National
Dems put rush order on Biden’s ATF pick in wake of Texas shooting
President Joe Biden’s nominee to champion the enforcement of U.S. gun laws faced a tense confirmation hearing Wednesday, less than 24 hours after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school.
Appeals court quashes CNN defamation suit from Devin Nunes
It’s the end of the line for Devin Nunes in a defamation claim that first bounced from Virginia to Manhattan federal court before landing in front of the Second Circuit, where judges affirmed its dismissal Wednesday.
Regional
Texas governor blames mental health crisis for elementary school shooting
Texas Governor Greg Abbott was joined by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn and law enforcement officials Wednesday to give the latest news on the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde.
After school shooting, California Senate passes Lone Star State-style bounty law targeting ghost guns, assault weapons
The California Senate has passed a bounty-hunter law modeled after Texas’ 2021 ban on abortions performed after six weeks gestation — but targeting firearms rather than bodily autonomy.
Recount ordered in Pennsylvania Senate race between Oz, McCormick
Pennsylvania’s top election official announced Wednesday that the Republican U.S. Senate primary race between celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz and former financial manager David McCormick — who tails Oz by a mere 902 votes — is so close a recount has been triggered.
International
Russia claws away at eastern Ukraine, Black Sea becomes new focus in war
Russian forces this week are making advances in the eastern Donbas region as Ukrainian troops withdraw from towns and villages and desperately fight to hold onto key cities.
Denmark prepares for historic vote on joining EU defense pact
On June 1, Danish voters will decide whether to join military forces with the European Union. The Nordic country currently stands outside all EU-led interventions in conflict zones abroad.
As war rages, international justice teams are keeping a different kind of score
The war in Ukraine entered its fourth month this week, but Ukraine has already secured its first war crimes conviction stemming from the full-scale invasion.
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