Democrats make quiet history with state-level gains  —  Overlooked amid frantic punditry about the “red ripple” in Congress: Democrats quietly won and defended majorities in state legislatures across the country, weakening GOP power on issues at the heart of the national political debate.

Inside the Twitter meltdown  —  Elon is speaking.  VPs are resigning.  Is bankruptcy next?  —  and Zoë Schiffer  —  Everything went from bad to worse at Twitter on Thursday.  Today let's talk about a truly chaotic 24 hours at the company, and the mounting fears over what it means …

Rick Scott Was Prepared to Take On McConnell — Until Tuesday  —  For nearly two years, former President Donald Trump has demanded Senate Republicans dump Mitch McConnell as their leader but has never offered an alternative.  —  This week, one was set to emerge: the man in charge …

Russian retreat from Kherson city sets stage for more hard combat  —  Ukraine's advance in the south has Moscow's forces on the run.  But Russian fortifications and the Dnieper River will slow a push on Crimea.  —  Russia's expected military withdrawal from the southern city of Kherson opens …

Kevin McCarthy's bid to be House speaker is in jeopardy  —  WASHINGTON — In 2015, bomb-throwers in the House Freedom Caucus derailed Kevin McCarthy's quest to become speaker.  —  Seven years later, members of the ultraconservative, Trump-aligned group are once again causing major headaches …

Trump to hold ‘special announcement’ at Mar-a-Lago amid GOP pushback on 2024 bid  —  Former President Trump unveiled new details about his “special announcement” at Mar-a-Lago next week, which is widely expected to launch his 2024 presidential campaign, even as the former president faces pushback from within the Republican Party.

Federal judge in Texas strikes down Biden's student loan forgiveness plan  —  A federal judge in Texas on Thursday struck down President Biden's student loan forgiveness program, delivering a victory to a conservative advocacy group that sued to strike down the plan.

Sean Patrick Maloney on His Loss, the Media and A.O.C.  —  Mr. Maloney said that he and other New York Democrats were unable to overcome suburban fears of crime.  He also had some harsh words for Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  —  For Representative Sean Patrick Maloney …

Nevada Senate race on knife's edge as majority hangs in the balance  —  Republicans and Democrats are on tenterhooks as results from the Nevada Senate race trickle in, with both parties expressing optimism that they'll prevail in a race that will help determine who holds a narrow majority in the upper chamber.

Inside the epic crypto collapse of FTX—and how it hurts Tom Brady, Steph Curry and Joe Biden  —  Sam Bankman-Fried was the golden child of cryptocurrency.  —  The buzzy company called FTX, which he co-founded, made him worth $15.6 billion — and celebrities wanted in on the profits.

Michigan GOP memo delivers scathing election post-mortem on Trump-backed candidates  —  LANSING — The Michigan Republican Party suffered historic losses on Tuesday because of poor candidates with close ties to former President Donald Trump, who turned off major donors, the party's chief …

With New Ruling, Sandy Hook Families Win Over $1.4 Billion From Alex Jones  —  A judge added $473 million in fees to the award Mr. Jones must pay in a Connecticut case and ordered him not to move his personal assets outside the United States.  —  The Infowars conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones must pay …

Inside the Justice Department's decision on whether to charge Trump in Mar-a-Lago case  —  In February, a week before the National Archives warned the Justice Department that former President Donald Trump had kept Top Secret documents at his Florida compound, Asia Janay Lavarello was sentenced to three months in prison.