1/ A Trump attorney admitted to knowingly making 10 public “misrepresentations” about the 2020 presidential election being stolen. On November 20, 2020, Jenna Ellis claimed on Newsmax that “with all those states (Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia) combined we know that the election was stolen from President Trump and we can prove that.” Ellis later claimed on Fox News show on Dec. 5, 2020 that “we have over 500,000 votes (in Arizona) that were cast illegally,” adding on Dec. 15 on Newsmax that Trump was “the true and proper victor.” Ellis was censured for misconduct by Colorado legal officials for the repeated false statements about the election. As part of the public censure, Ellis agreed that her legal work for Trump “caused actual harm by undermining the American public’s confidence in the presidential election.” (Colorado Newsline / Associated Press / NBC News / Politico / New York Times / CNN)

2/ House Republicans launched an investigation into the Democratic-controlled Jan. 6 committee from last Congress. The subcommittee — made up of four Republicans and two Democrats — will look into roughly two million documents and records. It also launched a portal to collect tips from the public. The subcommittee is expected to focus on the security failures around Jan. 6, the treatment of Jan. 6 defendants, and possible training or resource reforms for U.S. Capitol Police. (CNN / NBC News)

3/ Mitch McConnell was hospitalized and is being treated for a concussion after falling. The hotel where the fall occurred was the Waldorf Astoria, formerly the Trump International Hotel. McConnell is expected to remain in the hospital for several more days. (ABC News / Washington Post / NBC News)

4/ U.S. companies cut nearly 80,000 job last month – up from 15,245 in February 2022. Since January, U.S. companies have announced more than 180,000 layoffs – the most for any January-February period since 2009. The Labor Department, meanwhile, reported that the number of new unemployment claims rose 21,000 to 211,000 for the week ending March 4 – the biggest increase in five months. Economists, however, expect Friday’s job report to show that the economy added 225,000 new jobs in February. (Bloomberg / Reuters / CNBC)

1/ Biden’s budget blueprint aims to cut federal budget deficits by nearly $3 trillion over the next decade. As part of the budget, Biden wants to increase the Medicare payroll tax on people making more than $400,000 per year, as well as impose a tax on households worth more than $100 million. Biden will release his fiscal 2024 budget plan tomorrow and has faced pressure to cut spending by House Republicans, who have refused to raise the nation’s debt limit – setting up the risk of a national default. House Republicans, however, have yet to offer a blueprint to balance the federal budget, but nevertheless are reportedly planning to pursue cuts to the foreign aid budget, as well as health care, food assistance, and housing programs for poor Americans. (Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / CNN)

2/ The White House condemned Tucker Carlson for his false narrative that the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was a largely peaceful event, calling his depiction of the “unprecedented, violent attack on our Constitution” both “shameful” and “false.” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates added: “We also agree with what Fox News’s own attorneys and executives have now repeatedly stressed in multiple courts of law: that Tucker Carlson is not credible.” Bates was referencing revelations from the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News, which led to the disclosure that a senior vice president at Fox News testified in his deposition that he did not consider Carlson’s show to be a “credible source of news.” (Politico / New York Times / The Hill)

3/ Tucker Carlson claimed that he “passionately” hated Trump, according to documents released from the $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems. On Jan. 4, 2021, Carlson texted an unnamed Fox co-worker: “We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can’t wait,” adding: “I hate him passionately […] I can’t handle much more of this.” Carlson continued: “What he’s good at is destroying things. He’s the undisputed world champion of that. He could easily destroy us if we play it wrong.” (NBC News / Associated Press / New York Times / Washington Post)

4/ Kevin McCarthy rejected President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s invitation to visit Ukraine. Although there is widespread bipartisan support for Ukraine in Congress, some House Republicans have called for an end to further military and financial aid to the country. “Let’s be very clear about what I said: no blank checks, OK? So, from that perspective, I don’t have t...

1/ The Biden administration is reportedly considering restarting the practice of detaining migrant families who cross the border illegally. Although Biden ended the policy after taking office, saying he wanted a more humane immigration system, the White House and Department of Homeland Security officials have met multiple times to discuss various border-policy proposals when Title 42 ends May 11. Title 42 – invoked by the Trump administration in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic – is a public health law that allowed border agents to rapidly expel asylum-seeking migrants who crossed the border illegally. More than 2.3 million people have been expelled under Title 42, which ends May 11 with the expiration of a national emergency for the Covid-19 pandemic. (New York Times / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)

