Trump confirms names on VP shortlist: 'They're all good, they're all solid'  —  Former President Trump confirmed a list of names floated to be on his vice presidential shortlist Tuesday, during a town hall event in Greenville, S.C.  —  Trump joined Fox News Channel's Laura Ingraham to discuss …

Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens had Russian intelligence contacts, prosecutors say  —  A former FBI informant charged with making up a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company had contacts …

Biden cancels student debt for 150K borrowers  —  The Biden administration announced Wednesday it is forgiving a total of $1.2 billion in student debt for roughly 153,000 borrowers.  —  The relief comes through the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, which made changes …

Shock, anger, confusion grip Alabama after court ruling on embryos  —  Alabama doctors are puzzled over whether they will have to make changes to in vitro fertilization procedures.  Couples have crammed into online support groups wondering if they should transfer frozen embryos out of state.

Haley fights on  —  Good morning, Early Birds.  Congratulations to 8-year-old Ashwath Kaushik for becoming the youngest kid to beat a chess grandmaster.  We can't wait to see what he does when he's 9.  Tips: earlytips@washpost.com.  Was this forwarded to you?  Sign up here.  Thanks for waking up with us.

The Antisemitic Cartoon  —  Dear Members of the Harvard Community,  —  A few groups purporting to speak on behalf of Harvard affiliates recently circulated a flagrantly antisemitic cartoon in a post on social media channels.  The cartoon, included in a longer post, depicted what appeared …

Former CNN anchor John Avlon announces bid for Congress  —  Former CNN anchor John Avlon announced a bid Wednesday for New York's first congressional district, claiming “democracy is in danger.”  —  In a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Avlon said he was running to help preserve democracy …

FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Initiative to Bolster Cybersecurity of U.S. Ports  —  Today, the Biden-Harris Administration will issue an Executive Order to bolster the security of the nation's ports, alongside a series of additional actions that will strengthen maritime cybersecurity …

Scoop: GOP privately expects government shutdown … - “People are predicting a shutdown even if it's just for a few days,” a GOP lawmaker recently told Axios.  — They're either “close to reaching a deal or it's about to blow up,” one subcommittee chair recently told a fellow House Republican.

Nex Benedict matters  —  Judd Legum, Tesnim Zekeria, and Rebecca Crosby  —  Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old Oklahoma sophomore, died on February 8.  Nex, who was non-binary, was attacked in an Owasso High School bathroom the previous day, sustaining serious head injuries.

Ron DeSantis ally Chris Rufo has close ties with ‘dissident right’ magazine  —  Relationship with IM-1776 that praises dictators, racist ideologues and attacks liberal democracy is collaborative and supportive  —  Chris Rufo, a rightwing culture-war celebrity and close Ron DeSantis ally …

Exclusive: Iran sends Russia hundreds of ballistic missiles  —  Iran has provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, six sources told Reuters, deepening the military cooperation between the two U.S.-sanctioned countries.

Tax records reveal the lucrative world of covid misinformation  —  Four major nonprofits that rose to prominence during the coronavirus pandemic by capitalizing on the spread of medical misinformation collectively gained more than $118 million between 2020 and 2022, enabling the organizations …

The high cost of promoting homeownership  —  It's individually rational, but collectively dysfunctional … According to the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances, the median American household had a net worth of $192,700 in 2022, only $38,840 of which were financial assets.

Letitia James says she's prepared to seize Trump's buildings if he can't pay his $354M civil fraud fine  —  The New York attorney general made the remarks in an interview with ABC News.  —  Attorney General Letitia James arrives for a press conference following a verdict …

GOP chances of winning the Senate on the rise  —  Senate Republicans have seen their chances of taking the Senate majority steadily rise this year as they have expanded the battlefield, limited internal fights and recruited a set of strong candidates.  —  It's a remarkable shift from two years ago …

The Fani Willis mess, explained  —  It ultimately serves as a reminder that the courts can't save us. … While Trump continues to face 91 criminal charges and considerable financial liabilities from his losses in civil cases, a significant sideshow has developed in Georgia.