Democrats to introduce bill to expand Supreme Court from 9 to 13 justices  —  WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats will introduce legislation Thursday to expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices, alongside progressive activists pushing to transform the high court.

Blinken visits Afghanistan after Biden's withdrawal decision to press for diplomacy  —  Talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government have been on ice.  —  Biden announces end to 20-year war in Afghanistan, withdrawing troops … Less than a day after President Joe Biden announced …

Matt Gaetz's Wingman Paid Dozens of Young Women—and a 17-Year-Old  —  VEN-UH-OH … Venmo payment records reveal a vast network of young women received money from Rep. Matt Gaetz's associate, the accused sex trafficker Joel Greenberg.  —  As new details emerge about Rep. Matt Gaetz's role …

Biden to Hit Putin With Russia Sanctions After Summit Offer  — Moves coming as soon as Thursday, days after Biden-Putin call  — U.S. to target individuals, further plans to include debt  —  The Biden administration is poised to impose a raft of new sanctions on Russia …

Western Warnings Tarnish Covid Vaccines the World Badly Needs  —  Amid a deep residue of mistrust, American and European cautions on the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines risk igniting anti-vaccine fervor in the global south.  —  Safety worries about the AstraZeneca …

Shades of 2016: Republicans Stay Silent on Trump, Hoping He Fades Away  —  Just like when Donald J. Trump was a candidate in 2016, rival Republicans are trying to avoid becoming the target of his attacks or directly confronting him, while hoping someone else will.

Officer arrested, charged with second-degree manslaughter in killing of Daunte Wright  —  The charge carries maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.  —  TEXT SIZE  —  MORE  —  Former Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly A. Potter was arrested late Wednesday morning at the offices …

The Promise and the Tragedy of Biden's Afghanistan Speech  —  Joe Biden gave the most forthright antiwar argument of any post-9/11 president.  Then he spared the broader War on Terror from its implications.  —  BEAST INSIDE  —  In many ways, Joe Biden's speech outlining a final withdrawal …

Biden Receives High Marks On Pandemic, Low Score On Mexican Border Situation, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Infrastructure Plan Is More Popular If Corporate Taxes Fund It  —  As President Joe Biden approaches his 100th day in office, he receives a positive 48 - 42 percent job approval rating …

The GOP's most important votes: 2 Democrats  —  Keep Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema close and publicly praise them, Mitch McConnell explained, because they could “save this institution.”  —  Though moderation and deep relationships with the GOP unite them, Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin have yin-and-yang personalities.

The strange death of the Democrats  —  The party will decline because it has a demographic problem  —  The Democratic party is dying.  That may be hard to believe since Democrats control both houses of Congress and won the last presidential election with a record 81 million votes.

House panel approves bill to create commission on slavery reparations  —  A House committee on Wednesday approved legislation to create a commission to make recommendations on paying reparations to the descendants of enslaved people, the furthest the bill has advanced since it was first introduced more than 30 years ago.

Navy veteran Latham Saddler enters US Senate race against Warnock  —  Navy veteran Latham Saddler announced a challenge to U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock on Thursday with hopes of emphasizing his military experience to appeal to conservatives in what's likely to be a crowded Republican primary.

Armed ‘quick reaction force’ was waiting for order to storm Capitol, Justice Dept. says  —  As the Capitol was overrun on Jan. 6, armed supporters of President Donald Trump were waiting across the Potomac in Virginia for orders to bring guns into the fray, a prosecutor said Wednesday in federal court.

Wray: FBI opens investigation into China every 10 hours  —  FBI Director Christopher Wray told Senate Intelligence Committee members on Wednesday that the agency is opening an investigation into various Chinese government actions every 10 hours.  —  “We're opening a new investigation …

Mr. President, your misinformation on Georgia's voting law is dangerous  —  Gabriel Sterling is the chief operation officer and chief financial officer in the office of the Georgia Secretary of State.  —  “Someone is going to get hurt.”  I made that prediction four months ago regarding misinformation about the 2020 election.