<Rep. Jim Jordan's brief tenure as the House Judiciary Committee chairman is not living up to the expectations of his conservative admirers as the Ohio Republican's much-heralded committee hearings going after a "weaponized" Department of Justice have failed to hit his intended targets in any meaningful way.

In a column for the New Republic, longtime political observer Jason Linkins suggested that Jordan's star is dimming and that he is having a "rough time" coming up with the goods after making so many promises.

As Linkins wrote, the controversial lawmaker from Ohio has run two sets of hearings: one based on testimony from FBI whistleblowers who are not actually whistleblowers and one about the so-called "Twitter files" from journalists whose testimony fell apart under questioning.

Based upon that, Linkins wrote, it appears that the newly installed House Judiciary chair appears to have bit [sic] off more than he can chew.

"Representative Jim Jordan rarely makes a public appearance in which he does not look psychically frustrated on some deep level, but he has been having—for his standards—a rough time of late," he wrote. "You see, the Ohio Republican is currently pulling double duty as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and heading up his other brainchild: the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, a weird star chamber in which the many tangled strands of the Fox News Extended Universe are expected to get a congressional hearing now that the GOP controls the House."

Noting that Jordan's hearings have failed to make a dent, Linkins pointed to a New York Times report that stated the Ohio Republican's efforts so far , "... raises questions about whether Republicans will be able to deliver on their ambitious plans to uncover misdeeds at the highest levels.”

As evidence, Linkins submits comments made by Fox News host Jesse Watters who expressed his dismay on-air by complaining, "Make me feel better, guys. Tell me this is going somewhere. Can I throw someone in prison? Can someone go to jail? Can someone get fined?”

According to the analyst, "Jordan has mustered little to counter these charges besides bragging about how his panel has sent out more subpoenas and letters than any other committee. It’s an old Beltway song and dance: pretending that activity constitutes achievement."

He then added, "Without any substantive project to which the GOP might anchor itself, the party has instead become the party of off-putting weirdness. Instead of writing laws, they write lore—a constantly updating canon of bewildering grievances and spectral enemies.">

<Former Alabama player Darius Miles was indicted Friday on capital murder charges stemming from the Jan. 14 shooting death of Jamea Harris.

Miles admitted to police that he provided the gun his friend Michael Lynn Davis allegedly used to shoot Harris after a brief verbal spat between Davis and Harris’ boyfriend, Cedric Johnson, outside a bar.

Miles texted Alabama star and projected top NBA Draft pick Brandon Miller asking Miller to bring him his gun.

Miller was picking Miles up, and Miller’s lawyer said Miller was unaware Miles’ gun was in the vehicle.

Miller has continued to play since the shooting.

Alabama earned the No. 1 overall seed in March Madness.

The Crimson Tide defeated Texas A&M 82-63 in the SEC Championship game early Sunday.

Fans were warned that they faced ejections if the shirts were worn on Sunday, according to the Washington Post.>

<US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene slammed Jane Fonda after the actress supposedly joked on ABC’s “The View” that she’s “thought about murder” when fighting for abortion rights.

Speaking on “The View” on Friday, Fonda said the country would not “go back” on abortion despite the reversal of Roe v. Wade, and when asked what people can do aside from marching and protesting, she quipped: “I’ve thought about murder.”

The comment turned heads on the talk show, with the hosts playing it off as a joke as the crowd laughed when Fonda, 85, fired back with a serious look.

In a series of tweets over the weekend, Greene, a Georgia Republican, said she would be reporting Fonda for allegedly threatening her and other anti-abortion advocates.

“I routinely get death threats because of the nasty women on The View and the things they say about me,” Greene tweeted as she dubbed herself an “unapologetic pro-life politician.”

She added: “But calling for us to be assassinated makes The View, the hosts, the producers, the network, the advertisers, and everyone involved responsible for death threats, attacks, and potential murders of Pro-Life politicians and activists. I am reporting this.”

Unapologetic Pro-Life Politician here. 🙋‍♀️

Greene went on to further insult the actress, writing: “By the way @Janefonda your eggs are dried up so you don’t have to worry about getting pregnant anytime soon, so you can retire from demanding baby murder now.”

