What you need to know about Trump's trial before the verdict  —  The defense really struggled.  But all it takes is one juror. … After six wild weeks and innumerable citations of Jonathan Turley, Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York is finally coming to an end.

The Alitos, the Neighborhood Clash and the Upside-Down Flag  —  Inside the escalating conflict on a bucolic suburban street that Justice Alito said prompted a “Stop the Steal” symbol at his home.  —  The police in Fairfax County, Va., received an unusual phone call on Feb. 15, 2021.

Emerging Portrait of Judge in Trump Documents Case: Prepared, Prickly and Slow  —  Judge Aileen Cannon's handling of court hearings offers insights into how the case accusing Donald Trump of illegally retaining classified material has become bogged down in unresolved issues.

‘A dying empire led by bad people’: Poll finds young voters despairing over US politics  —  The Scoop  —  Young voters overwhelmingly believe that almost all politicians are corrupt and that the country will end up worse off than when they were born, according to new polling …

Amy Coney Barrett's Husband Is Representing Fox in a Lawsuit  —  Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett's husband, Jesse Barrett, is defending Fox Corporation in a defamation case … The lawsuit relates to reports by one of Fox's local stations.  —  Jesse Barrett is a trial lawyer and managing partner at SouthBank Legal.

Trump stuns donors with behind-closed-doors rant about bombing Russia and China: report  —  Former President Donald Trump told a recent group of donors at a fundraising event that he would have bombed Russia and China in response to their aggression against U.S. allies, reportedThe Washington Post on Tuesday.

Gun-Obsessed YouTuber Narrowly Defeated in Texas GOP Runoff  —  SANITY PREVAILS?  —  Rep. Tony Gonzales looks set to keep his seat representing Uvalde in Congress, but just barely, after beating MAGA favorite Brandon Herrera.  —  Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales has fended off a challenge …

Mother of Jan. 6 officer Michael Fanone swatted after he called Trump ‘authoritarian’  —  Fanone was abducted by the mob on Jan. 6 and nearly killed when a MAGA-hatted rioter who believed Donald Trump's lies about the 2020 election drove a stun gun into his neck.

Steinglass pokes hole in defense's argument around National Enquirer  —  Steinglass makes a very good point about the Dino Sajuddin story and corresponding payment.  —  Sajuddin is the former Trump Tower doorman who claims Trump fathered a child out of wedlock, a claim the former president has denied.

How I went from left to center-left  —  My crisis of confidence in progressive epistemology  —  I've written about the history of left versus right since the French Revolution, about what the left gets right, and about what the right gets right.  Now, I want to talk about my own journey …

Don't Commit National Suicide: Ken Burns' Warning  —  Ken Burns Suspends ‘Longstanding Attempt At Neutrality’ to Utterly Torch Trump  —  “Filmmaker Ken Burns ditched his trademark political neutrality during an undergraduate commencement address at Massachusetts' Brandies University to warn …

U.S. Coast Guard: Man Dies After Jumping Off World's Largest Cruise Ship  —  Authorities said a passenger died after allegedly leaping from the world's largest cruise ship on Sunday during a journey from Florida to Honduras.  —  The vessel the man went overboard from was identified …

Another State Department official resigns over Gaza, taking aim at aid  —  The official, Stacy Gilbert, resigned Tuesday.  She told colleagues that the State Department was wrong to conclude Israel had not obstructed aid to Gaza.  —  A career State Department official involved …

Florida civics training links “cancel culture” to mass murder  —  The Florida Department of Education's civics training does not just train educators to teach Christian nationalism.  The same program also includes a section on Communism's legacy.  This has been a priority of Governor Ron DeSantis (R).

Playbook: All politics is legal  —  With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  JUST POSTED — “Democrats Plan $100 Million Push on Abortion Rights to Win House,” by WSJ's Natalie Andrews: “In a memo to donors, the House Majority PAC outlined …

Republican member of Fulton elections board won't certify primary results  —  Her lawsuit seeks detailed voting data and a ruling that her duties are discretionary  —  A Republican member of the Fulton County elections board refuses to certify primary election results unless given access …

North Korea Accused of Launching Floating Poop Balloon Attack  —  CAUSING A STINK  —  Over 260 balloons carrying trash and excrement appear to have floated across the border.  —  South Korea's military on Wednesday accused North Korea of floating balloons loaded with trash and manure across …

As Civil War Consumes Black Lives Matter, $8.7 Million Goes Missing  —  The left-wing dark money giant Tides Foundation raised more than $33 million on behalf of the national Black Lives Matter group during the George Floyd riots in 2020.  Now, Black Lives Matter is suing Tides over its refusal to hand the funds back.

Giant pandas are returning to D.C.'s National Zoo … - But the number of giant pandas at U.S. zoos has dwindled as tensions between Washington and Beijing rose in recent years. … - They're coming back to one bougie bear den: Carlyle Group co-founder and billionaire philanthropist David …

The slaughter in Rafah and Israel's moral nadir  —  On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza city of Rafah ignited a fire that killed dozens of civilians.  The carnage was horrific even by the bloody standards set by Israel's war: An emergency doctor on the ground told NPR that it was …

US pier constructed off Gaza has broken apart  —  The temporary pier constructed by the US military to transport aid into Gaza broke apart and sustained damage in heavy seas on Tuesday in a major blow to the American-led effort to create a maritime corridor for humanitarian supplies into the war-torn enclave, the Pentagon said.