John Dean: 'Trump's in trouble' after Maine ruling  —  Nixon White House attorney John Dean said Thursday he believes the Maine decision to remove former President Trump from the ballot will be difficult to overturn, calling it “very solid.”  —  Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) …

Michael Cohen Used Fake Cases Cited by A.I. to Seek an End to Court Supervision  —  Donald Trump's former fixer had sought an early end to court supervision after his 2018 campaign finance conviction.  He enlisted the help of Google Bard.  —  Michael D. Cohen, the onetime fixer …

Ohio's Republican governor vetoes trans care restriction and sports ban  —  Gov. Mike DeWine is one of only a few Republican governors to veto a restriction on transition-related care for minors or a ban on trans student athlete participation.  —  Ohio's governor vetoed a bill Friday …

After Rise in Murders During the Pandemic, a Sharp Decline in 2023  —  The country is on track for a record drop in homicides, and many other categories of crime are also in decline, according to the F.B.I.  —  Detroit is on track to record the fewest murders since the 1960s.

Why Trump May Find Himself in Jail Sooner Than He Thinks  —  Donald Trump is doing his best to delay as many cases as possible.  But there's a simple reason Trump may find himself behind bars sooner than he thinks: Trump himself.  —  The countdown is on for Donald Trump's D.C. trial in March.

Public Christian schools?  Leonard Leo's allies advance a new cause  —  A tight-knit group of activists tied to Leo's non-profit network are rallying around an Oklahoma effort to create a public Catholic school.  —  POLITICO illustration by Emily Scherer/Photos by AP, Getty Images, iStock

U.S. intelligence officials determined the Chinese spy balloon used a U.S. internet provider to communicate  —  An American intelligence assessment found that the balloon used a commercially available U.S. network to communicate, primarily for navigation, U.S. officials say.

Democrats go after GOP's ‘anti-history record’ with billboard ads  —  The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has launched four billboards in Iowa attacking Republican presidential candidates for their “anti-history record” as they spend the weekend campaigning in the Hawkeye state.

Magnetic balls sold by Walmart recalled due to choking and injury risks to kids  —  High-powered magnetic balls sold by Walmart are being recalled because similar products have led to serious injuries and even death for children who swallowed them.  —  The recall involves 5 millimeter …

Russia unleashes huge barrage of drones and rockets on Ukraine  —  Cities across the country were hit in what Kyiv said was one of the biggest aerial attacks of the war.  —  Russia unleashed rockets and drones throughout Ukraine early Friday, damaging schools, hospitals and homes across …

New Year's resolutions for the media (and those who love to hate us)  —  A new year is coming, but many of the same old problems plague journalism.  So as we plow into 2024, join me in my intermittent tradition: New Year's resolutions for the news media.  This election-year edition includes …

The ‘wealth transfer’ from boomers won't save Gen X and millennials  —  Experts say baby boomers will give more than $50 trillion to their heirs.  But for many, health care costs will claim the bulk of that wealth.  —  The story goes that baby boomers are going to give tens of trillions …

How Russia Silences Dissent about the Ukraine War  —  Just days after invading Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia signed a censorship law that made it illegal to “discredit” the army.  The legislation was so sweeping that even his spokesman acknowledged it was easy to cross the line into prohibited speech.