Why Trump won — 9 takeaways from the 2024 election  —  What happened in the 2024 election was a political earthquake.  —  Former President Trump not only won in the Electoral College, but he won so big that he expanded his coalition with historic demographic shifts.

Playbook: Dems agonize over Sotomayor  —  With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  THE LATEST RACE CALLS — Republican DAVE McCORMICK defeats Democratic Sen. BOB CASEY in Pennsylvania. ...  Reps. DON DAVIS (D-N.C.), YOUNG KIM (R-Calif.), JULIA BROWNLEY …

Why Dean Phillips thinks Harris lost  —  The Washington Post's essential guide to power and influence in D.C.  —  Sign upfor Early Brief newsletter  —  Good morning, Early Birds.  We all made it to Friday.  Have a great weekend.  Send tips to earlytips@washpost.com.  Thanks for waking up with us.

Democrats Need To Compete In The New Media Landscape — Or Keep Paying The Price  —  This is your TPM evening briefing.  —  As always happens after a bad election loss — and is compounded when that loss is sweeping, and to the man who launched a coup against the country — the losing side is in full panic mode.

Dems going after trans people this week should be ashamed of themselves  —  Be skeptical of those proposing instant solutions — especially when they involve making vulnerable people even more vulnerable.  —  In the wake of Donald Trump's election to a second term as president …

Axelrod: Democrats becoming ‘smarty-pants, suburban, college-educated party’  —  Political strategist David Axelrod argued Thursday that Democrats are becoming a “smarty-pants, suburban, college-educated party” that could keep losing electorally if it does not change course.

The wreckage Merrick Garland leaves behind  —  His failures left American democracy ripe for the picking. … ✍️  —  It has often been said that Donald Trump was running for president to keep himself out of prison.  Mission accomplished.  —  But the fact that Trump wasn't …

Dump Twitter … The oligarchs won.  When the markets closed November 6—the day Donald Trump was declared winner of the presidential election—the combined wealth of the world's 10 richest people, nine of whom live in the United States, had surged by a combined $63.5 billion.

Why Democrats won't build their own Joe Rogan  —  Minutes after Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 election, Dana White took the stage to thank the influencers who helped lead Trump to victory.  “I want to thank the Nelk Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von, Bussin' With The Boys …

MAGA Launches Increasingly Horrific Attacks on Women After Trump Win  —  The immediate aftermath of Donald Trump's presidential election win is already a bad omen for women and minorities across the nation, who within less than 48 hours have found themselves the subjects of hate campaigns designed to belittle and marginalize them.

Racist text messages target young African Americans post-election  —  Black college and high school students report receiving racist texts about being “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.”  —  Federal, state, and local authorities are investigating the offensive messages that have been sent over the last two days.

Trump Won't Just Change Washington Politics — He'll Change Life in the City  —  The incoming administration won't just alter the federal workforce.  It will touch the lives of everyone who lives in the district.  —  Donald Trump's victory signals radical changes ahead for Washington …

Donald Trump picks Susie Wiles to be chief of staff  —  A veteran of Florida politics, Wiles directed Trump's campaign to victory in the state in 2016.  —  President-elect Donald Trump has tapped his campaign senior adviser Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff.