The Washington Post reports: Donald Trump mistook his sexual assault accuser E. Jean Carroll for his ex-wife Marla Maples when shown a photograph from the 1990s in a deposition at Mar-a-Lago last year, potentially undermining one of the common defenses he has used to deny an attack. Trump, who is being sued by Carroll, an author and advice columnist, for …

Reuters reports: U.S. Representative George Santos competed as a drag queen in Brazilian beauty pageants 15 years ago, two acquaintances told Reuters on Wednesday, adding to contrasts that have drawn criticism of the openly gay Republican congressman’s staunchly conservative views. He has backed Florida’s “don’t say gay” bill, which prohibits classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity. A person …

The Guardian reports: New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has said she is resigning, in an unexpected announcement that came as she confirmed a national election for October. At the party’s first caucus meeting of the year on Thursday, Ardern said she “no longer had enough in the tank” to do the job. “It’s time,” she added. “I’m leaving, because …

NBC News reports: The only HIV vaccine in a late-stage trial has failed, researchers announced Wednesday, dealing a significant blow to the effort to control the global HIV epidemic and adding to a decadeslong roster of failed attempts. Known as Mosaico, the trial was the product of a public-private partnership including the U.S. government and the pharmaceutical giant Janssen. It …

“It’s an important issue for our conference to come together on because, as you said, the government will keep on running. Yes, people’s social security checks will keep coming, military will keep getting paid, important things will keep happening and keep getting paid. “But we have to do a good job as a Republican conference. It’s a serious issue and …

Variety reports: As expected, Madonna has announced dates for “Madonna: The Celebration Tour,” in a viral video with a wink to her 1990 film “Truth or Dare.” The video features Judd Apatow, Jack Black, Lil Wayne, Diplo, Bob the Drag Queen, Kate Berlant, Larry Owens, Meg Stalter, Eric Andre and culminates with Amy Schumer daring Madonna to go on tour and perform her four decades of …

Charleston’s NPR affiliate reports: In a press conference Wednesday morning, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced his office has reached a settlement with the national pharmaceutical chain Walgreens for $83 million. “Today, we’re announcing that the state of West Virginia is settling for $83 million for its claims against Walgreens. We have signed the agreement and we have sent …

CBS News reports: Another power substation in North Carolina has been damaged because of apparent gunfire, energy officials said Tuesday. The damage occurred at a power substation in Thomasville, about an hour away from Moore County, where just weeks ago two other substations were attacked by gunfire. Energy United said that company officials learned of an “equipment issue” at the …

The New York Post reports: A Nassau County Democrat who vied for the congressional seat now held by disgraced GOP Rep. George Santos called the lying lawmaker a “flight risk” and demanded officials revoke the Republican’s passport. County legislator Joshua Lafazan called Santos “without exaggeration … the biggest fraud in modern American politics” during a news conference at LaGuardia Airport …

Charlie Kirk is all aquiver over the NHL’s Pride Night: I thought it’s supposed to have all different perspectives. Diversity is our strength and — no, no, no. It’s diversity is our strength — as long as you wear the rainbow flag, as long as you participate in the new replacement civil religion that is birthed out of the LGBTQ …

Mediaite reports: A new report claims Rep. George Santos (R-NY) went by the name “Kitara” while he performed in drag during his youth in Brazil. Santos is said to have used the name Anthony Devolder – an alias he is accused of using to allegedly swindle money from a fundraising campaign for a veteran’s sick dog. According to reporter Marisa Kabas, …

The Associated Press reports: Books containing “sexually explicit” content — including depictions of sexual or gender identity — would be banned from North Dakota public libraries under legislation that state lawmakers began considering Tuesday. House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, of Dickinson, introduced the bill and said public libraries currently contain books that have “disturbing and disgusting” content, including ones that …

Florida Politics reports: Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado will be among the speakers at the 15th International Conference on Climate Change, a three-day event in Orlando hosted by conservative and libertarian think tank The Heartland Institute. The event runs Feb. 23-25 at the Hilton Lake Buena Vista in the Disney Springs area. Its title: “The True Climate Crisis: …

Bloomberg News reports: Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin — who foiled Democrats’ efforts to pass a voting-rights overhaul by a simple majority — shared a high-five on the stage in Davos as they reaffirmed their opposition to overturning the Senate’s filibuster rule. “We still don’t agree on getting rid of the filibuster, correct?” Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, asked Sinema. …

Via email from hate group leader Mat Staver: One year ago today, as Anita and I prepared to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court, I captured a photo of the sun breaking through the early morning clouds. As we watched the day dawn on January 18, 2022, two vibrant red beams formed the shape of a cross right over the …

The Verge reports: Is Boston Dynamics slowly preparing to put its bipedal robots to work? In a glossy new video, the company has shown off its prototype Atlas robot tossing planks and tool bags around in a fake construction site. It’s a notable change in messaging from the Hyundai-owned company, which has never previously emphasized how its bipedal machines could …

The Daily Beast reports: National Hockey League player Ivan Provorov opted to forego part of the Philadelphia Flyers’ annual Pride Night on Tuesday, skipping warmups over a disagreement on rainbow attire, as well as rainbow-colored sticks and pucks to be auctioned at the end of the night. Provorov claimed a religious exemption, citing being Russian Orthodox. He went on to …

The National Review reports: The College Board — the group that runs the SAT test and the Advanced Placement (AP) program — has launched a pilot version of an AP African-American Studies (APAAS) course, to great fanfare in the mainstream press. In various press accounts, College Board advisers and teachers — so as not to fall afoul of new state …

The Jewish Forward reports: Newly obtained documents from the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services show that U.S. Rep. George Santos’ mother, Fatima A.C.H. Devolder, was not in the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks on 9/11, as he has claimed. While Santos has admitted to embellishing his resume and not being Jewish, he still maintains many outright falsehoods, including …

USA Today reports: The founder of the Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato was arrested early Wednesday in Miami in connection with a vast money laundering operation, accused of transmitting more than $700 million in illicit funds in the past four years. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Anatoly Legkodymov, 40, a Russian national, oversaw a major “high-tech financial hub that catered to …