Judicial activist directed fees to Clarence Thomas's wife, urged ‘no mention of Ginni’  —  Leonard Leo told GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway to bill nonprofit, then use money to pay spouse of Supreme Court justice  —  Conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo arranged for the wife …

Things Keep Looking Worse for Justice Thomas and his Billionaire Buddy  —  Another blockbuster story has thrust embattled Justice Clarence Thomas back in the national spotlight.  ProPublica reported on Thursday morning that billionaire Harlan Crow had paid the hefty private school tuition bill for Thomas's great nephew, Mark Martin.

Justice Dept. Intensifying Efforts to Determine if Trump Hid Documents  —  Prosecutors investigating the former president's handling of classified material have issued a wave of new subpoenas and obtained the confidential cooperation of a witness who worked at Mar-a-Lago.

Americans split on who they'd blame if U.S. defaults, Post-ABC poll finds  —  As the debate over raising the debt ceiling continues, 39 percent say they would blame congressional Republicans, while 36 percent say they would blame President Biden  —  A Washington Post-ABC News poll finds Americans divided …

How Rep. James Clyburn Protected His District at a Cost to Black Democrats  —  The meeting was arranged in secret.  On Nov. 19, 2021, the chief of staff for South Carolina's Senate Judiciary Committee texted Dalton Tresvant, a key aide to Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state's most powerful Democrat.

Wagner chief says mercenaries will leave Bakhmut, blasts Moscow  —  Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said he will withdraw his mercenaries from the embattled town of Bakhmut, Ukraine, saying his fighters are “doomed to senseless death” because Russia's Defense Ministry is depriving them of ammunition.

Feinstein should resign, New York Times Editorial Board says  —  The New York Times Editorial Board called on Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to resign from the upper chamber on Friday if she continues to remain sidelined from Senate business, having been away from Washington since late February due to illness.

May 4, 2023  —  Today began with another story about yet more ties between Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas and Republican billionaire Harlan Crow.  Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, and Alex Mierjeski of ProPublica reported that Crow paid the private school tuition for Thomas's grandnephew …

Boys Be Not Proud  —  I wrote a song about seditious conspiracy  —  Good Evening.  —  A reminder to you all that just because I am not on Twitter any more doesn't mean you shouldn't be tweeting footpics at Ric Grenell.  —  The more a person tweets footpics at Ric Grenell, the more is he or she to be praised.

In Rape Trial Deposition, Trump Says Vulgar Tape Simply Reflects Truth  —  The former president did not disavow the “Access Hollywood” video when questioned by lawyers for E. Jean Carroll, who has accused him of attacking her.  They rested their case Thursday.

Scoop: Inside Hunter Biden's clash with the White House  —  Top aides to President Biden have clashed with Hunter Biden's team over strategies for dealing with the legal battles and Republican attacks that surround the president's son. … - Hunter's team also is moving toward creating a legal defense fund …

DeSantis courts evangelicals with strict abortion law; opponents counterpunch in his backyard  —  A multi-million-dollar initiative would roll back one of DeSantis' signature policies by allowing abortion until a fetus is viable at about 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Kari Lake's lawyers slapped with $2,000 sanction for pushing election conspiracy theories in court  —  Lawyers for failed pro-Trump Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake have been hit with sanctions by the Supreme Court of Arizona for pushing a conspiracy theory that 35,000 extra ballots …

Donald Trump departs Ireland to ‘confront’ accuser in New York case  —  Mr Trump said he would “probably attend” the hearing as he spoke to reporters while golfing at his resort outside the village of Doonbeg, Co Clare  —  Former US president Donald Trump said he cut his trip to Ireland short …

How Washington underestimated Biden's big climate law  —  The News  —  Washington's budget wonks may have underestimated the size of Joe Biden's signature climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, when it passed last year — and by a lot.  —  At the time, Capitol Hill's official …

Florida lawmakers pass pair of extreme anti-trans bills  —  Over the past two days, Florida lawmakers passed two of the most extreme anti-transgender bills in the nation — bills that would criminalize providing gender-affirming medical care to minors as a felony and criminalize trans people …

U.K.'s ruling Conservatives punished by voters on ‘terrible’ night  —  A bleak set of local election results were emerging for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Friday after a year of political scandals, surging inflation and stagnant economic growth.  —  British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives …

Former Trump campaign staffer subpoenaed by DOJ is now working for House committee on elections  —  Thomas Lane's home was searched by the FBI.  He now works on the House Administration Committee.  —  A former Trump campaign staffer who was subpoenaed by the Department of Justice as part …

Biden to Name Air Force Chief to Top Military Post, Officials Say  —  The appointment of Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. would mean that the top two Pentagon leadership positions would be inhabited by Black men for the first time in American history.  —  WASHINGTON — President Biden is expected …

Massachusetts blast site where 1 died moves to cleanup phase  —  Authorities in Massachusetts on Friday identified the worker who died after a powerful explosion tore through a pharmaceutical chemical plant with a history of problems.  Acting Newburyport Fire Chief Stephen Bradbury III …

America's Lowest Standard  —  Try to imagine anyone like Trump surviving in any other segment of our society—business, entertainment, sports, the military.  —  In one of his rare moments of naivete, Alexander Hamilton imagined that the Electoral College would afford “a moral certainty” …