The congresswoman also called on the FBI and Justice Department to get involved, saying it would be hypocritical to target anti-abortion protestors but not Fonda.

“The @FBI and @TheJusticeDept have targeted Pro-Life protestors for praying outside of abortion clinics,” Greene wrote. “They better step up and hold @Janefonda and @TheView accountable for calling for the murder of Pro-Life Politicians like me. I will not be voting to fund the FBI and DOJ unless the two-tiered justice system is stopped.”

Greene tweeted that she often gets death threats due to what “nasty women on The View” say about her.

Greene continued to vent on her personal Twitter account, sharing a clip of Fonda’s comments and lashing out against Democrats.

“Jane Fonda (and many Democrats) want you and me ‘murdered’ for fighting to protect the most innocent in the womb. Believe Democrats when they say the quiet part out loud. Sounds like they want us dead,” she wrote.

Fellow Republican Rep. Anna Luna, of Florida, said she had notified US Capitol Police about what she claimed was Fonda’s call to “murder pro-life politicians.”

Lila Rose, president and founder of the anti-abortion group Live Action, also condemned Fonda’s comments on “The View.”

“Actress and abortion activist Jane Fonda calls for pro-life politicians to be murdered. Murder to protect the murder of children. Pray & work passionately against this darkness,” she wrote.

Fonda has since brushed off her comment as “hyperbole” telling Newsweek: “While women’s reproductive rights are a very serious issue and extremely important to me, my comment on The View was obviously made in jest.

“My body language and tone made it clear to those in the room, and to anyone watching, that I was using hyperbole to make a point,” she said.>

It was, of course, no problem when that idiot called for Nancy Pelosi's death with a straight face.

<- What would FTB do?

- If you are not sure what to do, don't move a pawn! Don't allow your opponent to invade your camp. Talk to your pieces. Talk silently to yourself. Give every piece a job to do. No minor pieces sleeping on the back row!

<With less than a month to go in the 2022-23 NBA regular season, there is still so much to be decided in the seeding races. But however it shakes out, I believe that a somewhat reliable championship picture, albeit a pretty vast one, is starting to develop.

Below are my top five title contenders as is stands right now ...

1. Milwaukee Bucks
Winners of 20 of their last 22, the Bucks look like the best team in the Eastern Conference, at least, as they continue to faze Khris Middleton back into the fold.

That Milwaukee currently rocks the best record in the league despite the Big 4 of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Middleton and Brook Lopez (who could be the Defensive Player of the Year) starting just five games all season together is a bright-red warning to any and all challengers, particularly if Middleton, who had a season-high 31 in Milwaukee's huge win over Sacramento on Monday, settles into something closer to his typical production and efficiency in the playoffs.

Giannis should be getting more MVP love than he is. He's arguably the single most unstoppable force in today's game, and the Bucks are loaded behind him. Depth. Versatility. Shooting. In a playoff landscape made up of supremely tight margins, guys like Pat Connaughton, Joe Ingles, Jae Crowder, Bobby Portis and Grayson Allen are cut from the classic big-shot role-player mode, and Jevon Carter and Holiday are going to give your point guard 48-minute fits.

What's my concern with Milwaukee? Offense. This is a bottom-half unit. They jack up 3s but can struggle to create quality looks in the half court. An on-point Middleton goes a long way in remedying that. If you make Giannis put his head down and barrel through multiple defenders in stagnant settings, you may have a shot over seven games to withstand his relentless force.

2. Phoenix Suns
Kevin Durant could miss the remainder of the regular season after logging just three games playing with the Suns, but if any superstar is equipped to come off an extended absence and throw himself straight into the postseason fire without missing a beat, it's Durant, who has a history of coming back on fire after long injury absences on fire.

If, in theory, we were to end up with a Phoenix-Milwaukee Finals, you might well argue in favor of the Suns, slightly, because they are uniquely built to stress Milwaukee's drop coverage -- and neutralize Lopez's rim -- protection, with a trifecta of the most versatile pick-and-roll creators and deadly pull-up shooters in NBA history.

