EXCLUSIVE: Trump captured on tape talking about classified document he kept after leaving the White House  —  Federal prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting in which former President Donald Trump acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document …

Rand Paul to force Senate vote on potential cuts to Social Security, Medicare  —  Conservative Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says he will force the Senate to vote this week on cutting total federal spending by 5 percent in each of the next two years, a proposal that would include Social Security and Medicare.

Tommy Tuberville's musician brother ‘compelled to distance’ himself over ‘racial stereotypes, white nationalism’  —  The brother of U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville is speaking out on social media, saying he is “compelled to distance” himself from some of the lawmaker's recent statements.

Oklahoma Supreme Court Rules New Abortion Bans Unconstitutional  —  Oklahoma's Supreme Court said on Wednesday that two laws passed last year that ban most abortions are unconstitutional.  —  But the ruling does not affect a law passed in 1910 which still prohibits most abortions in the state …

Mike Pence to launch campaign for president in Iowa June 7  —  Former Vice President Mike Pence will officially launch his widely expected campaign for the Republican nomination for president in Iowa next week, adding another candidate to the growing GOP field and putting him in direct competition with his former boss.

Atlanta Police Arrest Organizers of Bail Fund for Cop City Protesters  —  Part of a brutal crackdown on dissent against the police training facility, the SWAT raid and charges against the protest bail fund are unprecedented.  —  On Wednesday morning, a heavily armed Atlanta Police Department SWAT team raided …

Manchin could get a gas pipeline out of the debt ceiling deal, and environmental advocates are livid  —  Sen. Joe Manchin's monthslong effort to greenlight the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline - a project that will pipe methane gas across parts of West Virginia and Virginia …

Jury finds Danny Masterson guilty on 2 counts in rape retrial  —  The “That '70s Show” actor was accused of raping three women.  —  A Los Angeles jury has found former “That '70s Show” actor Danny Masterson guilty of two counts of forcible rape in a retrial of a case involving three women.

Tennessee woman gets emergency hysterectomy after doctors deny early abortion care  —  Tennessee's ban went into effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned.  —  Mayron Hollis said she had just started taking contraceptives when she found out she was pregnant again a few months after giving birth in February 2022.

FTC Says Ring Employees Illegally Surveilled Customers, Failed to Stop Hackers from Taking Control of Users' Cameras  —  Under proposed FTC order, Ring will be prohibited from profiting from unlawfully accessing consumers videos, pay $5.8 million in consumer refunds

There is no defense for Trump's attack on Kayleigh ‘Milktoast’ McEnany  —  Kayleigh McEnany came under attack by her former boss on Truth Social last night.  His very thin skin was pierced by the former White House press secretary, now a Fox News host and contributor.

Chesa Boudin Brings a Lifetime of Experience to Lead New Criminal Law & Justice Center  —  Chesa Boudin has spent his whole life grappling with incarceration and its far-reaching implications.  As the founding executive director of Berkeley Law's new Criminal Law & Justice Center …

‘Trump Bucks’ retailers' websites taken down, days after being exposed for selling bogus currency  —  “Now if they could be arrested and put behind bars!” one buyer said.  —  The companies who appear to have swindled supporters of former President Donald Trump out of tens of thousands …

Climate Shocks Are Making Parts of America Uninsurable.  It Just Got Worse.  —  The largest insurer in California said it would stop offering new coverage.  It's part of a broader trend of companies pulling back from dangerous areas.  —  Christopher Flavelle, who has long covered the impacts …

GOP being crushed in Wisconsin as state ‘shifts leftward’: report  —  Democratic strategists once regarded Wisconsin as a reliably blue state.  Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis lost California, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Maine and Florida to Republican George H.W. Bush …

Eating Disorder Helpline Disables Chatbot for ‘Harmful’ Responses After Firing Human Staff  —  “Every single thing Tessa suggested were things that led to the development of my eating disorder.”  —  Chloe Xiang  —  The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) has taken its chatbot called Tessa offline …

Trump's latest policy pitch: A massive birthday party for the nation  —  The former president is proposing a yearlong bash to commemorate 250 years of independence.  —  Donald Trump's latest idea to enshrine American greatness is to throw the country “the most spectacular” birthday bash — one that will last all year.

Project Veritas Sues James O'Keefe for Bullying Staff, Misusing Funds  —  O'Keefe left the right-wing sting org in February after employees accused him of becoming a “power-drunk tyrant.”  —  Right-wing media group Project Veritas is suing its founder James O'Keefe, accusing him of bullying employees …

US not notified yet of UAE's withdrawal from Gulf maritime coalition  —  The announcement that the UAE had withdrawn its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces coalition appears to be Abu Dhabi's latest signal to Washington that it wants serious dialogue on security guarantees.

A verified AOC parody account got a boost from Elon Musk's Twitter  —  The account impersonating the congresswoman was suspended in 2019.  Musk brought it back and helped it go viral.  —  A verified Twitter account mocking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has skyrocketed in followers …

How Biden world gets its Shakshuka  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice.  —  Every cohort of White House staffers has staked its claim on a nearby cafe or restaurant as the go-to place to steal a few minutes away from campus.

‘We want dictator Trump’: America First activist publicly calls for ‘Trumpian Reich’  —  Tyler Russell, a Canadian nationalist leader of the America First movement, has called for Donald Trump to be installed as “dictator” in a “Trumpian Reich.”  —  In a clip obtained by Right Wing Watch …

DOJ sues coal firms owned by Jim Justice's family  —  Thank you for signing up!  —  The latest in politics and policy.  Direct to your inbox.  Sign up for the Energy and Environment newsletter  —  DOJ announces civil action against coal mines owned by West Virginia governor's son

Nikki Haley's husband to deploy with National Guard to Africa as she seeks 2024 GOP nomination  —  Nikki Haley's husband will soon begin a yearlong deployment with the South Carolina Army National Guard to Africa, a mission that will encompass most of the remainder of his wife's campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

“Anti-woke” movement finds itself an investment vehicle  —  Want to invest in the right-wing blowback to corporate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts?  There's a SPAC for that. … - If the deal closes, the combined company's board will include failed U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters …

James Beard Foundation, Whose Awards Honor Chefs, Is Now Investigating Them  —  The group behind “the Oscars of the food world” created a new process to weed out nominees with problematic pasts.  But that process has troubles of its own.  —  In more than 25 years of covering food …

How James Van Der Beek Became Fox News' New Hero  —  The “Dawson's Creek” star's latest comments about the 2024 election have made him headline news on Fox.  —  It looks like conservatives have found their latest Hollywood spokesperson in the star of Dawson's Creek.  (Or so they think.)