Vox reports: In order to hack foreign governments, military officials, and embassies, Russian hackers are now using Britney Spears in their operations by posting cryptic comments on her Instagram photos. Hackers at Turla, a group believed to be linked to Moscow, are using Instagram comments on Britney Spears’s photos to control their hacking operation, said researchers at Slovakian security firm …

Politico reports: “Look, what he admitted yesterday, George, is this guy’s the leaker. He is the deep state in Washington that is everything is wrong. He admitted under oath that he gave his contemporaneous notes to a law professor,” Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told anchor George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “And if that’s what he has …

Mediaite reports: Ever seen a boxing match where a fighter gets beaten up, and then raises their hand in triumph as they stagger back to their corner in an effort to convince the judges they actually won? That, essentially, is what Donald Trump Jr tried to do on Hannity Thursday. On a day that Charles Krauthammer — no friend of …

The Washington Post reports: A jury awarded $6.7 million to a former female inmate at the Milwaukee County jail who said she was raped at least five times by a correctional officer there. The woman, who was pregnant at the time, also said she was shackled to her bed while giving birth in violation of her constitutional rights. While the …

The Associated Press reports: Germany has begun granting gays from Chechnya special visas on humanitarian grounds following reports that gay people are being tortured and killed in the Russian republic. The Foreign Ministry told The Associated Press on Thursday the first man arrived in Germany on Tuesday and four other applications for humanitarian visas are being reviewed. Gay activists and …

Raw Story reports: President Donald Trump broke his silence on James Comey’s testimony by claiming “total and complete vindication.” The president had been expected to tweet during the former FBI director’s testimony Thursday, but instead his social media account went silent for nearly 48 hours. Trump’s attorney issued a statement claiming Comey’s testimony proved the president was not under investigation, …

The Guardian reports: Theresa May has struck a deal with the Democratic Unionists that will allow her to form a government, sources have confirmed. The prime minister is expected to see the Queen at about 12.30pm on Friday to confirm that a deal is in place. It follows extensive talks with the DUP late into the night. Party figures say …

The BBC reports: The Scottish Episcopal Church has voted to allow gay couples to marry in church. It makes it the first major Christian church in the UK to allow same-sex marriages. The vote to amend canon law on marriage, removing the stipulation that it is between a man and a woman, was carried by the Synod in Edinburgh. It …

So this happened today: You know how when someone takes a bit too long with their speech at the Oscars — especially the low-profile winners — the orchestra inevitably plays them off? Well, that just happened to Ted Cruz. Speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference today, the Texas senator began thanking everyone in attendance. Perhaps thinking that was …

Politico reports: Britain is heading for a hung parliament and days of political chaos as a shock exit poll predicted that Prime Minister Theresa May has fallen short of an overall majority. The exit poll, published as polling stations closed at 10 p.m. local time, predicts the Conservatives will win 314 seats, with Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour on 266. With smaller …

Via email from Monica Cole: The newest Cialis commercial is inappropriate for obvious reasons, especially when aired as early as it has been recently when children are still awake and likely watching television. It features several couples and ends with a n-de couple enjoying two claw foot tubs side-by-side, which many families find offensive and embarrassing. To make matters worse, …

Via Mediaite: Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano reacted to James Comey‘s congressional hearing on Thursday by underlining the serious legal implications of the former FBI director’s testimony. “Today certainly advanced the ball on the seriousness of this investigation and the breadth of its scope,” Napolitano said. “If you look…at the big picture…you get a very, very credible and compelling …

The New York Daily News reports: As his former FBI Director accused him of lying during riveting testimony delivered just miles away, President Trump on Thursday uncharacteristically ignored James Comey and the growing Russia probe, using a speech to a faith group at a Washington hotel to quote the Bible and pledge loyalty to the “fight for religious freedom.” Trump …

PBS NewsHour reports: President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Marc Kasowitz plans to make a statement following the congressional testimony of former FBI Director James Comey. Kasowitz’s remarks are expected Thursday afternoon in downtown Washington. Trump tasked Kasowitz late last month with responding to matters arising from various probes of Russian interference in the election. This would be the first public …

The Hill reports: White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday that President Trump is “not a liar” hours after ousted FBI Director James Comey said the president had lied about the FBI. “I can definitively say the president is not a liar,” Sanders told reporters during an off-camera briefing at the White House. “I think it is frankly insulting …

Politico reports: Dozens of House and Senate Democrats plan to sue President Donald Trump in the coming weeks, claiming he is breaking the law by refusing to relinquish ownership of his sprawling real-estate empire while it continues to profit from business with foreign governments. The lawsuit follows months of threats from Democratic lawmakers that Trump, by refusing to sell off …

They say they’re going to sue. Charlotte’s Fox affiliate reports: A group says Charlotte Pride is pushing them out of the Gay Pride Parade because they support President Trump. “I’m very proud of my country, proud of my president, and was once proud of my community,” said Brian Talbert, who said he’s proud to be gay and proud to be …

The Associated Press reports: A judge held a juror in contempt and declared a mistrial Tuesday in the case of a North Carolina church minister charged in the beating of a congregant who says he was attacked to expel his “homosexual demons.” Superior Court Judge Gary Gavenus immediately sentenced the juror, Perry Shade Jr., to 30 days in jail and …

The hearing is still underway at this writing but let’s pull out the bit that may end up getting the most attention. NBC News reports: Fired FBI Director James Comey testified Thursday that he was “confused” and “concerned” when President Donald Trump told the public he was firing him for undermining the morale of the agency he had led since …

Here we go! CBS News reports: Former FBI Director James Comey will testify before Congress for the first time Thursday morning since President Trump fired him nearly a month ago. The highly-anticipated hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET. Comey is expected to say, according to his opening statement released Wednesday, that President …