House committee receives Donald Trump's federal tax returns from IRS  —  The House Ways and Means Committee now has six years of Donald Trump's federal tax returns, ending a yearslong pursuit by Democrats to dig into one of the former president's most closely guarded personal details.

EU and US turn up the heat on Elon Musk over Twitter  —  EU commissioner warns billionaire he must adhere to the rules as Janet Yellen indicates Washington could review purchase  —  Elon Musk is under renewed pressure from the US and EU over his ownership of Twitter, as regulators clamp …

Georgia Republican chair had ‘substantively’ large role in trying to throw out election results: judge  —  On Wednesday, The Hill reported that a state judge in Georgia has singled out David Shafer, the chair of the Georgia Republican Party, as having a singularly significant role in the plot …

The Washington Post will end its Sunday magazine, eliminate positions  —  Executive editor Sally Buzbee said the magazine would end ‘in its current form’ after printing its final issue on Dec. 25.  —  The Washington Post will stop publishing its stand-alone print magazine …

Netflix's Reed Hastings Admits He Was Wrong About Advertising, Says ‘Glass Onion’ Theatrical Release Was Promotional Tactic … Netflix co-CEO and chairman Reed Hastings conceded that he wished the streamer had introduced an ad-supported plan years ago.  —  Netflix's reluctance to adopt advertising was …

Meet the legal nerd who MAGA bigwigs are turning to for help  —  Stanley Woodward wasn't supposed to be here, at the epicenter of the most contentious legal matters facing Trump world.  —  But now he's everywhere.  —  On Oct. 19, the veteran attorney was in court representing Oath Keeper Kelly Meggs …

No Dissent on Abortion Allowed at Hogan Lovells  —  The global law firm fired me for defending the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision.  —  After the Supreme Court issued its Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade in June, global law firm Hogan Lovells organized an online conference call for female employees.

EXCLUSIVE: Biden's married, non-binary nuclear waste guru who stole woman's $2,325 bag from airport hosted SPANKING seminar at kink conference just weeks later - under ‘NuclearNerd’ nickname that's still in use on fetish hookup website  — Sam Brinton, a high ranking official in Biden's DoE …

‘Look, I Screwed Up’: Sam Bankman-Fried Is Challenged on the Collapse of FTX  —  FTX, the crypto exchange Mr. Bankman-Fried founded, declared bankruptcy this month in a failure that wiped out billions of investor dollars.  He said his lawyers did not want him to talk, but he answered questions at the DealBook Summit.

Happy holidays?  Florida school district walks back decision to nix Hanukkah presentation  —  Pasco County Schools says it has reversed its decision to deny a mother's request to give a Hanukkah presentation to her son's fifth grade class after reporters contacted the district for an explanation.

Why America's Railroads Refuse to Give Their Workers Paid Leave  —  For months, the world's largest economy has been teetering on the brink of collapse because America's latter-day robber barons can't comprehend that workers sometimes get sick.  —  Or so the behavior of major U.S. rail companies seems to suggest.

Assembly prepared to vote against seating Brooklyn Republican over residency question  —  In an extremely rare move, the Democratic-led state Assembly is preparing to vote against seating the Republican winner of an Assembly race in Brooklyn, Lester Chang, because he may not have moved …

Just Wait Until You Get to Know Ron DeSantis  —  Governor Ron DeSantis has a growing store of admirers.  This includes many who have watched the cantankerous Floridian only from afar.  They have heard glowing things.  He was the biggest winner of an otherwise dark election cycle for Republicans.

U.S. gas prices plunge toward $3 a gallon as demand drops worldwide  —  The average price of gas is back to where it was before Russia invaded Ukraine.  It is putting real money back in Americans' wallets.  —  The cost of gasoline is falling so fast that it is beginning to put real money …

Epstein Estate Agrees to Pay More Than $105 Million to U.S. Virgin Islands  —  The estate of the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein will repay tax benefits and half the proceeds from the sale of an island he owned.  —  Matthew Goldstein, who covers white-collar crimes, has been following the Jeffrey Epstein case since 2019.

‘Breach of the Big Silence.’ Protests Stretch China's Censorship to Its Limits  —  Days later, videos of chants and confrontations are still visible on the Chinese internet.  It's a sign of how a groundswell outmatched the world's best internet control system.  —  In one video, a man sarcastically sings a patriotic song.

ICE accidentally released the identities of 6,252 immigrants who sought protection in the U.S.  —  Immigration and Customs Enforcement accidentally posted the names, birthdates, nationalities and locations of more than 6,000 immigrants who claimed to be fleeing torture and persecution to its website on Monday.

Hakeem Jeffries elected House Democratic leader  —  Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, was elected by his colleagues on Wednesday to serve as minority leader. … - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who has led the caucus since 2003 …

SF police ‘killer robots’ motion passes  —  Police in San Francisco will have the ability to deploy potentially lethal, remote-controlled robots in emergency situations after supervisors of the politically Democratic city granted permission Tuesday in a board vote.

Buckingham Palace Staff Member Resigns Over Remarks to Black Guest  —  The founder of an antiviolence support group said an aide pressed her on where she was from, dismissing Britain as an answer.  The palace called the questioning “unacceptable and deeply regrettable.”

Trump's dinner with antisemites provides test of GOP response to extremism  —  Republicans are showing increasing boldness in criticizing Trump over his meeting with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West who has issued anti-Jewish diatribes

Teen Mississippi Rape Victim Forced to Travel 500 Miles For Abortion, Report Says  —  The parents of a teenage Mississippi rape victim had to travel more than 500 miles to help their daughter obtain an abortion in Illinois, WAPT's Megan West reported.  The family told the local Jackson anchor …

Preliminary Lessons in Conventional Warfighting from Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: February-July 2022  —  This study of the early phases of the 2022 war sheds light on Ukraine's strengths and vulnerabilities, and the need for further Western support.  —  Executive Summary

AG: Penalize doctor who spoke of Ohio 10-year-old's abortion  —  Indiana's Republican attorney general on Wednesday asked the state medical licensing board to discipline an Indianapolis doctor who has spoken publicly about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim who traveled from Ohio …

Judge scolds Justice Department for its slow investigations at hearing for Rep. Matt Gaetz's convicted associate  —  A federal judge scolded the Justice Department on Wednesday over what he characterized as slow-moving investigations during a hearing for one of GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz's former associates …

Rep. Madison Cawthorn Uses Final House Speech To Rail Against ‘Soft Metrosexuals’  —  “Our young men are taught that ... being a soft metrosexual is more valuable than training the mind, body, and soul,” the soon-to-be-former congressman claimed.  —  Far-right congressman Madison Cawthorn …

House January 6 committee chairman says panel ‘close to putting pens down’ on final report  —  The chairman of the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol said Tuesday that the panel is “close to putting pens down” on its final report, which is slated for release by the end of this Congress.

Black Turnout in Midterms Was One of the Low Points for Democrats  —  But the effects of the decrease wound up being muted.  —  There was a lot of good news — or at least news that felt good — for Democrats this election cycle, from holding the Senate to remaining stubbornly competitive in the House.