Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers say, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year. The charges center on payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. They mark an extraordinary development after years of investigations into Trump’s business, political and personal dealings. Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed the investigation, called the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. Trump is expected to surrender to authorities next week.

Gwyneth Paltrow has won her court battle over a 2016 ski collision at a posh Utah ski resort after a jury decided that the actor wasn’t at fault for the crash. The jury verdict comes Thursday in a packed court room in Park City, Utah. A jury dismissed the complaint of a retired optometrist who sued Paltrow over injuries he sustained when the two crashed on a beginner run at Deer Valley ski resort. The decision comes after eight days of live-streamed courtroom testimony that drew worldwide audiences and became pop culture fixation.

The hush money case in New York that has led to criminal charges against Donald Trump is just one of a number of investigations that could pose legal problems for the former president. A lawyer for Trump confirmed Thursday that he was told the former president had been indicted on charges involving payments made during the 2016 campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. Trump faces a string of other inquiries as he campaigns for another term in 2024. They include a criminal investigation over top secret documents found at his Florida estate, a probe in Washington into his efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election, and an investigation in Georgia.

Russia’s security service has arrested an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal on espionage charges. It's the first time a U.S. correspondent has been detained on spying accusations since the Cold War. The newspaper denied the allegations and demanded his release. Thirty-one-year-old Evan Gershkovich was detained in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, about 1,670 kilometers (1,035 miles) east of Moscow. Russia’s Federal Security Service accused him of trying to obtain classified information. Known by the acronym FSB, the service is the top domestic security agency and main successor to the Soviet-era KGB.

A lawyer for Donald Trump said Thursday he's been told that the former president has been in…

Well, it was nice while it lasted. For nearly a year, the average used vehicle in the United States had been gradually edging toward affordable again for millions of people. The relief felt belated and relatively slight, but it was welcome nonetheless. From an eye-watering peak of $31,400 in April of last year, the average price had dropped 14% to $27,125 early this month. Now, with the supply of used vehicles failing to keep up with robust demand, prices are creeping up again. So many buyers have been priced out of the new-car market that fewer trade-ins are landing on dealer lots. Deepening the shortage, fewer used vehicles are coming off leases or being off-loaded by rental car companies.