2/ Walgreens – the nation’s second-largest pharmacy chain – will not dispense abortion pills in 20 states, including some places where abortion is still legal and available. Last month, 20 Republican state attorneys general threatened Walgreens and other pharmacies with legal action if they dispensed mifepristone. The Biden administration called Republican efforts to dissuade pharmacies from distributing abortion pills “dangerous and just unacceptable.” Meanwhile, five women who were denied abortions under Texas law while facing medical crises are suing the state – the first time that pregnant women have taken legal action against abortion bans. “[The women] have been denied necessary and potentially life-saving obstetrical care because medical professionals throughout the state fear liability under Texas’s abortion bans,” the lawsuit said. The women, however, are not seeking to block Texas’ abortion bans outright, but instead asked the court to clarify that abortions can be performed when a physician makes a “good faith judgment” that “the pregnant person has a physical emergent medical condition that poses a risk of death or a risk to their health (including their fertility).” (Politico / CNN / NPR / New York Times / CNN)

3/ The Federal Reserve warned that it will likely lift interest rates higher and faster than previously expected if incoming data continues to point to a strong economy and persistent inflation. “If the totality of the data were to indicate that faster tightening is warranted, we would be prepared to increase the pace of rate hikes,” Chairman Jerome Powell said, adding that “the latest economic data have come in stronger than expected, which suggests that the ultimate level of interest rates is likely to be higher than previously anticipated.” Last year, the Fed raised interest rates at the fastest pace since the 1980s, lifting the borrowing costs from near zero to above 4.5%. Powell’s latest remarks suggest that the Fed could raise rates to 5.6%. Fed officials also project that the unemployment rate will reach 4.6% by the end of the year – up from 3.4% currently. Historically, when the jobless rat...

1/ Trump pledged to stay in the 2024 presidential race even if he’s indicted, saying “I am your retribution.” Trump is facing two state investigations and two federal investigations: Prosecutors in Atlanta are considering charges against Trump over his efforts to pressure Georgia state officials to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden; the Justice Department is investigating Trump’s actions related to the Jan. 6 insurrection; a Justice Department special counsel is also looking at his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House; and prosecutors in New York are looking at his past business practices, including alleged hush money payments to a former mistress. Trump, meanwhile, won the Conservative Political Action Conference’s straw poll with 62% of the votes. His closest rival – Ron DeSantis – won 20% of the votes. (New York Times / USA Today / ABC News / CNBC)

2/ Trump asked a federal court to block Pence from testifying to a grand jury about his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, citing executive privilege. The grand jury subpoena seeks documents and testimony from Pence related to the Jan. 6 events where pro-Trump rioters tried to disrupt the certification of Biden Electoral College victory by Congress. At the time, Pence was presiding over the certification proceedings as president of the Senate. Pence has claimed that because he was acting as president of the Senate that day, he is protected by the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause, which shields lawmakers from some law enforcement actions. (CNN / New York Times)

3/ Paul Manafort agreed to pay $3.15 million to settle a civil case filed by the Justice Department over his “willful failure to timely report his financial interest in foreign bank accounts.” Manafort failed to disclosed to the Treasury Department nearly two dozen bank accounts related to consulting work in Ukraine from 2006 to 2014. (CNN / NBC News / Washington Post)

4/ A cancerous lesion was removed from Biden’s chest during his physical last month and all cancerous tissue was successfully removed, White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor said. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer with approximately 3.6 million cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year. (Politico / ABC News / Washington Post)

5/ Since 2017, nearly three-quarters of all new debt was approved in bills supported by Republicans, and three-fifths of it was signed into law by Trump, according to an analysis of House and Senate voting records and...

1/ Trump can be sued by injured Capitol Police officers and Democratic lawmakers over the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. In a federal court filing, the Justice Department said Trump is not entitled to absolute immunity against civil lawsuits seeking to hold him liable for the attack because “no part of a President’s official responsibilities includes the incitement of imminent private violence.” Although Trump enjoys broad legal latitude to communicate to the public on matters of concern, attorneys for the Justice Department’s civil division wrote that “by definition, such conduct plainly falls outside the President’s constitutional and statutory duties.” Two U.S. Capitol Police officers and 11 Democratic House members are seeking to hold Trump liable for injuries and damages caused during the riot. Trump has argued that he was acting in his official capacity as president when he told a crowd to “fight like hell” to keep Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election. (Washington Post / NBC News / Bloomberg / Associated Press / CNN / Reuters)

2/ The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into George Santos, who has admitted to numerous fabrications about his background and faced questions about his campaign and personal finances. The probe will look at whether Santos “engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign,” including allegations of sexual misconduct, failure to properly disclose information on his House financial disclosures, and whether he violated federal conflict of interest laws. Santos responded to the investigation, tweeting in third-person that “George Santos is fully cooperating.” (The Hill / New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post / CNN / Associated Press / CNBC)

