No obvious legal authority supports a pre-emptive effort to block the certification of Alaska’s Senate election if the Republican incumbent narrowly loses.

© Kerry Tasker for The New York Times

The charges intensified the administration’s efforts to go after the law enforcement and intelligence personnel who cast doubt on unsubstantiated claims that Joseph R. Biden Jr. engaged in corrupt dealings in Ukraine.

© Erin Schaff/The New York Times

The rolling release of long-secret files could add detail to the history of a legally disputed Bush-era counterterrorism program.

© Samuel Corum/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A release of selected records from the classified documents inquiry is a case study in how omitting context can create political ammunition.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times