his decision to retire due to the long-term effects of COVID-19 …

Hannity and Carlson Admit Lying to Audience (Then Try to Fire Fact-Checker), DeSantis Hires Sexist Educator, NYT Writers Protest, Roald Dahl Gets Sanitized, Roberto Clemente Bio Banned, and More  —  My thoughts on the top—and top-ish—stories in this week's political, sports, and pop culture news.

Media organizations demand Jan. 6 videos McCarthy shared with Fox News' Tucker Carlson  —  A group of media organizations, including CBS News, is demanding access to a tranche of surveillance and police videos from the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy provided to Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

George Santos lied to a judge in 2017 bid to help a ‘family friend’ charged with fraud  —  NEW YORK — George Santos lied to a Seattle judge about working for Goldman Sachs while speaking at a 2017 bail hearing for a “family friend” who later pleaded guilty to fraud in an ATM skimming scheme …

Republican elites fear the monster they created  —  On screen, Fox News personalities paint a world of clear heroes and villains, where conservatives are always strong and right and liberals are weak and wrong.  But the extraordinary private communications revealed in the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed …

Michigan GOP leader: state is ‘ground zero for the globalist takeover’  —  Three days after delegates elected her to lead the Michigan Republican Party, Kristina Karamo reaffirmed her belief in a conspiracy theory, claiming shadowy forces are working to achieve global domination right here in Michigan.

Trump brutally mocked after tabloid reveals details of his new Mar-a-Lago gig  —  Critics of President Donald Trump are having a field day after learning about his new hobby.  —  Page Six reported Friday that the former president “now has a regular gig” as a DJ at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

The AP Interview: Biden ready to run, US first lady says  —  1 of 10  —  U.S. first lady Jill Biden gave one of the clearest indications yet that President Joe Biden will run for a second term, telling The Associated Press in an exclusive interview on Friday that there's “pretty much” …

Intelligence suggests China is considering sending drones and ammunition to Russia, sources familiar say  —  The US has intelligence that the Chinese government is considering providing Russia with drones and ammunition for use in the war in Ukraine, three sources familiar with the intelligence told CNN.

Judge rejected Perry's bid to shield thousands of emails from Jan. 6 investigators  —  The chief judge of the federal district court in Washington, D.C., secretly rejected Rep. Scott Perry's bid to shield more than 2,000 messages relevant to Justice Department investigators probing efforts …

Chinese fighter jet flies within 500 feet of U.S. patrol over South China Sea  —  ABOARD A U.S. PATROL AIRCRAFT — The U.S. Navy plane had been in the air over the South China Sea for a few hours when a warning came crackling over the radio.  —  “No approaching any more or you will pay full responsibility …

Top labor official, union leader among contenders for Labor secretary  —  Leaders of the organized labor movement have also recommended the outgoing executive director of the National Football League's union  —  By Lauren Kaori Gurley and Jeff Stein  —  The White House is vetting top …

Why Orrin Hatch Was Eager to Help Bill Clinton  —  The electoral appeal of the deference model  —  As we saw in my previous post, Senator Orrin Hatch was eager to make clear to the White House from the outset that he would not draw an ideological line in the sand over President Clinton's nominee to fill Justice Byron White's vacancy.

Politics Invade the East Palestine, Ohio, Train Crisis  —  The train derailment in Eastern Ohio has spawned conspiracy theories and contradictory narratives, with politicians from both parties parading through town to further their agendas.  —  To Democrats, the train derailment and chemical leak …

Flotsam found off New York may be from famous SS Savannah  —  1 of 2  —  A chunk of weather-beaten flotsam that washed up on a New York shoreline after Tropical Storm Ian last fall has piqued the interest of experts who say it is likely part of the SS Savannah, which ran aground and broke apart in 1821 …

After a Decade of Tracking Politicians' Deleted Tweets, Politwoops Is No More  —  Whether officials were deleting an embarrassing post or just correcting a typo, Politwoops tracked them all.  But service changes made after Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter have rendered it impossible for us to continue tracking these tweets.

The same old war it's always been  —  The Right's claims of AI “bias” are just the latest in the long line of insincere ref-working — and the latest in a long line of racists trying to impose their racism on all of us  —  Under the headline “The right's new culture-war target: ‘Woke AI’ …

Jimmy Carter, in his final campaign, is surrounded by friends  —  Former president's hometown of Plains, Georgia prepares its farewell.  —  PLAINS — Jimmy Carter could have lived anywhere after he was defeated by Ronald Reagan, but his return to Plains more than four decades ago gave the tiny southwest Georgia hamlet new purpose.

Tennessee is set to become the first US state to ban drag … Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill banning drag shows in public on Thursday, sending the measure to the Republican Governor Bill Lee's desk.  —  The law would make Tennessee the first state to ban public drag …

Inside New York City's Nastiest (and Smallest) Newspaper War  —  A crusty publisher.  A “guerilla” litigator.  An ambitious caregiver.  Has the news of Greenwich Village ever been more fun?  —  They say that print is dead and local news is dying.  But in the small patch of Lower Manhattan …

‘Rip your head off!’  Montana man charged with threatening to kill Democratic senator  —  A man from Kalispell has been arrested and charged with sending graphic death threats to Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), reported the Daily Montanan on Friday.  —  “Kevin Patrick Smith, 45 …

Arkansas educators express ‘concern’ over Sanders' ‘rushed’ school choice push  —  Arkansas educators and parents are openly expressing concerns around Arkansas Governor Sarah H. Sanders' hasty decision to enforce “school choice,” across the majority Republican state, ABC reports.

Why scammers who stole billions in unemployment benefits may get away with fraud  —  Just a small percentage of the at least $60 billion in unemployment payments estimated to be lost to fraud during the pandemic has been recovered, and time is running out to prosecute those who committed the crime.

The QAnon ‘Meme Queen’ Wants Trump To Help Her Convicted Pedophile Son  —  A woman who has devoted the last five years of her life fighting a non-existent secret cabal of pedophiles, says her convicted child sex abuser son needs protection.  —  David Gilbert

Harris calls challenges to abortion pills an attack on public health system  —  Vice President Harris called efforts to restrict access to medication abortion pills an attack by “extremists” on fundamental rights to health care, saying attempts to revoke approval for the drug threaten the public health system.

Billionaire financier Thomas H. Lee found dead of self-inflicted gunshot wound in NYC office: sources  —  Billionaire financier and investor Thomas H. Lee was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his Manhattan office Thursday morning, police sources said.