Also, the Suns have one of the finest pace controllers we've ever seen in Chris Paul. Keep Milwaukee in a slower, half-court game, and you've got your best chance of taking them out.

To me, the first swing guy is Deandre Ayton. In the three games Durant played, his touches cut almost in half. He has to be involved offensively, not only so he's engaged defensively, but because he's going to have so much room to operate on the short roll and on deep seals with defenders spread out on Booker and Durant.

Paul is another swing guy. He has fallen off this season, and he likely won't be the primary shot creator or snake-dribble-into-elbow-pull-up robot that he's been in the past, but assuming that whatever is happening in the moment is going to continue happening in the future is how you go bust. Things change, for better or worse, often on a dime, and I would bet pretty confidently on Paul being a big factor in the playoffs.

Teams are going to leave the likes of Josh Okogie, Torrey Craig and even Damion Lee (who's been on fire all season) open in an effort to keep Durant and Devin Booker seeing double, but Paul will see plenty of cushion himself, and how he takes advantage of those opportunities, either by attacking space and finding corner shooters or by pulling the trigger himself, could go a long way in deciding Phoenix's fate.

Do I have any Phoenix concerns? Yes. Depth and 3-point shooting. Indeed, these outlet shooters are going to have to take and make a relatively significant amount of 3-pointers for Phoenix in the playoffs. The Suns are not a 3-point shooting offense as it is, and even with arguably the two best midrange players in the game, it's tough to beat threes with twos....>

<3. Golden State Warriors

I don't put any stock whatsoever in Golden State's regular-season road ineptitude. I can't explain it, but as long as they get into a first-round series (far from guaranteed), they're going to reset and be as dangerous as they were last year, when we also tried to write them off as a top-tier contender at multiple points of the season only to watch the win the whole thing.

So, for the record, you've been warned: Sleep on this team at your peril.

Two keys: Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II. Wiggins is irreplaceable on this team. He was the second-most important player on the 2022 title team. One, is he going to come back? And two, if he does, is he going to jump right back into rhythm?

As for Payton, the Warriors outscored opponents by almost 16 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court during last year's playoffs, per Cleaning the Glass. His ball pressure, his transition energy, his half-court cutting, he's absolutely vital, which is why the Warriors paid to bring him back after letting him walk to Portland over the summer.

So, same deal as Wiggins: Will Payton come back healthy for the playoffs? And if he does, will he jump right into rhythm? Because this has to happen immediately. The Warriors are going to have an extremely difficult first-round matchup no matter how it falls.

But if they get it going, this is a sleeping giant. Stephen Curry is still, for my money, the most influential player in the world, and Klay Thompson has been in vintage form since the turn of the calendar.

4. Boston Celtics

Boston is right there with any of the top contenders. They have all the championship markers: top-five offense and defense, elite duo in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, top-end depth with the addition of Malcolm Brogdon, shooting, lineup and defensive versatility, one-on-one creation, rim protection with Robert Williams, experience, the bitter taste of getting so close last season, etc.

A potential Boston-Milwaukee conference finals would be a war, and though I've favored Boston in most of my analysis throughout the season, I am leaning Milwaukee now. They've just been so great over the last six weeks, and I can't ignore that Milwaukee likely wins last season with a healthy Middleton.

I'm looking at Boston's bigs as a big swing factor. First order of business: get the aforementioned Williams back healthy, and keep him healthy for the postseason duration. In last year's playoffs, the Celtics were 8.2 points per 100 possessions better defensively, per CTG, when Williams was on the floor. He's about as impactful as any rim protector in the league when he's clicking with his coverage radius and vertical pop, and on the other end his offensive rebounding is a major advantage.

Then there's Al Horford, who is a few months from turning 36 and still rock solid. Among all players who are attempting at least four 3-pointers per game, Horford is second in the league (behind teammate Malcolm Brogdon) with a 45.3% clip. Over a quarter of Horford's 3s are coming from the the corner this season, by far a career high, and he's making 49% of them. If he continues to be that kind of safety-valve option while Tatum and Brown are drawing the attention, Boston is going to be very tough to beat.

