Donald Trump's Final Days  —  The best outcome would be for him to resign to spare the U.S. another impeachment fight.  —  By The Editorial Board  —  The lodestar of these columns is the U.S. Constitution.  The document is the durable foundation protecting liberty, and this week it showed its virtue again.

The Capitol Hill Building Rioters Included White Supremacists and Conspiracy Theorists  —  The mob that rampaged the halls of Congress included infamous white supremacists and conspiracy theorists.  —  WASHINGTON — There were infamous white nationalists and noted conspiracy theorists …

Dominion sues pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, seeking more than $1.3 billion  —  Dominion Voting Systems on Friday filed a defamation lawsuit against lawyer Sidney Powell, demanding more than $1.3 billion in damages for havoc it says Powell has caused by spreading “wild” and “demonstrably false” …

Two Trump Supporters From Chicago Suburbs Arrested in D.C.  —  The chief executive officer of a company in Schaumburg and a tattoo artist from Roselle were among supporters of President Donald Trump who got arrested after a violent mob stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C.,this week.

Tarnished by Trump: National security officials struggle to find new jobs  —  They have been snubbed by potential employers, told they would be a “liability” and in one instance were even compared to the “Hitler Youth.”  —  This is the job market many experienced national security officials …

‘I Stepped Down Because I Saw Where This Was Heading’  —  Alyssa Farah resigned in early December as White House communications director, a position she landed after a series of roles working under some of the most conservative figures in national politics: Vice President Mike Pence …

Major Josh Hawley donor calls for him to be censured by the U.S. Senate  —  A Joplin businessman who helped bankroll Sen. Josh Hawley's first campaign denounced him on Thursday as a “political opportunist” who used “irresponsible, inflammatory, and dangerous tactics” to incite the rioting that took over the U.S. Capitol Building.

Texas woman flew on private jet to Washington, DC to ‘storm the Capitol’  —  A real estate broker from Frisco, Texas, flew on a private jet to Washington, DC, along with friends to “storm the Capitol” on Wednesday.  —  Jenna Ryan, who is also a radio host, flew from US Trinity Aviation in Denton …

Pentagon put significant restrictions on D.C. Guard ahead of pro-Trump protests  —  The Pentagon placed significant restrictions on the D.C. Guard ahead of pro-Trump protests this week, putting the District's military force in a back-seat role ahead of events that resulted in an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

American Democracy Survived Ted Cruz's Demagoguery—This Time  —  Texas's junior senator shares responsibility for inciting the mob that breached the U.S. Capitol.  That's brought him scorn from much of the country—but might win him fresh support from Trump Republicans.  —  NOTES

Exclusive: Biden will release all available vaccine doses in break from Trump administration policy of holding back stock for second dose  —  Vaccination rate will take 3 years to reach herd immunity  —  (CNN)President-elect Joe Biden will aim to release every available dose of the coronavirus vaccine …

Haley criticizes Trump over Capitol riot, election claims in RNC speech  —  Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley sharply criticized President Donald Trump over the Capitol riot and his behavior since the election, telling Republican National Committee members in a closed-door speech Thursday evening …

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is eyeing a run for Senate in 2022  —  Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman says he is taking “a serious look” at another run for the U.S. Senate in 2022, an ambition he plans to share with supporters on Friday.  —  “The 2022 cycle in Pennsylvania …

Why Trump Suddenly Changed His Tune  —  After two months of inciting violence and undermining the peaceful transfer of power—and a 12-hour Twitter ban—the president got his tweeting privileges back last night and released a video acknowledging that a new administration will take office later this month and calling for calm.

White House counsel considering resigning, source says  —  (CNN)White House counsel Pat Cipollone is considering resigning, a source familiar with his thinking tells CNN.  Since the election, he had considered multiple times but has been urged to stay for the good of the country by members of the Senate and the Cabinet.

The Roleplaying Coup  —  Yesterday's astonishing events are further proof that we live in an age that is collapsing the distinction between fantasy and reality.  —  Politics and law  —  The Social Order  —  What happened on Capitol Hill on Wednesday was uniquely bizarre and unwonted, but perhaps not in the way it looked at first.

Now It Can Be Told: How Neil Sheehan Got the Pentagon Papers  —  It was a story he had chosen not to tell — until 2015, when he sat for a four-hour interview, promised that this account would not be published while he was alive.  —  There was one story Neil Sheehan chose not to tell.

‘Hateful’ Tweet About Stacey Abrams Costs University Football Coach His Job  —  The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga said that it had parted ways with Chris Malone, an offensive line coach, over a now-deleted social media post.  —  An assistant football coach at the University …

Alabama man 1 of 5 who died in wake of Washington, D.C. chaos  —  Kevin Greeson of Athens, Ala. (photo supplied by the Greeson family)  —  CloseMore share options:  —  A 55-year-old Athens man was one of the people who died on Wednesday while chaos broke out at the Capitol building.