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.

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 …

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.

Judge Declines to Act on Justice Dept. Contempt Request in Trump Documents Case  —  The department had asked a federal judge to force a representative of Donald J. Trump to swear under oath that there are no more classified documents at any of his properties.

This Case Should Never Have Made It to the Supreme Court  —  The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values.  It is separate from the newsroom.  —  “The most important case for American democracy” …

Why Conservatives Invented a ‘Right to Post’  —  Early December might have marked the first time anyone ever asserted a First Amendment right to see the president's son's penis, an argument that the Framers likely did not anticipate.  —  In November, the billionaire Elon Musk purchased Twitter …

Exclusive: SBF secretly funded crypto news site  —  The Block, a media company that says it covers crypto news independently, has been secretly funded for over a year with money funneled to The Block's CEO from the disgraced Sam Bankman-Fried's cryptocurrency trading firm, sources told Axios.

Florida GOP donor, DeSantis ally under ‘active investigation’ weeks before death, authorities say  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Kent Stermon, a prominent Jacksonville-area Republican donor and friend of Gov. Ron DeSantis found dead in his car Thursday night, was under “active investigation” by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

Miami woman known as Fox News' ‘Liberal Sherpa’ charged with ripping off her aging mother  —  Cathy Areu, a journalist and former periodic Fox News guest known as the “Liberal Sherpa,” has been arrested in Miami on accusations that she kidnapped and financially exploited her elderly mother.

Russia demanded that a spy held in Germany be freed in exchange for Paul Whelan  —  Russia refused to release Paul Whelan alongside Brittney Griner unless a former colonel from Russia's domestic spy organization currently in German custody was also released as part of any prisoner swap …

GOP Jump On Biden Official Sam Brinton's 2nd Theft Allegation—Blames ‘Wokeness’ For Their Hire  —  The Biden Administration has come under fire from Republican lawmakers after Energy Department official Sam Brinton, who identifies as nonbinary, was charged in two separate instances …

War has tamed Ukraine's oligarchs, creating space for democratic change  —  Ukraine may have the opportunity to rebuild a postwar society that is more democratic, less corrupt and more economically diversified  —  BURSHTYN, Ukraine — Over two days in October, eight Russian cruise missiles screamed …

Charges from DeSantis' election crimes office keep falling apart  —  The arrests from Ron DeSantis' election crimes office appeared ridiculous over the summer.  As the criminal cases keep collapsing, they now look even worse.  —  The pattern is unmistakable: Cases from Gov. Ron DeSantis …

‘The Lord of War is back in the game’  —  With help from Lara Seligman and Daniel Lippman  —  At least one law enforcement official who in 2008 worked to track down VIKTOR BOUT, the Russian traded for BRITTNEY GRINER Thursday, is saying the release of one of the world's most notorious criminals threatens national security.

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 …

Spiraling costs and crumbling public services leave millions in Britain struggling to live  —  MORECAMBE, England — A dire and potentially deadly humanitarian emergency is endangering millions across Britain.  —  It is playing out as the seats of politics and power are reeling from months of chaos, farce and opulent pageantry.

This Secret Society in Washington, D.C., Has One Agenda: Fly, Eagles, Fly  —  The most passionate fan base in D.C. political media belongs to the NFL's league-leading team  —  Last Sunday, while Washington, D.C., was wondering about the composition of the Senate or watching the Commanders, a dozen emails flew back and forth.

Is the Country Getting.... Better?  —  Things have been pretty weird in the USA over the past few years.  Are things returning to normalcy?  —  The last six years or so have felt like one of those video boxing games in which the announcer yells “body blow” on repeat, but for the entire country.

Karoun Demirjian Joins The Times as a Congressional Correspondent  —  Read more in this note from Elisabeth Bumiller, Dick Stevenson and Julie Davis.  —  We're very excited to announce that Karoun Demirjian of The Washington Post is joining The Times as a congressional correspondent in the Washington bureau.