As Budget Bill Hangs in Limbo, Kyrsten Sinema Heads to Europe  —  With the Senate out of session, Ms. Sinema, the Democratic senator from Arizona, has been in Europe on a fund-raising trip.  —  Senator Kyrsten Sinema, the moderate Arizona Democrat who has objected to the size and scope …

Thompson Statement on Cooperation of Witnesses  —  Bolton, MS—Chairman Bennie G. Thompson today made the following statement:  —  “Mr. Bannon has declined to cooperate with the Select Committee and is instead hiding behind the former President's insufficient, blanket …

Trump calls in to rally hosted by Bannon for Virginia GOP candidates  —  RICHMOND — Virginia gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin steered clear Wednesday night as former president Donald Trump phoned into a rally for the state's GOP ticket, headlined by onetime Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon.

Trump must give videotaped deposition in protest lawsuit, judge orders  —  The protest followed Trump's calling Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists.  —  Former President Donald Trump must sit for a videotaped deposition next week as part of a lawsuit involving his anti-immigrant rhetoric, a judge in the Bronx ordered.

A Secretive Hedge Fund Is Gutting Newsrooms  —  The Tribune Tower rises above the streets of downtown Chicago in a majestic snarl of Gothic spires and flying buttresses that were designed to exude power and prestige.  When plans for the building were announced in 1922, Colonel Robert R. McCormick …

Nicholas Kristof Leaves New York Times as He Considers a Political Run  —  Mr. Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, is weighing a run for governor of Oregon, the state where he grew up.  —  After 37 years at The New York Times as a reporter, high-level editor and opinion columnist …

The Republicans Running to Support Donald Trump  —  Don Bolduc, a retired Army general and current U.S. Senate candidate from New Hampshire, is one of many political aspirants who believe that the 2020 election was stolen.  —  Across the country, candidates who support Donald Trump's false claims …

GOP lawmaker, banned from flying Alaska Airlines over mask mandate, tests positive for coronavirus  —  An Alaska GOP lawmaker banned from flying on the state's leading airline for refusing to wear a mask, and therefore unable to travel to and from the state capital, has now tested positive for the coronavirus, she said.

The Iran deal is dead.  Where is Biden's Plan B?  —  A flurry of diplomatic activity in Washington this week revealed that the Iran nuclear deal is likely dead for good, despite the Biden administration's best efforts to revive it.  But if the Biden team has a follow-up plan to prevent Iran from going nuclear, it's a well-kept secret.

Opinion on the use of puberty blockers in America is turning  —  Even members of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health have some concerns  —  Worries about the use of puberty blockers, which are prescribed to some children to prevent the development of secondary sex characteristics …

Anti-Trump Republicans endorsing vulnerable Democrats to prevent GOP takeover  —  A group of anti-Trump Republicans on Thursday endorsed a slate of Democrats and centrist Republicans in the 2022 midterms to fight against the former president's hold on the party.

Microsoft Folds LinkedIn Social-Media Service in China  —  LinkedIn cites challenging operating environment, as retreat marks the biggest departure from China by a major tech company in years  —  Microsoft Corp.'s LinkedIn said it would shut the version of its professional-networking site …

Americans Revert to Favoring Reduced Government Role  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans have shifted back to favoring a more hands-off approach for government in addressing the nation's problems after a rare endorsement of a more active role last year.  Currently, 52% say the government …

Winter heating bills set to jump as inflation hits home  —  With prices surging worldwide for heating oil, natural gas and other fuels, the U.S. government said Wednesday it expects households to see their heating bills jump as much as 54% compared to last winter  —  Supply chain issues threaten holiday goods

How a $2 Million Condo in Brooklyn Ends Up With a $157 Tax Bill  —  Opaque methods, hypothetical numbers and ‘bonkers’ adjustments shift the property-tax burden toward middle- and working-class New Yorkers  —  A condo in Brooklyn's fashionable Williamsburg neighborhood sells for $2.15 million.

