Russia's Staggering Success In Duping Willing Republicans And Right Wing Media  —  A lot of things happened.  Here are some of the things.  This is TPM's Morning Memo.  —  The Plot Thickens  —  The former FBI informant charged with fabricating the Burisma bribery story about President Biden …

Nikki Haley sides with Alabama Supreme Court on IVF ruling: ‘Embryos, to me, are babies’  —  The Alabama court's recent ruling raised concerns among doctors and patients worried that classifying embryos as children could restrict in-vitro fertilization.  —  NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. …

FACT SHEET: President Biden Cancels Student Debt for more than 150,000 Student Loan Borrowers Ahead of Schedule  —  Today, President Biden announced the approval of $1.2 billion in student debt cancellation for almost 153,000 borrowers currently enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan.

Trump and allies plotting militarized mass deportations, detention camps  —  As president, Trump sought to use military planes and bases for deportation.  Now, he and his allies are talking about a new effort that current and former officials warn could be impractical and dangerous.

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 …

Mike Johnson invoked God in a GOP presentation on keeping the majority.  It didn't land well.  —  The speaker delivered a presentation that, while ostensibly about holding the majority this fall, took a notably moral turn, according to two people in the room.

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 …

Nex Benedict matters  —  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.  Nex's grandmother and legal guardian, Sue Benedict, said …

California Budget Deficit Swells to $73 Billion as Incoming Tax Revenue Falls, Watchdog Reports  —  California's budget watchdog warned Tuesday that the state's deficit has swelled to $73 billion this year, just a month after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D.) painted a rosier picture of the state's financial outlook.

Sean Hannity and the case of the sawdust ‘cocaine’  —  A central tenet of Sean Hannity's on-air rhetoric over the past few years has been that the federal government — and, specifically, federal law enforcement — is not reliable.  —  After all, how else to wave away the various indictments of his friend and ally Donald Trump?

Mar-a-Lago judge denies Trump's request to file briefs together in documents case, orders slower, one-by-one pace instead  —  The federal judge overseeing Donald Trump's indictment for allegedly illegally retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida has denied a request …

Donald Trump may not believe in God, but he still plans to turn America into a Christian theocracy  —  Like any cult leader, Trump's goal is to get power — and the religious right is ready to take advantage  —  If there were only some way to prove it, I would happily bet everything I own that Donald Trump does not believe in God.

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 …

How the Kremlin weaponized Russian history — and has used it to justify the war in Ukraine  —  Earlier this month, when Tucker Carlson asked Vladimir Putin about his reasons for invading Ukraine two years ago, Putin gave him a lecture on Russian history.  The 71-year-old Russian leader spent …

Florida School Rocked by More Cases of Measles as Parents Skip Vax  —  Eleven other states have reported measles cases this year, but no area has been hit as hard as South Florida.  —  An elementary school in Florida has been hit with a measles outbreak that's made six students sick …

Appeals court tosses Obama-era federal coal leasing moratorium  —  A federal appeals court on Wednesday axed an Obama-era moratorium on new coal mine leasing on public lands.  —  It did so by overturning a ruling from 2022 that revived the Obama-era freeze on auctioning off federally owned lands for coal mining.

Sidney Powell and Other Trump-Aligned Lawyers Will Face Legal Penalties  —  The Supreme Court declined to take up an appeal by a group of lawyers who challenged the 2020 election results in Michigan.  —  Sidney Powell, L. Lin Wood and several other lawyers who advanced former President …

A reporter investigated neo-Nazis.  Then they came to his house in masks.  —  The chilling visit to Raw Story reporter Jordan Green's home represents an increasingly common tactic by extremist groups  —  Jordan Green reports on extremists for the news website Raw Story …

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 …

The Great Forgotten Betrayal of the Trump Years  —  Donald Trump's weird relationship with Vladimir Putin and Russia is back in the news.  But something big is missing.  —  After his remarks earlier this month encouraging the Russian leader/war criminal to invade NATO countries …

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 …

White House uses GOP recess as tool to hammer inaction on Ukraine aid  —  A new memo offers a “vacation reading” list of potential threats if a defense funding bill is not approved.  —  The White House ratcheted up its onslaught on House Republican leadership, criticizing them for going on …