Ron DeSantis ends presidential campaign, endorses Trump  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is ending his once-promising presidential campaign, which steadily deflated as he struggled to connect with voters and convince Republicans to swap Donald Trump for a younger, more disciplined champion of his ideas.

Whitmer pushes Biden to talk more bluntly about abortion  —  Top Biden campaign officials have flagged abortion rights as a top issue for the president.  —  Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is nudging President Joe Biden to lean harder into abortion rights as he seeks to win another term in the White House.

‘America Is Under Attack’: Inside the Anti-D.E.I. Crusade  —  In late 2022, a group of conservative activists and academics set out to abolish the diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Texas' public universities.  —  They linked up with a former aide to the state's powerful lieutenant governor …

Fire erupts at Russia's Novatek Baltic Sea terminal after explosions heard  —  Novatek (NVTK.MM), Russia's largest liquefied natural gas producer, said on Sunday it had been forced to suspend some operations at a huge Baltic Sea export terminal due to a fire started by what Ukrainian media said was a drone attack.

In Judge Kaplan's court, Trump plays with fire  —  A misbehaving defendant claims to want a showdown Monday with a judge who has a unique track record on contempt  —  In the high-stakes world of presidential trials, there are no judges like Lewis A. Kaplan.

Could a Baseball Star Really Flip Dianne Feinstein's Seat?  —  COMPTON, California — “Ryan, do you have a pen?”  —  Steve Garvey is sitting in the backseat of his Hyundai Genesis outside Ruben's Bakery & Mexican Food in South Los Angeles; Ryan, his son, sits in the driver's seat.

House GOP already considering a future without Johnson  —  Speaker Mike Johnson is beset with political challenges: At least two conservative lawmakers have begun threatening his job.  The former acting speaker trashed Johnson's performance this week.  A border-policy showdown with the Senate and White House draws nearer every day.

Where there's smoke, there's fire: Nikki Haley is our choice for the 2024 First in the Nation Primary  —  A hot mic moment from a candidate's withdrawal speech made headlines recently.  His assessment of Nikki Haley: “She's going to get smoked.”  The candidate was close in his assessment, but missed the mark.

U.S. Pushes Hostage-Release Plan Aimed at Ending Gaza War  —  The talks are at an early stage, and large gaps remain between Israel and Hamas on the details  —  DUBAI—The U.S., Egypt and Qatar are pushing Israel and Hamas to join a phased diplomatic process that would start with a release of hostages and …

Science is revealing why American politics are so intensely polarized  —  Political psychologists say they see tribalism intensifying, fueled by contempt for the other side  —  ATKINSON, N.H. — They stood in line for hours, in steady snow that became steady sleet, to hear the leader of their tribe.