Mitch McConnell Is Ready to Pick His Own Fights After Senate Leadership The longest-serving Senate leader is relinquishing his post in the next Congress and planning to use his influence in ways that could put him at odds with President-elect Donald J. Trump.

Jack Smith Moves to Dismiss Charges Against Trump in Election and Documents Cases The special counsel asked a federal judge in Washington and an appeals court in Atlanta to dismiss cases that had charged Donald J. Trump with plotting to overturn his loss in the 2020 election and with later obstructing efforts to retrieve classified documents he was hoarding.

Matt Gaetz Joins Cameo, Following the George Santos Playbook Matt Gaetz, who was Donald Trump’s former pick for attorney general, will wish you a happy birthday. For $500.

Biden Pardons Turkeys for the Last Time as President Setting aside politics, the president used the lighthearted ceremony to thank the nation one more time for the opportunity to serve.

‘Liberated’ From Leadership, McConnell Is Ready to Pick His Own Fights The longest-serving Senate leader is relinquishing his post in the next Congress and planning to use his influence in ways that could put him at odds with President-elect Donald J. Trump.

Can Wall Street Billionaires Deliver on Trump’s Blue-Collar Promise? The president-elect has named wealthy financiers for key economic positions, raising questions about how much they will follow through on promises to help the working class.

Trump’s Middle East Envoy Has Prior Ties to Oil-Rich Nations There Steve Witkoff’s involvement with two sovereign wealth funds as he bought and then sold Manhattan’s Park Lane Hotel demonstrates the conflicts his new role will present.

Democrats Rush to Regroup in the Southern Battlegrounds With critical races in Georgia and North Carolina just two years away, the party is soul-searching on a time crunch.

How Trump Could Upend Electric Car Sales Fewer people will be able to afford electric cars and trucks if President-elect Donald J. Trump and Republicans in Congress eliminate a $7,500 federal tax credit.

How Democrats Lost Their Base and Their Message Donald Trump’s populist pitch bumped Democrats off their traditional place in American politics.

What to Know About Brooke Rollins, Trump’s Choice for Agriculture Secretary A Texas native, Ms. Rollins worked in the first Trump White House and has also led two influential conservative think tanks.

What Trump’s Cabinet Picks Tell Us About His Second Term President-elect Donald Trump is filling key cabinet positions with controversial picks at a breakneck speed. Jonathan Swan, senior political correspondent at The Times, explains why these choices are significant, even if they don’t all make it into office.

Fred R. Harris, Senator Who Ran for President, Dies at 94 After he spent eight years in the Senate as a moderate Democrat, his views took a leftward turn toward “new populism” in a failed 1976 shot at the presidency.

Trump Picks Brooke Rollins, a Conservative Lawyer, to Lead Agriculture Dept. Ms. Rollins is the chief executive of the America First Policy Institute, a think tank created to promote President-elect Donald J. Trump’s agenda.

How Scott Bessent Went From Democratic Donor to Trump Treasury Secretary Pick The hedge fund investor predicted last year that President-elect Donald J. Trump’s political fortunes were on the rise.

Election Forecasts Try to Go Beyond the Polls. Are They Helping? The forecasts, like those from Decision Desk HQ, Nate Silver and 538, are now ubiquitous, but their accuracy is hard to measure.

Republicans Ponder: What if the Trump Tax Cuts Cost Nothing? Some in the party are considering alternative ways of assessing the federal budget as they prepare to extend temporary tax cuts passed in 2017.

Trump Won More of New York’s Votes. Did He Win More of Its Love, Too? The city tolerated Donald J. Trump, and then it loathed him. Now, some New Yorkers have begun to embrace him. The Kid from Queens couldn’t be happier.

Trump’s Trade Agenda Could Benefit Friends and Punish Rivals Donald Trump has a record of pardoning favored companies from tariffs. Companies are once again lining up to try to influence him.

How People Are Earning Thousands Investigating Pandemic Fraud Some private citizens are hunting for potential cases of fraud tied to small-business loans. They have earned big payouts — in some cases, more than $1 million.