Sen. Kyrsten Sinema: Why I'm registering as an independent  —  The Arizona senator explains why she has left the Democratic Party.  —  There's a disconnect between what everyday Americans want and deserve from our politics, and what political parties are offering.

Brittney Griner back home in US after Russian prisoner swap  —  Brittney Griner returned to the United States early Friday, nearly 10 months after the basketball star's detention in Russia made her the most high-profile American jailed abroad and set off a political firestorm.

Justice Department asks judge to hold Trump team in contempt over Mar-a-Lago case  —  The request came after months of mounting frustration from the Justice Department with the former president's lawyers.  —  Prosecutors have urged a federal judge to hold Donald Trump's office in contempt …

House Republicans brace for doomsday scenario if McCarthy falls short of 218 votes for speaker  —  As a right-wing faction threatens to tank his speakership ambitions, House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy delivered a promise: “I'll never leave,” making clear he has no plans to drop out of the race …

Private RNC member emails reveal anger at Trump, frustration with McDaniel's response to him  —  A handful of Republican National Committee members denounced former President Donald Trump, with one pushing for fellow members and RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel to forcefully condemn his decision …

Trump's 2024 Campaign So Far Is an Epic Act of Self-Sabotage  —  But is this really the end of an error?  —  The official campaign for the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination is barely three weeks old, but there is one clear takeaway so far: Donald Trump is running against himself—and losing.

Just What Did the Times Walkout Change?  —  As they have been threatening to do for months now, the New York Times newsroom went on a one-day strike today.  —  As a reader, you might not have noticed.  The paper got its Brittney Griner-is-free scoop out on a push notification before the Washington Post did.

First on CNN: January 6 committee considers criminal referrals for at least 4 others besides Trump  —  The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection is considering criminal referrals for at least four individuals in addition to former President Donald Trump, multiple sources told CNN.

Biden earned political capital this fall.  He's quietly spending it.  —  White House officials and senior Democrats believe the party's better-than-expected fall has relieved considerable pressure on Joe Biden to act quickly on a reelection bid.  —  But they're still making moves.

CNN Poll: Views of the state of the country are slightly improved, but Americans' economic concerns remain  —  Americans' views of the state of the nation have bounced back slightly since earlier this year, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds, but public perception of the economy remains grim.

Non-binary Biden nuclear official Sam Brinton accused in second luggage heist  —  A Biden energy department official who allegedly stole a woman's suitcase from a Minneapolis airport in September has been accused of another luggage heist at a Las Vegas airport.

I Lost My Brother Twice  —  First to schizophrenia, then forever to the city.  —  The police officer said “an incident had occurred in a subway station” concerning my brother Zack, but he wouldn't say what exactly had happened.  They had called his mother, who had then called my father, who then called me.

Making PACER court records system free wouldn't add to deficit, CBO says  —  Making the federal judiciary's online court records system known as PACER free under a pending bill in the U.S. Senate would not add to the federal deficit as initially presumed, but would actually cut it by $14 million …