An Interview With the School Board Chair Who Forced Out a Principal After Michelangelo's David Was Shown in Class  —  On Thursday, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that the principal of a local charter school, the Tallahassee Classical School, was forced to resign after three parents complained …

A Utah parent says the Bible contains porn and should be removed from school libraries.  Here's their full challenge.  —  The parent writes that the book should be considered indecent under Utah's new book banning law, after seeing the other titles that have been pulled.

American Contractor Killed in Drone Attack on Base in Syria  —  Five service members and another U.S. contractor were wounded.  The Pentagon said the drone was of “Iranian origin” and ordered airstrikes on facilities in Syria used by Iran-linked groups.  —  WASHINGTON — A U.S. contractor …

Trump hush money probe goes quiet after chaotic week  —  New York CNN —  The Manhattan grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump is not concluding this week, with questions swirling over how close the grand jury is to bringing an indictment - or if it actually will at all.

NPR cancels 4 podcasts amid major layoffs  —  NPR moved this week to cut 10 percent of its staff and stop production of a trio of acclaimed seasonal podcasts — Invisibilia, Louder Than a Riot and Rough Translation — as it seeks to close a yawning budget gap that stands in excess of $30 million.

Woman described as ‘among the worst’ Jan. 6 rioters gets 3-year sentence  —  A Pennsylvania woman who was accused — but not convicted — of aiding in the theft of a computer from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office suite during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced Thursday …

Utah Law Could Curb Use of TikTok and Instagram by Children and Teens  —  The law, which prohibits social networks from allowing minors to have accounts without parental consent, may come as welcome news to many families even as it raises privacy concerns.  —  Natasha Singer, a technology reporter …

U.S. and Canada Reach an Agreement on Diverting Asylum Seekers  —  The deal, reached just before President Biden arrived in Canada for an official visit, allows both countries to minimize illegal immigration at a time when it has surged.  —  WASHINGTON — The United States and Canada …

Donald Trump Shares Fake AI-Created Image Of Himself On Truth Social  —  Images created with artificial intelligence have flooded social media in recent months, with some people using AI tools like Midjourney to imagine what it would look like for Donald Trump to be arrested.

Man at Center of Jan. 6 Conspiracy Theory Demands Retraction From Fox  —  A lawyer for Ray Epps has demanded that the Fox host Tucker Carlson publicly apologize for “false and defamatory statements” that Mr. Epps served as a federal agent during the Capitol attack.

Top Trump attorney appeared before grand jury last December in classified docs probe: Sources  —  Timothy Parlatore testified about documents found at Mar-a-Lago sources said.  —  A top attorney for former President Donald Trump gave previously undisclosed testimony before a grand jury late …

TikTok faces uncertain future after 5-hour congressional thrashing  —  Biden administration officials acknowledge they do not have the legal authority to ban the popular app without congressional action, according to one person with knowledge of discussions  —  TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew tried …

In Trump Rape Case, Jurors Will Be Kept Anonymous to Protect Them  —  A judge said that they could become victims of “harassment or worse” from supporters of the former president as he faces a lawsuit by the writer E. Jean Carroll.  —  A Manhattan judge ruled on Thursday that jurors hearing …

House fails to override Biden's first veto  —  A new administration rule for retirement plans will be implemented as planned after the House failed to override President Joe Biden's first veto on Thursday.  —  In a 219-200 vote, the House fell short of the two-thirds majority needed in each chamber to undo a presidential veto.

Leave Trump Alone!  —  And TikTok starts to fight back against Washington.  —  Good afternoon, Press Pass readers.  If you haven't already upgraded to Bulwark+, you have just four days left to take advantage of the free 30-day trial for access to paywalled editions of this newsletter …

Biden irked by Kamala Harris not ‘rising to occasion’ or taking ‘anything off his plate’  —  WASHINGTON — Two former White House officials said President Biden is frustrated with Vice President Kamala Harris' performance — even if he remains committed to keeping her as his running mate in the 2024 election, a new report reveals.

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate OK with Jan. 6 participant  —  The Republican-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court said Thursday that he had no problem with someone who was on the U.S. Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection campaigning for him across the state …

Senate Ethics admonishes Graham for campaign solicitations  —  The Senate Ethics Committee is admonishing South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham for soliciting campaign contributions inside a federal building after a Nov. 2022 Fox News interview in which he asked viewers to donate to a GOP candidate.

The Death of Peter Thiel's “Kept” Romantic Partner Is Being Investigated as a Suicide … Jeff Thomas, a model and social media influencer who was recently in a long-term relationship with billionaire Peter Thiel, said he spent much of his time with the tech mogul working to persuade him away …

The Crisis of the Intellectuals  —  Traditional notions of the intellectual were never meant to include people who looked like me or who had a background like mine.  —  In 2017, I was trying to write How to Be an Antiracist.  Words came onto the page slower than ever.  On some days, no words came at all.

Trump to GOP firms: Stop using my image or your clients will suffer  —  A memo sent on Thursday makes clear, the Trump campaign wants the digital dollars going to them.  —  The Trump campaign has sent a warning shot to the Republican Party's House campaign arm and some of its most prominent …

Stanford DEI Dean Escalates Battle against Law-School Dean  —  In a remarkable op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Stanford law school DEI dean Tirien Steinbach escalates her battle with law school dean Jenny Martinez.  Steinbach had already given Martinez ample cause to fire her.

‘Executive Guy’ DeSantis Says He Wouldn't Accept VP Offer from Trump  —  NO WAY, JOSE  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has yet to formally announce whether he will run for president in 2024, said he would decline to serve as Donald Trump's running mate if he were asked.

Explaining the Ties Between Alvin Bragg and George Soros  —  Donald Trump's allies have accused the district attorney bringing a case against him as having been “bought” by Mr. Soros, the philanthropist.  That is misleading, though the men do have a financial connection.

The Secret Joke at the Heart of the Harvard Affirmative-Action Case  —  A federal official wrote a parody of Harvard's attitude toward Asian Americans and shared it with the dean of admissions.  Why did a judge try to hide that from the public?  —  Last fall, some mysterious new activity appeared on the Supreme Court's docket.

Norway watches warily as Russian subs and aircraft step up Arctic patrols  —  ABOARD THE KV SORTLAND — NATO ally Norway has announced that it is boosting the number of naval patrols near vital undersea gas pipelines off its coast, and released a trove of videos exclusively to NBC News illustrating …

Before he represented Trump, defense attorney speculated Stormy Daniels saga was true and payment could be seen as an in-kind campaign contribution  —  Former President Donald Trump's defense attorney repeatedly speculated as a legal pundit that Trump's alleged affair with Stormy Daniels likely happened …