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 …

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 …

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  —  The court is leaning into its reputation as a welcoming home for right-wing litigation.  —  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?

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Biden campaign jumps into ObamaCare fight  —  The Big Story  —  President Biden's reelection campaign is enthusiastically jumping into a fight with former President Trump over the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare.  —  © Greg Nash, The Hill

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.

How Christie dropping out could help Haley  —  Yes, polls suggest his supporters would largely move to her.  But it's probably helpful only in one state, and it's not nearly enough.  —  A battery of recent New Hampshire polls has shown Nikki Haley and Chris Christie running second and third …

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.

Two women arrested in NYC attack on Jewish victim who confronted them for tearing down hostage posters: cops  —  Two women have been slapped with hate crime charges for allegedly attacking a Jewish person who confronted them on the Upper West Side for tearing down posters of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas, cops said Monday.

Just How Bad Is the US Cost-of-Living Squeeze?  We Did the Math  —  After years of inflation, US consumers are shouldering a burden unlike anything seen in decades — even as the pace of price increases has slowed.  —  It now requires $119.27 to buy the same goods and services a family could afford with $100 before the pandemic.