Consider this your politics-year-in-review, high school superlatives style. Ryan Lizza breaks it down.

At least 65% of Italians agree on one thing: Prime Minister Mario Draghi is doing a good job. So good a job he's a good candidate for president — in addition to Prime Minister. The problem? Those jobs are mutually exclusive. Hannah Roberts reports.

Robert Califf sailed through his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, despite some opposition from Democrats ranging from Bernie Sanders to Joe Manchin. A confirmation vote in January would give the agency a permanent political leader for the first time during the Biden presidency. Adam Cancryn reports.

In the land of beignets and Jazz, the Democratic Governors Association had its winter meeting to discuss reversing nationwide trends at the polls after losses last month in Virginia and New Jersey. If next year’s races are going to be any different, Democratic governors say the party needs to do a better job of hearing voters’ concerns about a frustratingly persistent pandemic. Zach Montellaro reports.

After a wave of blue wins in 2020 in Georgia, the GOP-led state legislature is taking steps toward dismantling the Atlanta-area engine that turned Georgia blue. Maya King reports.

The Supreme Court’s S.B. 8 ruling on Friday was mixed. It allows for some cases brought by opponents of the restrictive law to proceed — but closed major avenues for legal challenges, including one that has been sought by the Biden administration. Josh Gerstein reports.

While athletes prepare to travel to Beijing this February for the Winter Olympics, Canada, Australia and the U.K. joined the United States this week in announcing diplomatic boycotts of the Chinese Olympic games. Phelim Kine reports.

President Biden on Monday nudged members of his party in Congress push through his signature Build Back Better plan, which includes health provisions to change prescription drug pricing. Democrats’ ability to meaningfully impact drug prices, however, depends heavily on Congress passing the party’s $1.7 trillion social spending bill in the coming weeks. Alice Miranda Ollstein reports.

In a 36-page memo to the Jan. 6 committee, Col. Earl Matthews slams the Pentagon's inspector general for what he calls an error-ridden report. Plus, Marc Short, former chief of staff to Mike Pence, is cooperating with the Capitol riot committee. Meridith McGraw reports.

What will it take to declare victory over Covid? POLITICO's Sarah Owermohle reports.

In North Carolina, the race for the Senate reveals the party’s internal conflict over race and the best strategy to win a crucial seat. POLITICO's Michael Kruse reports.

After seven Senate terms and three runs for president, Joe Biden has mastered his folksy image. But behind "the Delaware way" are secrets in Joe's family tree and son Hunter's foreign deals. National political correspondent Ben Schreckinger tells Playbook's Ryan Lizza about what he uncovered while investigating his book, “The Bidens: Inside The First Family’s Fifty-Year Rise to Power.”

U.S. officials bet on Novavax to provide a shot that could easily be shipped overseas. But its manufacturing problems have left global distributors without enough shots for poor and middle-income countries. POLITICO's Erin Banco reports.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was a former teacher and self-described housewife catapulted to run for president of Belarus when her candidate husband was arrested in 2020. Even in exile after the disputed election, she’s the biggest threat against strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s hold over Belarus. She has captivated Belarusians with her campaign for democracy and been nominated for the Nobel Prize. POLITICO’s Ryan Heath asks Tsikhanouskaya about how she plans to corral the international community for tighter sanctions and about how she’s working with informants within the Lukashenko regime to bring it down. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is an opposition leader, fighting to bring Democracy to Belarus. Ryan Heath is the host of the "Global Insider" podcast and authors the newsletter. Olivia Reingold produces “Global Insider.” Irene Noguchi edits “Global Insider” and is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

By making local officials the gatekeepers for million-dollar businesses, states have unintentionally created a breeding ground for bribery and favoritism. POLITICO's Mona Zhang reports. This episode is the second in a two-part series on the unintended consequences of marijuana legalization laws. This episode originally aired in May 2021.

Welcome to Ontario, Oregon, home of the tater tot — and now, a massive marijuana market for customers crossing the Idaho border. POLITICO's Natalie Fertig explains how the tiny town border town of 11,000 people became one of America's cannabis capitals — and what it means for other towns as weed legalization spreads. This episode is the first in a two-part series on the unintended consequences of marijuana legalization laws.

Gerrymandering: Depending on where you stand, it’s either the cause of, or solution to, many of America’s political problems. Here’s what that fight looks like — from the outside looking in, and from the inside looking out. Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza dives into the subject with GOP strategist (and former gerrymanderer) Jeff Timmer, Common Cause North Carolina executive director Bob Phillips and Politico’s Ally Mutnick.

Funding the federal government. Preventing a default on the national debt. Voting on Build Back Better. Congress has a lot to do in one month. POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu reports. Plus, the Biden administration asks a court to lift an order halting its vaccine-or-test mandate for private employers. And a bipartisan group of senators asks for cannabis banking provisions in the defense spending bill.

Covid cases are once again rising, and holidays are just around the corner. POLITICO’s Dan Goldberg reports. Plus, the White House says about 95 percent of federal workers have complied with their vaccine mandate. And a congressional committee investigating the Trump administration’s Covid response wants to question former FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn.

President Joe Biden has been wrestling for weeks with whether to reappoint the current chair of the Federal Reserve or pick someone new. But he just can’t seem to pull the trigger. POLITICO’s Jonathan Lemire reports. Plus, White House adviser Brian Deese says he’s optimistic the Senate will pass President Biden's social spending legislation. And Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says federal vaccine mandates will not impact holiday travel.

It’s one of the most demanding jobs in Washington journalism: tracking down a lawmaker who’s in the news but doesn’t necessarily want to talk. For the Congress press corps, scoring that story-making quote might mean standing on a marble staircase for hours — if the senator or representative decides to talk at all. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade takes us inside the Capitol Hill media “scrum” — as reporters like CNN’s Manu Raju reveal their tricks of the trade… and former Senator Jeff Flake discloses all the times he pretended to talk on his phone while walking past reporters.

Federal officials are preparing to expand access to extra shots. And some states are already moving ahead. POLITICO’s Adam Cancryn reports. Plus, Republicans overtake Democrats in voter registration in Florida. And the Pentagon rushes to combat rising housing and food costs for troops.

Republicans are pinning the price at the pump on Biden. But as POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre reports, it’s a bit more complicated. Plus, Pfizer asks the FDA for emergency use authorization of its Covid pill. And the Senate confirms a key USDA climate official.

The bipartisan infrastructure framework is now the bipartisan infrastructure law. POLITICO’s Tanya Snyder breaks down what the new funding will and won’t do. Plus, the CBO plans to score Biden’s social spending bill by Friday. And Florida moves forward with a rule banning school mask mandates and quarantine requirements.

Nearly 200 countries are endorsing a new agreement to lower emissions. But a last-minute push by China and India weakened the deal and could hurt poorer nations. POLITICO's Lorraine Woellert reports. Plus, Treasury Secretary Yellen says Covid will determine when inflation eases. And Rep. Schiff says he thinks Steve Bannon’s indictment will lead others to comply with the Jan. 6 panel.