Judge orders depositions of Trump, Wray in long-running dispute with ex-FBI officials  —  A federal judge has agreed to permit former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page to take sworn testimony from former President Donald Trump for two hours as part of their long-running lawsuits related …

Special counsel asks judge to compel Mike Pence to testify in Jan. 6 probe  —  Washington — Federal prosecutors have asked the chief judge in Washington, D.C.'s federal court to compel former Vice President Mike Pence to comply with a grand jury subpoena and testify as a witness …

Most people in most states support legal abortion  —  The Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade last year is perhaps the preeminent modern political example of the dog catching the car.  —  Republican leaders had pledged for decades to restrict abortion and to challenge the precedent in Roe …

Fully Unhinged ‘Dilbert’ Guy Tells White People to ‘Get the Fuck Away’ From Black People  —  “I don't think it makes any sense as a white citizen of America to try to help Black citizens anymore,” the pro-Trump cartoonist said, adding: “This can't be fixed.”

Teen winds up in ambulance after trying to carjack DC grandma on her way to chemo: MPD  —  A teen tried to carjack a DC grandma as she was headed to chemotherapy, MPD says.  The teen ended up in an ambulance.

The Fever of Trumpism Shows No Sign of Breaking in 2024  —  As much as Tim Scott pines for an “American sunrise” or Nikki Haley talks about “fiscal responsibility,” the GOP base seems stuck on Trump and DeSantis-style culture wars and grievance politics.  —  Republicans are lining up for the presidential primary like it's 2015.

Florida Executes Man Used As ‘Political Pawn’ By Ron DeSantis  —  “I know I hurt people when I was young.  I really messed up,” said Donald Dillbeck, who was sentenced to death by a non-unanimous jury.  “But I know Ron DeSantis has done a lot worse.”  —  Florida on Thursday executed 59 …

China Reportedly Negotiating with Russia To Supply Kamikaze Drones  —  The U.S. and Germany have warned China not to deliver weapons to Russia.  According to information obtained by DER SPIEGEL, however, Beijing and Moscow are said to be negotiating the purchase of 100 strike drones, which could be delivered as soon as April.

Republicans Will Hold Their First Presidential Debate in Milwaukee  —  The debate is set for August, in the same city that will host the party's 2024 convention.  —  The Republican National Committee will hold its first presidential primary debate in Milwaukee in August, its debates committee decided in a vote on Thursday.

Trump-allied group wants J6 committee staffers blacklisted  —  A conservative non-profit group allied with former President Donald Trump urged “Hill staffers and their colleagues” to cut off meetings with any former Jan. 6 committee staffers who have since joined firms that lobby.

WILLIAMSON CONFIRMS PRESIDENTIAL RUN IN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, BECOMING FIRST PROMINENT DEMOCRAT IN 2024 RACE … MEDILL ON TWITTER  —  Tweets by medillonthehill  —  MEDILL TODAY - FEB. 22 SPECIAL REPORTS  —  STATE OF THE UNION 2018  —  Medill on the Hill teamed up with Northwestern News Network …

GOP Politician Uses Polish Slur In Speech Claiming Party Isn't Bigoted  —  “Doesn't matter what your race, your color, your creed, Norwegian, Polack, Somalian, you name it,” said Minnesota state Sen. Mark Johnson (R) Wednesday.  —  A Minnesota state senator is getting criticized after a speech …

Backlash in Texas as diversity initiatives put on hold in vast university system  —  Latino and Black leaders in Texas pushed back on claims that diversity and inclusion hiring programs are illegal as the vast University of Texas System put a hold on such programs at its institutions and campuses.

Jeff Bezos hires investment firm to consider bid on Commanders  —  Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has hired an investment firm to evaluate a possible bid for the Washington Commanders, according to two people familiar with the situation.  —  Bezos is working with Allen & Company …

The Billionaire's Daughter Knows What You're Thinking  —  Elizabeth Koch, daughter of Charles Koch, the billionaire right-wing political force, has a new venture that is all about self-investigation.  Two words: Perception Box.  —  Even as a young girl, Elizabeth R. Koch was keenly aware of her family's extreme wealth.

