Fox Will Pay $787.5 Million to Settle Defamation Suit  —  The settlement with Dominion Voting Systems was the latest extraordinary twist in a case that exposed the inner workings of the most powerful voice in conservative news.  —  Reporting from Wilmington, Del.

DeSantis is in a rut.  His trek to D.C. didn't help.  —  At a big moment for him, the Florida governor was overshadowed by rival Donald Trump's string of endorsements.  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis values being in control.  Presidential candidate-in-waiting DeSantis is losing it.

Biden Can Steamroll Republicans on the Debt Ceiling  —  And Fed Chair Jay Powell won't interfere.  —  The threat of a real debt ceiling crisis is growing rapidly.  House Republicans are still pushing steep spending cuts that the White House won't countenance, even as the GOP remains deeply divided on a strategy.

Man arrested after 2 Woodlands Elite cheerleaders were shot outside HEB near Austin, police say  —  Police say Payton Washington was one of two Woodlands Elite cheerleaders hit when someone opened fire near a grocery store outside Austin.  One man is in custody.

Exclusive: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launches unlikely presidential bid backed by 14% of Biden voters  —  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launches his unlikely bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Wednesday with the support of 14% of voters who backed President Joe Biden in 2020, an exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds.

Inside the secret list of websites that make AI chatbots sound smart  —  AI chatbots have exploded in popularity over the past four months, stunning the public with their awesome abilities, from writing sophisticated term papers to holding unnervingly lucid conversations.

Allen Weisselberg, former Trump Organization CFO, released from jail  —  Allen Weisselberg, the former Trump Organization chief financial officer who pleaded guilty to tax fraud and other crimes, was released from jail Wednesday, records show.  —  Weisselberg spent 108 days …

Women lawmakers come to Feinstein's defense  —  Women across the aisle are defending Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), saying they see sexism and ageism in the calls for her to resign from Congress. … - “To me it's ageist and it's sexist,” said Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).

Democratic governors lose their grip as Republicans nab supermajorities  —  A steady number of GOP wins and party-flipping have created a particularly challenging environment for Democratic governors in Kentucky, Kansas, Louisiana and North Carolina.  —  Kansas Rep. Heather Meyer …

Ex-Biden official Sam Brinton to undergo mental health evaluation in luggage theft case  —  Sam Brinton, the disgraced former Biden administration official accused of stealing luggage on at least two separate occasions, has agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation as part of a Minnesota's adult diversion program.

He's rich.  He's pugilistic.  And he's quietly paying to get Gavin Newsom's attention.  —  The organization trying to qualify another rent control ballot measure in California is paying $2 per signature for a letter to the Democratic governor — and it's not disclosing who is funding the correspondence.

People should say why they are running for president  —  Chris Christie may be a long shot if he runs in 2024, but he has one extremely important idea that other Republicans could learn from: Candidates should say why they'd be a better choice than their top rivals.

Tennessee moves to shield gun firms after school shooting  —  In the wake of a deadly school shooting last month, Republican lawmakers in Tennessee awarded final passage Tuesday to a proposal that would further protect gun and ammunition dealers, manufacturers and sellers against lawsuits.

Grand jury indicts torch carriers in 2017 Charlottesville rally  —  At least three men who marched with blazing tiki torches at the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville are now facing criminal charges, according to indictments unsealed this week.  —  A grand jury in Virginia indicted …

FBI arrests guardsman who applied for job on RentAHitman.com  —  Josiah Garcia reportedly told undercover agent he was an excellent shot and willing to torture people and cut off fingers or ears  —  Fake website RentAHitman.com has snagged another would-be killer-for-hire after a US soldier applied …

China Is on Track to Become Nuclear Superpower, Ushering in New Age  —  China is on track to massively expand its nuclear arsenal, just as Russia suspends the last major arms control treaty.  It augurs a new world in which Beijing, Moscow and Washington will likely be atomic peers.

Idaho Republicans Auction ‘Trigger Time’ With Kyle Rittenhouse  —  Not only did the baby-faced killer headline the Bonneville County fundraiser, he took winning bidders on a shooting spree.  —  Kyle Rittenhouse became a GOP celebrity when he got away with killing two unarmed protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, almost three years ago.

Ralph Yarl armed only with ‘Black skin,’ family lawyer says  —  As Ralph Yarl struggled to come to grips with being shot after going to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers, the white Kansas City, Missouri, homeowner who shot the Black teenager turned himself in and was released on bond Tuesday.

Harlan Crow Is ‘Collateral Damage’ of a Smear Campaign Against Clarence Thomas  —  In an effort to delegitimate the Supreme Court, left-leaning journalists libel him as a Nazi sympathizer.  —  Resize  —  Dallas  —  American politics lately feels like an endless game of—pardon the infelicitous word—delegitimation.