McCarthy makes fresh concessions to try to woo hard-right Republicans in speaker bid  —  Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has made fresh concessions to a group of 20 lawmakers in hopes of ending their blockade of his speakership ahead of votes Thursday, a stunning reversal that if adopted …

Judge Rules for Justice Dept. in Dispute With Trump Over Documents Search  —  The court said the former president had to provide the government the names of private investigators he hired to search his properties last year for any classified material still in his possession.

Jack Smith Obtains ‘Trove’ Of Communications With Trump Lawyers  —  Special Counsel Jack Smith, who's running two investigations at the U.S. Justice Department that directly involve former President Donald Trump, was provided a “trove” of records from local officials in Clark County, Nevada …

Connecticut lawmaker dies in wrong-way crash after attending his own swearing-in ceremony  —  Quentin Williams, a Democrat from Middletown known as “Q,” died in the crash on Route 9 in Cromwell.  He was 39.  —  CROMWELL, Conn. — A Connecticut state representative was killed overnight …

South Carolina Supreme Court rules abortion protected under state constitution  —  The South Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the state's six-week abortion ban, ruling the privacy rights in the state constitution protect abortion access.  —  The 3-2 decision allows abortion …

U.S. Moves to Bar Noncompete Agreements in Labor Contracts  —  A sweeping proposal by the Federal Trade Commission would block companies from limiting their employees' ability to work for a rival.  —  In a far-reaching move that could raise wages and increase competition among businesses …

Trump Sued by Estate of Capitol Police Officer Who Died After Jan. 6 Attack  —  Wrongful death suit names former president and two rioters in connection with Officer Brian Sicknick's death  —  WASHINGTON—The estate of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died a day after defending …

California's ban on around 70,000 vehicles takes effect this week  —  The final rule in a set of regulations adopted 15 years ago takes effect this week, banning some 70,000 big rigs from California roads.  —  A set of clean air regulations implemented by the California Air Resources Board …

Joint Press Statement Following a Call between the President Joe Biden and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz  —  President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke by phone on January 5, 2023 to exchange views on the ongoing war of aggression waged by Russia against Ukraine.

N.H. Gov. Sununu targets ‘woke policy’ but criticizes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' culture war tactics  —  New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu says GOP should ‘move on’ from Donald Trump; says ‘a lot of folks want me to run’ for president in 2024  —  GOP Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire …

US changes to Turkey's preferred spelling at ally's request  —  The State Department said Thursday it has adopted Turkey's preferred spelling for the name of the country, Turkiye, acceding to a request from the NATO ally after several months of hesitation.  The department has instructed …

Twitter said it fixed ‘verification.’ So I impersonated a senator (again).  —  Elon Musk said Twitter would begin authenticating users who pay $8 for Blue.  Our tech columnist was still able to get a checkmark for an impostor Sen. Ed Markey.  —  Elon Musk said he would fix Twitter's problem with impostors.

George Santos' Cartier Santos Watch Is Worth $7,800—Unless It's A Fake  —  Like the incoming congressman, the watch traces its roots to Brazil.  —  International man of mystery George Santos reported for his first day in Congress wearing what appears to be a Cartier Santos, which retails for $7,800.

They Built the Wall.  Now Some in Texas Fear It May Fall Down.  —  A scandal-plagued private border fence is essentially orphaned, mostly redundant and, engineers found, at risk of floating away in a flood.  —  MISSION, Texas — Along a bend in the Rio Grande, shorn of all brush except …

Democrats Push for Pro-Amnesty ‘Moderate’ GOP Speaker  —  Democrats are trying to sneak a pro-amnesty GOP legislator into the House Speaker's seat.  —  “I would consider the right Republican, someone I could trust,” said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Ca), a pro-migration Democrat close to California's Silicon Valley.

Biden immigration plan would restrict illegal border crossings  —  President Biden announced new immigration restrictions Thursday, including the expansion of programs to remove people quickly without letting them seek asylum, in an attempt to address one of his administration's …