It Was More Than a #DeSaster  —  Ron DeSantis's botched campaign launch suggests that he's no Trump killer.  —  I've long been of the view that Donald Trump is something akin to a horror-movie monster—a Godzilla or a T. Rex, say—for the American political system.

CPAC Is Rocked by a Resignation  —  A top leader in the organization that puts on CPAC, the highly influential conference of conservative leaders, resigned on Tuesday night citing financial mysteries surrounding the organization's leader.  —  Bob Beauprez, the longtime treasurer …

Supreme Court Limits E.P.A.'s Power to Address Water Pollution  —  The justices ruled that discharges into some wetlands are not covered by the Clean Water Act.  —  Reporting from Washington  —  The Supreme Court on Thursday curtailed the Environmental Protection Agency's authority …

Exclusive: Slimmed-down US debt ceiling deal takes shape  —  U.S. President Joe Biden and top Republican lawmaker Kevin McCarthy are edging close to a deal on the U.S. debt ceiling, with the parties just $70 billion apart on discretionary spending, according to a person familiar with the talks.

Trump's Lawyers Warn Him: Get Ready to Be Indicted by the Feds  —  The former president has angrily complained in response to predictions that if the Justice Department is going to charge him, then “what about Joe Biden?” … The feds have also been probing whether or not Trump tried …

The Florida mom who sought to ban Amanda Gorman's poem says she's sorry for promoting the Protocols of the Elders of Zion  —  (JTA) - Months before a Miami-area mother persuaded a local school to restrict access to an Amanda Gorman poem, she was posting antisemitic memes on her Facebook page.

CNN Is Tanking After Its Unforgivable Trump Town Hall  —  CNN's brass defended its disastrous early-May town hall with Donald Trump on journalistic grounds, arguing that while he may present unique challenges as an interview subject—serial lying, general incoherence, a literal attempted coup …

'I Told My Assistant, “They're Gonna Fire Me"'  —  James Cromwell feared his scene-stealing Succession eulogy would end his career.  —  James Cromwell's career is a series of milestones.  From his breakout role as Stretch on All in the Family through acclaimed performances in Babe and L.A. Confidential …

Iowa 2024: Biden and Trump Start with Significant Leads in Party Caucuses  —  Home Polls Iowa 2024: Biden and Trump Start with Significant Leads in Party Caucuses … An Emerson College Polling survey of Iowa voters finds President Joe Biden with a 35% job approval rating, and a 54% disapproval.

Tennessee Speaker appoints conspiracy theorist to develop state social studies standards  —  Last week, Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R) announced that he had appointed Laurie Cardoza-Moore to serve on the Tennessee Standards Recommendation Committee to oversee …

Supreme Court sides with grandmother who lost home, equity because of back taxes  —  WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously sided with a 94-year-old grandmother who lost her home to foreclosure and then lost the equity she had in the property beyond the taxes she owed.

Gym Shoes In The Oval Office Is A Sartorial Wake-Up Call For Leaders  —  It was, to borrow a Sports Illustrated phrase, a sign that the apocalypse is near.  —  Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries …

Democrats Need to Get Over Their Pathetic Fear of the Supreme Court  —  On today's X-Date, remembering what Franklin Roosevelt did when faced with a potential Court decision that would blow up the economy: prepare to ignore it.  —  In the ongoing debate about whether or not President Biden …

China faces a new Covid wave that could peak at 65 million cases a week  —  Though China once had some of the harshest Covid restrictions on the planet, the response from the government and public is relatively muted this time.  —  BEIJING — China is bracing for a new wave of Covid-19 infections …

Henry Kissinger at 100: Still a War Criminal  —  Henry Kissinger is turning 100 this week, and his centennial is prompting assorted hosannas about perhaps the most influential American foreign policymaker of the 20th century.  The Economist observed that “his ideas have been circling back into relevancy for the last quarter century.”

A majority of Californians say Feinstein is no longer fit for office, a new poll finds  —  A substantial majority of Californians feel that Sen. Dianne Feinstein is no longer fit for the job because of her recent declining health, and more voters believe she should resign than support her staying in office …

State lawmakers want children to fill labor shortages, even in bars and on school nights  —  As the federal government cracks down on child labor violations, some state lawmakers are embracing legislation to let children work longer hours and in more hazardous occupations.

Ronna McDaniel Says Possible U.S. Default ‘Bodes Very Well for the Republican Field’ in 2024  —  Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel said the U.S. potentially defaulting on its debt would be a boon for Republicans in 2024.  —  McDaniel joined Wednesday's edition of The Story on Fox News …

Paralyzed man walks again using implants connecting brain with spinal cord  —  A 40-year-old man whose legs were paralyzed in a cycling accident 12 years ago can walk again thanks to implants in his brain and spinal cord.  —  The brain-spine interface (BSI) has remained stable for a year …

Trial date set for Steve Bannon's fundraising fraud case  —  A New York state judge has set a trial date for Steve Bannon's fundraising fraud case for May of next year.  —  In a brief court hearing Thursday, the judge said Bannon's trial would begin May 27, 2024 - roughly two months …