We Finally Know Why It Costs So Damn Much to Build New Subways in America  —  For the past decade, as the cost of building American mass transit has soared to world records, advocates have found themselves in a bind.  Should they draw attention to the problem, fighting for top-to-bottom reform …

U.S. Sends Home Brothers Held for Nearly 20 Years at Guantánamo Bay  —  The latest release, of two Pakistanis never charged with a crime, reduced the detainee population of the once-sprawling prison complex to 32.  —  GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba — The U.S. military released two brothers …

Buttigieg world frustrated at GOP attacks over train wreck  —  This month's toxic derailment in a small Ohio village has put Pete Buttigieg under pressure like never before — leaving him scrambling to contain a public health and transportation crisis only partially under his purview …

Netanyahu Faces His Own ‘Israeli Spring’  —  Protesters in Israel are rallying to oppose an extremist and fundamentalist government that is trying to change the status quo and reshape the country's character.  —  Twelve years ago this spring, protests shook the Arab world in what became known …

‘Incredibly damning:’ Fox News documents stun some legal experts  —  The disclosure of behind-the-scenes emails and texts greatly increased the chances that Dominion will win its $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox, experts say.  —  The disclosure of emails and texts …

All U.S. extremist mass killings in 2022 linked to far right, report says  —  Right-wing extremists committed every ideologically driven mass killing identified in the U.S. in 2022, with an “unusually high” proportion perpetrated by white supremacists, according to a new report published Thursday.

How Putin blundered into Ukraine — then doubled down  —  The decision to invade was taken after consulting only a tiny circle.  The Russian leader has since become even more isolated  —  At about 1am on February 24 last year, Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, received a troubling phone call.

No, Teen Suicide Isn't Rising Because Life Got Objectively Worse  —  Over the past 15 years, the mental health of young people in the United States has rapidly deteriorated.  Between 2007 and 2018, the suicide rate among Americans ages 10 to 24 increased by nearly 60 percent.

'Biden's the most impressive president of my lifetime': Mehdi Hasan on Fox News, tough questions and post-Trump politics  —  The progressive journalist praises the bluntness of British colleagues and says the real ‘cancel culture brigade’ is on the right  —  ne evening this month on cable television …

Congressman Tim Burchett says he won't lift the debt ceiling — period.  —  Put down Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. as a hard “no” on lifting the debt ceiling later this year.  —  The Congressman told Semafor in a Wednesday phone interview that he doesn't see a circumstance in which he casts …

Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 16 years in L.A. rape conviction  —  Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison Thursday for a rape conviction in Los Angeles, adding to a more than two-decade long sentence already handed down in New York.

Trump 2020 Fraud Backer Sidney Powell's Texas Ethics Case Tossed  —  A Texas judge has tossed out a disciplinary case against attorney Sidney Powell finding state bar regulators failed to present enough evidence to keep alive claims that she violated ethics rules by filing frivolous post-election lawsuits.

House GOP looks for plan B after struggling to pass border security bill  —  House Republicans had hoped to pass a narrow border security bill within the first two weeks of their new majority, notching an easy win and delivering on a key campaign promise in the process.

Bike Path Attacker's Father Testifies to Save Son: ‘He Ruined Their Lives’  —  A federal jury considering the death penalty heard testimony from the father of Sayfullo Saipov, who said he expected that he would never see his son again.  —  Habibulloh Saipov saw his son for the first time in 13 years this week.

Black Panther communist Angela Davis - who teaches that U.S. was built by racist colonizers - faces calls to pay reparations after genealogy show reveals her white puritan ancestor arrived in America on the Mayflower  — Angela Davis, 79, learned that her ancestor came to the US on the Mayflower

Wind and Solar Energy Projects Risk Overwhelming America's Antiquated Electrical Grids  —  An explosion in proposed clean energy ventures has overwhelmed the system for connecting new power sources to homes and businesses.  —  Plans to install 3,000 acres of solar panels in Kentucky and Virginia are delayed for years.

Pete Buttigieg rep tells ‘aggressive’ reporter to turn off camera at Ohio derail site … MORE ON:  —  A press liaison for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg refused to discuss her boss's handling of a toxic chemical spill following this month's train derailment in East Palestine …

‘It Was An International Conspiracy’: Lawsuit Follows A Half Century Of Pain And Questions For Malcolm X's Family  —  Start your day with TPM.  —  A planned lawsuit from the family of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X follows decades of trauma and lingering questions for his daughters.

Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson Arrested After a Former Executive Pleads Guilty to Fraud  —  Samir Rao, company's former chief operating officer, appeared in court as John Doe and admitted wrongdoing in probe of the company's practices  —  Ozy Media Chief Executive Carlos Watson …