A former president facing unprecedented legal challenges. A Justice Department confronting peculiarly awkward and unappealing decisions. A new Republican-controlled House facing an unusually fractious future. A GOP leader in an atypically difficult struggle to capture the speakership. An incumbent president approaching a re-election battle that his party would prefer he not undertake. A political system in the throes of bitter partisanship. A mature democracy coming to grips with unfamiliar strains.
The new year opens with an unusual number of unresolved issues — and an unusual set of open questions that must be resolved in the coming months.
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