Manhattan Trump grand jury set to break for a month  —  A previously planned hiatus would push back a potential indictment of the former president.  —  NEW YORK — The Manhattan grand jury examining Donald Trump's alleged role in a hush money payment to a porn star isn't expected to hear evidence …

Gov. Hobbs' press secretary resigns after controversial tweet following Nashville mass shooting  —  PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Gov. Katie Hobb's press secretary, Josselyn Berry, has resigned hours after posting a controversial tweet that appeared to encourage gun violence just hours after a mass shooting …

GOP donors open to other Trump challengers as DeSantis tries to find footing  —  Interviews show the desire for a backup option in 2024 has intensified amid questions about the Florida governor  —  Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis were nowhere to be found at this year's spring gathering …

A new book-ban fiasco in Florida reveals the monster DeSantis created  —  By now, it should be blindingly obvious that many red-state book crackdowns are designed to encourage the impulse toward censorship.  By enabling lone actors to get dozens of titles removed from school library shelves …

Judge Luttig Has a Warning for America  —  It was called the “tweet heard round the world.”  —  On the morning before the January 6th attack on the Capitol, one of the nation's most prominent conservative jurists, former Federal Appeals Court Judge J. Michael Luttig, posted a message aimed at Vice President Mike Pence.

D.C. U.S. Attorney declined to prosecute 67% of those arrested.  Here's why.  —  'I can promise you, it's not MPD holding the bag on this,' D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said.  'That's B.S.'  —  As the District grapples with rising crime and increasing attention from federal lawmakers …

Poll: Cut federal spending — but not big-ticket programs  —  In the federal budget standoff, the majority of U.S. adults are asking lawmakers to pull off the impossible: Cut the overall size of government, but also devote more money to the most popular and expensive programs.

Mixed Signals On Trump: Majority Says Criminal Charges Should Disqualify '24 Run, Popularity Is Unchanged, Leads DeSantis By Double Digits, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds  — mail_outline  —  Americans 57 - 38 percent think criminal charges should disqualify former President Donald Trump …

Matt Gaetz's Legislative Aide Is a Convicted War Criminal … Derrick Miller, a former U.S. Army National Guard sergeant who spent eight years in prison for murdering an Afghan civilian in 2010, now serves as a legislative assistant covering military policy for Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz.

A Federal Judge Couldn't Handle My Criticism.  So He Made Fun of My Tweets.  —  Two decades ago, writing about Bush v. Gore, my friend and former dean Ward Farnsworth suggested that “those who accuse the majority of having partisan motives underestimate the good faith of the justices …

He came to D.C. as a Brazilian student.  The U.S. says he was a Russian spy.  —  Johns Hopkins graduate Victor Ferreira was unmasked as GRU operative Sergey Cherkasov, according to a federal indictment and Western security officials  —  THE HAGUE — Like anyone who gets into his dream college …

Biden's private message to Bibi  —  President Biden urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a strong private message to halt his government's judicial overhaul just hours before Netanyahu went on television and announced the suspension of the controversial plan, according to two U.S. sources briefed on the issue.

Senate votes to repeal Iraq War authorization 20 years after invasion  —  The Senate on Wednesday voted 66-30 to repeal authorizations for the use of force in Iraq, more than twenty years after the U.S. invasion of the country. … - The legislation will now go to the House, where it's unclear if Republicans will take it up.

Michigan Democrats Rise, and Try to Turn a Battleground Blue  —  With a strong governor, a Legislature passing a raft of liberal measures and a looming early presidential primary, Democrats are testing the promise and pitfalls of complete control of the state.  —  Reporting from Bay City and Birmingham, Mich.

China threatens retaliation if Kevin McCarthy meets with Taiwan's president  —  A meeting between the House speaker and President Tsai Ing-wen while she is transiting through the U.S. would be a “provocation,” a Chinese official said Wednesday.  —  HONG KONG — China on Wednesday threatened retaliation …

DeSantis' Reedy Creek board says Disney stripped its power  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA — Gov. Ron DeSantis' handpicked board overseeing Disney World's government services is gearing up for a potential legal battle over a 30-year development agreement they say effectively renders them powerless …

The dangers of Dollar General  —  Dollar General is one of the most successful retailers in the world.  Last year, it recorded $37.8 billion in sales, up more than 10% over the prior year, and generated $3.3 billion in operating profit.  Over the last five years, its stock has increased by more than 120%.

Xi Jinping Says He Is Preparing China for War  —  The World Should Take Him Seriously  —  Chinese leader Xi Jinping says he is preparing for war.  At the annual meeting of China's parliament and its top political advisory body in March, Xi wove the theme of war readiness through four separate speeches …

Why Glenn Youngkin Would Be Crazy Not to Run for President  —  The Virginia governor offers two things Republicans need: A non-hostile alternative to Trump and a compelling centrist challenge to Biden.  —  RICHMOND, Va. — People, please, implored the Republican governor of Virginia: Let us …

Credit Suisse whistleblowers say Swiss bank has been helping wealthy Americans dodge U.S. taxes for years  — The bank notoriously pleaded guilty in 2014 to criminal charges for “knowingly and willfully” helping U.S. clients hide offshore assets and income from the IRS.

GOP lawmakers override veto of transgender bill in Kentucky  —  Republican lawmakers in Kentucky on Wednesday swept aside the Democratic governor's veto of a bill regulating some of the most personal aspects of life for transgender young people — from banning access to gender-affirming health care …

Just say NO and Veto Putin From Taking Over U.N. Security Council  —  It seems like the worst April Fools' joke in history, but an indicted war criminal, Vladimir Putin, is about to take control of the U.N. Security Council—with the implicit blessing of the United States, France, and the U.K …

Obamacare Keeps Winning  —  Its North Carolina victory is a sign of larger changes.  —  The government benefits began their existence as objects of partisan rancor and harsh criticism.  Eventually, though, they became so popular that politicians of both parties promised to protect them.

Fetterman set to return to Senate  —  The Pennsylvania Democrat plans to return to the Senate the week of April 17 after more than a month of inpatient treatment for depression, according to two people with direct knowledge of his plan.  —  Sen. John Fetterman plans to return to the Senate …

Howard Schultz defends Starbucks' labor practices, bristles at being labeled a billionaire in Sanders-led hearing  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders' team released a report on Starbucks' response to unionization before the hearing, with an aide urging viewers: “Don't get blended into a Frappuccino by Starbucks' PR team.”