Exclusive: Justice Department launches a criminal investigation into Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll  —  The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Cornyn's Defeat Fuels Tensions With President Trump in Senate G.O.P.  —  Senators are angry President Trump turned on a respected former leader whom they consider a loyal Republican.  Now Mr. Trump faces resistance from his own embittered ranks.  — 1.2k

Mullin ‘drawing up plans’ to halt international flight processing in ‘sanctuary cities’  —  Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said late Tuesday he is “drawing up plans” to end the processing of international flights in left-leaning cities, pointing to protests outside …

Trump, the Wages of MAGA Sin, and the Dream of Flipping Texas Blue  —  Only moments after Ken Paxton clinched the GOP nomination in the Texas Senate race on Tuesday, he quickly signaled his intention to run a lofty, issue-focused campaign.  By way of characterizing Democratic opponent James Talarico as woke …

Reflecting Pool Contract Has ‘Inflated’ Profit Margin, Government Analysis Finds … A National Park Service analysis found that the contractor given a no-bid contract to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is being paid an inflated and excessive profit margin, according to federal documents obtained by The New York Times.

Jill Biden says she was “frightened” by Joe Biden's 2024 debate performance, thought he was having a stroke  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  Former first lady Jill Biden said she was “frightened” by her husband Joe Biden's 2024 debate performance and thought he was having a stroke.

Entertainers unveiled for 250th US birthday bash on National Mall  —  An eclectic mix of entertainers is poised to join a massive bash on the National Mall marking America's 250th birthday that's being billed as a “once-in-a-generation celebration.”  —  Country music star Martina McBride …

‘60 Minutes’ Journalist Sharyn Alfonsi Loses Deal After Dispute With Bari Weiss  —  Sharyn Alfonsi, whose segment on a brutal Salvadoran prison was pulled abruptly in December, said that CBS News and its top editor, Bari Weiss, had let her contract expire.  —  CBS News declined to renew …

AP Exclusive: Trump administration tells prosecutors to stand down on Venezuela leader, sources say  —  The Trump administration has quietly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez …

Exclusive: NSF puts new research grants to top universities on hold … - Dan Garisto  —  Search author on:  —  PubMed Google Scholar  —  The US National Science Foundation (NSF) — a major funder of basic research — has restricted the flow of new research grants to a group of elite universities, Nature has learnt.

Former CIA officer accused of stealing 300 gold bars, sources say  —  The longtime senior officer was also accused of lying about his background for nearly two decades, according to court documents about the case.  —  WASHINGTON — A former CIA senior officer with Top-Secret level clearance …

‘Trump Wants Good News’: The Pentagon Is Under Pressure to Sanitize Iran War Data  —  The president ‘rejects bad news as fake,’ one U.S. official says.  'He's getting what he is paying for.'  —  ∙ Paid  —  For months, staffers for Pete Hegseth's Pentagon have been under tremendous pressure …

Trump visited soldiers at Walter Reed — but not the 14 injured in the Iran war  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  President Trump made time to visit with U.S. service members during his trip Tuesday to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, but he did not see any of the 14 troops injured …

Exclusive: US carries out new strikes in Iran against military site, official says  —  The U.S. military has carried out new strikes in Iran targeting a military site that officials believed posed a threat to U.S. forces and commercial maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday.

Trump's DHS chief rocked by wild rumor about his WIFE... as furious staff leak scandalous details about his life of luxury  —  Department of Homeland Security leader Markwayne Mullin is desperately trying to get his wife, Christie Mullin, hired onto DHS's payroll, four insiders have told the Daily Mail.

America built the world's greatest research engine.  Now it's shrinking.  —  At public and private universities across the country, high-impact science is being damaged and derailed.  —  Sally Kornbluth is the president of MIT.  —  Most successful scientists are optimists.

‘It Was Amazing!’  CO Springs Murder Suspect Attended Jan. 6 Riot  —  Tim Arvidson, who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and unsuccessfully ran as a Republican for Colorado Senate, was arrested yesterday after allegedly shooting and killing a man in Colorado Springs.

Trump threatens Oman in latest play to open the Strait of Hormuz … Global gas prices are on the rise as a result.  And near-nonexistent transit through the strait has raised the specter of a worldwide food crisis on the horizon, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization warned last week.

Dell Wins $9.7 Billion Defense Deal to Streamline Software Buys  —  A unit of Dell Technologies Inc. won a $9.7 billion contract to help the US military handle its licenses for Microsoft Corp. software related to email, spreadsheets and other needs across classified and unclassified systems, the Pentagon said.

Alabama asks Supreme Court to allow use of congressional map helping GOP, despite racial bias ruling  —  Alabama on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year's elections, despite a court ruling that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people.

Court Orders Customs Chief to Address Compliance on Refunding Tariffs  —  The surprising demand to appear at a hearing suggested new concern about the Trump administration's efforts to repay the full $166 billion owed from illegally imposed tariffs.  —  A federal trade court has ordered Rodney S. Scott …

Ball State Settles With Ex-Employee for $225,000 Over Charlie Kirk Posts  —  Ball State University is the latest institution to agree to pay workers who lost their jobs over their posts about the conservative activist.  —  Ball State University in Indiana has agreed to pay $225,000 …

Former Judges Urge Inquiry Into Deal Trump Struck With I.R.S.  —  The motion was particularly significant because it asked the judge overseeing the initial suit against the I.R.S. to examine the terms of the deal.  —  A bipartisan group of 35 former federal judges on Wednesday asked the judge …

House Democrats announce bill to block construction of Trump's arch  —  The legislation would explicitly bar new construction on the small island on the edge of Washington where Trump seeks to put the arch.  —  House Democrats on Wednesday announced legislation intended to block the construction …

The Ship of Theseus  —  You're reading Boiling Frogs, Nick Catoggio's daily newsletter on politics.  To unlock the full version, become a Dispatch member today.  —  Count me among those who believe that the conventional wisdom about last night's Texas Senate Republican runoff has the cause and effect backward.

Condé Nast and Union Reach Settlement Over “Fired Four” (Exclusive)  —  The publishing giant is allowing workers to resign as active employees and paying a financial settlement.  —  It was a march on the boss, a typical union tactic used to pressure management, this time with unusual consequences.

Company led by Republican fundraiser pardoned by Trump wins $106m federal contract  —  There is no evidence Elliott Broidy's links to Trump helped AI company win contract to monitor prisoners' phone calls  —  The day before Donald Trump's first term ended in 2021, he inked a pardon for Elliott Broidy …

The Trump Administration Is in Talks to Fund U.S. Drone Companies  —  Neros and Donald Trump Jr.-linked Unusual Machines are among companies in deal talks  —  The Trump administration is pursuing funding deals with a group of drone companies as part of its effort to increase domestic production …

Pentagon puts building blocks in place for Cuba invasion … Cuba is “in a lot of trouble,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday at a full Cabinet meeting.  “Having a failed state 90 miles from our shores is a threat to the national security of the United States.”

The State Department Really Doesn't Want to Talk About the Office of Remigration  —  The office was created a year ago and seemingly named for a far right European plan to expel minorities and immigrants from Western nations.  It now works, a source says, with little to no oversight.

Why We Need to Tax AI  —  Americans are hanging on by their fingernails in an economy that funnels wealth to the ultra-rich and leaves crumbs for working people. … I refuse to accept that future.  Building an economy that works for all of us will require multiple policy responses.

U.S., Iran in fresh clashes amid peace talks … - The U.S. military shot down the drones and attacked another Iranian drone launching unit on the ground before, the official added. … - The statement added: “U.S. forces also struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.