3/ Biden plans to ask Congress for $1.6 billion to recapture stolen Covid-19 relief funds and help victims of identity theft. The Trump and Biden administrations distributed about $5 trillion in pandemic relief funds, and some experts estimate that more than a quarter of a trillion dollars were stolen by fraudsters. At least $2 billion has been recovered so far. (Washington Post / NBC News /

1/ Rupert Murdoch testified that several Fox News hosts “endorsed” Trump’s false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Murdoch, chairman of Fox News’s parent company, conceded in a deposition taken by Dominion Voting Systems that Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro, Maria Bartiromo, and Lou Dobbs promoted false claims that the election was stolen and that he could have stopped them but didn’t. “I would have liked us to be stronger in denouncing it, in hindsight,” Murdoch said. The Executive Chairman also said that it was “wrong” for Tucker Carlson to allow MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to make baseless election fraud claims on Fox News, but argued that it was a business decision, saying “it is not red or blue, it is green.” A recently unsealed court filing revealed text messages and emails that many of the most prominent executives, hosts, and producers had privately said claims of election fraud in the 2020 election were bogus. Dominion sued Fox News in March 2021 and is seeking $1.6 billion for alleged lies that “deeply damaged Dominion’s once-thriving business.” (New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / CNN / Bloomberg)

2/ Democratic leaders called on Rupert Murdoch “to stop spreading false election narratives and admit on the air that they were wrong to engage in such negligent behavior.” In a letter to Murdoch and the leadership of Fox News, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries wrote: “Though you have acknowledged your regret in allowing this grave propaganda to take place, your network hosts continue to promote, spew, and perpetuate election conspiracy theories to this day.” Kevin McCarthy, meanwhile, defended his decision to give Fox News’ Tucker Carlson “exclusive” access to to 41,000 hours of Jan. 6 security footage of the Capitol attack. McCarthy and House republicans are also moving to provide defendants in Jan. 6-related cases access to the footage. (Washington Post / CNBC / ABC News / Associated Press / The Hill / Wall Street Journal)

3/ FBI Director Christopher Wray told Fox News that COVID-19 pandemic “most likely” started after a lab incident in Wuhan, China. The FBI’s assessment, however, is not the consensus among intelligence and scientific communities, though the Energy Department

1/ Trump – who repealed an Obama-era rule that required “high-hazard” cargo trains to be equipped with an advanced braking technology – visited the site of a toxic train derailment in Ohio. “Unfortunately, as you know, in too many cases, your goodness and perseverance were met with indifference and betrayal, in some cases,” Trump said. In 2018, at the urging of railroad and industry lobbyists, the Trump administration repealed an Obama-era rule that required electronically controlled pneumatic brakes on trains hauling a certain amount of flammable liquids, such as crude oil and ethanol. While the Obama-era brake rule would not have directly applied to the train that derailed in East Palestine, rail experts said the accident would have been less severe had the train had the upgraded brakes. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, meanwhile, plans to visit the site of the train derailment on Thursday – 20 days after a 150-car train carrying oil and toxic chemicals derailed, caused a fire, and spilled toxic chemicals into the environment and community of 4,000. (Politico / Bloomberg / Associated Press / Politico / NBC News / CNN)

2/ The Biden administration issued a new immigration rule that would bar migrants from applying for asylum in the U.S. if they crossed the border illegally or failed to first apply for safe harbor in another country. The new rule would take effect on May 11 and remain in place for two years. May 11 is also the end date of the Title 42, a Trump-era pandemic emergency rule that has been used more than 2 million times to expel asylum seekers on public health grounds. (Politico / CNN / New York Times / USA Today / Washington Post)

3/ Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were subpoenaed by the special counsel overseeing the investigation into Trump’s efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. Jack Smith wants the couple to testify before a federal grand jury. Both Ivanka and Kushner served as senior Trump White House advisors. Smith previously issued a subpoena to Pence, who has said he will oppose the demand for his testimony, as well as Mark Meadows. (New York Times / CNBC)

4/ Kevin McCarthy provided Fox News host Tucker Carlson with exclusive access to the Capitol surveillance footage from the Jan. 6 insurrection. Carlson said he received “unfettered”access to 41,000 hours of surveillance footage, and that his producers h...

