Trump pleaded not guilty, then sat quietly as lawyers sparred.  —  The charges center on a hush money deal with a porn star, but prosecutors also accused the former president of orchestrating a broader scheme to pay off another woman and a doorman during the 2016 campaign.  —  Pinned

Wisconsin Supreme Court Election: Protasiewicz Wins With Abortion Message  —  Janet Protasiewicz prevailed in the state's highly consequential contest for the Supreme Court, which will now be likely to reverse the state's abortion ban and end the use of gerrymandered legislative maps.

NC Democrat expected to change parties  —  A North Carolina Democratic lawmaker is expected to flip her party affiliation, multiple Republicans with knowledge of the discussions tell Axios.  — The move would cement Republicans' toe-hold in a fast-changing swing state …

Live Updates: Brandon Johnson Is Elected Mayor of Chicago  —  Mr. Johnson, a teachers' union organizer, defeated a more conservative Democrat who called for a crackdown on crime.  —  Pinned  —  The mayor-elect inherits a city in flux.  —  Brandon Johnson, a county commissioner …

‘This is sickening’: The Trumps face furious backlash after targeting Manhattan judge's daughter  —  Hours ahead of former President Donald Trump's Tuesday arraignment on thirty-four felony charges filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the right-wing outlet Breitbart published …

Finland joins NATO, doubling alliance's land border with Russia  —  BRUSSELS — Finland formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Tuesday, a historic shift for a country that once insisted it was safer outside the military alliance and a sign of how Russian President Vladimir Putin's gamble …

Why journalists can't quit Twitter  —  The media should be building alternatives.  Instead, some are doubling down  —  Today, Donald Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a series of hush-money payments related to the 2016 US presidential campaign.

Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith Call Off Their Engagement  —  The 92-year-old media mogul announced his engagement to the 66-year-old former dental hygienist a scant two weeks ago, following last year's divorce from his fourth wife, Jerry Hall.  —  Wedding bells may not be ringing for Rupert Murdoch anytime soon.

With oil production cut, the Saudis send a message to the U.S.  —  Saudi Arabia's coldly pragmatic decision this past weekend to cut oil production and raise prices sent a simple message: The United States doesn't call the shots in the Persian Gulf or the oil market anymore.

Johnson & Johnson Reaches $8.9 Billion Talc Settlement  —  The company faces a flood of lawsuits claiming its talc products caused cancer.  The proposed settlement requires approval by a bankruptcy court, but has the backing of plaintiffs' lawyers.  —  Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday …

Clinton regrets persuading Ukraine to give up nuclear weapons  —  Prime Time Presenter  —  Former US president Bill Clinton has expressed regret in an RTÉ interview about his role in persuading Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons in 1994.  —  Mr Clinton suggested that Russia …