Pence told Jan. 6 special counsel harrowing details about 2020 aftermath, warnings to Trump: Sources  —  The former VP is the top official known to have spoken with investigators.  —  In this Nov. 24, 2020 file photo President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence prepare to speak …

Sports Illustrated Published Articles by Fake, AI-Generated Writers  —  There was nothing in Drew Ortiz's author biography at Sports Illustrated to suggest that he was anything other than human.  —  “Drew has spent much of his life outdoors, and is excited to guide you through his never-ending list …

Russian court extends detention of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich until end of January  —  The hearing took place behind closed doors because authorities say details of the criminal case against the American journalist are classified.  —  MOSCOW — A court in Moscow on Tuesday extended …

Why Biden is falling behind on nominations  —  Good morning, Early Birds.  This evening is the Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting.  The tree is a Norway spruce from West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest.  Tips: earlytips@washpost.com.  Was this forwarded to you?  Sign up here.

The Hunter Biden counter-offensive: A strategy long overdue, or a political minefield  —  The president's son has a new legal plan, and it will play out in parallel with his father's reelection campaign.  —  For years, as Hunter Biden faced a protracted criminal probe …

‘Stop the price gouging’: Biden hits corporations over high consumer costs  — President Joe Biden took aim at corporations for charging prices he said were artificially high.  — “Any corporation that has not brought their prices back down, even as inflation has come down …

Trump's New Gambit to Delay His Trials Isn't Quite Working  —  The New York judge overseeing Donald Trump's hush money trial won't even consider pushing it back, especially after prosecutors accused defense lawyers of delay games. … Donald Trump's calendar is filling up—and not with campaign events.

Antagonisms flare as red states try to dictate how blue cities are run  —  Despite long advocating small government and local control, Republican governors and legislators across a significant swath of the country are increasingly overriding the actions of Democratic cities …

Uncharitable giving  —  In the United States, the federal tax deduction for charitable giving was created in 1917.  The idea was that non-profit organizations provide tangible benefits to society, and donations should be encouraged.  The tax deduction effectively lowers the cost of donations to worthy causes through a public subsidy.

Why the Fifth Circuit Keeps Making Such Outlandish Decisions  —  Where to even start in cataloging the most ridiculous—and alarming—recent rulings to come out of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit?  —  There's a case about whether a class action could go forward that boiled …

Jewish groups sue University of California over ‘unchecked’ antisemitism  —  The 36-page lawsuit argues that UC Berkeley and its law school's inaction on discrimination against Jewish students has led to a spread of antisemitism.  —  Jewish groups are suing the University of California system …

Expelling George Santos: Democrats May Force GOP's Hand  —  Democrats may make the first move if Santos doesn't resign, or if GOP leaders don't act  —  As GOP leaders agonize over how to handle disgraced Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., whose expulsion from Congress seemed inevitable last week, Democrats have a plan to force action.

Word of the Year 2023  —  ‘Authentic,’ plus ‘rizz,’ ‘deepfake,’ ‘coronation,’ and other words that defined the year  —  Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year for 2023 is authentic—the term for something we're thinking about, writing about, aspiring to, and judging more than ever.

In Alabama, another small-town paper hit in ‘open season’ on free press  —  It's an increasingly familiar drama: Local authorities go after journalists and publishers of small papers, which find themselves on the First Amendment's front lines.  —  ATMORE, Ala. — When Don Fletcher checked …

GOP faces ominous signs in effort to avoid January shutdown  —  No government funding bills are scheduled to hit the House floor this week, an ominous sign for Republicans returning to Washington for the first time since their Thanksgiving recess.  —  Lawmakers face a mid-January deadline …

Biden condemns shooting of Palestinian students: ‘No place for violence or hate in America’  —  President Biden on Monday condemned the shooting in Burlington, Vt., that seriously injured three Palestinian college students visiting the city for Thanksgiving.

Jonathan Braun, the drug smuggler Trump pardoned, once flew to California to beat an associate with a belt, prosecutors alleged  — A drug smuggler pardoned by Trump was accused of “viciously” beating a younger employee with a belt.  — Braun's “brutal assault left the 'kid's' entire body ‘black and blue,’” prosecutors alleged.