Good Monday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.

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• “Americans need a narrative.” The roots of Pete Buttigieg’s campaign for president can be found in his college writings. A Times review of articles he wrote in the early 2000s found he showed a fixation with storytelling, media narratives and the power of personality in politics.

• Senator Bernie Sanders, in a letter obtained by The Times, accused a liberal think tank and influential Democratic ally of “using its resources to smear” him and other contenders pushing progressive policies.

• As the redacted special counsel report nears release, President Trump’s plan of attack is to act as if the report itself is extraneous to the attorney general’s brief letter, aides said, a tactic meant to enliven his base and to enrage his political rivals and the news media.