FBI investigates intelligence aide who resigned over war  —  The Scoop  —  The FBI has opened a leak investigation into a top former intelligence official who resigned Tuesday in protest over the war in Iran.  —  The investigation into former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent …

Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years  —  An investigation by The New York Times found extensive evidence that the United Farm Workers co-founder groomed and sexually abused girls who worked in the movement.  —  Ana Murguia remembers the day the man …

Pentagon seeks more than $200 billion in budget request for Iran war  —  Some White House officials do not think the Pentagon's request has a realistic shot of being approved in Congress, one senior administration official said.  —  The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve …

Middle East war: why attacks on gasfields like South Pars are a major escalation  —  Strike was first time a fossil fuel energy production facility has been hit.  But why is it significant and who does it affect?  —  Prefer the Guardian on Google  —  Strikes by both sides …

One ‘freaking snake’ and no apologies: How the Mullin hearing went off the rails  —  The chairman opened the hearing with a provocative dare: Say it to my face.  Sen. Rand Paul, the Republican from Kentucky, has made clear he has little regard for President Donald Trump's nominee to lead …

Exclusive: US weighs military reinforcements as Iran war enters possible new phase  —  President Donald Trump's administration is considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops to reinforce its operation in the Middle East, as the U.S. military prepares for possible next steps in its campaign against Iran …

U.S. Intelligence Saw No Change in Iran's Missile Capabilities Before War  —  On Wednesday, the director of national intelligence and C.I.A. director contradicted one of the justifications the Trump administration had given for its attacks on Iran.  —  Two top intelligence officials directly contradicted …

Drones over base where Rubio, Hegseth live raise security concerns  —  Lockdowns at U.S. bases and a global security alert underscore concerns that Iranian retaliation could extend to officials on U.S. soil  —  U.S. officials detected unidentified drones above the Washington Army base …

Afroman Wins Verdict Rejecting Lawsuit Filed by Ohio Cops Over Mocking Music Videos  —  Police officers raided the “Because I Got High” rapper's Ohio home, then sued him after he ridiculed them on social media — but a jury just sided with Afroman. … Afroman won a jury verdict Wednesday …

Val Kilmer Resurrected by AI to Star in ‘As Deep as the Grave’ Movie — First Look (EXCLUSIVE)  —  Five years prior to his death in 2025, Val Kilmer was cast as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, in “As Deep as the Grave.”  But Kilmer, who was battling throat cancer, was too sick to ever make it to set.

COVID probably killed 150,000 more people in its first two years than official U.S. tolls show  —  We have severely undercounted the number of COVID deaths, scientists say … COVID may have killed significantly more people in the U.S. in the first two years of the pandemic than official records indicate …

The national debt just crossed $39 trillion—almost doubling since Trump vowed to erase it  —  The United States national debt crossed $39 trillion for the first time Tuesday, arriving at the grim milestone less than five months after it first hit $38 trillion in late October …

Europe tells Trump Iran is ‘not our war’  —  For a self-described Transatlanticist like German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the language has been unusually blunt.  —  When President Donald Trump asked countries to join a global effort against Iran and deploy ships to prise open the Strait of Hormuz …

Kiley switches parties, loses committees  —  Rep. Kevin Kiley, the former Republican who recently registered as an Independent, said in an interview Wednesday he plans to caucus with the House GOP and will seek to regain his committee assignments.  The California lawmaker was formally removed …

The Most Gavin Newsom Thing Ever  —  I've been doing a lot of research on the explosive fraud in California, but with all the other news, I really haven't gotten around to writing about it.  Besides, Beege did a bang-up job with a piece yesterday, so I can take a breather until things settle down.

Illinois results solidify JB Pritzker's ‘powerhouse’ role — and set up a White House run  —  The Illinois governor sank money and political capital into an open Democratic Senate primary and came out a winner alongside Juliana Stratton, who won the race.  — ADD NBC NEWS TO GOOGLE

‘Warrants or bust’: House hard-liners deliver ultimatum ahead of spy powers vote … “Warrants or bust,” Boebert said, adding that a clean bill “will not pass.”  —  Separately, Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is demanding the House attach partisan elections legislation, the SAVE America Act …

Following Trump, Republicans in Congress Propose to Ban Most Voting by Mail  —  A restrictive voter I.D. bill under consideration in the Senate could severely limit mail-in voting.  Conservatives are pressing to end the practice outright, taking aim at an option that is widely used by voters.

Voters in a key Pennsylvania swing district weigh in on Trump, gas prices and Iran war  —  NBC News spoke to voters at a gas station in the 10th District, the type of area that will be key for Republicans to win in the midterms if they hope to retain control of the House majority.  — ADD NBC NEWS TO GOOGLE

FBI and IRS to investigate nonprofit groups for domestic terrorism links, sources say  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  FBI and IRS agents are forming a new initiative to investigate nonprofit organizations over suspected possible links to domestic terrorism, sources briefed on the matter told CBS News.

DHS Pledges Not To Deport Any U.S. Citizens if Congress Ends Shutdown  —  After officers of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shot and killed two American citizens in January, Democratic lawmakers threatened to let the department's funding lapse unless it changed its practices.

Two shipments of Russian oil and gas head to Cuba in defiance of US  —  First cargo on course to arrive on Monday as Donald Trump taunts communist island while administration engages in talks  —  Jude Webber in Dublin and Joe Daniels in Bogotá  —  Two vessels heading …

House rejects effort to force a balanced budget in the US  —  Lawmakers rejected legislation Wednesday to compel the United States to maintain a balanced budget, a perennial pursuit of fiscal conservatives that stood little chance of becoming the law of the land.

We Have Not Forgotten About The Epstein Files  —  Even though Donald Trump went to war in Iran, arguably according to at least some commentators and even a Republican congressman, to distract from the Epstein Files, we have not forgotten about them or about the survivors who deserve justice.