Congress expected to end the record 75-day partial government shutdown  —  The House expects to vote to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security by the end of the day.  ICE and border patrol will be funded separately due to Democratic opposition.  —  WASHINGTON — The House is expected …

Louisiana moves to suspend House primaries as states face pressure to redistrict  —  Gov. Jeff Landry (R) told Republican House candidates he plans to suspend the May 16 primary elections so lawmakers can redraw the congressional map.  —  Summary  —  Louisiana officials announced plans Thursday …

Trump pulls Casey Means nomination for surgeon general for Fox News's Nicole Saphier  —  President Trump on Thursday pulled the controversial nomination of Casey Means for surgeon general, announcing on Truth Social that her replacement would be Fox News contributor and radiologist Dr. Nicole Saphier …

‘Seashells’ case was on back burner until Bondi fired as AG, say sources  —  Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche gave new life to the investigation of James Comey, directing a new office — and new prosecution team — to seek a second indictment.  —  The move to charge former FBI Director James Comey …

Jeffrey Epstein's Possible Suicide Note Hidden from Public View … A suicide note purportedly written by Jeffrey Epstein in a Manhattan jail has been kept secret for nearly seven years, locked up in a New York courthouse.  —  A cellmate said he discovered the note in July 2019 …

Janet Mills Bows Out of Maine Senate Race as an Insurgent Democrat Rises  —  Her withdrawal reflects the energy of the party's left and voters' unease with older candidates and paves the way for Graham Platner to challenge Senator Susan Collins in November.  —  Gov. Janet Mills of Maine …

‘Just go to Hell’: Ed Martin, Thom Tillis squabble amid Tillis' anti-Jan. 6 litmus test  —  Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and pardon attorney Ed Martin traded personal insults Thursday on social media, a remarkably public feud between a sitting Republican senator and member of the administration.

Trump sons take stake in Kazakh miner that won $1.6bn US contract  —  Donald Jr and Eric have sought to capitalise on sectors backed by father's presidential administration  —  A shell company backed by Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump has merged with a critical minerals group that last year secured …

Trump Family-Backed Drone Firm Signs Weapons Deal With US  —  The US Air Force agreed to buy an undisclosed number of interceptor drones from a company backed by President Donald Trump's sons, according to the firm, deepening the military's ties to defense contractors linked to the first family …

U.S. Debt Tops 100% of GDP  —  Federal debt exceeding the size of the economy is a potent symbol of the gathering fiscal stresses on the U.S.  —  WASHINGTON—The U.S. national debt now exceeds 100% of gross domestic product, crossing a once-unthinkable threshold, on the way toward breaking the record set in the wake of World War II.

Public rejects Trump's ballroom by wide margin  —  The president's planned 250-foot arch and a Treasury Department plan to put Trump's signature on paper money are also unpopular.  —  Summary  —  Americans reject President Donald Trump's planned White House ballroom by a 2-to-1 margin …

U.S. Senators Vote to Ban Themselves From Trading on Prediction Markets  —  Prohibition follows concerns about insider trading on platforms including Kalshi and Polymarket  —  The U.S. Senate has passed a resolution prohibiting senators from trading on prediction markets …

Trump Administration Casts Host of Policies Under Biden as Anti-Christian  —  A new report is the latest effort by the Justice Department to argue that it is removing political bias from prosecutorial decision-making.  —  The Justice Department on Thursday accused the Biden administration …

The Logic of NACHO  —  The only available deal is no deal  —  On Wall Street, TACO — Trump Always Chickens Out — has abruptly been replaced as a favorite meme by NACHO — Not a Chance Hormuz Opens.  As a result, oil futures have soared.  —  I never bought into the TACO meme …

The pastor of the nation's largest Methodist church is running for the US Senate in Kansas  —  The pastor of the largest United Methodist Church in the U.S. launched a campaign Thursday for the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Kansas, upending the race in a normally Republican state …

Maxwell's former boyfriend testifies in House Epstein probe  —  Members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said they left an interview Thursday with Ted Waitt, Ghislaine Maxwell's former boyfriend, largely empty handed after an hourslong grilling as part of the panel's ongoing Jeffrey Epstein investigation.