Trump says he 'won't partake' in special counsel investigation, slams as ‘worst politicization of justice’  —  Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed former DOJ official Jack Smith to lead Trump investigations regarding records held at Mar-a-Lago, Jan. 6  —  AG Garland to appoint special counsel in Trump Mar-a-Lago, Jan. 6 probes

I Was the Head of Trust and Safety at Twitter.  This Is What Could Become of It.  —  Earlier this month, I chose to leave my position leading trust and safety at Elon Musk's Twitter.  —  As the company's head of policy, my teams were responsible for drafting Twitter's rules and figuring …

New York Post Takes Aim at Trump, and Hits a Nerve  —  The paper's increasingly harsh coverage has gotten the news media and political worlds talking about whether the Murdoch media empire has broken permanently from the former president.  —  Since Election Day last week …

House Republicans announce plans to produce content for Fox News  —  Before we get too far into the incoming House Republican majority's plans for putting pressure on President Biden, consider this tweet from the party's caucus on the House Judiciary Committee.

'You Didn't Love America That Day': Federal Judge Sends Jan. 6 Rioter to Prison for Obstruction, Stealing Coat Rack and Bourbon from Capitol  —  The Ohio man who stole a bottle of bourbon and a coat rack from the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 — and admitted lying in his trial testimony …

BREAKING: Judge allows Saturday voting before U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia  —  State law allows Saturday voting after Thanksgiving holidays, judge rules  —  A judge ruled that Georgia law allows Saturday voting before the runoff for the U.S. Senate, finding that polling places can open …

Lawsuit Filed to Reverse Approval, Access to Abortion Pill  —  The action was filed by a conservative legal group that helped challenge the Roe v. Wade decision overturned by Supreme Court  —  Medical Abortions: The Science Behind How Abortion Pills Work  —  Created with sketchtool.

Joe Biden, gay icon  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice.  —  President JOE BIDEN, on the cusp of his 80th birthday, can sometimes sound like a throwback with his colloquialisms …

Judge punts Psaki social-media subpoena fight  —  A federal magistrate judge in Virginia openly scoffed Friday at White House press secretary Jen Psaki's efforts to escape a deposition in a suit over alleged pressure on social media firms to censor posts on topics like Covid-19 vaccines and election fraud.

Iranian Protesters Attack Khomeini's Childhood Home as Unrest Spreads  —  The house where the Islamic revolution's founder grew up was set on fire during a fresh surge of anger over the government's killing of children, including three in the city of Izeh.  —  Three months into a nationwide uprising …

Twitter Has Been Incredibly Important For State and Local Journalists Like Me  —  If the Bird App dies, state and local journalists will lose a vital tool.  —  I almost turned my back on my calling as a journalist.  I wanted to do important, meaningful work in Mississippi …

Election denier Hakeem Jeffries could replace Pelosi as House Dem leader  —  Jeffries said America deserves to know if Trump was a ‘fake’ president  —  Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi: Hakeem Jeffries can bring people together  —  The leading candidate to replace Nancy Pelosi as the next House Democratic leader …

‘We have to have a thriving press:’ Sen. Amy Klobuchar on the future of American journalism  —  Diego Mendoza is a Breaking News reporter.  You can reach him at dmendoza@semafor.com.  For politics coverage from Semafor each morning, sign up for our Principals newsletter — an insider's guide to American power.

The Backlash To Losing Roe v. Wade Is Just Getting Started  —  The Supreme Court's Dobbs decision upending abortion rights helped Democrats stave off a “red wave.”  It will continue to play a pivotal role in future elections.  —  The end of national abortion rights threw a wrench in Republican plans for a …

Tom Petty's estate tells Kari Lake to back down on song  —  Tom Petty, in his famous rock anthem, vowed never to back down.  Now, his heirs are telling Kari Lake to back off from using the song to promote her “failed campaign” for Arizona governor.  —  Petty's estate is threatening legal action …

Martin Morse Wooster, R.I.P.  —  Martin Morse Wooster started a peculiar tradition years ago: Whenever he spotted a “John Miller” in the news, he let me know.  Early on, he sent clips by regular mail, cut from the pages of his prodigious reading.  At some point, the emails outnumbered the stamped envelopes.

Lawyer who firebombed NYPD cruiser sentenced to 15 months after Biden admin intervention  —  The Biden administration's DOJ reportedly struck a “sweetheart deal” with the felon, and asked the court to go easy on Rahman and her accomplice after the Trump administration pressured for a domestic terrorism sentencing enhancement.

Dozens of court docs relating to eight of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's associates - including billionaire hotel magnate and female Brit - will be UNSEALED after judge rules public interest outweighs right to privacy  — Judge Loretta Preska on Friday ordered dozens of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's associates to be unsealed

Allen Weisselberg says he got $200K raise after Trump kids discovered his tax fraud  —  Donald Trump's kids gave Allen Weisselberg a whopping $200,000 raise — instead of punishing him — after discovering his shady tax practices, the ex-Trump Organization CFO told jurors Friday.