1/ The U.S. formally accused Russia of committing crimes against humanity in Ukraine for “targeting civilians with death,” using rape as “a weapon of war,” stealing Ukrainian children and “reeducating” them, and targeting train stations, maternity wards, hospitals, schools, and orphanages. Biden made an unannounced visit to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – taking a nearly 10-hour train ride from Poland to Kyiv to show his administration’s “unwavering support.” After meeting with Zelenskyy, Biden vowed that the U.S. would “not tire” in its support of Ukraine. “One year later, Kyiv stands,” Biden said. “And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.” (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / NBC News / Politico / Washington Post)

2/ Putin suspended participation in the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the U.S. Putin, however, said Russia will not “withdraw” completely from the New START nuclear nonproliferation agreement, but that Russia won’t allow NATO countries to inspect its nuclear arsenal. The 2011 treaty placed “verifiable limits” on the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles and deployed nuclear warheads. In his state-of-the-nation address, Putin accused the U.S. and NATO of “using Ukraine as a battering ram against Russia,” adding: “It was they who unleashed this war. We are using force to stop the war.” (Associated Press / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Politico / The Guardian)

3/ The U.S. warned that China was “considering providing lethal assistance to Russia” in its efforts in Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cautioned Beijing against providing “material support” to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Beijing responded, saying the U.S. was “not qualified to issue any orders to China” and that the Biden administration should “stop shirking responsibility and disseminating fake news.” Chinese leader Xi Jinping, meanwhile, is expected to visit Putin in the coming months. Immediately before Russia invaded Ukraine, Moscow and Beijing issued a joint statement and declared a “no limits” partnership. (Politico /

1/ The special grand jury investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election concluded that “one or more witnesses” committed perjury during their testimony and urged Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to “seek appropriate indictments for such crimes where the evidence is compelling.” Willis will now decide whether to criminally charge Trump or his allies based, in part, on the findings by the special grand jury. Willis told a judge last month that decisions about potential prosecutions were “imminent.” The jurors also “unanimously” concluded “that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election,” rejecting Trump’s conspiracy theories after hearing “extensive testimony” from election officials, poll workers, and other experts. Witnesses were not identified in the public, five-page excerpt of the grand jury report, nor did it mention which Georgia laws – other than perjury – the jurors believe may have been violated. (Associated Press / NBC News / Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CNN / CNBC)

2/ The special counsel investigating Trump’s his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection subpoenaed Mark Meadows for documents and testimony. Meadows is one of Trump’s most senior officials that Jack Smith’s office has subpoenaed. Last week, Smith subpoenaed Pence. Smith also is investigating Trump’s handling of classified documents after leaving office. (CNN)

3/ The FBI conducted two planned searches at the University of Delaware as part of the Justice Department’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents. The previously undisclosed searches were conducted in recent weeks, with the consent and cooperation of Biden’s legal team. The FBI removed multiple boxes from the premises, but the documents reportedly didn’t have classified markings. (CNN / CBS News / Wall Street Journal)

4/ Biden suggested that the three unidentified objects the U.S. military shot down were unrelated to the Chinese spy balloon, but that his administration still doesn’t “know exactly” what the objects were. The U.S. intelligence community’s current assessment is that the aerial objects were “most likely tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions.” Biden added that there is no evidence of a “sudden increase in number of objects in the sky.” (

1/ The U.S. is track to add nearly $19 trillion in new debt over the next decade – $3 trillion more than previously forecast. The Congressional Budget Office added that the federal deficit will hit $1.4 trillion this year, and that deficits will average $2 trillion annually over the next decade, as tax receipts fail to keep pace with the rising costs of mandatory spending on programs like Medicare and Social Security. The nation’s debt currently exceeds $31 trillion. (New York Times / Politico)

2/ The U.S. could default as soon as July if the Congress doesn’t reach an agreement on lifting the debt ceiling. Although the Treasury Department is using so-called “extraordinary measures” to continue making good on federal obligations, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office warned that the Treasury “could run out of funds before July.” Republicans, meanwhile, have refused to raise or suspend the cap unless Democrats agree to unspecified spending cuts. Biden and the Democrats, however, have rejected negotiations on spending cuts, arguing that lawmakers should raise the debt limit without any other conditions. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reiterated that an “economic and financial catastrophe” would ensue if Congress doesn’t act. (Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / CNN)

3/ The 19-year-old white supremacist who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket was sentenced to life in prison without parole. “There can be no mercy for you, no understanding, no second chances,” Judge Susan Eagan said, telling Payton Gendron “there is no place for you or your ignorant, hateful and evil ideologies in a civilized society.” Gendron pleaded guilty in November to 15 criminal charges, including murder and first-degree domestic terrorism motivated by hate – a charge that carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the chance of parole. Gendron also faces 27 federal hate crime and firearm charges, which could make him eligible for the death penalty. (Associated Press / NPR / CNN / ABC News / New York Times / Washington Post)

4/ The Justice Department closed its sex trafficking investigation into Matt Gaetz and will not charge the congressman. Federal prosecutors and the FBI began investigating Gaetz in 2020 over allegations that the congressman had violated federal law by paying for sex, including sex ...