Ukraine Live Updates: E.U. Moves to Ban Russian Coal; Zelensky to Address U.N.  —  The European Union said it was also working to ban Russian oil.  As Ukraine's president prepared to speak to the Security Council, U.S. and European allies vowed to hold Russia accountable for the reported killings of hundreds people in a Kyiv suburb.

Trump aide seeking NH House seat voted in 2 states in 2016  —  CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A former Trump administration official now running for Congress in New Hampshire voted twice during the 2016 primary election season, potentially violating federal voting law and leaving him at odds …

Twitter will appoint Elon Musk to its board of directors  —  Musk is limited from buying more than 15 percent of Twitter's stock  —  Twitter is appointing Tesla CEO Elon Musk to its board of directors, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Musk will serve as a class II director until 2024.

GOP Rep. Fred Upton to retire  —  Rep. Fred Upton, one of the longest-tenured Republicans in the House of Representatives, has decided to retire rather than seek reelection in 2022.  —  Upton was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump in January 2021 …

'I didn't win the election': Trump admits defeat in session with historians  —  The ex-president also said that Iran, China and South Korea were happy Biden won, adding that ‘the election was rigged and lost’  —  Donald Trump has admitted he did not win the 2020 election.  —  “I didn't win the election,” he said.

POLITICO Playbook: Why Biden's base is in distress  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  Democrats are desperately trying to understand what's roiling the electorate heading into a brutal midterm environment.  —  HIT Strategies has been conducting weekly focus groups to find out in real time how Americans are processing events in 2022.

Inside the consulting firm run by Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas  — Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, runs a little-known consulting company.  — Some campaign watchdog groups say it could create yet another conflict of interest for her husband.

Stacey Abrams reaches millionaire status before 2nd campaign  —  ATLANTA (AP) — When Democrat Stacey Abrams first ran for Georgia governor in 2018, her lackluster personal finances and a hefty bill from the IRS gave Republicans fodder to question how she could manage a state budget when she struggled with her own debts.

Ivanka Trump to testify Tuesday before House Jan. 6 committee  —  WASHINGTON — Ivanka Trump, the daughter and senior White House adviser of former President Donald Trump, is set to testify before the House Jan. 6 committee on Tuesday, three sources tell NBC News.

Ron Klain solicited money from Hunter Biden for VP residence in 2012, emails show: ‘Keep this low low key’  —  Klain told Hunter ‘raising money for the Residence now is bad PR’  —  Hunter Biden probe has DOJ in ‘untenable’ position, case for a special counsel is ‘absolutely clear’: Turley

California Can't Mandate Diversity on Corporate Boards  —  Plus: Prayer on football field faces SCOTUS, Mike Tyson's ear-shaped edibles banned in Colorado, and more...  Law “violates the Equal Protection Clause of the California Constitution on its face,” says judge.

How election conspiracy theories turned local politics ‘toxic’ in one Wisconsin city  —  GREEN BAY, Wis. — For the second time since Election Day 2020, uniformed police officers will be on duty when ballot counting begins in Green Bay's local elections.  —  It's the result of tension building …

Republican-controlled states have higher murder rates than Democratic ones: study  —  46th and current president of the United States  —  Republican politicians routinely claim that cities run by Democrats have been experiencing crime waves caused by failed governance …

Victim: Epstein Shared Hotel Suite With Bill Clinton and Worried About Being Poisoned  —  STRANGE BEDFELLOWS  —  Juliette Bryant was approached in a Cape Town bar and asked if she'd like to meet the former president and Jeffrey Epstein.  It was the beginning of her personal nightmare.

Facing criticism, Tim Ryan defends anti-China ad in Ohio Senate race  —  Asian American super PAC says he's stoking hate to stir up base  —  Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan is not backing down as he faces blowback from some in his party for an ad in his Senate campaign that repeatedly blames China for workers' economic woes.

Inflation fears force Americans to rethink financial choices  —  76% of Americans worry inflation will force them to rethink financial choices: CNBC survey  —  Surging inflation has Americans reconsidering how they spend their money.  —  The Consumer Price Index, which measures …

Ted Cruz Knew Exactly What He Was Doing Caping for Trump and His Big Lie  —  The Harvard-educated lawyer knows what the Constitution calls for, and what his duties and obligations are.  He just didn't care.  —  You know who's telling on themselves?  The American conservatives cheering …

Jackson confirmation battle rejuvenates Doug Jones  —  Doug Jones became a so-called Supreme Court sherpa in the most quintessentially Washington way possible.  —  The day after Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement announcement, a reporter emailed Jones to ask whether the White House …

Why I Am Not A Liberal  —  Those of us in the contemporary academy who are not liberals ought give an account of why not.  This asymmetric burden falls on us, I believe, because the presumption is so strongly that one does fit within the broad confines of liberalism that if one does …

The FBI is spending millions on social media tracking software  —  Good morning!  See any interesting contracting records?  Send them my way: aaron.schaffer@washpost.com.  —  Below: Lawmakers blast a reported review of a major U.S. cyber policy, and crypto scams are multiplying.