‘He never should have run for this seat’  —  When Herschel Walker entered the U.S. Senate race with the backing of his longtime friend Donald Trump, Georgia Republicans were not naive about the challenges ahead.  The retired football star had no prior political experience.

How Raphael Warnock defeated Herschel Walker  —  It was one of the most unusual political events in recent Georgia history.  After vilifying Gov. Brian Kemp for much of the past decade, the Democratic Party of Georgia held a suburban event featuring voters who sang the Republican's praises …

Warnock's Victory Forges Democrats' Path Through the New Battlegrounds  —  Forget about Florida and Ohio: Georgia and Arizona are poised to be the next kingmakers of presidential politics.  —  For decades, Florida and Ohio reigned supreme over presidential politics.

Are We Ready to Learn Our Lessons Now, Republicans?  —  On the menu today: Unsurprisingly, Democrat Raphael Warnock was reelected to the Senate in Georgia last night, as the flaws and baggage of Republican nominee Herschel Walker proved too much for him to overcome without control of the upper chamber hanging in the balance.

Axios AM … 🥂 Situational awareness: At the head table of last week's state dinner, French President Emmanuel Macron led a playful toast to President Biden's 2024 campaign, after First Lady Jill Biden told Macron they're ready to run for re-election, The New York Times reports (subscription).

Can We Move Forward, Please?  —  The Democrats now have majority control of the Senate, including its committees.  —  I want to be very clear here — Herschel Walker did not need Donald Trump to win the GOP primary.  He is, after all, Herschel Walker.  Herschel Walker did not lose because of Trump, per se.

Volodymyr Zelensky  —  SEE FULL LIST  —  Read about the people who represent the Spirit of Ukraine in the second part of TIME's Person of the Year coverage.  —  The call from the President's office came on a Saturday evening: Be ready to go the next day, an aide said, and pack a toothbrush.

Germany arrests 25 accused of plotting coup  —  Twenty-five people have been arrested in raids across Germany on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.  —  The group of far-right and ex-military figures are said to have prepared to storm the parliament building, the Reichstag, and seize power.

Germany Arrests Dozens Suspected of Planning to Overthrow Government  —  Many of those detained had military training and were believed to belong to a recently formed group that operated on the conviction that the country was ruled by a “deep state.”  —  BERLIN — Special Forces in Germany …