Concerns? That support shooting doesn't continue, which the Celtics need because they do not get to the rim at a high rate. The Celtics stop moving the ball the wrong time, get one-on-one drunk, and Robert Williams, who has never been able to stay healthy for long stretches, gets hurts again. Tatum's wrist is already going to require offseason surgery; what if he re-aggravates it? Who knows how much it's really bothering him already.

<....5. Los Angeles Clippers

When the Clippers signed Russell Westbrook, I wrote that if they were to win a championship, it would be in spite of Westbrook, not because of him. There's still a small part of me that thinks they can pull it off in spite of him.

Since Jan. 1, Kawhi Leonard's 49% 3-point clip is the second-highest in the league among all players taking at least four per game, trailing only Kevin Durant, who has only played in seven games over that stretch.

With Leonard playing at this level, and seemingly as healthy as he's ever going to be and ready to play big minutes for a hopefully long postseason stretch, the Clippers have what could be the most dangerous guy in the playoffs. He's proven that before. I believe, under the right circumstances, he can do it again.

When Leonard and Paul George have been on the floor together this season, the Clippers are scoring an elite 120 points and outscoring opponents by almost eight per 100 possessions, per CTG. We'll see how often Ty Lue goes small in the non-Zubac minutes with the addition of Mason Plumlee, but whatever his lineup decisions, he has options.

The Clippers have the bench scoring in Normal Powell. I love Terance Mann. They have shooting, defense (in theory) and half-court creation. I wish they got to the free-throw line more, and it's troubling that just six teams get to the rim less frequently than the Clippers. They have to make a lot of shots to compete with the top teams, and I'm not sure I trust Lue to consistently bench Westbrook for however long is necessary. But I just can't get Kawhi and PG playing at their height out of my head. If they hit that peak, the Clippers can win it all.

Apologies to...

Philadelphia 76ers: I cannot trust a defense that is covering for James Harden and Tyrese Maxey to hold up through four rounds. I don't think Harden will be a 40% 3-point shooter through the playoffs. I don't believe in Doc Rivers. The Sixers just aren't creative enough offensively, and I believe they will eventually have to lean on guys to make individual plays and shots, and it won't work against the real contenders.

Denver Nuggets: Don't quite believe in the defense. Asking Jamal Murray to go bubble mode is too much.

Memphis Grizzlies: Uncertainty around Ja Morant and Steven Adams, and ultimately I don't trust a team in the playoffs that is so dependent on transition. Memphis' inability to create consistent half-court offense is where they fall off the top-contender list for me.

Dallas Mavericks: Can't stop anyone. Sorry.

Sacramento Kings: Same as Dallas.

Cleveland Cavaliers: They're going to give some team, or perhaps a couple teams, fits. Donovan Mitchell is an electric playoff scorer. Darius Garland is cash. The twin towers are a defensive load. Ultimately, I don't think Cleveland takes or makes enough 3s to overcome the collective talent gap between them and the top contenders; Issac Okoro's shooting, in particular, has fallen back to earth, and that 3-spot is a pressure point for Cleveland when defenses can leave a shooter with two non-shooting bigs already on the floor.

Los Angeles Lakers: Not going to happen.

New York Knicks: Not enough talent.

Miami Heat: Save your Culture talk.>

<ASPAC merger to bring Donald Trump’s media company and social media platform public has faced delays and setbacks and remains up in the air getting approval.

A new report highlighted an investigation into the target company over money laundering.

What Happened: In October 2021, Trump Media & Technology Group announced a SPAC merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ: DWAC). The news sent shares of the SPAC significantly higher on the details showing plans for a social media platform, video content and more media efforts by the former president.

The SPAC has faced a number of setbacks including merger vote delays and investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and federal grand juries.

A report on Wednesday from The Guardian linked the media company of the former president to money laundering allegations.

New York prosecutors investigated Trump Media about payments received that allegedly had ties to Russia. The investigation came alongside the company already being under criminal investigation.

