Trump grand jury will not hear ‘hush-money’ case for the rest of this week: source  — Trump's Manhattan ‘hush-money’ grand jury will not consider the case this week.  — The grand jury has not heard evidence in the case since Monday, when a surprise witness testified.

Trump, Pence lawyers go before judge in dispute with DOJ over testimony  —  A hearing was held in a Washington, D.C. federal court Thursday to consider arguments about whether former Vice President Mike Pence must testify before a federal grand jury about his dealings with then-President Donald Trump around Jan. 6.

DeSantis Calls Putin a ‘War Criminal,’ Clarifying Earlier Comment on Ukraine  —  The Florida governor and presumed G.O.P. presidential candidate previously described the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a “territorial dispute” and did not mention the Russian president.

Most trans adults say transitioning made them more satisfied with their lives  —  The Washington Post and KFF surveyed one of the largest randomized samples of U.S. transgender adults to date about their childhoods, feelings and lives  —  Transgender Americans experience stigma …

Man at Center of Jan. 6 Conspiracy Theory Demands Retraction From Fox  —  A lawyer for Ray Epps has demanded that the Fox host Tucker Carlson publicly apologize for “false and defamatory statements” that Mr. Epps served as a federal agent during the Capitol attack.

The Secret Joke at the Heart of the Harvard Affirmative-Action Case  —  A federal official wrote a parody of Harvard's attitude toward Asian Americans and shared it with the dean of admissions.  Why did a judge try to hide that from the public?  —  Last fall, some mysterious new activity appeared on the Supreme Court's docket.

What connects Trump's likely arrest with the bank bailouts?  —  Answer: the anti-democracy movement  —  What connects the two biggest stories now dominating the news — Donald Trump's likely arrest and the Fed's bailouts of shaky banks?  —  Start with multi-billionaire Peter Thiel, and follow the money.

Biden approval dips near lowest point: AP-NORC poll  —  Approval of President Joe Biden has dipped slightly since a month ago, nearing the lowest point of his presidency as his administration tries to project a sense of stability while confronting a pair of bank failures and inflation that remains stubbornly high.

Sinema Trashes Dems: ‘Old Dudes Eating Jell-O’  —  The Arizona senator courts GOP donors by ridiculing her former Democratic colleagues.  Ever since Sen. Kyrsten Sinema became an independent in December, her Democratic colleagues have been restrained about the shift, careful not to alienate …

FTC introduces proposal to make US subscriptions easier to cancel  —  Regulators plan to put an end to businesses ‘tricking’ customers into paying for services they no longer want  —  It is one of the ires of the digital age: signing up for a new subscription can be done in a few clicks …

Where is DeSantis traveling on state business?  Legislature wants to make it a secret  —  Citing an increase in public records requests for the governor's travel schedule, Florida legislators are advancing a bill that would shield from the public any information about how and where Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials go.

Far-right extremist Riley Williams sentenced to 3 years in prison for storming Capitol on Jan. 6  —  WASHINGTON — A far-right extremist who was “obsessed” with white nationalist Nick Fuentes was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol and directing a mob toward …

The Books That Show Conservatism at Its Best  —  Mr. Shields is a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College.  He has written widely on the American right and the politics of higher education.  —  When conservative undergraduates look around for mentors these days, who do they find?

Conspiracies and a Holocaust meme mark the dawn of Karamo's Michigan Republican Party  —  The longtime headquarters of the Michigan Republican Party, four blocks from Michigan's Capitol and the seat of political power in this state, sits empty and disused.  —  A trust made up of former party …

All the Indictments Everywhere All at Once  —  Tonight is TNB!  Come hang with Amanda Carpenter, Bill Kristol, and me to talk about the six (6!) investigations of Trump, the possibility of indictment(s), and Meatball Ron Ron DeSantis making his move.  —  Tonight, 8pm in the East on Zoom.

Nebraska Legislature set to vote on transgender health bill  —  The Nebraska Legislature was set to vote Thursday on a contentious bill that seeks to ban gender-affirming care for minors and led one lawmaker to stage a weekslong filibuster.  The vote to advance the bill was expected on the third …

Matt Taibbi Can't Comprehend That There Are Reasons To Study Propaganda Information Flows, So He Insists It Must Be Nefarious  —  from the not-how-any-of-this-works dept  —  Over the last few months, Elon Musk's handpicked journalists have continued revealing less and less with each new edition of the …

South Carolina comptroller to resign after $3.5B error  —  Embattled South Carolina Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom will resign next month after a $3.5 billion accounting error in the year-end financial report he oversaw.  The state's chief accountant will leave the elected post he has held …

AP source: Blackhawks will not wear Pride-themed jerseys  —  The Chicago Blackhawks will not wear Pride-themed warmup jerseys before Sunday's Pride Night game against Vancouver because of security concerns involving a Russian law that expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBTQ rights in the country.

Oxford school shooter's parents can face manslaughter trial, court says in groundbreaking case  —  The parents of a teenager who killed four students at a Michigan high school can face trial for involuntary manslaughter, the state appeals court said Thursday in a groundbreaking case of criminal responsibility for the acts of a child.

A nightmare for women in Idaho could be coming to all of us soon  —  There's news from Idaho, and it's not good.  The only hospital in Sandpoint, Idaho, is terminating the provision of labor and delivery services.  Sandpoint is the largest city in Bonner County, with just shy of 9,000 people.

Jeff Zients discovers the thanklessness of the White House chief of staff gig  —  It's early and the job is thankless.  But Biden's new chief of staff and his leadership style have drawn some detractors.  —  The grumbling has already begun over Joe Biden's new chief of staff.

California could become the 1st state to ban caste discrimination  —  A bill introduced Wednesday in the California Senate could be a historic win in the fight against caste discrimination in the U.S. If it is signed into law, it would make the state the first to explicitly name caste as a protected category.

China Says It Opposes a Forced Sale of TikTok  —  Biden administration has demanded that video app divest itself from its Beijing-based parent or face nationwide ban  —  SINGAPORE—China said it would strongly oppose any forced sale of TikTok, responding for the first time to a Biden administration demand …

Protecting Nature Is More Important Than ‘Quickly’ Building Renewables, Most Americans Say  —  Nearly 80% of U.S. adults believe conservation is more important than a speedy renewable energy rollout, our poll finds.  That spells trouble for Biden's climate agenda.

Trump appointees interfered to weaken EPA assessment of toxic chemical  —  Watchdog finds PFBS toxicity value was altered in 2021 report, as scientists say episode part of ‘larger rot at the agency’  —  Trump administration appointees at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) …

The Trump RINO Test Is Ridiculous  —  He's the real Republican In Name Only.  You might have heard that Ron DeSantis is a RINO.  Of course, the former congressman and Florida governor hasn't departed from Republican orthodoxy in any significant way during his career (and, in fact …