Playbook: Why Congress could sleepwalk into a shutdown  —  Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  DEBATE WINDFALLS — Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS raised more than $1 million in the 24 hours after Wednesday night's GOP debate in Miami, we're told by his campaign.

Trump's right, the system is RIGGED.  In his favor.  —  Imagine being a rich white guy complaining that the legal system is stacked against you. … On Monday, Donald Trump took the witness stand in his civil fraud trial in New York and proved once again that there is a “two-tiered justice system” …

McCarthy Predicts Nancy Mace's Downfall After She Voted Him Out  —  ‘LIVING RENT FREE’  —  Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Thursday ripped into the Republicans who banded together to oust him from his position as House Speaker last month, prophesying that at least one of them could be nearing the end of their political career.

Ramaswamy camp: The RNC sabotaged us in the debate spin room  —  There is bad blood brewing here.  —  Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign accused Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel of trying to limit his campaign's visibility in the post debate spin room, following critical remarks he made of her at the forum.

Arizona fake electors led vocal campaign to overturn the 2020 election — they're now part of a ‘robust’ state investigation  —  They called it “The Signing.”  Eleven fake electors for President Donald Trump convened at the state Republican Party headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 14, 2020.

MTG Is Trashing Lauren Boebert as a ‘Whore’ to GOP Colleagues  —  Greene and Boebert have been going at it for nearly a year now.  But Greene's latest move is straight out of the high school cafeteria's playbook. … After Rep. Lauren Boebert helped get Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene kicked …

Did Trump violate campaign finance laws (again)?  —  The most newsworthy part of Barton Gellman's new interview of tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel for the Atlantic is that Thiel is swearing off campaign contributions.  He'd been a big donor to Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, earning a speaking spot at that year's convention.

Under new speaker, some Republicans hope impeachment inquiry will lose steam  —  The inquiry stagnated during the 3-week fight to elect a new speaker.  Now, James Comer has sent out new subpoenas as Speaker Mike Johnson strikes a more reserved tone.  —  During the 22-day fight to fill …

Chris Christie to travel to Israel  —  The former New Jersey governor said he was invited by Israel's foreign ministry and plans to talk to families of the hostages, members of the Israel Defense Forces and government officials.  —  MERRIMACK, N.H. — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie …

Putin's long war gamble could be paying off  —  As Russia's invasion of Ukraine nears the end of its second year, a conclusion to the conflict seems as distant as ever.  —  Kyiv's counteroffensive has failed to decisively break through the Russian Army's prepared defenses in Ukraine's southern and eastern regions.

County elections offices receive suspicious envelopes  — County elections offices receive suspicious envelopes  —  OLYMPIA — Envelopes received by elections offices in King, Pierce, Skagit, and Spokane counties were found Wednesday to contain unknown powdery substances.

FEC Commissioner Calls Out Her GOP Colleagues in Brutal 5-Sentence Takedown  —  SPECIAL TREATMENT  —  FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub on Thursday said her Republican colleagues have effectively put former President Donald Trump “in [a] category by himself” by refusing to investigate …

How the GOP muzzled the quiet coalition that fought foreign propaganda  —  The FBI put a pause on briefings with tech companies due to an ongoing lawsuit, adding to a broader breakdown in a system meant to guard against influence operations and to ensure election integrity.

How Abortion Could Define the 2024 Presidential Race  —  With two election cycles after the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization under our belts, it cannot be denied: Abortion rights are the dominant issue in American politics.  And when supporters of abortion rights …

Federal appeals court calls Biden's ‘ghost gun’ limits unlawful  —  So-called ghost guns are difficult for law enforcement to trace because they can be assembled from kits that can be bought online or at a store without a background check.  —  A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled …

Speaker Mike Johnson to NYC: Dump ‘sanctuary’ policies to get migrant money  —  WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson called on the Big Apple Thursday to scrap its “sanctuary” city status if it wants federal money to help house thousands of migrants pouring into the city.

Rep. Elise Stefanik files ethics complaint against judge in Trump's civil fraud trial  —  The senior House Republican and close Trump ally accused Judge Arthur Engoron of “weaponized law fare” against the former president and called on the judge to recuse himself.

Brian Higgins appears to be stepping down as Congressman to take top job at Shea's  —  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Congressman Brian Higgins, who has represented much of the city of Buffalo and Western New York in Washington since 2005, appears to be stepping down.