Jack Smith files to drop Jan. 6 charges against Donald Trump  —  President-elect Donald Trump faced four felony charges in connection with his efforts to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss, which culminated in the U.S. Capitol attack.  —  WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith …

Popular vote totals make Trump's ‘mandate’ look like a mirage  —  Donald Trump won the popular vote, but more Americans voted against him than for him — discrediting Republican talk about an electoral “mandate.”  —  As the latest episode of NBC News' “Meet the Press” began …

Harris is telling her advisers and allies to keep her political options open  —  She could run again for president — or California governor.  —  Kamala Harris has been lying low since her defeat in the presidential race, unwinding with family and senior aides in Hawaii before heading back to the nation's capital.

Trump lawyers investigate allegations that top aide sought financial gain from influence with president-elect, sources say  —  Attorneys for Donald Trump conducted an internal investigation into allegations that one of his top aides, Boris Epshteyn, has sought to gain financially from his influence …

Forget Project 2025.  Steve Bannon Is Laying Out What's Coming to Anyone Willing to Listen.  —  Steve Bannon got out of prison exactly a week before Election Day.  He was released before dawn and immediately headed to a remote studio to tape War Room, his podcast and streaming show …

A Third Woman Died Under Texas' Abortion Ban.  Doctors Are Avoiding D&Cs and Reaching for Riskier Miscarriage Treatments.  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.

The Democrats' Billionaire Mistake  —  Let us extend our ethic of care to our celebrities, and in particular white celebrities, so many of whom contributed their time and talent to the Kamala Harris campaign.  These people understand both justice and mercy, and their greatest concern …

Scoop: Trump likely to tap loyalist Kash Patel for top FBI or DOJ post … Trump still could change his mind, including by elevating Patel all the way to FBI director — a move that would send Gaetz-like shockwaves throughout Washington.  — “Kash has a lot of allies who think placing …

‘Huge relief.’ CEOs exhale after Trump taps Scott Bessent to lead Treasury  —  New York CNN —  Business leaders say they are relieved President-elect Donald Trump made a safe choice to lead the Department of Treasury after more unconventional selections to other cabinet posts.

Former FBI agent urges Biden to order background checks on Trump's Cabinet picks  —  FBI background checks for Cabinet nominees is a long-established practice in Washington  —  President-elect Donald Trump's decision not to do background checks on his Cabinet picks could come back to haunt him …

U.S. believes Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal reached: senior official … - The Israeli Security Cabinet is expected approve the deal on Tuesday, the U.S. official said. … - “We think we have a deal. … - Four U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios on Sunday that the deal was nearly final.

Joe Biden's Final Decision Will Be His Toughest — And Most Personal  —  The case for presidential mercy.  —  Thanks to President Joe Biden's Justice Department, Donald Trump is headed to the White House, and his son Hunter might be headed to prison.  And believe it or not, the drama will intensify shortly.

At the crossroads of news and opinion, ‘Morning Joe’ hosts grapple with aftermath of Trump meeting  —  One of the striking things about how furiously many people reacted to the news last week that MSNBC “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski met with President-Elect Donald Trump was how quaint their defenders sounded.

Trump Pentagon pick attacks UN and Nato and urges US to ignore Geneva conventions  —  Revealed: Pete Hegseth writes scathingly of key institutions and says ‘If you love America, you should love Israel’  —  Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, has attacked several key US alliances …

On transitions, “fake jobs”, corruption, secrecy, and managing grief  —  Good afternoon from Washington.  I hope you and yours are safe and well, wherever this message finds you.  If you're reading this, you've subscribed to a newsletter from yours truly.  Thank you!

The man who helped roll back abortion rights now wants to ‘crush liberal dominance’  —  Leonard Leo may not be a household name, but odds are most people in the country know his signature achievement:  —  Leo was a key architect of the conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court that rolled back the federal right to an abortion.

Trump reportedly plans to kick trans troops out of the military within days of inauguration  —  Trump's actions could eject thousands of current trans service members  —  Your support helps us to tell the story  —  From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing.