Donald Trump Tops Ron DeSantis in Test of GOP Presidential Field, WSJ Poll Finds  —  No candidate beyond the two leaders draws substantial support in the still-developing primary race  —  WASHINGTON—Donald Trump has gained command of the GOP presidential-nomination race over Ron DeSantis …

I.R.S. Official Is Said to Assert Political Meddling in Hunter Biden Inquiry  —  An agent overseeing the agency's portion of the investigation into the president's son is asking Congress for whistle-blower protection to discuss what he says is misconduct in the case.

BuzzFeed News Is Shutting Down, Company Laying Off 180 Staffers  —  BuzzFeed is shutting down BuzzFeed News because it is not able to turn a profit, according to a memo CEO Jonah Peretti sent to company staff Thursday.  The digital publisher is laying off 15% of its employees, or about 180 people …

McCarthy at risk of falling short on GOP votes for debt ceiling bill  —  House Republicans are feeling a debt ceiling hangover, with senior GOP sources worrying they're significantly short on votes now that members have read the 320-page bill. … - Much of the skepticism is coming …

Top Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn to be questioned for 2nd day by special counsel: Sources  —  Epshteyn met with prosecutors for multiple hours on Thursday, sources say.  —  After meeting with  —  special counsel Jack Smith's  —  office for multiple hours Thursday, top Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn …

Charges dropped against Alec Baldwin in fatal on-set ‘Rust’ shooting: Sources  —  Baldwin was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.  —  Charges against Alec Baldwin have been dropped in the  —  fatal on-set “Rust” shooting  —  , according to sources familiar with the matter.

REVEALED: GOP leader, who voted to expel TN Three, resigns; found guilty of sexually harassing interns  —  A member of GOP leadership in the Tennessee House of Representatives was recently found guilty of sexually harassing at least one legislative intern, likely two, by an ethics subcommittee acting in secret,

Trump touts authoritarian vision for second term: ‘I am your justice’  —  The former president is proposing deploying the military domestically, purging the federal workforce and building futuristic cities from scratch  —  Mandatory stop-and-frisk.  Deploying the military to fight street crime, break up gangs and deport immigrants.

Smartmatic wants more than Dominion's $787 million payout, plus a retraction from Fox for its 2020 election lies, lawyer says  —  A top lawyer for Smartmatic, the voting technology company whose defamation lawsuit against Fox News is still pending, said Thursday that he won't accept …

The Internet of the 2010s Ended Today  —  BuzzFeed News was more than a website: It defined an era.  —  If you're curious to know what it was like to work at BuzzFeed News in the salad days of the mid-2010s, here is a representative anecdote: I was sitting at my desk one morning …

Larry Elder announces 2024 White House bid  —  Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder announced Thursday that he's launching a 2024 presidential campaign, joining a growing list of Republicans vying for the GOP nomination.  —  Elder will speak at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition this weekend.

Ukraine defended Bakhmut despite U.S. warnings in leaked documents  —  BAKHMUT, Ukraine — Months after dire warnings from Washington that Ukraine would not be able to hold Bakhmut against an onslaught of Russian mercenaries, Ukrainian forces still cling to the city's western edge …

Top GOP lawyer decries ease of campus voting in private pitch to RNC  —  A presentation by Cleta Mitchell at a donor retreat urged tougher rules that could make it harder for college students to cast ballots  —  NASHVILLE — A top Republican legal strategist told a roomful of GOP donors …

Capitol rioter shot at local deputies after FBI informed him of Jan. 6 charges  —  Nathan Donald Pelham, of Texas, now faces an additional felony count, on top of the four misdemeanor charges stemming from the attack on the Capitol.  —  A Texas man facing charges in the Jan. 6 riot opened fire …

Public schools would have to display Ten Commandments under bill passed by Texas Senate  —  The Senate also passed a bill that would set prayer and Bible reading times during the school day.  —  Public schools in Texas would have to prominently display the Ten Commandments …

Widow of man who died in custody of deputies in Oklahoma county where officials talked about lynching Black people files suit  —  A Tulsa woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the McCurtain County Sheriff and other local officials.  —  A Tulsa woman filed a wrongful death lawsuit …

LeBron James didn't pay for his Twitter checkmark, but Elon Musk gave it to him anyway … Twitter has started getting rid of legacy blue checks for those who don't pay up.  Well, unless you're LeBron James and a couple of other celebrities.  —  The Verge has confirmed that an employee …

GOP targets clean energy laws despite boons back home  —  Earlier this year, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene heralded the expansion of a South Korean solar panel production company in her district — a $2.5 billion cash infusion.  —  “QCells, the solar company ... I think they're fantastic,” she said.

Why so many top Republicans want to go to war in Mexico  —  An astonishingly bad idea that's gotten popular very quickly.  —  One of the hottest new ideas in Republican politics is, apparently, launching a war in Mexico.  —  Three recent articles — in Rolling Stone, Politico, and Semafor …

Trump killed the ‘values voter’ wing of the GOP.  It isn't coming back in 2024.  —  On the eve of a Christian cattle call in Iowa, the two 2024 contenders who talk the most about their faith aren't gaining traction.  —  Mike Pence has spent nearly a half dozen of his Sundays in recent months speaking …

Russia admits its own warplane accidentally bombed Russian city of Belgorod, near Ukraine border  —  Moscow — When a powerful blast shook a Russian city near the border of Ukraine residents thought it was a Ukrainian attack.  But the Russian military quickly acknowledged …