Justice Alito Will Not Retire Immediately, Despite Election Outcome  —  The conservative justice has told friends he does not plan to step down before the end of the court's term, even as Democrats are set to seize the Senate in January.  —  Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. has told people close …

‘I Have Seen the Enemy, and It Is Us’: Inside Team Trump's Historic Collapse  —  How an unpopular president and an unpopular war provided an opening for Democrats to make sweeping gains in the midterms.  —  President Trump at a campaign rally in Kalispell, Mont., last month.Doug Mills/The New York Times

On the Democrats' Agenda: Investigations of Trump and His Family  —  When a new Congress is sworn in, it will have the power to hold hearings and issue subpoenas, prompting one representative to advise White House officials and others to “lawyer up.”  —  A $1.4 billion cryptocurrency windfall.

Could a Democratic Wave Revive Immigration Reform?  —  The stunning election sweep by Democrats seemingly thawed negotiations over immigration policy, one of the most contentious topics during President Donald Trump's second term.  —  As it became clear Democrats would take control of the House and Senate …

Democrats' slow Bern  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner  —  Good Thursday morning.  We're hoping you've had a chance to catch up on sleep after a too-late election night.  Get in touch.  —  In today's Playbook ...  — Why Bernie Sanders' political imprint could outlast Donald Trump.

Whose fault is the GOP's cataclysmic defeat? 3 theories are gaining steam on the right.  —  Republicans began picking through their party's post-midterms wreckage Wednesday to ask about — and argue over — how things went so, so wrong in President Donald Trump's second term.

House Republicans Have No Clue Who Will Lead Them  —  After Tuesday's election massacre, the House Republican Conference is in chaos and it's now an open question of who will lead it in the next Congress.  —  Next Tuesday, House Republicans will decide who will take the reins in the top two leadership spots.

Democrats Snagged Control Over Trump's Judicial Picks  —  Tuesday's blue wave gives Democrats an unexpected foothold to leave a mark on the nation's judicial system — including the Supreme Court.  —  After two years of Republicans approving President Donald Trump's judicial picks …

House GOP's old guard is in for a fight  —  Presented by IN TODAY'S EDITION:  — House Dems' wins curb warring factions  — Thune unscathed by losses — so far  — GOP tries to salvage lame-duck agenda  —  House Republican leadership races after the party's catastrophic losses …

After Two Years of Unchecked Power, Trump Faces a Tough New Reality  —  To accomplish anything durable in the next two years, the president will have to accept compromise and limits to his authority  —  WASHINGTON—Even before it was clear just how brutal the election results would be …

Vance takes a step toward 2028 in MAGA power play  —  Vice President Vance stepped out of President Trump's shadow Wednesday, seizing on the GOP's midterm catastrophe to begin the explosive task of claiming MAGA as his own.  — “The reason we lost is the war,” Vance wrote …

Mississippi made thousands of valid voters inactive ahead of critical Senate race  —  Clint Lowery left work around 4 p.m. in Alabama to make sure he would have enough time to get back home to Harrison County, Mississippi to vote before polls closed.  —  He checked the secretary of state's website …

Texas election upset means 'MAGA's own private law firm' will be led by a Democrat  —  Democrat Nathan Johnson, who will take over as Texas Attorney General, tells NBC News he plans a major overhaul of the office that has frequently led Republican litigation efforts.