National News at a Glance

Another Democratic Ambush? Not in Delaware, as Carper Rebuffs Outsider’s Bid

Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware fended off a primary challenge from his left on Thursday, dispatching a political newcomer, Kerri Evelyn Harris, in the latest test of strength between Democratic insurgents and the party establishment. Carper won renomination for a fourth Senate term and what will likely be his 14th consecutive general election victory. He had about 64 percent of the vote with 75 percent of the precincts reporting, according to The Associated Press. Despite his deep connections in the state, Carper, 71, had to work hard for the right to seek what he suggested could be his last term.

State Investigations of Sex Abuse by Catholic Priests Expands to New York and New Jersey

Attorneys general across the United States are taking a newly aggressive stance in investigating sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy, opening investigations into malfeasance and issuing subpoenas for documents. On Thursday, the New York state attorney general issued subpoenas to all eight Catholic dioceses in the state as part of a civil investigation into whether institutions covered up allegations of sexual abuse of children, officials said. The attorney general in New Jersey announced a criminal investigation. The new inquiries come several weeks after an explosive Pennsylvania grand jury report detailed the abuse of more than 1,000 children by hundreds of priests over decades.

It Wasn’t Me: Pence, Pompeo and a Parade of Administration Officials Deny Writing Op-Ed

In a spectacle that may be without precedent even for an administration that has seen many of those already, almost the entire Cabinet and leadership team working for President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to writing an anonymous essay about plotting against him. The unnamed author of the essay published by The New York Times was the target of a mole hunt by an infuriated president and the subject of an obsessive public guessing game that played out on television, online and in social media. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., recommended the president force members of his administration to take polygraph examinations. One outside adviser said the White House had a list of about 12 suspects.

Migrant Children Could Be Detained Longer as Trump Administration Moves to Bypass Existing Rules

Moving to sidestep restrictions on the detention of migrant families in federal custody, the Trump administration introduced Thursday a regulation that would allow it to hold such families in custody beyond the current limit of 20 days. The restriction is part of a court-ordered consent decree that came out of a federal lawsuit over the harm caused by holding migrant children in jail-like facilities. If it is successful in adopting the proposed rule, the administration will be able to hold migrant families indefinitely in facilities that have been specifically outfitted to house children and adults together.

U.S. Accuses North Korea of Plot to Hurt Economy as Spy Charged in Sony Hack

North Korea engaged in a yearslong effort to hack into American companies and steal from financial institutions around the globe, the Justice Department charged Thursday in a 174-page criminal complaint that detailed how hackers caused hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of damage to the global economy. Only one North Korean, Park Jin Hyok, was named — charged with computer fraud and wire fraud in the 2014 hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment. But the complaint described a team of hackers for North Korea’s main intelligence agency. North Korea seemed primarily motivated by its continuing need for cash, as other countries have refused to do business with Pyongyang.

DeVos Punts to Congress on Federally Funded Guns for Schools

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos says she will leave it to Congress to decide whether states can use federal funds to purchase firearms for their schools. Conservatives said DeVos’ stance was consistent with her championing of local school control. But Democrats and advocates denounced her decision as a tacit endorsement of federally funded firearms in schools, and federal policy experts saw the move as an abdication of the department’s core function to help districts navigate the federal bureaucracy. The Education Department had been considering whether school districts could tap into a $1 billion program intended for academic and enrichment programs after states asked whether school safety measures would be an allowable expense.

In Truck Attack Case, an Unlikely Complication: Trump’s Tweets

Lawyers for the Uzbek man charged in the 2017 truck attack that killed eight people on a Manhattan bike path asked a judge Thursday to bar the government from seeking the death penalty, saying the decision, which ultimately rests with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, had become too politicized. The lawyers cited President Donald Trump’s tweets calling for the execution of their client, Sayfullo Saipov, and another more recent tweet that suggested political considerations should inform the Justice Department’s charging decisions. They also pointed to reports that Trump had considered firing Sessions for not following his wishes.