POLITICO Playbook: Trump's GOP walloped  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  WHERE WE ARE ... DEMOCRATS captured control of the Virginia House of Delegates and state Senate, the first time they've controlled the entire government “in a generation,” per the WaPo.  — NYT'S JONATHAN MARTIN …

Exclusive: Trump Letter Promised Zelensky ‘Unwavering’ Support  —  In the letter, published here for the first time, Trump pledges to stand by Kyiv no matter what.  That was before he withheld aid to pressure Ukraine into investigating his rival.  —  President Donald Trump promised …

I Have Fought for the Democratic Party My Whole Career  —  The other day I was accused by one of my opponents of running in the wrong primary.  Pretty amazing.  On one level, it is kind of funny.  —  I have fought for the Democratic party my whole career.  I know what we stand for, who we stand with and what we believe.

Remember The Cyclist Who Flipped Off Trump's Motorcade?  She Just Won A Virginia Election.  —  Juli Briskman will now be on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.  —  WASHINGTON ― Juli Briskman, who famously flipped off President Donald Trump's motorcade in a viral 2017 photo …

Thanks to Rand Paul, Russian Media Are Naming the Alleged Whistleblower  —  Outing “the whistleblower” is the most egregious, but certainly not the only, example of Kremlin-funded media cheerleading the fight against impeachment.  They love “their” Trump.  —  Standing beside an approving Donald Trump …

CIA staff complained about Obama White House's political correctness, new book claims  —  A new book claims that top CIA employees have compared President Trump favorably to his predecessor, indicating that former President Barack Obama's administration micromanaged intelligence matters and was too concerned with political correctness.

AP sources: State Dept. worried about defending ambassador  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department's third-ranking official is expected to tell Congress that political considerations were behind the agency's refusal to deliver a robust defense of the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

PA Swing Voters Tell CNN They Would Still Vote For Trump If He Shot Someone: 'You'd Have to Know Why He Shot Him'  —  CNN New Day featured on Wednesday a panel of women identified as Pennsylvania swing voters, moderated by anchor Alisyn Camerota — and two had a jaw-dropping answer when asked …

Senate Republicans consider including Bidens in Trump impeachment trial  —  Senate Republicans are privately debating whether they should use an impeachment trial of President Trump to scrutinize former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter as some Trump allies push to call them as witnesses …

How Mike Pence's Office Meddled in Foreign Aid to Reroute Money to Favored Christian Groups  —  Officials at USAID warned that favoring Christian groups in Iraq could be unconstitutional and inflame religious tensions.  When one colleague lost her job, they said she had been “Penced.”

Justice Dept. trying to finish report on Russia probe before Thanksgiving  —  Justice Department officials are trying to release in the coming weeks a potentially explosive inspector general report about the FBI's investigation into President Trump's 2016 campaign, according to multiple people familiar with the effort.

Democrats pulled off a huge win, taking control of Virginia's state legislature  —  Virginia House of Delegates Minority Leader Eileen Filler at the start of the 2019 session of the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond, Virginia on January 9, 2019.  Steve Helber/AP  —  Democrats captured both the state House and Senate.

Poll: Majority expect Trump to win in 2020  —  The president's reelection prospects appear to be a motivating factor for potential voter turnout.  —  President Donald Trump.  Bryan Woolston/Getty Images  —  With less than a year to go before the 2020 election, a majority of registered voters …