Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire  —  IN LATE JUNE 2019, right after the U.S. Supreme Court released its final opinion of the term, Justice Clarence Thomas boarded a large private jet headed to Indonesia.  He and his wife were going on vacation: nine days of island-hopping in a volcanic archipelago …

Tennessee Republicans vote to expel Justin Jones, first of three House Democrats  —  The House is taking action against three Tennessee Democrats for breaking House rules and leading a gun-control protest from the chamber floor.  —  Ten days after a shooter unloaded 152 rounds at a Nashville school …

Ukraine War Plans Leak Prompts Pentagon Investigation  —  Classified documents detailing secret American and NATO plans have appeared on Twitter and Telegram.  —  WASHINGTON — Classified war documents detailing secret American and NATO plans for building up the Ukrainian military ahead …

13-year-old son of Rebekah Jones, whistleblower who clashed with DeSantis, arrested over memes  —  The 13-year-old son of a controversial whistleblower who accused the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis of suppressing state data on the severity of the COVID pandemic in Florida was arrested …

Special Report: Tesla workers shared sensitive images recorded by customer cars  —  Tesla Inc assures its millions of electric car owners that their privacy “is and will always be enormously important to us.”  The cameras it builds into vehicles to assist driving, it notes on its website …

Biden administration says schools may bar trans athletes from competitive teams  —  Proposed regulation would disallow blanket bans on trans athletes on the books in 20 states  —  The Biden administration on Thursday proposed new regulations that would allow schools to bar transgender athletes …

Staring Down a Debt Crisis, McCarthy Toils to Navigate G.O.P. Divisions  —  The House speaker has little trust in his Budget Committee chairman or his No. 2 as he works to unite the fractious Republican majority around a spending plan.  —  WASHINGTON — It was midway through Representative …

Biden review of chaotic Afghan withdrawal blames Trump  —  A U.S. review led by the National Security Council of the chaotic 2021 withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan largely lays the blame on former President Donald Trump, saying President Joe Biden was “severely constrained” by the decisions of his predecessor.

No More Hush Money at National Enquirer, Its New Owner Says  —  “Catch and kill,” the tactic of buying and burying stories at the heart of the case against former President Trump, is no longer in practice, said the tabloid's new owner.  —  The National Enquirer and the publication's longtime practice of …

Former D20 student accused of planning attacks on three campuses  —  Elbert Co Sheriff's Office makes arrest based on call from concerned family member  —  ELBERT COUNTY — A former District 20 student is facing attempted murder charges on allegations of planning attacks on three schools …

Before meeting with Elon Musk, top advertisers privately debate his “racist rhetoric”  —  Elon Musk's appearance at a major marketing conference next week has spooked the top advertising executives at some of America's biggest companies.  —  Musk is slated to speak on Monday in Miami …

GOP Maryland Sheriff Who Called Immigrants ‘Single Biggest Threat’ Indicted In Machine Gun Scheme  —  A Maryland Republican sheriff who once falsely claimed that immigrants are the biggest threat facing the United States has been indicted by a federal grand jury in a scheme to illegally acquire machine guns …

FBI and Army members raided the wrong hotel room during a training exercise and detained a guest inside  —  Members of the FBI and the US Army Special Operations Command who were conducting a training exercise in downtown Boston raided the wrong hotel room and detained the person inside …

Supreme Court refuses to reinstate West Virginia ban on transgender student sports participation  —  The decision is a victory for LGBTQ advocates.  —  The U.S. Supreme Court has denied West Virginia's request to immediately reinstate a law that would ban transgender student-athletes …

Federal Board Says Georgetown Transformers Sculptures Have To Go  —  Where the Decepticons failed to defeat Optimus Prime and the Autobots, an obscure federal board may well have succeeded.  —  The Old Georgetown Board unanimously voted Thursday to deny a Georgetown University neuroscientist's request …

Idaho becomes first state to restrict interstate travel for abortions  —  Helping a minor travel to another state for an abortion without parental consent will be a felony in Idaho next month, barring a successful court challenge.  —  Republican Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Wednesday signed House Bill 242.

ChatGPT is making up fake Guardian articles.  Here's how we're responding  —  The risks inherent in the technology, plus the speed of its take-up, demonstrate why it's so vital that we keep track of it  — Chris Moran is the Guardian's head of editorial innovation

How Russia's Offensive Ran Aground  —  After months of pouring soldiers into eastern Ukraine, Russia's progress essentially adds up to this: three small settlements and part of the city of Bakhmut, a high-profile battlefield with limited strategic value.  —  Settlements captured by Russia this year

Probe widens into federal watchdog over missing Jan. 6 Secret Service texts  —  A nearly two-year investigation into allegations of misconduct by the Department of Homeland Security's chief watchdog expanded this week to include his role in missing Secret Service text messages from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Ex-head of Michigan medical marijuana board and former state House speaker admits he took bribes  —  The former head of a Michigan medical marijuana licensing board has agreed to plead guilty to accepting $110,000 in bribes when he led the panel over a two-year period, authorities said Thursday.

Republicans back bill to change election rules — only for the upcoming Senate race  —  A Republican-backed bill to create a “jungle primary” that would box-out third party candidates in the next U.S. Senate race in Montana has advanced.  —  Senate Bill 566 would create a primary system …

EXCLUSIVE: Peter Thiel's Instagram model boyfriend plunged to his death WEEKS after witnessing messy showdown between the billionaire mogul and his husband when he crashed couple's New Year's bash  — Peter Thiel and Matt Danzeisen wed October 2017 and share two young children