US intelligence chief tells Congress she's conducting damage assessment of documents taken from Mar-a-Lago  —  Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has sent a letter to the House Intelligence and House Oversight committee chairs, saying the intelligence community is conducting …

Republicans, Once Outraged by Mar-a-Lago Search, Become Quieter as Details Emerge  —  In the minutes and hours after the F.B.I.'s search of former President Donald J. Trump's residence in Florida this month, his supporters did not hesitate to denounce what they saw as a blatant abuse of power …

Truth Social faces financial peril as worry about Trump's future grows  —  Payment disputes and a dwindling audience have fueled doubts about the former president's Twitter clone  —  Former president Donald Trump's Truth Social website is facing financial challenges as its traffic remains puny …

First on CNN: Utah Senate candidate accuses motorist of threatening him with gun  —  Utah independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin has accused a motorist of brandishing a firearm and pointing it at him and his wife as the couple was driving home from a campaign event in April.

FBI responds to Mark Zuckerberg claims in Joe Rogan show  —  The day after Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook limited a polarizing story ahead of the 2020 election because of an FBI warning, the federal agency said it can only alert a private entity of a potential threat, not require it to take action.

Roland Mesnier, White House pastry chef for a sweet quarter-century, dies at 78  —  He was a confident and methodical patissier who took as his motto ‘perfection is no accident’  —  Roland Mesnier, the French-born pastry chef who whipped up desserts for five presidents and dignitaries …

The Real Student Debt Debate  —  It's about the social order.  —  I have a new piece up for Slate on the history of debt relief as an essential safety valve for a functioning credit-based economy.  Hillary Frey is running a great shop over there, and I encourage you to read Mark Joseph Stern's piece …

As Republicans stumble - could Democrats really hold on to the Senate?  —  Republicans need just one seat to regain the chamber, but recent failures mean things are looking up for the Democrats  —  Things appear to be looking up for Democratic Senate candidates.

Promoting His Memoir, Kushner Offers Tortured Defenses of Trump  —  Jared Kushner, who spent his years in the White House evading responsibility for his father-in-law's most extreme moves, has had to answer for some of them on his book tour.  —  WASHINGTON — Making the rounds promoting his new memoir …

As DeSantis Campaigns on Education, Crist Picks Teacher as Running Mate  —  Karla Hernández-Mats, head of the largest teachers union in the region, criticized the Republican governor for attacking educators.  “This is what dictators do,” she said.  —  MIAMI — In choosing the head …

Biden's student debt cancellation doesn't solve the root problems facing borrowers—but it's a start  —  After months of uncertainty, doubt, and debate among pundits and policymakers, this Wednesday saw President Joe Biden finally announce the details of his administration's long-awaited action on student debt cancellation.