Justice Alito complains, but the evidence is clear: This Supreme Court was built by dark money  —  And so it is — for big Republican donors  —  Justice Samuel Alito wants desperately for us to believe that everything is just fine at the Supreme Court.  Indeed, in his view the court is a victim.

Alex Murdaugh Charged With Swindling Sons of Dead Housekeeper  —  Mr. Murdaugh, the scion of a legal dynasty in South Carolina, is accused of pocketing a $2.8 million settlement intended for the housekeeper's family.  —  Alex Murdaugh, the South Carolina lawyer who has endured …

Amazon Puts Its Own “Brands” First … Above Better-Rated Products  —  The online giant gives a leg up to hundreds of house brand and exclusive products that most people don't know are connected to Amazon  —  It took Robert Gomez about five months to get his Kaffe coffee grinder …

Calls intensify to end Wisconsin's election review amid blunders by ex-judge in charge  —  The glaring errors became clear soon after a former Wisconsin judge issued subpoenas earlier this month in a Republican review of the state's 2020 presidential election.  Some of the requests referred to the wrong city.

SCOTUS changed oral arguments in part because female justices were interrupted, Sotomayor says  —  (CNN)Justice Sonia Sotomayor told an audience Wednesday that recent changes in the format of oral arguments were instituted in part after studies emerged showing that female justices on the court …

He's the Whistleblower Who Brought Down Trump's EPA Chief.  Now He's Driving an Uber  —  He exposed Scott Pruitt's corruption.  So why is Kevin Chmielewski's life ruined while the official he brought down continues to escape justice?  —  When Kevin Chmielewski emerged from the FBI's fortress …

Seminal ‘Diversity = Profits’ Research Doesn't Fare Well Under the Microscope  —  Above, from McKinsey's ‘Diversity Wins’ research, which is drawing skeptical scholarly scrutiny.  —  At last year's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the head of Goldman Sachs announced a new policy …

Radical Green Groups Put Profits Before Planet  —  , AUTHOR AND DISTINGUISHED VISITING FELLOW, HERITAGE FOUNDATION  —  I've been warning for years about the dangers of the “climate change industrial complex.”  By this I mean the perversion of science and government policy decisions resulting …

Even Broadway's ‘Hamilton’ Not Safe: Performer Accuses Play of Anti-Trans Bias  —  A former Hamilton cast member on Wednesday accused the Broadway musical of anti-transgender bias, according to a claim filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  —  The performer, Suni Reid …

This scrupulous biography of Robert E. Lee is exactly what the country needs  —  In 1935, the year before Margaret Mitchell's magnolia-scented novel “Gone with the Wind” began 21 months on bestseller lists, Douglas Southall Freeman, the son of a veteran of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's legions …

Loudoun County student accused in sexual assaults at two county schools, sparking outrage from parents  —  A teen accused of sexually assaulting a fellow student at a Loudoun County high school in May is also accused in a second sexual assault less than five months later at another county high school …

The right-wing operatives orchestrating the attack on America's school boards  —  Judd Legum, Tesnim Zekeria, and Rebecca Crosby  —  The nation's school boards are under attack.  Frequently things are getting out of hand: … The people showing up at these meetings are enraged about COVID policies and Critical Race Theory.

5 killed, 2 injured in bow and arrow attack in Norway, considered terrorism  —  KONGSBERG, Norway — A man armed with a bow and arrows killed five people and injured two others Wednesday in the Norwegian town of Kongsberg, authorities said.  —  “The man has been apprehended …

Verizon Asks Employees to Help Kill Corporate Tax Increase … Despite earning record profits and paying one of the lowest effective tax rates — and for several years even a negative tax rate — Verizon is asking its employees to tell Congress to oppose a corporate tax increase favored by the Biden administration.

Ted Sarandos Doubles Down on Dave Chappelle Defense: 'Content Doesn't Directly Translate to Real-World Harm' (EXCLUSIVE) … Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos sent a lengthy missive to the entire company following the mounting controversy around a new original special from comic Dave Chappelle.