Missouri House Republicans vote to defund libraries  —  Missouri House Republicans voted to defund all of the state's public libraries, in a proposed $45.6 billion state budget that will soon move to a vote in the GOP-controlled state Senate.  —  The Missouri House debated for over eight hours …

Bragg Sues Jim Jordan in Move to Block Interference in Trump Case  —  Mr. Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, had subpoenaed a former prosecutor who worked on the Manhattan district attorney's investigation into former President Donald J. Trump.  —  The Manhattan district attorney …

Judge chides Fox News over Dominion claim of ‘missing’ Murdoch documents  —  The judge in a $1.6 billion defamation case said the cable-news giant has a ‘credibility problem’ after Dominion's legal team says it was misled about the co-founder's role at the company

Republicans Are Silent On The Abortion Pill Ruling, Despite Confirming The Judge Behind It  —  GOP senators voted for the Trump-appointed judge knowing he was rabidly anti-abortion.  But none would tell HuffPost if they're happy about his court order.  —  Democrats are all but banging pots …

Between the Tennessee Three, Abortion, and Trump, the GOP Just Loves Losing  —  The GOP turned three Tennessee Democrats into celebrities, the unpopular antiabortion crackdown is still in full force, and the party is rallying around an indicted Donald Trump.  What politically disastrous decision will Republicans make next?

The smearing of Garrett Foster  —  The far right justifies political violence by villainizing a decent man  —  Last week, an Austin, Texas, jury convicted Daniel Perry for the murder of Garrett Foster.  In the summer of 2020, Perry ran a red light, then drove into a crowd of people protesting the murder of George Floyd.

Ukraine war: Leak shows Western special forces on the ground  —  The UK is among a number of countries with military special forces operating inside Ukraine, according to one of dozens of documents leaked online.  —  It confirms what has been the subject of quiet speculation for over a year.

Jan. 6 rioter who wore ‘Jack Skellington’ costume gets hit with prison time  —  A Nevada man who donned a “Jack Skellington” costume during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to six years in prison for assaulting law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon amid the insurrection attempt.

SC Sen. Tim Scott takes another White House step: Launching 2024 exploratory committee  —  Tim Scott, the South Carolina senator who has built a national profile pushing a message of hope and unity in a divisive Republican Party, is taking his biggest step so far toward running for president in 2024, The Post and Courier has learned.

White House proposes equal cuts for states that depend on Colorado River  —  The White House is proposing a plan that would force several western states to equally split how much water they use from the Colorado River.  The fight over water allocation has been brewing for months as drought is threatening the supply.

Gun Used in Deadly Louisville Shooting to Be Auctioned Off—Under State Law  —  VICIOUS CYCLE  —  The AR-15-style rifle used by a gunman to kill five people at a bank in Louisville on Monday morning will be auctioned off to the public in the future, according to Mayor Craig Greenberg.

Anti-'Groomer' Republican Accused of ‘Inappropriate Relationship’ With Intern  —  Texas Rep. Bryan Slaton called all-ages drag shows “grooming events” that “sexualize” children.  An official complaint alleges he had an “inappropriate relationship” with a young intern.

Dianne Feinstein Is MIA, and Her Absence Is Holding Up Judicial Confirmations  —  The 89-year-old senator has missed 60 votes of the 82 taken in 2023, at a critical time for Biden to be getting judges confirmed.  She needs to resign right now.  —  Alerts  —  At what is clearly a critical …

Jet-Setting With Clarence Thomas Puts Spotlight on an Eccentric Billionaire  —  The justice's relationship with Harlan Crow has raised questions about whether a friendship can be separated from politics and intensified calls for an ethics code for the justices.

‘Free Speech’ Twitter Is Now Globally Blocking Posts Critical Of The Modi Government  —  A few weeks ago we wrote about how Elon Musk's Twitter was now blocking tweets in India at the request of the government.  As we noted, there's a lot of important history here.

Texas county weighs closing local library after federal judge orders banned books returned to circulation  —  The Llano County commissioners scheduled a special meeting Thursday where they will discuss whether to “continue or cease operations” at the library.

Sarah Sanders asks state board applicants to name what they admire about her most while applying for job  —  Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is asking applicants to serve on state boards and commissions to write explanations of what they admire about her leadership most, reported the Arkansas Times on Tuesday.

Ukrainian hackers say they have compromised Russian spy who hacked Democrats in 2016  —  Ukrainian hackers claim to have broken into the emails of a senior Russian military spy wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for hacking the Hillary Clinton campaign and other senior U.S. Democrats ahead …

The Jan. 6 problem inside a pro-democracy organization  —  With help from Nahal Toosi, Maggie Miller, Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Connor O'Brien and Alex Ward.  —  Frustration is growing inside the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, an organization that promotes democracy and election integrity abroad …

Names of Florida Governor's Mansion guests would be shielded under this bill  —  The Senate sponsor said the bill is meant to shield guests visiting for non-governmental purposes.  —  By News Service of Florida  —  TALLAHASSEE — The names of certain guests at the Governor's Mansion …

Iowa House GOP bill to require in-person caucusing, endangering Democrats' mail-in plans  —  House Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill to require Iowans to be physically present to participate in the state's caucuses — a move that would upend Democrats' plans to allow mail-in participation.

Dr. Muasher: calls for granting equal rights to Israelis and Palestinians as a solution to the issue  —  Marwan Muasher, who served as the first Jordanian ambassador to Israel and foreign minister in the early 2000s, has called for Jordan to stop working with Israel “diplomatically and flexibly …

Experts warn of new spyware threat targeting journalists and political figures  —  Citizen Lab says victims' phones infected after being sent a iCloud calendar invitation in a ‘zero-click’ attack  —  Security experts have warned about the emergence of previously unknown spyware …