Democratic Candidates Scramble in Virginia After Court Tosses Map  —  A court ruling that struck down an election map swiftly ended some Democratic House candidacies and pushed others into much tougher races.  —  On Thursday night, Dan Helmer received a shipment of boxes with 1,000 yard signs that read: “Dan Helmer for Congress.”

Republicans who denied 2020 election results could be governors next year  —  Electing such candidates for governor would give deniers key oversight of the 2028 presidential election in swing states like Arizona, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.  —  Just now  —  Summary

Vance or Rubio?  Trump Muses on Successor as the ‘Kids’ Fill Bigger Roles.  —  Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are boosting their profiles, generating speculation about who's lining up for the 2028 presidential nomination.  —  Every now and then …

One Big Headache for Politicians These Days: a Messy Digital Footprint  —  As a new generation of chronically online oversharers runs for office, many find themselves tripped up by past statements.  Their response?  Delete, distance, disavow.  —  Mallory McMorrow, a Democratic candidate …

An Emboldened New China Spells Trouble for Trump  —  One of the most widely shared viral memes on Chinese social media today is “the American kill line.”  —  Borrowed from video game slang for the threshold at which a weakened character can be easily finished off, it refers to the widely held notion …

Poll: Republicans and Democrats agree on one big election issue … Americans think cash rules more of the political system than it should — a concern that crosses party lines as midterm spending is projected to once again shatter records.  —  New results from The POLITICO Poll are stark …

Inside Ben Shapiro's MAGA meltdown  —  The Daily Wire was once ascendant in right-wing media.  Now, the “anti-woke” company faces contentious layoffs, ideological battles and dwindling relevance online.  —  Summary  —  The conservative media company Daily Wire was once a star …

Trump official says she's involved in policy changes that benefit her family's ranches, video shows  —  A top Interior Department official acknowledged her involvement in grazing policies that benefited her family's ranches, while speaking at an event in December.  —  Summary

All Those A.I. Note Takers?  They're Making Lawyers Very Nervous.  —  A trendy productivity hack, A.I. note takers are capturing every joke and offhand comment in many meetings.  They could also potentially waive attorney-client privilege.  —  Jeffrey Gifford is a lawyer in San Antonio …

They're not saying someone should kill Trump.  But they're coming close.  —  “Somebody should do it” and its variants have become increasingly popular online memes.  —  Summary  —  Peyton Vanest was fuming about President Donald Trump when he grabbed his phone and hit record.

Peter Magyar Takes Over as Hungary's Leader From Viktor Orban  —  The former opposition leader, who won a landslide election, now faces the formidable job of dismantling what his predecessor called an “illiberal democracy.”  —  Peter Magyar, the former opposition leader …

Deadly Israeli Strikes Erode Cease-Fire in Lebanon  —  Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has shown little sign of abating, with Hezbollah also continuing to attack Israeli troops, and both sides accusing the other of violating a U.S.-brokered truce.  —  Israel carried out a deadly wave …

This Is What Happened When Trump Abandoned the World's Poorest Children  —  A year after some of the world's richest men cut aid for the world's poorest children, they're trying to roll out a new public relations narrative: … As Jeremy Lewin, the acting under secretary of state for foreign assistance …

MAGA Religious Leaders Dedicate and Bless 22-Foot Golden Trump Statue at Doral  —  Thank you for reading!  Letters from Leo is a reader-supported publication.  To receive new posts and support this movement, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.  —  Before you read on …

SCOTUS used faulty racial voter turnout data to shred Voting Rights Act in recent ruling  —  U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito leaned on an erroneous claim that Black voter turnout now tops white voter turnout, in his Callais v. Louisiana ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act, reports The Guardian.