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 …

Trump campaign announcement deepens Republicans' civil war  —  Republicans are now soul searching over how they lost a very winnable Senate and bracing for two tumultuous years in the House - and many blame Trump  —  ike Lindell was full of passionate intensity.

Former Anti-Abortion Leader Alleges Another Supreme Court Breach  —  Years before the leaked draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, a landmark contraception ruling was disclosed, according to a minister who led a secretive effort to influence justices.  —  As the Supreme Court investigates …

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 …

Stealthy Kherson resistance fighters undermined Russian occupying forces  —  KHERSON, Ukraine — Ihor didn't even know the first name of the person who contacted him.  The man said he was a member of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces and wanted to know if Ihor was interested in helping fight …

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 …

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.

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.

Elizabeth Holmes Brushed Off Patient Risks: 'They Don't Put Pretty People Like Me in Jail'  —  Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes reportedly told a Walgreens consultant that “They don't put pretty people like me in jail,” according to a government filing ahead of the sentencing hearing Friday.

Maldives minister: negotiators reach deal on climate fund  —  Negotiators say they have struck a potential breakthrough deal on the thorniest issue of United Nations climate talks, creation of a fund for compensating poor nations that are victims of extreme weather worsened by rich nations' carbon pollution.

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 …

'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 …

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 …

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 …

‘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.

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.