New speaker of the House Mike Johnson once wrote in support of the criminalization of gay sex  —  Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has a history of harsh anti-gay language from his time as an attorney for a socially conservative legal group in the mid-2000s.

Trump Hit With $10,000 Fine for Gag Order Violation After Judge Puts Ex-President on Witness Stand and Finds Him ‘Not Credible’  —  The former president claimed under oath that he had been referring to his former fixer Michael Cohen, who was on the witness stand throughout the day and the focal point …

Trump rages as former acolytes turn against him under legal heat  —  Donald Trump's wealth, power and fame acted like a magnet for new associates keen to enter his orbit.  But now, key figures who sought a share of his reflected glory are turning against him to save themselves.

Justice Thomas's R.V. Loan Was Forgiven, Senate Inquiry Finds  —  The justice failed to repay much, perhaps all, of the $267,230 loan.  His benefactor wiped the slate clean, with ethical and potential tax consequences.  —  The terms of the private loan were as generous as they were clear …

Israel Agrees to Delay Invasion of Gaza So U.S. Can Rush Missile Defenses to Region  —  Israel has agreed, for now, to a request from the U.S. to get its air defenses in place to protect U.S. troops in the region ahead of an expected ground invasion of Gaza, U.S. and Israeli officials said.

12-year-old who emailed bomb threats to Maryland schools knew state law would prevent charges  —  A 12-year-old admitted to emailing seven bomb threats to schools, but state law says children younger than 13 can only face “crime of violence” charges.  —  A 12-year-old responsible …

Voters soundly reject Gabrielle Hanson, other MAGA candidates in historic Franklin, Tennessee election  —  FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — In perhaps the most bizarre race that this picturesque Middle Tennessee community has ever experienced, Franklin voters resoundingly rejected a candidate for mayor …

It's the culture war, stupid: How Republicans view the presidency  —  One of the central refrains of Donald Trump's campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination — a refrain focused, justifiably, on a general election rematch against President Biden — is that the economy was more robust during his tenure in the White House.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman charged with misdemeanor for pulling fire alarm in a Capitol building  —  The alarm was set off Sept. 30 in the Cannon office building last month as Republicans sought to initiate voting on a spending measure to keep the government open.  —  Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y. …

North Carolina lt. governor quoted Hitler in newly unearthed social media posts  —  Mark Robinson, the leading GOP candidate for governor, also likened the toppling of a Confederate statue to Kristallnacht, among other incendiary remarks  —  Mark Robinson, the lieutenant governor of North Carolina …

FBI received ‘criminal information’ from over 40 confidential sources on Joe Biden, Hunter, James: Grassley  —  Grassley alleges that the FBI and DOJ sought to shut down investigations into the Bidens  —  EXCLUSIVE: The FBI maintained more than 40 confidential human sources …