What if the Jan. 6 insurrection had succeeded in illegally installing Trump?  —  What if Donald Trump were illegally installed for a second term?  Election stealer would then have moved quickly to consolidate power, with Republican help.  —  View Comments

Ben Smith Is Leaving The Times for a Global News Start-Up  —  Mr. Smith will help start a new organization with Justin Smith, the chief executive of Bloomberg Media.  —  Ben Smith, the media columnist for The New York Times, is leaving the paper to start a new global news organization with Justin Smith …

No Way to Grow Up  —  American children are in crisis.  —  American children are starting 2022 in crisis.  —  I have long been aware that the pandemic was upending children's lives.  But until I spent time pulling together data and reading reports, I did not understand just how alarming the situation had become.

Cuomo Will Not Be Prosecuted in Groping Case, Albany D.A. Says  —  The district attorney described the woman who said former Gov. Andrew Cuomo had groped her as “credible,” but added that proving her allegation would be difficult.  —  Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York will not be prosecuted …

Kelly Ernby, former Orange County GOP state Assembly candidate and deputy D.A., dies of COVID-19  —  Kelly Ernby, a political newcomer who ran for an Orange County state Assembly seat two years ago as a Republican, died this week of COVID-19.  In addition to political activism …

Manchin: ‘Heavy lift’ to change the filibuster through nuclear option  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) voiced skepticism on Tuesday over a Democratic push to change the filibuster along party lines, warning that his “preference” is for any rules changes to be bipartisan.

Elizabeth Holmes Found Guilty of Four Charges of Fraud  —  Here's what you need to know:  —  Elizabeth Holmes is found guilty of four counts of fraud.  —  SAN JOSE, Calif. — Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the failed blood testing start-up Theranos, was found guilty of four of 11 charges …

More workers quit than ever as U.S. job openings remain near a record.  —  A record number of Americans quit their jobs in November, even as employers found it slightly easier to fill their open positions.  —  More than 4.5 million people voluntarily left their jobs in November, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

The smoking gun that Liz Cheney is looking for on Trump comes into view  —  For weeks, Rep. Liz Cheney has hinted that the House select committee examining Jan. 6 might urge the Justice Department to consider prosecuting Donald Trump.  The grounds for this criminal referral might be that Trump obstructed the …

Hogan declares 30-day state of emergency as state enters its ‘most challenging time’ of the pandemic  —  Gov. Larry Hogan declared a 30-day state of emergency that mobilizes the National Guard to assist state and local health officers at testing and vaccine sites and authorizes the state Department …

Biden disapproval hits new high as voters give him bad grades on economy, new CNBC/Change poll says  — President Joe Biden's overall disapproval rating reached a new high in December as more voters signaled their unhappiness with his handling of the economy and the Covid pandemic.

POLITICO Playbook: The election reform idea gaining currency on the right  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  TODAY'S BIG EVENT: Senate Democrats will hold a virtual meeting at 12:45 p.m. It will be the first opportunity of the new year for all 50 caucus members to talk about where Build Back Better 2. stands …

As Midterms and 2024 Loom, Trump Political Operation Revs Up  —  The former president is set to headline an event at Mar-a-Lago next month for endorsed candidates and major donors to benefit a supportive super PAC.  —  Donald J. Trump and his allies are scheduling events and raising money …