‘It was bravado’: Trump says he wasn't holding up classified documents in 2021 meeting  —  The News  —  Former President Donald Trump insisted on Tuesday that he was not showing off classified documents in an audio clip first published by CNN in which he referred to “highly confidential” …

Trump world fumes over McCarthy's 2024 slight  —  The speaker tried to make amends, but it just made things worse.  —  Former President Donald Trump has catapulted the careers of many Republican over the past eight years.  None have benefited more than Kevin McCarthy.

Russian General Knew About Mercenary Chief's Rebellion Plans, U.S. Officials Say  —  Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, may have believed he had support in Russia's military.  —  Reporting from Washington  —  A senior Russian general had advance knowledge of Yevgeny Prigozhin's plans …

Exclusive — Rising Conservative Influencer Pedro Gonzalez Regularly Espoused Racist and Anti-Semitic Sentiments in Private Messages  —  Pedro Gonzalez, a rising conservative influencer and politics editor of Chronicles magazine, regularly in 2019 and 2020 sent racist and antisemitic messages …

Ex-staffer describes Trump fantasizing about sex with Ivanka  —  Former President Donald Trump made sexual comments about his daughter Ivanka that were so lewd he was rebuked by his Chief of Staff, former Trump official Miles Taylor writes in a new book.  —  The comments are used by Taylor …

Exclusive: Rudy Giuliani interviewed in special counsel's 2020 election interference probe  —  Former Donald Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani has been interviewed by federal investigators as part of the special counsel's investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, multiple sources familiar with the meeting told CNN.

The Supreme Court Rejected a Dangerous Elections Theory.  But It's Not All Good News.  —  Mr. Pildes is a legal scholar who analyzes the intersection of politics and law and how they affect our democracy.  —  On Tuesday, the Supreme Court decision in Moore v. Harper rejected the most extreme version …

Competing Accounts of Justice Dept.'s Handling of Hunter Biden Case  —  An I.R.S. investigator's testimony describing strains over the inquiry into President Biden's son is at odds with the version laid out by Attorney General Merrick Garland.  —  At a Senate hearing in March …

Donald Trump sues E. Jean Carroll for defamation  —  Donald Trump has sued E. Jean Carroll for defamation after a jury found he sexually abused the former magazine columnist and defamed her.  —  In a counter claim filed Tuesday night, Trump alleges that Carroll defamed him when she appeared …

Ron DeSantis voted for the First Step Act and hailed its ‘successes.’ He now calls it ‘the jailbreak bill’  —  On the campaign trail, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has attacked Donald Trump's signature prison reform bill, calling it a “jailbreak bill” and claiming it “allowed dangerous people …

'We're Coming For Your Children' chant at NYC Drag March elicits outrage, but activists say it's taken out of context  —  Organizers say the NYC Drag March is meant to be lighthearted and to poke fun at anti-LGBTQ sentiment.  —  Over the weekend, a short video circulated widely on social media …

Most Americans support US arming Ukraine -Reuters/Ipsos  —  Solid majorities of Americans support providing weaponry to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and believe that such aid demonstrates to China and other U.S. rivals a will to protect U.S. interests and allies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey.

Trump valet arraignment delayed after losing Florida lawyer over fees dispute  —  Exclusive: Walt Nauta remains without a Florida lawyer after the person abruptly hiked their fees just before the arraignment  —  Donald Trump's valet charged in the classified documents case had his arraignment …

Bidenomics is in the eye of the beholder  —  Good morning, Early Birds.  Two more days of free access to The Post.  Consume as much as you can (and think about becoming a subscriber if you're not already).  Tips: earlytips@washpost.com.  Thanks for waking up with us.  —  Reading this online?

RFK Jr. Claims ‘Vaccine Research’ Likely Responsible for HIV and the Spanish Flu  —  The 2024 presidential hopeful hosted a panel with some of the loudest vaccine skeptics in the nation … During the unfiltered conversation, he falsely suggested that millions of deaths in the Great Influenza …

After 27 tries, Chinese millionaire considers giving up on college entrance exam  —  “Universities are sacred in my heart,” said Liang Shi, 56, who has been trying for 40 years to get a satisfactory score on the grueling test, known as the gaokao.  —  HONG KONG — The 27th time was not the charm …

The Arraignment That Wasn't  —  It is a Tuesday morning in Miami, and once again, I find myself arriving at the federal courthouse at an ungodly hour.  I should acknowledge an improvement; this time, I have at least arrived on the right day, rather than a full rotation of the Earth before the hearing is scheduled to begin.

Miami Mayor Suarez: “What's a Uyghur?”  “A weeble?”  —  I guarantee you that the next time Miami Mayor Francis Suarez does an interview, he will know all about the plight of the Uyghurs.  He experienced on of those moments during an interview with Salem Radio Network's Hugh Hewitt on Tuesday that every presidential candidate dreads.

Judge signals he'll let Trump hush money case stay in state court  —  A federal judge did not appear inclined to move a New York state case against Donald Trump to federal court, suggesting on Tuesday that the prosecution stemming from hush money payments had little to do with his conduct while president.