The payments were two loans wired to Trump Media from the Caribbean for a total of $8 million and traced to entities that “appear to be controlled in part by the relation of an ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin.”

A $2 million payment in December 2021 came at a time when the merger needed cash to fight off delays. The investigation showed DWAC’s CEO Patrick Orlando sourced the $2 million loan wired from Paxum Bank, a company registered in Dominica.

In 2022, a $6 million payment came from ES Family Trust. Receipts revealed the ES Family Trust was listed as the lender on the original $2 million payment, which could connect the two companies.

Orlando declined to provide details on the identities of the lenders or the origin of the payments wired to Trump Media.

The investigation pointed to a Russian connection with Anton Postolnikov, named as a part-owner of Paxum Bank. Postolnikov is related to Aleksandr Smirnov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Smirnov is the head of Rosmorport, a maritime company controlled by the Russian government. Smirnov was previously a member of the executive office of Putin.

The payments of $8 million were part of a tip to regulators from a whistleblower. The whistleblower said Trump Media considered returning the money, but it made up a large amount of the $12 million in cash on hand and was significantly needed.

Several Trump Media executives including CEO Devin Nunes, who is a former Congressman, and Donald Trump Jr. were aware the $2 million payment was coming through and authorized it, though their knowledge of where the money came from is still being investigated.

Orlando is an SEC-licensed broker-dealer and was subject to anti-money laundering and “Know Your Customer” rules. Orlando arranged the $8 million in funding according to the investigation.

No charges have been filed at this time. Prosecutors would have to prove that the defendants knowingly accepted money from unlawful transactions and tried to hide it. Parties involved declined to comment to The Guardian.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the country has faced sanctions from the U.S. and companies and individuals linked to Putin have seen falling outs or investigations.

Trump announced a campaign to run for president in the 2024 election. The newly investigated ties between his media company and Putin could quickly become a talking point among his competition.

Trump served as the chairman of Trump Media at the time the payments were received. While the investigation didn’t pinpoint Trump's knowledge of the loans or where they came from, the whistleblower said the former president was interested in the funding.

The latest investigation puts another potential nail in the coffin of the SPAC merger still under investigation and has delayed its merger vote until September 2023. The reinstatement of Trump on Twitter and Facebook, investigations, delayed shareholder meetings, a rejected patent, and investors and executives exiting ties to Trump Media are among the many issues facing the merger.

DWAC Price Action: Digital World Acquisition shares are down 4.23% to $12.69 on Wednesday versus a 52-week trading range of $12.65 to $74.84.>

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/new...

<Marjorie Taylor Greene’s video went viral for all the wrong reasons. In the clip, Greene claimed Putin never planned on invading Europe.

Greene said, “I've never seen Putin actually show in any detail his plans to invade Europe. No one has shown me that.”

She then increased her voice and blink rate, claiming, “I don’t believe the lies that I’m being told about this.”

The video posted by Ed Krassenstein surpassed 1.3 views since it was published four hours ago.

Ed Krassenstein is a journalist who lives in Florida and describes himself as “Anti-Trump.”

Greene is among Republicans who are not kind to Ukraine

Marjorie Taylor Greene is among many republicans who claimed that Ukraine “wants our sons and daughters to go die in Ukraine."

This was taken entirely out of context, as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy merely tried to warn the world about what could happen next. Zelensky said that if Ukraine loses the war against Russia, Russia could go on to attack NATO member states. If that happens, the USA, as part of NATO, would become involved in the war.

However, no one ever apologized or corrected themselves.

Commentators went wild

Comments below the video differed. One person wrote, “She’s an ancient, leathery remnant thawed from an Alpine glacier.”

Another person wished more Americans paid attention to what transpired during the riots on January 6.

One person wondered, “What an embarrassment. What is she doing for her constituents in Georgia, by the way?”

Others wanted to know why Putin would share anything with her, as a person wrote, “Wait, why does MTG think that Putin has to share his plans with her or with anyone else? That’s not how any of this works.”

Another echoed this statement, “She actually thinks that Putin would share his plans for invading Europe with her?”

