Scoop: How Trump's team egged him on during CNN town hall  —  President Trump got more aggressive — and more dismissive of moderator Kaitlan Collins — as last week's CNN town hall continued.  Now we know one reason why:  — Backstage during the first commercial break, Axios has learned …

Trump puts DeSantis in a bind on 2020: Can he bring himself to say Trump lost?  —  The Florida governor is making the case that he's more electable than Trump.  Just don't ask him if Trump lost.  —  Donald Trump falsely insisting that the 2020 election was “rigged” last week was nothing …

Dems' great hope to hold the Senate: GOP primary implosions  —  Despite Republicans' new strategy, Democrats are looking for “extreme candidates” to come out of Senate GOP primaries and give them a leg up in an otherwise bleak electoral map.  —  Most Democrats stay quiet about GOP primaries …

Rick Wilson hands Democrats their top talking point to turn 2024 GOP candidates ‘radioactive’  —  During an appearance on MSNBC on Sunday morning, former Republican party campaign strategist Rick Wilson said Democrats have their work cut out for them in the 2024 election cycle …

The big problem with trying to cut spending in a debt ceiling bill  —  President Biden and congressional leaders have a major hurdle to overcome as negotiators meet privately to consider a way forward and prevent a self-inflicted economic calamity.  —  WASHINGTON — House Republicans …

Wagner chief offered to give Russian troop locations to Ukraine, leak says  —  Yevgeniy Prigozhin said he would tell Ukraine's military where to attack Russian troops if they pulled their own forces back from the beleaguered city of Bakhmut, where Wagner mercenaries were taking heavy losses

DeSantis signs bill to defund DEI programs at Florida's public colleges  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill into law Monday barring the state's colleges and universities from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and limiting how race can be discussed in many courses.

EXCLUSIVE: Capitol Hill Staffer Is A Prominent Follower Of Neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes  —  Evidence shows Congressman Paul Gosar's digital director is behind an online persona that Fuentes called one of his “strongest soldiers.”  —  Nick Fuentes was under attack.

Supreme Court to consider South Carolina plan that ‘exiled’ Black voters  —  The Supreme Court will consider South Carolina's attempt to reinstate a congressional redistricting plan that a lower court found had “exiled” 30,000 Black voters to create a district winnable for a White Republican candidate.

A Cancer Surgeon and Patient Is Biden's Pick to Lead N.I.H.  —  President Biden said on Monday that he had selected Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli, who has led the National Cancer Institute since October, to be the next director of the National Institutes of Health.

Florida teacher investigated by state agency for showing Disney movie in class  —  A Florida teacher is under investigation by the state Department of Education after what she believes is a targeted attack by a school board member who took issue with a Disney movie shown in her classroom.

The Ratcatcher  —  The Ratcatcher  —  In an exclusive interview with The American Conservative, Florida's Ron DeSantis explains his war with Disney for the soul and sovereignty of America.  —  (Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images)  —  “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that is all.”

Eric Adams Is Starving New York City's Universal Pre-K Program  —  One of America's most ambitious child-care experiments is playing out, in part, at a public-housing complex at the far end of Manhattan's East Village.  Tucked behind one of the 13 brick towers that make up the Jacob Riis Houses …

Nail-Biter Turkish Election Heads for Round 2 as Majority Eludes Erdogan  —  After two decades in power, a struggling Recep Tayyip Erdogan has two more weeks to persuade Turkish voters that he should continue as president.  —  ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's presidential election appeared on Sunday …

IRS tests free e-filing system that could compete with tax prep giants  —  The prototype program developed by the federal government could be available for a small group of taxpayers by January  —  The Internal Revenue Service has quietly built its own prototype system to allow Americans …

How Kyrsten Sinema Uses Campaign Cash for Her Marathon Habit  —  Sen. Kyrsten Sinema loves to run marathons—and to use campaign cash to pay for her stays at swanky hotels during those marathons. … When Kyrsten Sinema ran the Boston Marathon last year, it was a proud moment the Arizona senator …

Why Clarence Thomas's Troubles Have Just Begun  —  The scandal that forced Abe Fortas's resignation from the Supreme Court in 1969 revolved around $20,000 he had accepted from the family foundation of an indicted financier (he returned the money).  That $20,000 would be around $167,000 today.

In Black-led Compton, a Latino majority fights for political power  —  The city known for its Black culture has flipped majority Latino, but its leadership remains all Black.  A group of Latino vaqueros want to change that.  —  COMPTON, Calif. — The riders on horseback clopped past corner stores …

Why Smartmatic's case against Fox News is even stronger than Dominion's  —  There are reasons Smartmatic is seeking a tidy $2.7 billion.  —  ∙ Paid … Last month, Fox News agreed to pay an eye-popping $787.5 million sum to settle a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems.

Supreme Court rejects Alabama's bid to use lethal injection against inmate's wishes  —  Alabama officials sought to execute death row inmate Kenneth Smith by lethal injection despite his preference for lethal gas.  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected Alabama's bid to execute …

Inside the Tennessee legislature, where a GOP supermajority reigns  —  In the Republican-dominated state House, ‘culture war’ battles rage while demands for new gun restrictions are ignored following a deadly school shooting  —  NASHVILLE — Two dozen people sat silently …

Before His Killing, Tech Executive Bob Lee Led an Underground Life of Sex and Drugs  —  After the Cash App founder died in a stabbing, some were quick to blame San Francisco's street violence.  The truth was more shocking.  —  SAN FRANCISCO—In certain wealthy tech circles it is known as …

Zelensky arrives in UK for surprise meeting with Sunak  —  Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting the UK to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.  —  In a tweet, he said he would meet his “friend” Mr Sunak to hold “substantive negotiations”.  —  The UK announced on Thursday …