Politics

The Washington Post reports: A D.C. police lieutenant in the intelligence branch has been put on leave amid an investigation into alleged improper contacts with a prominent member of the extremist group Proud Boys, according to four law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case. The officials identified the officer as Shane Lamond, a 22-year veteran. Law enforcement officials said …

The Associated Press reports: Russia has added as many as 7,000 troops near the Ukraine border in recent days, contrary to claims by President Vladimir Putin that troops would be pulled back from the region, a senior Biden administration official said Wednesday. Russia has massed about 150,000 troops east, north and south of Ukraine, according to Western estimates. The U.S. …

AM New York reports: Former Mayor Bill de Blasio won’t run for Congress after all, he announced on social media Tuesday evening, ending rumors of his bid for a redrawn 11th Congressional District that now includes his Park Slope, Brooklyn, neighborhood. Once a swing seat that included Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn on the far side of the Verrazzano …

Politico reports: A slew of potential 2024 GOP presidential candidates are headlining an upcoming New Hampshire Republican Party fundraiser, an illustration of how contenders are gearing up ahead of the party’s upcoming nomination process. The host committee for the March 30 event includes Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, and …

The New York Times reports: Mr. Adams is best known nationally as a tough-talking former police captain whose centrist views on battling crime helped catapult him to the mayoralty. But he has also emerged as something of an unconventional wellness influencer — a nutrition and fitness enthusiast with hints of New Age tendencies perhaps not seen in a major political …

The Associated Press reports: Russia said Tuesday that some units participating in military exercises would begin returning to their bases, adding to glimmers of hope that the Kremlin may not be planning to invade Ukraine imminently. But it gave no details on where the troops were pulling back from, or how many. That muddied efforts to determine the significance of …

Forbes reports: Though Russia continues to deny plans of an invasion of Ukraine, its thousands of soldiers posted at the Ukrainian border have forced many countries to prepare for a large influx of Ukrainian refugees should Russia attack. Polish interior minister Mariusz Kamiński [photo] tweeted Sunday the country is preparing for a “possible influx of refugees from Ukraine who, due …

Axios reports: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said on Sunday that he is “certainly going to take a look” at the possibility of running for president in 2024. Hogan has been considered a top potential presidential contender in the Republican Party. “I’m going to run through the tape as governor until January of next year. I’m going to try to …

The Hill reports: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday would not say if she plans to run for speaker again if the Democratic Party holds control of the House after the November midterm elections. Asked by anchor George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week” if she will mount another bid for Speaker, Pelosi said “that’s not a question.” Pelosi instead emphasized …

Politico reports: Mayor Eric Adams is casting about for a new position for a controversial pastor and former politician who has made anti-gay comments, after LGBTQ advocates revolted when he tried to name him head of a mental health office. Fernando Cabrera, who represented the Bronx as a Democrat in the City Council, has been showing up at a municipal …

Politico reports: Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will file a complaint against state Attorney General Tish James with the judicial entity that has the power to disbar lawyers, his attorney said on Thursday. James released a report in August that concluded then-governor sexually harassed 11 women, leading to Cuomo’s resignation. Five district attorneys have since said they found Cuomo’s …

Reuters reports: Observers were struck by images of Macron and Putin sitting at opposite ends of 4-metre-long (13 ft) table to discuss the Ukraine crisis on Monday, with some diplomats and others suggesting Putin might be wanting to send a diplomatic message. But two sources, who have knowledge of the French president’s health protocol, told Reuters Macron had been given …

Reuters reports: Russia started the active phase of military drills in Belarus on Thursday as Britain launched new diplomacy in a standoff over Ukraine, warning Moscow that going to war with its neighbour would be disastrous for Russia, Ukraine and Europe. U.S. officials have warned that Russia may attack Ukraine after massing troops near its borders, and have accused Moscow …

The Hill reports: Speaker Pelosi (D-Calif.) has directed House Democrats to draft a bill to ban members of Congress and their senior staffers from trading individual stocks, giving the movement newfound momentum. Democratic leaders aim to vote on a stock trading bill by the end of the year, potentially before November’s midterm elections, Punchbowl News reported Wednesday. Rep. Zoe Lofgren …

The New York Times reports: The House on Tuesday approved the most significant overhaul of the Postal Service in nearly two decades, seeking to address the beleaguered agency’s financial woes and counter pandemic-era mail delays that became a flash point in the 2020 elections. The service has teetered on the brink of insolvency for years, as repeated efforts to revamp …

Baltimore’s NBC News affiliate reports: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday that he will not run for the U.S. Senate, rebuffing an aggressive recruitment push from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans who saw the term-limited governor as the GOP’s best chance to win in the deep-blue state. Hogan announced his decision during an unrelated afternoon press conference …

The Columbus Dispatch reports: The Ohio Supreme Court once again rejected legislative maps that Republicans drew to disproportionately favor their candidates, sending mapmakers back to the drawing board and Ohio’s primary into massive uncertainty. For the second time, Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, a Republican, joined with three Democratic justices to reject state House and Senate approved by Republicans on the …

The New York Daily News reports: That’s pretty fishy. Mayor Adams admitted late Monday that he eats fish every now and then after refusing to come clean about it for days and even deploying his press team to insist that he’s on a strict vegan diet. Adams, who has for years claimed adherence to a “plant-based” lifestyle, finally fessed up …

CNN reports: The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, allowed a congressional map drawn by Alabama Republicans to remain in place Monday, freezing a lower court ruling that said the map likely violates the Voting Rights Act. The lower court had ordered a new map to be drawn, which could have led to Democrats gaining another seat in the House …

The New York Post reports: Former Mayor Bill de Blasio is planning to soon create an exploratory committee to consider a run for a congressional swing seat that is drawing plenty of national attention in this year’s midterm elections, The Post has learned. The new borders for the 11th Congressional District snake north to include de Blasio’s home in Park …