Elon Musk's Weekend-Long Masterclass in Business Failure  —  It's not that easy to get a hold of LeBron James' people.  Few celebrities are accessible, but James occupies a rarefied strata of fame where even getting his representatives to acknowledge you on some matter or another isn't a given for most reporters.

Gun Violence Is Actually Worse in Red States.  It's Not Even Close.  —  America's regions are poles apart when it comes to gun deaths and the cultural and ideological forces that drive them.  —  POLITICO illustration/Source: Nationhood Lab at Salve Regina University

‘Destroy This Guy’: Why Trump's Campaign Against DeSantis Is So Personal  —  Trump's 2024 orbit is loaded with DeSantis alums.  Some say DeSantis made his staff's lives miserable.  They want to return the favor  —  DONALD TRUMP LOATHES Ron DeSantis for the Florida governor's “disloyal” …

NBC News poll: Nearly 70% of GOP voters stand behind Trump amid indictment, investigations  —  But large majorities of all Americans are sour on a Trump v. Biden rematch in 2024.  —  A whopping two-thirds of Republican primary voters say they stand behind former President Donald Trump …

House Republicans punt on national abortion ban amid fears of 2024 backlash  —  House Republicans are abandoning a years-long push by their party to pass a federal abortion ban and are exploring other ways to advance their anti-abortion agenda - a remarkable shift that underscores how the GOP …

Gov. Chris Sununu calls Trump ‘a loser’ who won't get the GOP nomination for 2024  — Growing Republican support for Donald Trump's re-election won't be enough, Chris Sununu said.  — On NBC, the New Hampshire governor said Trump is a “four-time loser” who has cost the GOP seats in Congress.

The conservative campaign to rewrite child labor laws  —  The Foundation for Government Accountability, a Florida-based think tank and lobbying group, drafted state legislation to strip child workplace protections, emails show  —  When Iowa lawmakers voted last week to roll …

Lindsey Graham Erupts at CNN's Dana Bash in Tense Exchange Over Abortion Access  —  ‘NO!  NO!  NO!’  —  Graham touted false claims and resorted to attacking the media when asked about abortion.  —  When pressed on abortion rights during a tense CNN interview on Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham …

House GOP's money machine  —  House Republicans in competitive districts dominated their Democratic counterparts in fundraising during the first three months of 2023, according to an Axios analysis. … - On average, the Republicans raised $686,075, while the Democrats brought in $404,687.

Why Phil Jackson's Anti-BLM Screed Is No Surprise  —  The coaching legend claimed he no longer watches hoops because it got too damn political.  Don't be shocked by the Zen Master's turn towards reactionary politics. … Phil Jackson, the Hall-of-Fame NBA coach and current quasi-adviser …

Dick Durbin: Clarence Thomas would have ignored our request anyway  —  Durbin asked Chief Justice John Roberts to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee next month.  —  Sen. Dick Durbin, chair of the Judiciary Committee, said Sunday he expects Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas …

Disgraced ABC Journalist James Meek ‘knew’ the age of the 16-year-old girl he pressured for nude photos, docs reveal, before FBI raid on his home  — A 16-year-old girl told investigators that journalist James Meek sent explicit messages to her despite her informing him of her age

McCarthy's debt ceiling plan is theater unworthy of a high school gym  —  When Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) nominated Kevin McCarthy for House speaker on the eighth ballot in January's 15-ballot spectacle, he spoke words meant to reassure the party's right-wing holdouts about the California Republican.

9 teenagers shot, wounded at after-prom party in Texas  —  None of the injuries are considered life-threatening, police said.  —  LIVE  —  At least nine teenagers were injured following a shooting at an after-prom party in Texas, according to authorities.  None of the victims' injuries are considered life-threatening.

Losing Ballot Issues on Abortion, G.O.P. Now Tries to Keep Them Off the Ballot  —  After abortion rights supporters swept six ballot measures last year, Republican legislatures seek to make it harder to get on the ballot, and harder to win if there is a vote.

US urges South Korea not to fill China shortfalls if Beijing bans Micron chips  —  White House has tried to enlist Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in its semiconductor battle with Beijing  —  The White House has asked South Korea to urge its chipmakers not to fill any market gap in China …

These men can save Russia: we must not desert them  —  Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to let leading Russian opposition figures Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Murza die in jail, write Bernard Guetta, Timothy Garton Ash, Ezio Mauro and Adam Michnik  —  Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Murza …

How Washington allowed bank CEOs to pocket huge bonuses amid failure  —  Executive pay rules are getting new scrutiny after Silicon Valley Bank's collapse — but still they may not change  —  The 44-page PowerPoint presentation to federal banking regulators was clear and direct …

I can't look away from the house where Ralph Yarl was shot  —  Editor's Note: Danté Stewart is writer, speaker and author of “Shoutin' In The Fire: An American Epistle.”  Named by Religion News Service as one of “Ten Up-And-Coming Faith Influencers,” his work has appeared in The New York Times …

Tunisia Arrests Its Most Prominent Opposition Leader  —  Rached Ghannouchi has been a voice for democracy in his nation and across the Muslim world.  —  Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring, was the last place where it failed.  After a decade of freedom and democracy, in 2021 a new strongman …

Gun Idolatry Is Destroying the Case for Guns  —  On June 26, 2018, our family experienced one of the most terrifying nights of our lives.  It began with a strange and chilling direct message to our son — an image of three Klan hoods.  That was strange enough, but sadly not all that surprising.