Some defended her, as this person wrote, “She’s not lying. Has Putin ever said he wants to invade Europe? Did you even listen to Putin’s speech at the start of the SMO? All the plans were laid out. Demilitarization and Denazification of Ukraine.”

Another person simply stated, “This lady is the worst America has to offer.”

The account shared another interesting tweet an hour later

An hour later, the same Twitter account shared its thoughts on politics in the USA, writing, “In most states with Republican legislatures, adults can marry children. In Alabama, a 74-year-old married a 14-year-old little girl at one point, and every year there are over 3,000 marriages in the U.S. in which the adult would be charged with rape had he/she had sex with the minor outside of marriage.”

It continued:

“So why do Republicans suddenly care about our kids when our kids want to feel more like themselves via gender-affirming care, but they are perfectly fine allowing children to have sex with adults through marriage? Who are the “groomers” now?”

Greene was called out for a sandball incident

Many Republicans heavily criticized President Biden’s visit to Ukraine. Some, like DeSantis, supported Ukraine in the past but now claim it is a “territorial dispute.”

In other Greene-related news, the Georgia congresswoman claimed agents had found an "explosive" near the southern border in January.

She shared a photo on her Twitter, claiming it a device made by "the Cartel" to "plant bombs" and "murder Americans every day through drugs and crime."

Border Patrol officials say the object was nothing more than a pile of sand and duct tape.

Greene refused to accept this explanation.>

<<If you want to question someone's opinion, ask nicely but do not write a long paragraph saying how much he sucks because he thinks draws are not fun to watch.>

I don't get it. Where do these people spawn who believe that it's fine for certain people to repeatedly fill these forums with tiresome tirades, while it's not OK for other people to refute their garbage?

<It's a true statement. Don't be such a crybaby. Your constant past misbehaviors are not forgotten, nor should they be.>

Nice little adventure as he peers at the looking-glass.

<Lucking into Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck back to back has hidden Jim Irsay from being universally looked at as the second worst owner in the NFL.*

*Nobody can actually beat Dan Snyder for that title.>

Deux:

<As part of the #Colts trade to acquire QB Matt Ryan, his agent negotiated a new contract that included a $12M guarantee in 2023 that was not in his previous contract. Ryan remains entitled to the $12M regardless of what he decides to do this season. Amazing.>

<Some find their own monumental online dishonesty gratifying, pleasing. Yet correspondence chess is not for them?>

<Never cared for the smell of Napalm in the morning myself. Perhaps if used under the right conditions...

<zed: "Out, out, brief candle. Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing."

<<zed>, oft does said idiot tell such nothingness, all about the site.>

The rather predictable next step: <fredthechancre> runs whingeing to the admins of how he is, yet again, hard done by after inciting his latest round of hatred.

<Alex Jones is transferring his money away so he doesn't have to pay Sandy Hook victims, NYT reports

Alex Jones owes families of Sandy Hook victims close to $1.5 billion.

Jones has been transferring his assets to family and friends, The New York Times reported.

The transfers appear to be a strategy to avoid paying the victims.

Alex Jones is transferring millions of dollars worth of his assets to friends and family — and even his personal trainer — in a move that appears designed to sidestep a court order requiring the radio host to pay huge sums to the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

The deadly shooting bears the unfortunate — but increasingly familiar — distinction of joining the ranks of the deadliest mass shootings in modern US history.

The Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that tracks shootings in the US, counted at least 647 mass shootings in 2022. The organization defines a mass shooting as a single incident in which at least four people are shot, not including the gunman.

Jones didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on Sunday.

A Connecticut jury last year ordered the InfoWars host to pay close to $1 billion in damages to the families of those killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. A judge also ordered Jones to pay $473 million in punitive damages to the victims.

That means that altogether Jones owes close to $1.5 billion to the families.

For years after the shooting, Jones promoted a baseless conspiracy theory that the shooting, which caused the death of 20 first-graders and six adults, was a false-flag operation led by the Obama administration to rally public favor for stricter gun laws.

As a result, the families said they became targets of harassment by Jones' loyal fans.

