Playbook: The politics that could make or break a border deal  —  With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  WHAT YOUR MEDIA FRIENDS ARE TEXTING ABOUT — The Economist's James Bennet is out with a very buzzy, nearly 17,000-word piece on the culture war roiling …

Fox Board Member Paul Ryan Slams Trump, Hails Cheney and Kinzinger: 'Trump's Not a Conservative, He's an Authoritarian Narcissist'  —  Former House Speaker Paul Ryan tore into Donald Trump in a recent interview, denouncing the former president as an “authoritarian narcissist,” …

Exclusive: Recordings describe 2020 Oval Office photo-op where Trump was briefed on fake electors and January 6  —  Before a group of supportive lawyers entered the Oval Office for a photo-op with then-President Donald Trump in December 2020, they were given a clear instruction …

Exclusive: McCarthy eyes AI for new career, can imagine working with Musk … The ornate first-floor room was Rep. Nancy Pelosi's hideaway, before the GOP evicted her to make room for McCarthy after he lost the gavel.  — “AI is where California is going to come back,” he added.

Why Hunter Biden went public: “I need to call out their lies”  —  After mostly lying low for years, Hunter Biden is publicly hitting back at Republicans — a more aggressive approach he believes will help him and President Biden, according to people familiar with his team's thinking.

Trump fraud-trial judge evacuated from Manhattan courthouse soon after testimony ends  — The Trump fraud trial is nearing its end in a lower Manhattan courthouse.  — More than 10 weeks of testimony wrapped on Wednesday with a verdict expected in a month.

Protest calling for cease-fire in Gaza shuts down SB 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles  —  The CHP says 75 people were arrested.  —  A protest on the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles prompted a shutdown of southbound lanes as demonstrators called for a cease-fire in Gaza.  —  KABC

GOP critics decry ‘regulatory harassment’ as FCC denies Elon Musk's Starlink $900M in subsidies  —  Republican critics raged after the Federal Communications Commission rejected nearly $900 million in subsidies for Elon Musk's Starlink internet service - a move they decried as a vindictive play by the Biden administration.

In Annual News Conference, Putin Says His War Aims Have Not Changed  —  The Russian leader has been taking questions for nearly two hours, albeit in a closely controlled setting.  When asked about Ukraine, he suggested that Western support for the country was drying up.

When the New York Times lost its way  —  America's media should do more to equip readers to think for themselves  —  Are we truly so precious?  " Dean Baquet, the executive editor of the New York Times, asked me one Wednesday evening in June 2020.  I was the editorial-page editor of the Times …

Liz Cheney's Checkered History  —  Deep in her new book, “Oath and Honor,” Liz Cheney points out that the likeness of Clio, the Greek muse of history, is found in the Capitol's National Statuary Hall.  “Clio is depicted riding in the chariot of time, making notes in the book in her hand,” …

Social Media Is a Mess.  Government Meddling Would Only Make It Worse.  —  This term, the Supreme Court will reconsider America's laissez-faire approach to regulating the internet, and in doing so it will address vital and new First Amendment questions.  Can states stop social media sites from blocking certain content?