Mark Meadows struggles to distance himself from Trump's plot  —  The many prosecutions involving former president Donald Trump effectively began in earnest Monday — and with a bang.  Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows opted to take the stand in Georgia with a bold …

Jack Smith's Team Grilled Witnesses About Rudy Giuliani's Drinking  —  The special counsel's interest in Rudy's drinking could play a role in undermining one of Trump's key legal defenses … In their questioning of multiple witnesses, Smith's team of federal investigators have asked questions …

Secretaries of state get ready for possible challenges to Trump's ballot access  —  Arizona's secretary of state is the latest to say his office is grappling with the potential effects of a move to block Trump from the ballot.  —  Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said Tuesday …

Florida reviewers of AP African American Studies sought ‘opposing viewpoints’ of slavery  —  When Florida rejected a new Advanced Placement course on African American Studies, state officials said they objected to the study of several concepts — like reparations, the Black Lives Matter movement and “queer theory.”

Biden administration names 10 prescription drugs for price negotiations  —  The Biden administration Tuesday identified 10 expensive prescription drugs that have been chosen for price negotiations with pharmaceutical manufacturers as the government seeks to ease the financial burden on older and disabled Americans.

Exclusive: Smuggler with ties to ISIS helped migrants enter US from Mexico, raising alarm bells across government  —  The FBI is investigating more than a dozen Uzbek nationals allowed into the US after they sought asylum at the southern border with Mexico earlier this year …

A shutdown wouldn't halt Trump's trials, so Republicans seek to rein in his prosecutors  —  Federal criminal proceedings are exempted from shutdowns.  But GOP House members want to use a must-pass funding bill to defund or limit law enforcement investigating Trump.

The Christian home-schooler who made ‘parental rights’ a GOP rallying cry  —  On a private call with Christian millionaires, home-schooling pioneer Michael Farris pushed for a strategy aimed at siphoning billions of tax dollars from public schools  —  The message Michael Farris had come …

America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There's No Tomorrow  —  Overuse is draining and damaging aquifers nationwide, a New York Times data investigation revealed.  —  A wealth of underground water helped create America, its vast cities and bountiful farmland.  Now, Americans are squandering that inheritance.

The Final Days  —  Joe Biden was determined to get out of Afghanistan—no matter the cost.  —  august is the month when oppressive humidity causes the mass evacuation of official Washington.  In 2021, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki piled her family into the car for a week at the beach.

FBI announces it has dismantled global network of hacked computers used in major fraud scheme  —  The FBI and European law enforcement agencies dismantled a massive network of hacked computers that had been used to defraud victims of hundreds of millions of dollars, agencies announced Tuesday.

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett Says She Welcomes Public Scrutiny Of Court  —  U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not offer any opinion, or speak directly about, recent calls for the justices to institute an official code of conduct.  —  LOADING

Supporting people's right to accurate and safe political discourse on X  —  More than half a billion people from around the world gather on X to talk about their interests in real-time, and that includes elections.  X enables people to directly engage on important topics with elected representatives …

Anti-abortion activists who blockaded DC clinic found guilty on all counts  —  A jury deliberated for a day-and-a-half before convicting activist Lauren Handy and four co-defendants.  —  WASHINGTON — A jury convicted five anti-abortion activists Tuesday of conspiring to blockade a D.C. clinic in 2020 in violation of federal law.

Wisconsin Supreme Court chief justice accuses liberal majority of staging a ‘coup’  —  The conservative chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday told the new liberal majority in a scathing email that they had staged a “coup” and conducted an “illegal experiment” …

Francis Suarez ends campaign for Republican presidential nomination  —  Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announced Tuesday that he is ending his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.  —  “While I have decided to suspend my campaign for President, my commitment to making …

Vivek Ramaswamy thinks college applications should include a 1-mile run and other parts of the Presidential Fitness Test  — GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy suggested an additional criteria for college applicants.  — He said colleges should screen applicants on their physical fitness, such as their 1-mile run time.

GOP salivates at the biggest campaign finance win since Citizens United  —  It could be a seismic shift in how tens of millions of campaign dollars are spent.  —  Republicans have waged a decades-long battle to blow up the campaign-finance laws that rein in big-money spending.

Steve Scalise diagnosed with ‘very treatable’ blood cancer  —  House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, he announced Tuesday.  —  Scalise, 57, has begun treatment and plans to return to Washington, D.C.

Gadsden flag now a symbol of hate?  —  A schoolboy has become an instant internet legend for defying a school district.  —  The 12-year-old has, as is so often the case, a bunch of patches on his backpack as an expression of his individuality.  His school didn't like one of the patches and demanded that he quit displaying it.

Christie Super PAC Airing Trump Mugshot On TV In New Hampshire  —  The pro-Christie super PAC is spending six figures to air the former president's mugshot on television  —  A Facebook icon representing an external link to share the article on Facebook.A Twitter icon representing an external link …

GOP Primary Electorate Sees Trump as More Electable After Georgia Arrest, First Republican Debate  —  62% of potential Republican primary voters said Trump has the best chance of beating Biden, matching a tracking high … Last week, Donald Trump skipped the Republican Party's first primary debate …