Trump's tax returns released after long fight with Congress  —  Democrats in Congress released six years of former President Donald Trump's tax returns on Friday, the culmination of a yearslong effort to learn more about the finances of a onetime business mogul who broke decades of political precedent …

A tiny paper broke the George Santos scandal, but no one paid attention  —  Months before the New York Times published a December article suggesting Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.) had fabricated much of his résumé and biography, a tiny publication on Long Island was ringing alarm bells about its local candidate.

Romanian Cops Did Not Find Andrew Tate Because Of His Greta Thunberg Video  —  This is a lesson in media failure and misinformation.  —  Romanian authorities detained far-right misogynist internet troll Andrew Tate today on allegations related to sex trafficking.  —  Who is Andrew Tate?

What's Gone at Twitter?  A Data Center, Janitors, Some Toilet Paper.  —  Elon Musk has reduced the company to a bare-bones operation, and employees are under a “zero-based budgeting” mandate to justify any spending.  —  Kate Conger, Ryan Mac and Mike Isaac have reported on Elon Musk and Twitter since early this year.

Putin, unaccustomed to losing, is increasingly isolated as war falters  —  A new gulf is emerging between the president and much of the country's elite  —  When Vladimir Putin visited Minsk last week to discuss deepening cooperation, a sarcastic joke by his host, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, seemed to ring all too true.

How Southwest Airlines Melted Down  —  Airline executives and labor leaders point to inadequate technology systems as one reason why a brutal winter storm turned into a debacle  —  When Southwest Airlines Co. LUV 3.70%increase; green up pointing triangle reassigns crews after flight disruptions …

New election frontiers shake up 2024 map … - Wisconsin was the only Biden state where Republicans won a Senate race this year. … - Georgia was the closest battleground in the 2020 presidential race. … - Pennsylvania: Democrats cracked the Keystone State code in this year's midterms …

Key findings from the latest Jan. 6 panel transcripts, including from Donald Trump Jr. and others  —  The House January 6 committee on Thursday released a new batch transcripts, including interviews with Donald Trump Jr., former Trump White House aides and others.

Chinese Jet Buzzed Air Force Plane From Just 20 Feet Away, US Says  —  A Chinese fighter plane flew within 20 feet (6 meters) of a US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea in what the US Indo-Pacific Command called “an unsafe maneuver.”  —  The unusually close encounter happened …

A Continuing Drop in Murders  —  The situation changed for the better in 2022.  —  At the start of this year, America's crime trends looked grim: Murders had spiked at a record speed in 2020 and increased further in 2021.  —  But now that the year is ending, it's clear that the violence has eased.

Pelé, the Global Face of Soccer, Dies at 82  —  Pelé, who was declared a national treasure in his native Brazil, achieved worldwide celebrity and helped popularize the sport in the United States.  —  Pelé, one of soccer's greatest players and a transformative figure …