Retired Republican judge: “Absolutely damning” evidence in new bid to bar Trump from Illinois ballot  —  The “preponderance of evidence” shows that Trump engaged in insurrection, election officer says  —  A hearing officer for the Illinois State Board of Elections in a recommendation released …

A Gaza Ceasefire Deal Is the Only Way to Avoid a Wider War  —  If the war between Israel and Hamas rages on indefinitely, the conflict will spread.  It doesn't have to be that way. … It is inevitable that much of the discussion in Washington, D.C. regarding the drone attack …

GOP Senator Reveals the Sick Truth About the Trump-MAGA Border Scam  —  Republican Senator James Lankford, who is leading negotiations over a border security bill, is discovering to his great shock that Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are not operating entirely in good faith.

Trumps Throw Tantrum Over Court Monitor's Financial Bombshell  —  A lawyer for the Trumps slammed Judge Barbara S. Jones in a court filing Monday morning, vehemently denying Trump lied about a missing $48 million loan.  —  Now that the retired federal judge babysitting the Trump Organization …

Merrick Garland to transfer power during back surgery  —  The Justice Department's No. 2 official will briefly take over as the attorney general undergoes a procedure on his spine this weekend.  —  Attorney General Merrick Garland will be out of commission this weekend due to back surgery …

One Iranian and Two Canadian Nationals Indicted in Murder-for-Hire Scheme  —  For Immediate Release  —  One Iranian and two Canadian nationals have been charged with conspiracy to use interstate commerce in the commission of a murder-for-hire plot.  —  According to court documents …

‘Seismic shift’: driving unaffordable for many in US amid push toward SUVs  —  Luxury vehicles, production cuts and soaring insurance prices have sent the cost of US car ownership out of control  —  At the start of the pandemic, Ceola Luna, a 45-year-old Lyft driver in Los Angeles …

Ex-IRS contractor sentenced to 5 years in prison for leaking Trump tax records  —  Charles Littlejohn had pleaded guilty to leaking thousands of tax records, including for Trump and billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.  —  WASHINGTON — The former Internal Revenue Service contractor …

Republicans are quietly deleting mentions of abortion from their websites.  We asked them why  —  Republicans who previously campaigned on a pro-life position are now ‘in a tough spot,’ experts say. , Kelly Rissman speaks to GOP strategists and campaign managers about what's going on behind the scenes

Taylor Swift could sway 2024 election outcome, new poll finds with a FIFTH of voters ‘likely’ to back candidate endorsed by singer  — Eighteen percent of voters say they're ‘more likely’ or ‘significantly more likely’ to vote for a candidate endorsed by Taylor Swift

‘I Cannot Really Remember’: GOP Rep. Busted For Taking Credit For Bills She Voted Against  —  “I need to ask my staff,” Florida Rep. Maria Salazar said as a reporter listed off times she bragged about getting money for her district that she opposed.  —  LOADING

This Mark Cuban Story is Too Good Not to Share  —  Credit to Twitchy which got to all of this about an hour ago (as I write this).  The basic story is as follows.  Billionaire Mark Cuban has spent weeks arguing online arguing on behalf of DEI with anyone who will listen.

Biden's team is blaming Iran for American deaths.  How will the US respond?  —  The death of the service members in Jordan adds to rising Middle East tensions just as the 2024 voting begins.  —  President Joe Biden is blaming Iran more explicitly than ever for the deaths of three American soldiers …

Vivek Ramaswamy Joins the Taylor Swift ‘Psy-Op’ Bandwagon (Update)  —  Vivek Ramaswamy was never my cup of tea and this is why.  Because, on the one hand he could occasionally do a solid job putting the progressive media back on its heels on the other hand he was also willing to indulge stupid conspiracy theories like this:

The Supreme Court can't punt on Trump's disqualification without threatening the Constitution  —  When the Supreme Court reviews Colorado's decision to exclude President Trump from the state's ballot, it will be delving into wholly uncharted territory.  —  The Supreme Court has never interpreted …

'I'm wearing the armor of God': New Arizona GOP chair vows more anti-voting lawsuits  —  The newly-elected Arizona Republican Party chair, Gina Swoboda, proudly told longtime Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon on his “war room” show that the former president personally urged her to run for the position …

A federal judge is fed up with those defending the Jan. 6 rioters  —  Sentencing hearings are ordinarily about criminal defendants.  What did they do?  Have they demonstrated remorse?  What factors in their background argue in favor of leniency or for the stiffest possible sentence?