US condemns Israel far right minister's call for Palestinian town ‘to be erased’  —  Israel's far-right finance minister's call for a Palestinian town “to be erased” was harshly condemned by US State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Wednesday, who described the comments as “repugnant” and “irresponsible.”

Biden seeks $1.6 bln to tackle COVID relief fraud ahead of Republican probes  —  President Joe Biden plans to ask Congress to provide $1.6 billion in new funding to tackle fraud tied to U.S. pandemic relief programs and help victims of identity theft, the White House said.

Trump's loosening grip on GOP defines early 2024 campaign  —  Rep. Thomas Massie was so eager for Donald Trump's endorsement in a contested primary three years ago that he ran TV ads targeted at the then-president in Florida to win his support.  —  Today, Massie is all but shunning Trump and his comeback campaign.

Rail unions tell Biden officials that workers have fallen ill at Norfolk Southern derailment site  — The presidents of U.S. railroad unions told Biden administration officials that rail workers have fallen ill at the Norfolk Southern derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio, in a push for more train safety.

The FBI Desperately Wants to Let Trump Off the Hook  —  He just won't allow it.  —  The way conservatives tell it, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is a hive of anti-Trump villainy, filled with agents looking for any excuse to hound the former president with investigative witch hunts.

Blinken and Lavrov meet on G-20 sidelines in first meeting between top diplomats since Ukraine war began  —  Blinken urged Russia to reverse President Vladimir Putin's decision to suspend New START, a key nuclear arms control treaty between the world's two largest nuclear powers

“Non-Person” Donald Trump faces “soft ban” at Fox  —  Donald Trump, who once dominated the Fox News broadcasts, is now running into a brick wall with what four members of his circle say is a “soft ban” from the top of the conservative news channel, as it rolls out the red carpet to even the low-profile rival candidates.

Biden administration lawyer may have saved student loan forgiveness plan at Supreme Court, experts say  — Experts have predicted the Supreme Court would rule against President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, but some changed their minds after oral arguments, praising the lawyer who presented the administration's case.

Starbucks committed ‘egregious’ violations in battling union, judge rules  —  The administrative law judge's order requires the company to stop a long list of behaviors and reinstate workers who began a nationwide union drive  —  By Jacob Bogage and Lauren Kaori Gurley

Kellyanne Conway Meets With Prosecutors as Trump Inquiry Escalates  —  The Manhattan district attorney's office is scrutinizing the former president's role in the hush money payment to a porn star.  —  Kellyanne Conway, who managed the final months of Donald J. Trump's 2016 campaign …

Parents push back on allegations against St. Louis transgender center.  'I'm baffled.'  —  ST. LOUIS — Explosive allegations made public last month about a St. Louis clinic that treats transgender children have flung parents into a vortex of emotions: shock, confusion, anger, fear.

Here's why Biden's new cyber strategy is notable … Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202!  What a busy Wednesday it was.  You'll see what I mean very soon.  Just scroll on down.  —  Reading this online?  Sign up for The Cybersecurity 202 to get scoops and sharp analysis in your inbox each morning.

Would a large GOP presidential field help Trump?  Not necessarily.  —  The consensus among political elites holds that a large, divided GOP presidential field would help former president Donald Trump.  That view is likely wrong.  —  The common wisdom goes something like this: In 2016 …

Exclusive: US Air Force fires leaders for failing nuclear safety inspection  —  Two US Air Force commanders and four of their subordinates at a key nuclear base in North Dakota were relieved of duty this week after their units failed an inspection designed to ensure that the nuclear weapons stockpile …

Senate votes to overturn Biden administration retirement investment rule Republicans decry as ‘woke’  —  The Senate passed a politically charged resolution on Wednesday to overturn a Biden administration retirement investment rule that allows managers of retirement funds to consider the impact …

Disney-backed Florida legislator proposes major expansion of “Don't Say Gay” law  —  Florida schools are removing books with LGBTQ characters from libraries, taking down rainbow flags, and canceling LGBTQ History Month.  This is all due to the infamous Parental Rights in Education Act …

EXCLUSIVE: House Weaponization Committee To Focus On The ‘Twitter Files’ In Second Hearing  —  The House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government plans to shine a spotlight on the FBI misconduct revealed in the “Twitter Files” at the panel's second hearing, scheduled for next week.

Washington lawyer Tom Goldstein leaves Supreme Court practice, law firm  —  Longtime Supreme Court advocate Tom Goldstein, who has argued more than 40 cases before the high court, said Wednesday that he is ending his practice and retiring from the Washington, D.C., law firm he co-founded in 2011.

Dallas Morning News Fires Reporter for Calling Mayor ‘Bruh’ on Twitter  —  Meghan Mangrum moved to Dallas to cover education.  —  Meghan Mangrum moved to Dallas last summer to cover education as part of the Dallas Morning News' Education Lab.  She'd previously worked the education beat …

Ron DeSantis' Anti-Free Speech Crusade Would Cancel Fox News  —  The culture warrior governor wants to overturn the Supreme Court decision that protects journalists from bogus defamation suits.  Fox News just used the same case as a defense. … When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed …

Chinese brokerages pressured to end overseas investing services  —  Regulator seeks to close loopholes that allowed foreign trades by mainland China investors  —  Chinese brokerages offering overseas investing services to mainland clients have come under pressure from a regulatory push …

How J.D. Vance made Dem friends on rail safety  —  J.D. Vance didn't win his Senate seat by campaigning as a dealmaker.  Yet here he is, a pro-Trump Republican working with Democrats after a toxic derailment devastated his state.  —  Vance and progressive Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) …

Menendez, Booker, nine House members slap Star-Ledger for closing Washington bureau  —  Two U.S. Senators and nine members of the U.S. House of Representatives have sent a letter to Star-Ledger and NJ Advance Media executives protesting their decision to close their Washington …

The GOP Is Weaponizing LibsOfTikTok's Anti-'Woke' Hate  —  Chaya Raichik amassed millions of followers by going after queer people and the doctors and teachers who support them.  And now, she's speaking at CPAC.  —  In the year since Chaya Raichik was unmasked as the operator of the hate-filled Libs …

Pennsylvania residents near Ohio chemical spill say they're left out of recovery efforts  —  Western Pennsylvania residents living near the Ohio border say they have been left out of recovery efforts following the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment in neighboring East Palestine, Ohio.

Lawmaker Proposes ‘Hanging on a Tree’ as Execution Method  —  Republican Paul Sherrell's attempt to add a grotesque amendment to Tennessee's death penalty options ignores his state's shameful history of lynching. … The House Criminal Justice Committee of the Tennessee legislature …

Kevin McCarthy's J6 footage deal endangers our country the same way Edward Snowden did: expert  —  Former CIA officer and FBI agent Tracy Walder tore into House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on MSNBC Wednesday for his decision to turn over more than 40,000 hours of raw Capitol footage from January 6 to Fox News.

Japan births fall to record low as population crisis deepens  —  The number of births registered in Japan plummeted to another record low last year - the latest worrying statistic in a decades-long decline that the country's authorities have failed to reverse despite their extensive efforts.

Murdoch Testimony ‘Guts’ Fox News's Best Defense in Defamation Suit, CNN's Elie Honig Says  —  CNN chief legal analyst Elie Honig said Fox News Chairman Rupert Murdoch's testimony in a defamation case against his network may have knee-capped its best defense.