Politics

The New York Times reports: Hackers linked to Russia’s main intelligence agency surreptitiously seized an email system used by the State Department’s international aid agency to burrow into the computer networks of human rights groups and other organizations of the sort that have been critical of President Vladimir V. Putin, Microsoft Corporation disclosed on Thursday. Discovery of the breach comes …

Reuters reports: Turkey pushed NATO allies into watering down an official reaction to the forced landing by Belarus of a passenger plane and the detention of a dissident journalist on Sunday, two diplomats familiar with the matter told Reuters. NATO‘s 30 allies released a two-paragraph statement on Wednesday condemning the forcing down of a Ryanair flight to arrest journalist Roman …

Via press release from the Justice Department: A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier from Hudson County today admitted he discarded mail, including 99 general election ballots sent from the Essex County Board of Elections to West Orange, New Jersey, residents, from his assigned routes in Orange and West Orange, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced. Nicholas Beauchene, 26, …

The Los Angeles Times reports: Multimillionaire recall candidate John Cox’s prior gubernatorial campaign has been ordered by a judge to pay about $100,000 to a political consulting firm that produced television ads for his unsuccessful 2018 race — one of a string of unpaid bills detailed in a lawsuit and campaign filings. Cox’s campaign has refused to pay, leading to …

Politico reports: The mother of fallen Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick is requesting meetings with GOP senators to push them to support a proposed bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which Republicans are poised to block as soon as Thursday. Gladys Sicknick is seeking sit-downs with every single Senate GOP office on Thursday to emphasize “the importance” …

The Associated Press reports: Belarus’ authoritarian president defended Wednesday his decision to tell a passenger jet to land in his country and accused European leaders of waging a “hybrid war” to “strangle” his nation by ordering up new sanctions for diverting the flight and arresting an opposition journalist who was aboard. Speaking before lawmakers and top officials, President Alexander Lukashenko …

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports: John W. Warner, a Republican U.S. senator who led Virginia’s congressional delegation for 30 years and whose marriage to actress Elizabeth Taylor brought a dash of glamour to Virginia politics, has died. He was 94. Mr. Warner died at home in Alexandria Tuesday night with family at his side, according to multiple former and current U.S. …

Gothamist reports: For years, New York City and state lawmakers have been working to make it harder and more expensive for residents to smoke. A public health group is now laying out an ambitious goal: Ending the sale of smokable tobacco products altogether. The New York State Public Health Association is among 148 organizations worldwide that signed onto a statement …

Roll Call reports: The advent of self-driving cars is raising questions in the insurance sector about who should pay when the vehicles crash and how insurers will set equitable rates. When cars can operate themselves, the central question will be whether accidents are the manufacturer’s responsibility and therefore covered by product liability insurance or whether the fault would lie with …

The Hill reports: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Tuesday became the second Senate Republican to say she will support a House-passed bill to establish a bipartisan commission on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which could come to the floor for a vote this week. “I’m going to support it,” Murkowski told reporters when asked about whether she will …

The New York Times reports: None of the three major public pollsters in the New York City region have done comprehensive surveys in the mayor’s race. And of those big three pollsters — Quinnipiac University Poll, Marist College Institute for Public Opinion and Siena College Research Institute — two have no intention of conducting any such polls before the June …

Wrestling.com reports: WWE legend John Cena has issued an apology to China for calling Taiwan a country in a recent interview. During a promotional tour for Fast & Furious 9, Cena referred to Taiwan as a country while speaking to TVBS – sparking outrage among Chinese fans. Cena posted a video message on the Sina Weibo platform clarifying his comments, …

The Washington Post reports: European leaders on Monday agreed to impose sectoral sanctions on Belarus and to bar E.U. airlines from flying over the country’s airspace, dealing a potentially crushing blow to the economy, a day after Belarusian authorities forced down a civilian jet and pulled off a dissident journalist. The measures, backed by all 27 E.U. leaders, were an …

The Washington Post reports: European leaders on Monday were considering a plan to sever Belarus from the rest of the continent’s airspace, a day after Belarusian authorities forced a commercial airliner to land and arrested a dissident journalist who had been flying from Athens to Lithuania. Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said that AirBaltic, a major airline in the region, …

Axios reports: Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) told “Axios on HBO” that she won’t support Democrats in their fight against the GOP’s push for more restrictive voting laws — a sign that she’ll be no hero to the resistance. Ten days after losing her House Republican post, Cheney is trying to put former President Trump’s Big Lie about the election in …

Reuters reports: Republican Senator Susan Collins, one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump in February, said she believes the commission bill can move forward with changes to ensure bipartisan staffing and a year-end end date. “I’m optimistic that we can get past these issues,” Collins said on ABC’s “This Week” program. “I strongly support the creation of …

The Hill reports: Rep. Justin Amash (L-Mich.) said that people should avoid labeling Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as “some sort of hero,” for her criticism of former President Trump, arguing that the congresswoman could have spoken out earlier. Amash said that Cheney could have joined him when he warned “the president’s approach could lead to things like violence, could lead …

Politico reports: Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, headlines a fundraiser Monday for Rep. Adam Kinzinger. It’s a decisive move against ex-President Donald Trump, who has set his sights on Republicans who voted to impeach him. Kinzinger is one of 10 Republicans who joined Democrats to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on …

Politico reports: Netflix founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings is spending $3 million to shield Gov. Gavin Newsom from a recall vote in a demonstration of the enormous sums Newsom’s allies could marshal in his defense, according to a state filing today. The massive outlay makes Hastings by far the largest donor to Newsom’s recall campaign. Under California rules, Newsom can …

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports: Rep. Thomas Massie got fined $500 for refusing to wear a mask in the U.S. House of Representatives’ chamber this week. Massie spokesman John Kennedy provided a copy of a letter Thursday from the House sergeant-at-arms notifying the Kentucky Republican about the fine and his option to appeal it to the House Ethics Committee. Massie publicized …