Pitchfork reports: Pet Shop Boys have announced a new album, Nonetheless, with a song called “Loneliness.” The follow-up to 2020’s Hotspot arrives April 26, marking the duo’s return to the label home of its imperial era, Parlaphone. It is also the band’s first collaboration with producer James Ford. “We wanted this album to be a celebration of the unique and …

From a coming book about the 2020 election: The idea was to tap ex-intel operatives who would break into election offices in swing states and seize Dominion voting machines and servers so they could prove the equipment had been hacked by foreign powers. The operatives would need hunting licenses in order to fulfill their mission. “Hunting licenses? What in the …

ABC News reports: “If Texas decides they want to do that, they can do that,” Nikki Haley said in a Wednesday radio interview. “If that whole state says, ‘We don’t want to be part of America anymore,’ I mean, that’s their decision to make,” Haley said, though she also noted, “Let’s talk about what’s reality. Texas isn’t going to secede.” …

Media Matters reports: On January 30, pastor and far-right media figure Jack Hibbs gave the House of Representatives’ opening prayer as guest chaplain at the invitation of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Hibbs used the opportunity to pray for God to bring “holy fear” to the representatives in preparation for a “coming day of judgment” in which “all who have been …

“I didn’t do anything wrong. I mean, that’s been proven as far as I’m concerned. And actually, we won in the Court of Appeals. You probably saw that that case has been largely won in the Court of Appeals. That was a political case coordinated with the White House by the attorney general, I assume is what you’re talking about. …

Politico reports: Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake is headlining a campaign fundraiser on Friday hosted by two wealthy QAnon supporters, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO. Caryn and Michael Borland, who have shared numerous QAnon posts on their social media platforms, are holding the fundraiser for the likely GOP nominee at their mansion in Prescott, Arizona. Tickets for the …

The Hill reports: The top outside group backing President Biden’s reelection bid is preparing to shell out a historic $250 million to blanket the airwaves in crucial states during the final stretch of the 2024 campaign. Future Forward, a pro-Biden Democratic super PAC, will put $140 million toward television ads and $110 million toward digital ads, including streaming services, from …

UPI reports: New York state Judge Arthur Engoron is poised to possibly rule as soon as Wednesday on how much Trump and co-defendants have to pay in a civil fraud case and if the former president can continue doing business in New York. Engoron previously had announced that he wants to rule by Wednesday on as much as $370 million …

The Washington Post reports: President Biden will tap senior adviser John D. Podesta to replace outgoing U.S. special climate envoy John F. Kerry once Kerry steps down this spring, Podesta and other White House officials confirmed to The Washington Post on Wednesday. Podesta now oversees implementation of Biden’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act. The law devoted billions of …

The New York Times reports: In a victory for Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a federal judge on Wednesday threw out a lawsuit filed by the Walt Disney Company claiming that Mr. DeSantis and his allies violated the First Amendment by taking over a special tax district that encompasses Walt Disney World. Disney said it planned to appeal the ruling. …

Politico reports: The Capitol Visitor’s Center has reported Rep. Rich McCormick to the House sergeant at arms, according to an email reviewed by POLITICO, accusing him of “unsafe actions” while on a tour of the Capitol’s dome Tuesday and doing pull-ups on railings suspended hundreds of feet above the ground. The Georgia Republican went beyond a posted sign reading “no …

Florida Politics reports: A controversial idea is again gaining ground in the Legislature: eliminating property taxes and replacing them with a new “consumption tax” tacked onto the sales of goods and services across the state. The change, said Republican Rep. Ryan Chamberlin, would put an end to what some have called “the most hated tax in America.” “I believe it’s …

NBC News reports: A New Jersey man who wore a throwback Philadelphia Eagles beanie to the Jan. 6 riot was arrested by the FBI this week after online “sedition hunters” identified him with the help of facial recognition and Facebook photos from a 2020 family trip to the pumpkin patch. Lee Giobbie, a 40-year-old financial adviser from Eastampton, New Jersey, …

Courthouse News reports: National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre told a Manhattan jury on Tuesday that his all-expenses-paid hunting trips to Botswana and Mozambique were “all business.” He spent much of Tuesday trying to justify the many miscellaneous expenses he billed back to the NRA throughout his tenure as its chief executive, many of which violated the group’s internal policies. …

Law & Crime reports: Even Jefferson Davis, leader of the Confederacy — and his lawyer — knew the insurrection clause in the U.S. Constitution not only disqualified him from holding office but, importantly, that Section III of the Fourteenth Amendment “executes itself” and once that constitutional Rubicon is crossed, disqualification was his “automatic” punishment. This is one of several key …

The Messenger reports: State lawmakers in Georgia on Wednesday introduced legislation to void the racketeering charges former President Donald Trump is facing in the state. The lawmakers say they seek to prevent “current and future politically-motivated prosecutions commenced” in Georgia. The former president and several co-defendants face racketeering charges in Georgia over their attempts to overturn the results of the …

From the US Embassy in Jamaica: The State Department has recently changed the Travel Advisory for Jamaica. Reconsider travel to Jamaica due to crime and medical services. U.S. government personnel under Chief of Mission (COM) security responsibility are prohibited from traveling to many areas due to increased risk. Violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides, …

Reuters reports: Washington lawyer and Republican operative Jack Burkman is poised to lose his law license after pleading guilty to telecommunications fraud in Ohio. The D.C. Board on Professional Responsibility said Tuesday that Burkman earlier this month consented to disbarment. Burkman and his associate, Jacob Wohl, pleaded guilty in October 2022 to telecommunications fraud after using robocalls to intimidate people …

From the Justice Department: eBay Inc., an e-commerce company headquartered in San Jose, California, has agreed to pay $59 million and to enhance its compliance program to resolve allegations that it violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in connection with thousands of pill presses and encapsulating machines that were sold through its website. Pill presses and encapsulating machines can be …

The Guardian reports: Following an intense line of questioning with Mark Zuckerberg, Republican senator Josh Hawley asked the Meta executive if he would like to apologize to families of victims who are sitting in the audience of today’s Senate hearing, many of whom hold photos of children they say died or were harmed due to his platform. Zuckerberg stood up …