The Times reported that Jones' company, Free Speech Systems, has already transferred tens of thousands of dollars to another company he owns with his parents. He's also transferred real estate holdings to family members, including a $3 million property to his wife, the New York Post reported last August.

And he's started new business partnerships with companies founded and owned by his friends, the Times reported.

This all comes after Jones and his company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year — another move the families believe Jones made to shield his wealth.

Jones is still broadcasting Infowars, and The Times reported his lawyers have said in court that business is "booming.">

<Appearing as the inaugural guest on MSNBC's new "Inside with Jen Psaki," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) dismissed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's prediction that Donald Trump would benefit from being indicted in a Manhattan courtroom.

Speaking with the former White House press secretary now hosting her own show, the top Democrat said his Republican colleague from Georgia is not a person to be taken seriously.

"I want to read you one more tweet," Psaki prompted. "This is from Marjorie Taylor Greene where she said, 'If the Manhattan DA indicts Donald Trump, he will ultimately win even bigger than he is already going to win.'"

"Do you agree with the notion that indictment would help Donald Trump politically?" she asked.

"The last person that I'm going to lean into for political insight is from Marjorie Taylor Greene," he shot back before adding, "Although I should note that she has become one of the most important House Republicans in the Congress and, for all we know, could be on the presidential ticket as the vice presidential candidate for Donald Trump ."

"That is how important she has become to the extreme MAGA Republican House majority in the Congress right now but that is also one of the reasons why the American people should be concerned," he continued.>

<For Vladimir Putin, the state visit to Russia by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which begins on Monday, provides a giant morale boost and a chance to showcase the much-vaunted new world order that the Russian leader believes he is forging through his war on Ukraine — in which the United States and NATO can no longer dictate anything to anyone.

Xi’s visit to Russia, just after cementing his precedent-breaking third term in power, brings together two men who have positioned themselves as leaders for life — and it sets the scene for global confrontation, with Beijing willing to use its partnership with Moscow to counter Washington, even if that means granting tacit approval to Putin’s brutal, destabilizing war.

“The grim outlook in China is that we are entering this era of confrontation with the U.S., the gloves are off, and Russia is an asset and a partner in this struggle,” said Alexander Gabuev, an analyst with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

It remains to be seen whether this confrontation will heat up, pushing three nuclear powers to the brink of World War III, or merely marks the opening chords of Cold War 2.0. But Xi’s visit shows sides being taken, with China, Russia and Iran lining up against the United States, Britain and other NATO allies — in a competition for global influence and for alliances with nations such as South Africa and Saudi Arabia, which seem ambivalent but up for grabs.

In an article published Sunday evening in China’s People’s Daily, Putin gushed about the brotherly friendship between Russia and China, which he said were standing “shoulder to shoulder,” including against Western hegemony.

“Sticking more stubbornly than ever to its obsolete dogmata and vanishing dominance, the ‘Collective West’ is gambling on the fates of entire states and peoples,” Putin wrote. “The U.S.’s policy of simultaneously deterring Russia and China, as well as all those who do not bend to the American dictation, is getting ever more fierce and aggressive.” He also warned that NATO is “seeking to penetrate the Asia-Pacific.”

Xi’s trip, billed in Russia as the signature diplomatic event of 2023, could hardly come at a more useful moment for Putin. With his invasion largely stalled, military casualties mounting, and his personal reputation newly stained by an arrest warrant for war crimes issued by the International Criminal Court, Putin is in desperate need of a distraction that props him up.

For the Russian domestic audience, the ceremonial pomp of hosting the Chinese leader will reinforce Putin’s image as a modern-day czar. Crowning the visit, a state dinner will be held in the spectacular 15th-century stone Faceted Chamber in the Kremlin, Moscow’s oldest building, constructed by Ivan III, the grand prince of Moscow, whose reputation as a “gatherer of lands” for annexing neighboring territories inspires Putin.

Given rampant second-guessing of Putin’s military strategy, the display of China and Russia as allies against the United States will also lend credibility to Putin’s assertions that the Ukraine war is the crucible by which Russia is creating the new post-American order.

