Santos, a Suburban House and $11,000 in Campaign Payments for ‘Rent’  —  Representative-elect George Santos, under scrutiny after fabricating much of his résumé, also spent campaign funds on $40,000 worth of air travel.  —  The company was called Cleaner 123 …

Misogynist Influencer Andrew Tate's Rough Week Capped by Romanian Rape Arrest  —  Romanian officials said four suspects were arrested Thursday on allegations of organized crime, human trafficking and rape.  —  Just a day after being roasted by teen activist Greta Thunberg …

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.

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.

Hard-Line Positions by Russia and Ukraine Dim Hope for Peace Talks  —  Both Moscow and Kyiv say they are ready to talk, but their terms for sitting down at a negotiating table suggest otherwise.  —  As the battle for Ukraine turns into a bloody, mile-by-mile fight in numbing cold …

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 …

USINDOPACOM Statement on Unsafe Intercept of U.S. aircraft over South China Sea  —  U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Public Affairs  —  On Dec. 21 (China Standard Time), a People's Liberation Army - Navy J-11 fighter pilot performed an unsafe maneuver during an intercept of a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft …

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 …

Lawyers exit Hong Kong as they face campaign of intimidation  —  Hong Kong's human rights lawyers are fleeing abroad amid an effort to cleanse the city of dissent.  The pressure is part of a wider crackdown by the ruling Communist Party on lawyers across China, say activists, legal scholars and diplomats.

Virgin Islands suit accuses JPMorgan of turning ‘blind eye’ to Epstein trafficking  —  The U.S. Virgin Islands filed a suit this week against JPMorgan Chase, accusing the financial institution of turning a “blind eye” and aiding in the “concealment” of the late Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking crimes.

Kris Mayes wins attorney general race over Abe Hamadeh after recount, but margin narrows  —  Attorney General-elect Kris Mayes retained her lead over Abe Hamadeh in a recount in one of the tightest races ever in Arizona history, but her winning margin narrowed significantly in results announced Thursday morning.

Florida official tapped to lead Arkansas education agency  —  Incoming Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday named a top Florida schools official as her pick to lead the state's education agency, the latest signal of the direction of the Republican's nascent administration.