Trump's $91.6 million question  —  New York juries have found, by a preponderance of the evidence, that former President Donald Trump sexually assaulted writer E. Jean Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-90s and then repeatedly defamed her, falsely accusing Carroll of lying about the incident.

How a tenacious reporter revealed Sen. Katie Britt's SOTU response to be ‘beyond misleading’  —  Britt tied an anecdote about a woman who survived sex trafficking to Biden's border policies.  But it happened during the George W. Bush admin.  —  Last Thursday was President Joe Biden's big State of the Union address.

Former advisers sound the alarm that Trump praises despots in private and on the campaign trail  —  To Donald Trump, Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán is “fantastic,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping is “brilliant,” North Korea's Kim Jong Un is “an OK guy,” and, most alarmingly …

Trump floats ‘cutting’ retirement spending, drawing quick pushback from Biden  —  The Republican nominee-in-waiting said that “there's a lot you can do in terms of cutting” when pressed on CNBC about the solvency of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  —  Presumptive Republican nominee …

Biden's proposed budget includes $4.7 billion emergency fund for border migrant surges  —  Congressional Republicans have already refused to approve $13.6 billion the administration wanted for border security, and border agencies face budget shortfalls.  —  President Joe Biden's budget proposal …

Peter Navarro ordered to prison on March 19  —  Peter Navarro, once an economic adviser to former President Trump, has been ordered to report to a Miami prison on March 19 to begin serving a four-month sentence for refusing to comply with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

How Big Pharma is fighting Biden's program to lower seniors' drug costs  —  In court cases nationwide, drug companies are trying to block a new law that would cut prices on drugs for high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and diabetes.  —  TRENTON, N.J. — Pharmaceutical giants are mounting …

Conservatives are furious, but they're not threatening Speaker Johnson's job  —  For a small but passionate band of Republicans, reality appears to be setting in that they won't be able to bend a divided Congress to their will through the election of a speaker.

Forget the presidential race.  Statehouses are where it's at.  —  Good morning, Early Birds.  Today is the first full day of Ramadan.  Ramadan Mubarak to all those who observe.  Tips: earlytips@washpost.com.  Was this forwarded to you?  Sign up here.  Thanks for waking up with us.

Donald Trump May Be Closer To Bankruptcy Than It Seems  —  Donald Trump may be in a worse financial situation than most people think, a financial analyst has said.  —  Jon Gabrielsen, an Atlanta-based market economist, told Newsweek that Trump's liquidity problems may be more acute than they first appear …

The GOP nominee to head North Carolina's schools is a QAnon conspiracy theorist  —  Michele Morrow also suggested actor Jim Carrey harvests and drinks children's blood  —  Michele Morrow, the Republican nominee for state superintendent of public instruction in North Carolina …

The GOP can't leave MAGA — “Americans must electorally mercy-kill the Republican Party”  —  An ex-MAGA activist warns “no civic savior is coming” as Donald Trump's cognitive decline becomes undeniable  —  Power not used is power wasted.  Fascism is corrupt power.

Italian Police Arrest Three Palestinians Allegedly Planning Terrorist Attacks  —  Italian police have arrested three Palestinians based in central Italy who they said were planning attacks in an unspecified country, a police statement said on Monday.  —  The three men living in l'Aquila …

The one man who could save Joe Biden  —  Jay Powell would very much like to stay out of politics, especially in an election year.  The Federal Reserve chair doesn't want to be perceived as having a horse in the race come November, especially when one of said horses — Donald Trump …

NAACP calls on Black student-athletes to boycott Florida public colleges over anti-DEI policy  —  “If these institutions are unable to completely invest in those athletes, it's time they take their talents elsewhere,” the leader of the civil rights organization said.

Conservatives seize counselor shortage to press school chaplains … - Since Texas introduced it own blueprint last year, allowing schools to use safety funds to hire chaplains who do not have the same licensing as counselors, similar bills have ricocheted across more than a dozen states including Florida …

The Trump campaign paid an expert $750,000 to find fraud in the 2020 election, only for him to dismiss their complaints in minutes  — A new book sheds light on the lengths Trump's campaign went to find fraud in the 2020 election.  — Ken Block, a software engineer, revealed he was paid about $750,000 to help conduct the search.