A Second Trump Term Poses a Crucial Test of the Senate’s Independence

President-elect Donald J. Trump is threatening to challenge the institution’s historic role, and the Constitution, with his prospective nominees and threats to push the boundaries of executive authority.

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Wisconsin Democratic Chair Says He Is the One to Revive a Distressed Party

Ben Wikler, who has led the Wisconsin Democratic Party since 2019, announced a bid to be national party chair with a platform to “unite, fight, win.”

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What a Marine Heat Wave Reveals About Our Warming Oceans

An extreme heat wave off California’s coast seemed like an anomaly 10 years ago. But as the ocean warms, the catastrophe may be a glimpse of the future.

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Syria Rebels Take Aleppo Airport and Attack Hama, Officials and a Monitor Say

Forces opposed to President Bashar al-Assad have captured the Aleppo airport and are attacking the western city of Hama, according to local officials and a Britain-based war monitor.

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A Power Vacuum in Gaza Could Empower Warlords and Gangs

Hamas’s weakened position could leave the territory without any governing institutions.

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Angola, the U.S. and a Slavery Connection Few Talk About

When President Biden visits the country this week, he is expected to highlight a largely overlooked bond between Angola and the United States that was born out of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

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The Nameless Dead and the Cold Case Unit That Tries to Identify Them

A little-known squad of New York’s medical examiner’s office uses dogs, DNA and any other available clue to identify bodies.

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‘I Was in a Classic New York City Conflict I Had Seen in Movies’

Hailing a cab on a rainy night, an unseen hand at the cemetery and more reader tales of New York City in this week’s Metropolitan Diary.

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Five Things to Know About Kash Patel, Trump’s Pick to Lead the F.B.I.

President-elect Donald J. Trump has long seen his bombastic national security operative as a political “enforcer.” But former colleagues question his fitness for the job.

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France’s Government Under Prime Minister Michel Barnier Faces Week of Reckoning

The end of Michel Barnier’s government looks inevitable, even imminent, and would add to the country’s political malaise. The only question seems to be: How long he can last?

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