The Hill reports: Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted on Thursday that “Canadian truckers rule” as drivers made their way toward Ottawa to protest against a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The mandate at issue was instituted by the Canadian government and applies to truck drivers who cross the U.S.-Canadian border, Reuters noted. Ottawa police have already signaled they are on high alert …

Phoenix’s Fox News affiliate reports: A bill proposed to the Arizona State Legislature seeks to ban ‘sexually explicit materials’ from school classrooms, but LGBTQ advocates believe the bill is taking it a step further by targeting their community. “There is nothing more sacred than the innocence of a child,” said Rep. Jake Hoffman, the bill’s sponsor. The bill would ban …

Politico reports: In planning for global vaccine distribution, the Trump administration created a secret list prioritizing friends like Israel and Taiwan over low- and moderate-income countries, according to interviews with five current and former officials who described the document to POLITICO. The list, detailed here for the first time, shows that U.S. officials initially planned to apportion the life-saving shots …

The New York Daily News reports: After COVID-stricken Sarah Palin was spotted dining at two Manhattan restaurants and walking maskless on city streets, Mayor Adams’ office issued a warning to New Yorkers who cross her infected path. “We encourage any New Yorker who came into contact with Sarah Palin to get tested, just as we encourage all New Yorkers to …

The Weather Channel reports: Winter Storm Kenan will develop into a powerful nor’easter over the western Atlantic beginning late Friday, bringing heavy snow, strong winds and coastal flooding to parts of the East Coast. Winter storm watches have been issued by the National Weather Service for Friday night and Saturday from parts of southern New England southward through the coastal …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Marvel and Lost actress Evangeline Lilly is slamming vaccine mandates. The 43-year-old star posted on Instagram that she attended a rally in Washington D.C. this weekend to protest “bodily sovereignty” – a.k.a. Covid-19 vaccine mandates. It was apparently the same Sunday rally where speaker and devout anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made headlines by comparing vaccine …

The Birmingham News reports: Three women who said Roy Moore asked them for dates as teens – when he was in his early 30s – testified Thursday morning in Leigh Corfman’s defamation lawsuit against the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Two of the women said they went on multiple dates with Moore in about the same period …

The Mississippi Free Press reports: Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee is withholding $110,000 of funding from the Madison County Library System allegedly on the basis of his personal religious beliefs, with library officials stating that he has demanded that the system initiate a purge of LGBTQ+ books before his office releases the money. Tonja Johnson, executive director for the Madison County …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: The Georgians who joined a false slate of GOP electors to aid Donald Trump’s campaign to overturn the 2020 presidential election could face criminal charges, legal experts say, as federal officials launch a new inquiry into efforts to undermine the vote and local prosecutors ramp up their investigation. The alternative slate, which met behind closed doors …

The New York Times reports: When a furor erupted over Mayor Eric Adams’s decision to hire his brother to manage his security detail, the mayor retroactively sought formal guidance from the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board and vowed to abide by its determination. On Thursday, the board made its ruling public: Eric Adams’s brother, Bernard, can in fact …

The Hill reports: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned President Biden on Thursday not to “outsource” his Supreme Court nominee to the “radical left” following the retirement announcement of Justice Stephen Breyer. “Looking ahead — the American people elected a Senate that is evenly split at 50-50. To the degree that President Biden received a mandate, it was to …

Posted to Franklin Graham’s Facebook page: “Deliberate speed.” Those are the words Senator Chuck Schumer used when describing how the Senate would confirm the next Supreme Court justice nomination under President Biden. Justice Stephen Breyer is planning to retire this year, and we need to pray for the next Supreme Court appointment. Many issues hang in the balance, including cases …

Buffalo’s ABC News affiliate reports: A West Seneca couple is accused of using fake COVID-19 vaccine cards to enter Highmark Stadium for a Buffalo Bills game. The Erie County District Attorney’s Office announced 34-year-old Michael Naab and 37-year-old Amber Naab were arraigned Monday in Orchard Park Town Court. Both are charged with one count of criminal possession of a forged …

The Oregonian reports: The Oregon Court of Appeals for a second time Wednesday upheld a ruling by the state civil rights division that found that a Gresham bakery illegally discriminated against a same-sex couple by refusing to sell them a wedding cake in 2013. However, the court found that the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries did not exhibit religious …

The Detroit Free Press reports: Teenager Ethan Crumbley plans to pursue an insanity defense for his alleged role in the Oxford High School mass shooting that killed four Oxford students, injured seven others and devastated an entire community, according to a Thursday court filing. “Please take notice that … Ethan Crumbley intends to assert the defense of insanity at the …

The New York Times reports: President Biden will formally announce the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer on Thursday, White House officials said, a step that will kick off a weekslong political clash on Capitol Hill as Mr. Biden seeks to put his imprint on the Supreme Court. Officials said the president would deliver his remarks at 12:30 p.m., flanked by …

Florida Politics reports: The “putrid” smell of marijuana is among the reasons Gov. Ron DeSantis may remain opposed to legalization in Florida. DeSantis shied away from offering a definitive answer on the issue Wednesday when asked by press at a campaign event in Tallahassee. He did, however, speak out against the smell of cannabis in public places. “What I don’t …

Axios reports: Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) on Thursday introduced a resolution to recognize that the Equal Rights Amendment has met all legal requirements to be considered the 28th constitutional amendment. If the resolution passes in both Congress chambers, the ERA would be officially added to the constitution and would guarantee legal gender equality under the Constitution. …

Maine Public Radio reports: Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins says there is no need to rush the vetting process for a potential successor to retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer as the Senate gears up for another likely confirmation fight. During the process to fill the last two Supreme Court vacancies, Collins was often in the national spotlight as then-President …

The Texas Tribune reports: U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, is taking heat this week for sending out campaign mailers containing unsolicited mail-in ballot applications to voters who are 65 and older. Last year, Texas Republicans in the Legislature passed an elections law that banned local election officials from that very same practice under the banner of protecting election integrity. However, …