Paul says Fauci will face ‘repercussions’ for taking the Fifth.  That could get complicated.  —  Rand Paul says Anthony Fauci can expect consequences for the former Covid czar's decision to exercise his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination to avoid testifying before Paul's Senate committee on Wednesday.

Blanche nomination hangs by a thread as Cornyn stands by settlement ultimatum  —  GOP Sen. John Cornyn said Wednesday, less than 24 hours before a critical committee vote, that he is “not prepared” to support Todd Blanche's confirmation as attorney general as the two continue to tangle …

6 In 10 Voters Oppose U.S. Military Action In Iran Amid Spike In Expectations It Will Last A Year Or More, Trump Approval Hits New Low, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; 49% Worse Off Financially Than A Year Ago As Majority Thinks Economy Is Worsening  — mail_outline

Trump Demanded Details of Agents' Interview of Comey, New Filing Says  —  The demand suggests the intense personal involvement of President Trump in investigating one of his longtime critics, the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey.  —  Secret Service agents who questioned the former F.B …

Trump announces a $22.5 billion makeover of Dulles airport that will eliminate the ‘people movers’  —  President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a $22.5 billion renovation of Washington Dulles International Airport that will end the use of the widely disliked “people movers,” …

Why Do We Tolerate Elon Musk's Racist Commentary?  —  “The Turner Diaries” is a work of white supremacist agitprop.  It purports to be the diary of a neo-Nazi militant, Earl Turner, who is working to overthrow the United States government — or as the book calls it, “the System” — through a group called “the Organization.”

Scoop: Inside the White House pitch for pre-election MAGA megabill … President Trump and his team disagree.  — White House officials want the Senate to build in flexibility to jam through as much of the SAVE America Act as possible, and they are insisting it can be crafted to avoid tough amendment votes.

Saudi Arabia's Strikes in Iraq Mark Entry Into U.S.-Iran War.  —  The U.S. and Saudi Arabia said they had carried out joint airstrikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq, and Iran targeted U.S. military sites in Jordan.  —  Here's the latest.  —  American and Saudi fighter jets attacked …

Schumer Says He and Troy Jackson Are ‘Working Together’  —  The Maine Senate candidate has said in past interviews that he would not support Schumer as leader next year.  — Copy  —  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he met with Democratic Maine Senate hopeful Troy Jackson Wednesday morning.

Trump overrode his own agencies to deny 4 Democratic disaster requests  —  President Donald Trump overruled his own agencies when he denied disaster aid for four Democratic-led states this month.  —  Emails between state and federal officials obtained by POLITICO along with more than 150 pages …

Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement  —  For release at 2:00 p.m. EDT  —  The Federal Open Market Committee approved the following statement for release by a 9 - 3 vote:  —  The Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 percent, in support of the Federal Reserve's dual mandate.

Bari's New ‘60’ Slate … On Tuesday afternoon, I received an urgent tip on the encrypted-messaging app Signal: Ross Douthat, the conservative opinion columnist at The New York Times, was set to leave the newspaper and join “60 Minutes.”  Initially, I was skeptical.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Ties the Knot With Brian Glenn in Las Vegas  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  RECOUNT ORDERED ON WEDDING GUESTS  —  UPDATE  —  7:46 AM PT ... Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the newylweds had dinner at Spago and got married at the Terrazza di Sogno in The Bellagio.

Senate goes on record to oppose any possible pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell … - Why it matters: Democrats wanted to put every Republican senator on record as opposed to a potential pardon.  — By failing to object to Sen. Jacky Rosen's resolution, Republicans agreed that the president …

Trump DOJ loses bid for New Jersey voter rolls, now 0 for 18  —  President Donald Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) suffered its 18th defeat, with no wins, in its nationwide voter data crusade Wednesday, when a federal judge dismissed the department's lawsuit* seeking New Jersey's unredacted voter rolls.

The Anti-Democrat  —  You won't find a much harsher critic of the Democratic Party than the progressive trying to secure its nomination for Senate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed.  When I caught up with him last week in Ann Arbor, he was at a café holding an outdoor roundtable with young voters …

The fake historian advising Trump's anti-Smithsonian crusade  —  Last Friday, President Trump released an executive order directing officials to install signs outside the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (NMAH) informing visitors that the museum presents history inaccurately.

SpaceX gets $1.6 billion US Space Force order for 18 Falcon 9 launches  —  SpaceX won $1.6 billion in orders from the U.S. Space Force on Wednesday to launch 18 Falcon 9 missions through 2027 carrying Pentagon satellites for detecting and targeting airborne objects, the service said.

Pacing the Frontier  —  A statement from 1,273 employees of frontier AI companies  —  Statement  —  AI could help create a dramatically better future, but that outcome is not guaranteed.  The world's leading AI companies believe they could be close to automating AI research.

Inside Bibi's pivotal White House meeting with Trump  —  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed skepticism during his meeting with President Trump about the chance of a deal with Iran and discussed increasing economic pressure on Iran “through kinetic and non-kinetic means,” …

Trump Administration Is Repurposing Federal Land for A.I. Data Centers  —  In the latest example, the Energy Department will convert a shuttered Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility into a data center campus and gas plants.  —  The Trump administration is repurposing large chunks …

Political profanity is having a f*cking moment  —  Politicians are increasingly abandoning scripted language and publicly cursing as profanity becomes a more common political tool. … - “I think that part of the appeal of the strong language... is to take some of that same energy …

Trump Says He'd Be ‘Disappointed’ If China Sends Weapons to Iran  —  President Donald Trump said he would be “disappointed” in China if they provided weapons to Iran, repeating assurances he said Xi Jinping had made to him that Beijing would not sell arms to Tehran.

Trump administration ending Medicare premium subsidy program  —  The Trump administration on Tuesday said it would move to end a Biden-era Medicare premium subsidy program, alleging it benefited insurance companies more than enrollees.  —  As a result, Medicare Part D subsidies will expire …