Jim Jordan's first FBI whistleblowers face scrutiny from skeptical Democrats  —  In his quest to prove the federal government has been “weaponized” against conservatives, Republican House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan has touted the allegations of what he claims are “dozens” …

House Democrats blindsided as Biden changes tune on DC crime bill  —  House Democrats were infuriated and taken aback by President Biden's announcement on Thursday that he will sign a resolution to nix the District of Columbia's crime bill.  —  The crime bill has come under heavy criticism from Republicans and centrist Democrats.

Scoop: Trump's 5-part plan to attack DeSantis … - DeSantis' past support for changes to Social Security and Medicare, including votes as a U.S. congressman to raise the eligibility age for Medicare.  — Disloyalty to Trump after he helped DeSantis get elected governor in 2018.

Florida bill would require bloggers who write about governor to register with the state  —  TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Sen. Jason Brodeur (R-Lake Mary) wants bloggers who write about Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, and other members of the Florida executive cabinet …

LGBTQ-Activist Dem Mayor, Who Was ‘Mentored’ by Buttigieg, Arrested for Vile Charge  —  The gay-activist Democrat mayor of College Park, Maryland, who has branded himself as something of a role model for LGBTQ youth, was arrested Thursday morning on dozens of counts of possessing …

Walgreens won't distribute abortion pills in some states where they remain legal  —  The nation's second-largest pharmacy chain confirmed Thursday that it will not dispense abortion pills in several states where they remain legal — acting out of an abundance of caution amid a shifting policy landscape …

Jury quickly finds Murdaugh guilty of murder of wife, son  —  South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murder Thursday in the shooting deaths of his wife and son in a case that chronicled the unraveling of a powerful Southern family with tales of privilege, greed and addiction.

The Checkered Past of the Contractor Monitoring the Air in East Palestine  —  CTEH has been cited by lawmakers for ‘releasing findings defending the corporate interests that employ them.’  —  A black plume and fireball rise over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation …

Effort to change Utah's state flag narrowly passes Legislature after hours of debate  —  Gov. Spencer Cox now has three weeks to decide if he'll approve or veto the new state flag bill.  —  The bill to change Utah's state flag squeaked by on the House floor Thursday morning on a razor-thin 40-35 vote …

Top Republican lawmakers reach deal on NC Medicaid expansion  —  The top leaders in North Carolina's legislature reached an agreement that is expected to expand Medicaid coverage.  The momentous deal, announced Thursday, is the culmination of more than a decade of political wrangling and a Republican change of heart.

The Useful Idiots Fueling the Right-Wing Transphobia Panic  —  Today on TAP: Prominent center-left journalists were swindled by obvious nonsense about a St. Louis gender clinic.  —  A child holds trans pride flags at a gathering on the steps of the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson to protest House Bill 1125 …

News Analysis: Biden's new asylum proposal could affect the border forever  —  U.S. immigration politics have shifted on their axis over the last 10 days.  —  Former President Trump and his administration spent years arguing that people who cross the border without permission should not be able …

Trump attorney reappointed to state Supreme Court judicial conduct advisory committee  —  Attorney Jim Troupis, who was involved in the 2020 scheme to put Republican electors in place in several states, including Wisconsin, to deliver Electoral College votes for former President Donald Trump …

Exposed: Dallas Humber, Narrator Of Neo-Nazi ‘Terrorgram,’ Promoter Of Mass Shootings  —  Her propaganda canonized white supremacist murderers as “saints.  She may have helped inspire a shooting at a gay bar.  Now she's been unmasked.  —  On Oct. 12, 2022, Juraj Krajč …

Pandemic Murder Wave Has Crested.  Here's the Postmortem.  —  The shocking rise in murders that began in the summer of 2020 looks as if it may have played out.  In the nearly complete tally of 2022 homicide statistics from 93 US cities compiled by AH Datalytics, murder and non-negligent manslaughter was down 5% from the year before.

Washington's Favorite Republican Is Making All the Right Moves  —  The Republican primary season hasn't even started, and already one contest appears to have a runaway winner: The Permanent-Washington Primary, where New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is absolutely crushing it.

Daily Briefing: War in Ukraine  —  Belarus Sentences Nobel Peace Laureate to 10 Years in Prison … A Belarusian Nobel Peace laureate is sentenced to 10 years in prison.  —  A Belarusian court sentenced Ales Bialiatski, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October for his decades …

Texas GOP Bill Gives Tax Cuts to Heterosexual Parents  —  A new proposal would give massive breaks to large families, but only if the parents are straight property owners who've never been divorced.  —  A NEWLY INTRODUCED Texas House bill proposes property tax cuts for couples who get married, stay married, and have lots of children.

Amodei says he won't run for Senate in 2024  —  No Nevada Republicans have officially entered the race to challenge Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) for re-election to the Senate in 2024, but at least one potential candidate is staying out of the race.  —  Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) …

Common Sense Points to a Lab Leak  —  Denials from authorities seemed political all along, and public trust will take a long time to recover.  —  WSJ Opinion: The Coronavirus ‘Lab Leak’ Origin Returns  —  YOU MAY ALSO LIKE  —  Created with sketchtool.  —  1x

There is no lab leak theory  —  It's still just vibes in search of a hypothesis  —  If we're going to do this again, I'm gonna tell this story again.  —  A decade ago, I traced a deadly epidemic back to a politically explosive source.  It was the fall of 2010, and Haiti was reeling from a massive cholera epidemic.

Demand for Himars Rocket Launcher Grows in Asia-Pacific Amid China Threat  —  Several countries in the region are considering purchasing the system, Lockheed Martin executive says  —  AVALON, Australia—The highly mobile, U.S.-built Himars rocket launcher helped Ukraine to blunt Russia's advance.

Congress Can Investigate Lina Khan  —  There's a precedent: The House looked into FCC Chairman Kevin Martin on similar grounds.  —  WSJ Opinion: Jim Jordan's ‘Weaponization of Government’ Hearings Begin  —  YOU MAY ALSO LIKE  —  Created with sketchtool.

Scoop: Biden tried to hire Jon Meacham, his volunteer muse  —  President Biden has grown so close to his volunteer muse, Jon Meacham, that he tried to bring the presidential historian into the White House. … So a government gig doesn't appear to be in the cards — but the overture reflects their warm relationship.

EXCLUSIVE: After he left office, Donald Trump ordered his chief of staff to leak classified information to the press about an FBI agent and other adversaries.  Experts believe that may be a felony.  —  Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows Getty  —  Earlier stories on the Russia papers: Part 2, Part 1.