As the Chinese president lands in Russia, amid Putin’s feverish anti-Western rhetoric, the world is at a dangerous crossroads. The Russian leader has suspended New START, the only remaining arms control accord with Washington, and has staked his country’s future on what is now likely to be a long, unpredictable war, despite the staggering economic costs and misgivings of his own elite. The West, in turn, is sending more powerful arms to Ukraine, including tanks and fighter jets.

The alignment of authoritarian leaders may see the world divided into opposing camps for decades, stymieing cooperation on climate change, choking global action on human rights abuses, paralyzing international institutions and increasing tensions in contested regions.

But while Putin is searching for allies who can send weapons, boost trade or at least support him in global forums, for Xi, the visit seems more about positioning Beijing globally than about Russia or Ukraine, said Aleksei Chigadayev, a China analyst at Leipzig University and former lecturer at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics who left Russia because of the invasion.

“It’s a demonstration to the world, ‘We can mediate in international conflicts, and we are a reliable partner,’” Chigadayev said of Xi’s visit.

It is also a warning, he said, to Washington on the need to negotiate with Beijing and to Europe on China’s importance as a major global power. He added that the visit sends a message to Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East that China is a more viable source of support than the United States.

Xi may also be intent on demonstrating to Putin that if there is a new world order, then China will lead it....>

<....China recently displayed rising global influence by mediating a diplomatic rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, amid Washington’s annoyance with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over his support for Putin’s efforts to keep oil prices high so that he can bankroll the war.

Although China portrays itself as a neutral party when it comes to Putin’s war in Ukraine, the Kremlin sees Xi as its strongest tacit supporter.

Beijing refuses to condemn the invasion, has blamed the United States for the war and criticizes Western sanctions designed to starve Putin’s war machine of funds. With Russia’s economy under intense pressure, China last year kept it afloat, boosting trade with Russia — including a sharp increase in Chinese exports of electronic chips that Moscow needs for weapons production — and a steep rise in purchases of Russian oil.

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov boasted on Friday that Russia and China would reach their 2024 target for $200 billion in trade turnover a year early, in 2023, and he extolled the two leaders’ “especially warm and trusting personal relationship.”

One key question, as part of the growing global confrontation, is whether Beijing will offer Putin weapons, potentially via a clandestine route such as North Korea. The United States has warned Beijing not to do so, stirring outrage among senior Chinese officials who accused Washington of glaring “hypocrisy” given the huge flow of U.S. weapons to Kyiv.

China has called for a cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia and the opening of peace talks as part of a 12-point proposal, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed willingness to speak to Xi. But the plan seems to have no chance at success, largely because it does not address Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory.

The Kremlin claims to be giving the proposal “great attention” while insisting there can be no peace until Ukraine accepts “new realities,” an apparent reference to Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. Zelensky, in turn, has pledged to retake all occupied lands, including Crimea.

“All of Moscow’s demands are well known. The de facto situation and new realities are also well known,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

No matter how thin the plan, Xi can posture globally by noting that China is the only member of the U.N. Security Council with a peace plan, while echoing Putin’s line that NATO weapons supplies to Ukraine will only exacerbate tensions.

Xi’s visit comes as Moscow and Tehran have drawn much closer, with Russia relying on Iran for self-detonating drones to attack Ukrainian cities. Meanwhile, hope has faded for a resuscitation of the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, raising a risk that Iran will soon acquire nuclear weapons, further destabilizing global security.

Putin and Xi have much in common: their own self-serving definitions of democracy and market economics; a disdain for human rights; a fear of civic engagement by the general public; and, most of all, a desire to end U.S. global dominance and to reshape international organizations and norms to suit Russian and Chinese interests.

The dinner in the Faceted Chamber will highlight how, three decades after the Cold War ended, a new ominous era seems at hand. In that same room in 1988, Ronald Reagan exchanged toasts with Mikhail Gorbachev while on a state visit in which the U.S. president declared the Cold War over and dismissed his 1983 description of the Soviet Union as an “evil empire” as words spoken in “another time, another era.”...>