Chris Christie, unplugged  —  Good morning, Early Birds.  We hope your allergies aren't as bad as ours, but sorry to be the bearer of bad news: The tree and grass pollen count in D.C. today is “high.”  Tips: earlytips@washpost.com.  Was this forwarded to you?  Sign up here.  Thanks for waking up with us.

How “The Nelson Mandela of America” Is Making Bank Off of His Criminal Trial  —  IN THE FIRST WEEK OF HIS CRIMINAL TRIAL, Donald Trump raised about $5.6 million online by warning his small dollar-donors that the “Deep State” was out to lock him up.  —  “I JUST STORMED INTO COURT,” …

GOP senator: Greene ‘dragging our brand down’  —  Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) took a shot at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) Tuesday, saying she is “dragging our brand down.”  —  “She is a horrible leader,” Tillis said of Greene, according to audio played on CNN's “Erin Burnett OutFront.”

Senate passes TikTok ban bill, sending it to President Biden's desk … A bill that would force China-based company ByteDance to sell TikTok — or else face a US ban of the platform — is all but certain to become law after the Senate passed a foreign aid package including the measure.

Live updates Supreme Court hears arguments in case over emergency abortion care  —  The Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments Wednesday over whether the federal government has the power to penalize hospitals that fail to provide emergency abortions even in states with strict bans on the procedure.

How McConnell and Schumer beat hardline conservatives on Ukraine  —  The two Senate leaders and the White House worked tirelessly for the better part of a year to get direly needed aid for Ukraine.  It finally paid off.  —  Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden might have been in lockstep …

U.S. bans noncompete agreements for nearly all jobs  —  The Federal Trade Commission narrowly voted Tuesday to ban nearly all noncompetes, employment agreements that typically prevent workers from joining competing businesses or launching ones of their own.  —  The FTC received …

Trump keeps begging for a “rally behind MAGA” — but his supporters aren't showing up to court  —  It's not just that Fox News told them entering New York results in instant murder  —  Donald Trump can't decide how he wants his supporters to feel about the scene outside of the Manhattan courtroom …

George W. Bush was a terrible president  —  Looking back at the last — disastrous — era of efficacious conservative policymaking  —  If you're in the DC area, I'm hosting a book talk for Daniel Schlozman and Sam Rosenfeld about their new book “The Hollow Parties: The Many Pasts and Disordered Present of American Party Politics.”

Trump's New Legal Bills Are Hiding an $8 Million Mystery  —  CONCEALED CARRY  —  Trump is using a GOP compliance firm as a go-between to pay lawyers, allowing him to hide who he's actually paying.  Experts have real questions whether he can do that.

Biden administration makes it easier for flyers to get refunds  —  The rule comes after more than a year of promises by the administration to shore up protections for air passengers.  —  Passengers whose flights are canceled or “significantly” delayed won't have to fight to get a cash refund …

Biden's Gains Against Trump Vanish on Deep Economic Pessimism, Poll Shows  —  The president is trailing Donald Trump in six of seven swing states as a majority of poll respondents see the economy worsening by the end of the year.  —  President Joe Biden's recent polling bump in key battleground states …

The press helps MAGA target jurors.  And it's not just Fox.  —  PN is a reader-supported publication made possible by paid subscribers.  If you aren't one, please click the button to support our independent journalism.  —  📺 Subscribe to Public Notice 📺

The Man Who Killed Google Search  —  This is the story of how Google Search died, and the people responsible for killing it.  —  The story begins on February 5th 2019, when Ben Gomes, Google's head of search, had a problem. … For those unfamiliar with Google's internal scientology-esque jargon, let me explain.

Yo, NBC, where's our invite?  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  —  Every newsroom takes immense pride when one of their own is elected president of the White House Correspondents' Association.

How the House GOP's Biden impeachment effort fell apart  —  House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer was eager to take the reins of a high-stakes investigation into President Joe Biden and his family, seen as central to the House Republican agenda - a coveted perch that brought the added benefit of elevating his national profile.

Why narrow majorities and House gridlock are here to stay in 2024  —  The number of truly competitive seats is smaller than it's been in decades.  —  The battle for the House will be determined by a smaller number of races than it has in at least the past two decades.

FBI director rejects Trump's vow to investigate political rivals  —  In a wide-ranging interview with NBC News, Christopher Wray also broke with Trump over the former president's characterization of Jan. 6 defendants as “hostages.”  —  Reacting for the first time to former President Donald Trump's vow …

Exclusive: Trump brothers Eric and Don Jr. emerge as loyalty czars … - Don Jr.'s goal “is to keep the John Boltons of the world outside a second Trump administration,” a person close to him told Axios, referring to Donald Trump's hawkish former national security adviser who wrote a bestselling book lambasting the former president.