Playbook: The Biden polling bump persists  —  With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  TOP-ED — Former VP MIKE PENCE in the NYT: “Donald Trump Has Betrayed the Pro-Life Movement”  —  NEW POLL — Encouraging signs for President JOE BIDEN in a new NBC News poll:

Trump's Trial Challenge: Being Stripped of Control  —  The mundanity of the courtroom has all but swallowed Donald Trump, who for decades has sought to project an image of bigness and a sense of power.  —  “Sir, can you please have a seat.”  —  Donald J. Trump had stood up to leave …

How Mike Johnson Got to ‘Yes’ on Aid to Ukraine  —  Intelligence, politics and personal considerations converted the Republican speaker, who had largely opposed aid to Ukraine as a rank-and-file member, into the key figure pushing it through Congress.  —  For weeks after the Senate passed …

This is what that terrifies Republicans most  —  The UAW's historic win in Chattanooga shows the power of the sort of multi-racial coalition of workers that has terrified Southern aristocracy for centuries.  —  You probably know by now that workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga …

Trump's super PAC has helped foot his legal bills.  That might end soon.  —  Save America has now spent about $60 million on legal consulting since the beginning of 2023.  —  A PAC controlled by former President Donald Trump that has devoted tens of millions of dollars to his and his allies' legal bills …

US poised to impose sanctions on IDF unit accused of violations in West Bank  —  Israeli leaders vow to oppose expected measures under Leahy law against the Netzah Yehuda battalion  —  A unit of the Israel Defense Forces is facing US sanctions over its treatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank …

On a panel with CNN Senior Political Commentator Scott Jennings and CNN Political Commentators Jamal Simmons and Kate Bedingfield, Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales tells CNN's Dana Bash: “The house is a rough and rowdy place,” but Speaker Mike Johnson won't be ousted.

Evangelicals with ties to “The Family” met Mike Johnson and Zelenskyy ahead of Ukraine vote  —  We're getting nearly a real-time look at The Family's anti-LGBTQ+ religious diplomacy in action  —  If you see evangelical House Republicans softening their opposition to military aid for Ukraine, don't assume it's divine intervention.

A prehistory of MAGA: “Mainstream” conservatives never really purged the fascists  —  Author David Austin Walsh says “respectable” conservatives have tolerated racists and neo-Nazis all along  —  David Austin Walsh's new book, “Taking America Back: The Conservative Movement and the Far Right …

Americans Who Want To Kill Americans  —  The Reframe is totally free for all readers, and is supported with voluntary subscriptions by about 5% of readers.  —  If you find value in these essays, and only if you can afford to, please consider becoming a paid sponsor.

Residents push for renaming of Trump Plaza to disassociate from ex-president  —  Tenants of the high-rise in New Rochelle, New York, want to abandon the name which has at times affected real estate value  —  While Donald Trump endures the ignominy of being the first former US president …

A crush of lawsuits over voting in multiple states is creating a shadow war for the 2024 election  —  As President Joe Biden and Donald Trump step up their campaigning in swing states, a quieter battle is taking place in the shadows of their White House rematch.

Proud Boys appear at Trump rally, drawing condemnation from Biden  —  Members of the violent extremist group were calling for the release of everyone charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.  Trump has pledged to pardon rioters.  —  WILMINGTON, N.C. — At least 10 men wearing …