Exclusive: New evidence in special counsel probe may undercut Trump's claim documents he took were automatically declassified  —  The National Archives has informed former president Donald Trump that it is set to hand over to special counsel Jack Smith 16 records which show Trump and his top advisers …

F.B.I. Revokes Security Clearances of 3 Agents Over Jan. 6 Issues  —  At least two of the three agents are scheduled to testify on Thursday to a House panel investigating what Republicans contend is the “weaponization” of federal agencies against conservatives.

Prince Harry and Meghan ‘paparazzi car chase’ was not ‘near catastrophic’, NYPD officials suggest  —  A taxi driver who picked up the Sussexes has said “I don't think I would call it a chase” - but added the couple were “quiet and seemed scared” as they sat in the back of his car for around 10 minutes.

Ron DeSantis Signs Law Allowing Trans Kids to Be Taken From Their Families  —  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a horrifying bill Wednesday that will let the state take transgender minors away from their families if they are receiving gender-affirming care.

A Sinister Flop  —  Special Counsel John Durham served up not an investigation, but an excuse for future partisan abuses.  —  Defending Donald Trump was always awkward.  —  So many incidents unfolded in a familiar pattern.  Somebody would accuse the ex-president of something bad.

Deutsche Bank Will Pay $75 Million to Victims of Jeffrey Epstein  —  A proposed court settlement closes another chapter in the German bank's relationship with the disgraced financier, which began in 2013 and continued up until late 2018.  —  Deutsche Bank has agreed to pay $75 million …

House votes to send Santos expulsion resolution to Ethics Committee  —  The House on Wednesday punted the question of whether Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) should be removed from Congress, referring an expulsion resolution to the Ethics Committee and shielding Republican lawmakers from having to weigh in on the matter directly.

Rick Scott on Disney-DeSantis feud: ‘Cooler heads have to prevail’  —  Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) weighed in Wednesday on one of the hottest political feuds in his home state, arguing “cooler heads have to prevail” in the battle between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and The Walt Disney Co.

Alleged Pentagon Leaker Says He's No Edward Snowden, Seeks Bail  —  The Air National Guardsman charged with the most serious leak of secret military information in a decade says he should be released on bail, arguing he's no Edward Snowden.  —  US prosecutors are seeking to keep Jack Teixeira …

Study Offers New Twist in How the First Humans Evolved  —  A new genetic analysis of 290 people suggests that humans emerged at various times and places in Africa.  —  Scientists have revealed a surprisingly complex origin of our species, rejecting the long-held argument that modern humans arose …

Appeals court shows openness to rolling back abortion pill access  —  A federal appeals court panel on Wednesday seemed skeptical of the Biden administration's arguments to keep the widely used abortion pill mifepristone on the market in its current form.  —  During oral arguments …

Mayoral losses deal blow to GOP in conservative strongholds  —  Republicans suffered surprising losses Tuesday in mayoral races in Jacksonville, Fla., and Colorado Springs, dealing a blow to the GOP in two longtime conservative strongholds and highlighting the limits of waging hyperpartisan campaign battles in local races.

Montana Governor Signs Total Ban of TikTok in the State  —  The legislation is the most extreme prohibition of the app in the nation and will almost certainly face legal challenges.  —  The governor of Montana, Greg Gianforte, signed a bill on Wednesday to ban TikTok from operating inside the state …

Theranos founder Holmes loses bid to stay out of prison, hit with huge restitution bill  —  Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and former CEO Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani were on Tuesday ordered to pay $452 million to victims of the blood-testing startup's fraud, and an appeals court also denied Holmes' request …

2024 Trump Nomination Would Hurt Down-Ballot Republicans, Poll Finds  —  A rematch of the 2020 election next year, pitting President Joe Biden against former president Donald Trump, would hurt down-ballot Republicans, a new poll has found.  —  If Trump is at the top of the ticket …

Columbia Journalism School to offer educational loan repayment assistance for recent graduates with inaugural program  —  The program is the first of its kind for graduate journalism schools.  With its inception, Columbia continues to stake its claim as a steadfast supporter of rigorous …

Noted L.A. chef accused by wife of killing family cats, assault.  He denies allegations  —  A chef of popular Los Angeles restaurant Horses accused her husband and business partner of killing the family's cats in a divorce filing in which she also asked for a domestic violence restraining order.

Texas Legislature Bans Transgender Medical Care for Children  —  Over the opposition of Democrats and the loud protests at the Capitol this month, the Texas Legislature voted on Wednesday to approve a bill banning hormone and puberty blocking treatments, as well as surgeries for transgender children.

The Party Is Cancelled  —  Inside a monthly New York City hangout, where fired university professors and controversial TikTokers get together to have discussions they feel they can't have anywhere else.  —  Every month, more than two hundred people from the media, academia …

BREAKING: Drudge Reports Hannity to Replace Tucker in Major Shake Up — Fox News Responds  —  The Drudge Report dropped a siren-blaring scoop on Wednesday announcing an imminent shake-up at Fox News, eventually reporting that Sean Hannity will take over at 8 p.m.

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 17, 2023  —  May 17, 2023, 7pm ET  —  Click here to see ISW's interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  This map is updated daily alongside the static maps present in this report.  —  Click here to access ISW's archive of interactive …

Public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court is at its lowest since 1973  —  Amidst the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dropped dramatically among those who support access to abortion, based on an analysis of GSS data.

Conservatives Bully L.A. Dodgers Into Dropping Charity Drag Group From Pride Night  —  The Sisters of Perpetual indulgence, a LGBTQ community nonprofit, has long scandalized Catholics with their campy nun cosplay  —  BOWING TO PRESSURE from conservatives including Sen. Marco Rubio …

Majority of U.S. Twitter users say they've taken a break from the platform in the past year  —  A majority of Americans who have used Twitter in the past year report taking a break from the platform during that time, and a quarter say they are not likely to use it a year from now …

Pennsylvania GOP Doubles Down on Election Deniers, Including a Fake Trump Elector  —  After nearly all Pennsylvania counties certified their primary results last year, six Republican commissioners spread out across three counties stood in the way of completing the process.

A few hours in and Kari Lake's trial is already over (or it should be)  —  Opinion: Kari Lake's ‘whistleblower’ just annihilated her last gasp challenge of the 2022 election.  —  Kari Lake on Wednesday opened her (second) trial challenging the 2022 election ... with a complete and total fizzle.

Pelosi lieutenant who sponsored congressional stock ban bill just violated the STOCK Act  —  Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), who last year led Democratic House leadership's self-aborted effort to ban congressional stock trading, just became the latest lawmaker to violate the STOCK Act with up to $265,000 …

The Supreme Court hands down a temporary, but significant, victory for gun control  —  The Court appears to be backing away from its “shadow docket.”  —  The Supreme Court handed down a very brief order on Wednesday morning that offers gun regulation advocates a slightly surprising — but likely short-lived — victory.