Trump's first criminal trial will start March 25, judge says  —  The schedule means Trump will spend weeks in court instead of on the campaign trail.  —  Former President Donald Trump's first criminal trial will start on March 25 as scheduled, a judge said in New York on Thursday as he denied Trump's attempts to throw out the charges.

Scoop: Hur making plans to testify to GOP panel about Biden … - Biden, his White House and his personal lawyer have been bashing Hur over his report, which cleared Biden of criminal wrongdoing but painted the president, 81, as having “diminished faculties” and a “poor memory.”

Republicans Are Acting Like 2024 Is Their Last Campaign  —  It's understandable that Donald Trump regards the 2024 election as his final shot at redemption after a 2020 defeat he still cannot admit.  In August, he will very likely become a three-time presidential nominee at the age of 78.

The final repudiation of ‘2000 Mules’  —  Since Donald Trump left office in January 2021, there has been no more influential presentation of his theory that the election was stolen than the film “2000 Mules,” created by activist — and Trump pardon recipient — Dinesh D'Souza.

The biggest online threat to 2024 elections isn't AI  —  Happy Valentine's Day.  Remember when asking AI to generate candy hearts resulted in delightfully incoherent messages like “U hack” and “Sweat poo?”  Those were simpler times.  Send news tips and ersatz love letters to: will.oremus@washpost.com.

Kristen Stewart fires back at old Trump posts encouraging Robert Pattinson to ‘dump’ her  —  Kristen Stewart is blasting former President Trump as “such a little baby” for tweeting about her then-relationship years before he became commander in chief.  —  In 2012, Trump weighed …

McConnell defends push for Ukraine aid amid attacks from Trump wing of GOP: ‘Every argument against this is wrong’  —  Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell strongly defended his handling of a foreign aid package and bipartisan border security deal under heavy criticism from his right flank …

Safety Net  —  Research indicates access to paid family leave is linked to a decrease in infant deaths and better economic, physical and mental health for new parents.  —  Currently, 13 states have some form of paid parental leave to care for newborns.  —  No states that banned abortion offer paid parental leave.

Joe Manchin floats Mitt Romney as a potential running mate as he weighs a presidential bid  —  Manchin made the comment Thursday in Cleveland, the latest stop on his “listening tour” as the West Virginia senator ponders a third-party White House campaign.  —  CLEVELAND — Sen, Joe Manchin …

Adam Schiff steps out on climate  —  He's the first of the leading candidates for California's open Senate seat to release a detailed platform.  —  Rep. Adam Schiff on Thursday proposed ending federal subsidies for oil and gas production, offering federal wildfire insurance …

Parker County ‘White Nationalist Fight Club’ Leader Exposed  —  The Texas Observer and Bellingcat have identified the leader of a white nationalist group that distributed antisemitic and racist flyers in Weatherford, Mineral Wells, and Eagle Pass over the last year.

Maryland 2024 Poll: Former Gov. Larry Hogan Starts Strong in Election for Open Senate Seat  —  Home Polls Maryland 2024 Poll: Former Gov. Larry Hogan Starts Strong in Election for Open Senate Seat … The first Emerson College Polling/The Hill/DC News Now survey of the 2024 Maryland U.S …

2/15/24 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM … Just this week, Speaker Mike Johnson has: … This is the most chaotic, inefficient and ineffective majority we've seen in decades covering Congress.  It started this way under former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and has gotten worse under Johnson.

Tucson school district drops instructor after OnlyFans exposure  —  The woman who resigned as head of an NAACP chapter in 2015 after mispresenting herself as Black, Rachel Dolezal, was working for the Catalina Foothills Unified School District until its officials learned Tuesday of social media content under her current name.

Former ambassador testifies on Afghanistan withdrawal: Watch live  —  Former U.N. ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad is slated to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday morning, in a hearing focused on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Updated: Incident at National Archives Rotunda Closes Galleries to Public  —  Press Release  —  The National Archives Rotunda and galleries in Washington, DC, closed to the public today after two individuals dumped red powder on the encasement protecting the U.S. Constitution at approximately 2:30 pm.