Hello, and welcome back to The Best & The Brightest, Wednesday edition. How is this night different from all other nights? Well, for one thing, the formidable Tina Nguyen is off this week. And, despite the fact that I told you I was done till Tuesday, well, Russia has a funny way of forcing me back to the keyboard. Given today’s extraordinary—but pretty predictable—events, namely Yevgeny Prigozhin getting blasted out of the sky on the two-month anniversary of his mutiny, I thought I’d squeeze back in here and send you some thoughts.

But first, the latest news around Capitol Hill…

• Celebrity Family Feud: Hollywood donors are investing early this election cycle, maxing out checks to Democratic Senate incumbents and candidates, alike. Among the names that caught my eye in the latest F.E.C. disclosures...