Ohio's U.S. Sen. Rob Portman won't run for re-election; Republican cites ‘partisan gridlock’  —  Republican Rob Portman will not seek a third term in the U.S. Senate in 2022, he told The Enquirer - a move that will unsettle politics in both Greater Cincinnati and Washington D.C.

Rudy Giuliani Sued by Dominion Voting Systems Over False Election Claims  —  The suit against Mr. Giuliani, a lawyer for former President Donald Trump who pushed to overturn the election results, accuses him of carrying out “a viral disinformation campaign.”

Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Announces Initiation of Investigation  —  Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today that:  —  The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is initiating an investigation into whether any former …

Fight over the rules grinds the Senate to a halt, imperiling Biden's legislative agenda  —  When President Biden took office last week, he promised sweeping, bipartisan legislation to solve the coronavirus pandemic, fix the economy and overhaul immigration.  —  Just days later …

Rupert Murdoch, Accepting Award, Condemns ‘Awful Woke Orthodoxy’  —  Mr. Murdoch of News Corp, who spoke in a video, has been relatively quiet publicly in recent years.  He called conformity on social media “a straitjacket on sensibility.”  —  The media mogul Rupert Murdoch denounced an …

Some Trump aides stuck with him till the end.  Now they're screwed.  —  Four days into his post-presidency life, Donald Trump has insulated himself from the outside world.  —  Unseen by the public and unusually quiet as key parts of his policy legacy are dismantled by the new administration …

Leahy, not Roberts, to preside over impeachment trial  —  Chief Justice John Roberts will not preside over Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial, which is scheduled to begin in earnest on Feb. 8.  —  Instead, Senate President Pro Tempore, Pat Leahy (Vt.), the most senior member …

Meet Trump's Pro-Insurrection “Intellectuals”  —  We should have known January 6 was coming, because Trumpism's “intellectual” wing called for it, for weeks.  —  Last December, Ross Douthat suggested that “there are two Republican Parties.”  One of them governs dutifully, “certifying elections …

Supreme Court dismisses Trump emoluments lawsuits as moot  —  The Supreme Court on Monday ordered lower courts to dismiss two cases that alleged former President Donald Trump unlawfully profited from his businesses while in office, in violation of the Constitution's emoluments clauses.

Biden administration ramping up efforts to put Harriet Tubman on $20 bill  —  The Trump administration had pushed off the effort, which would remove Andrew Jackson from the front of the bill.  —  White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington.

Newsom to lift stay-home orders across California  —  SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to lift stay-at-home orders statewide Monday, allowing restaurants to reopen for outdoor dining and salons to resume appointments indoors, according to two sources close to the governor and a restaurant industry email.

“Fight for Trump”: Video Evidence of Incitement at the Capitol  —  How direct is the connection between what President Donald Trump communicated to his supporters and their actions in laying siege to the U.S. Capitol?  Videos recorded by many individuals over the course of the day provide some answers.

Biden Is Vowing to Reopen Schools Quickly.  It Won't Be Easy.  —  The slow vaccine rollout, and local fights between districts and unions, could make it hard for the president to fulfill his promise.  —  In his first 48 hours in office, President Biden sought to project an optimistic message …

Jim Acosta: I've never seen Trump this alone  —  New York (CNN Business)Donald Trump spent his last moments as President sad and alone, according to Jim Acosta, who led CNN's coverage of Trump during his presidency.  —  In his farewell to Washington on Wednesday morning …

White House staff welcomes new first family: ‘The residence has life again’  —  (CNN)The new President and first lady settled in at the White House this weekend, and did so with extended Biden family members.  —  “The residence has life in it again,” a White House source told CNN of the energy inside.

Twitter unveils ‘Birdwatch,’ a ‘community-driven approach’ to combat misleading information  —  ‘Birdwatch’ allows users to add notes to tweets they believe are false in an attempt to ‘add context’ for other users  —  Does Trump's Twitter ban set a dangerous precedent?

Fauci says drop in Covid cases not due to vaccine: 'We don't want to get complacent' … Dr. Anthony Fauci on Monday said that a drop in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in most of the country cannot likely be attributed to vaccines, meaning people should continue to be as cautious as possible.

Undercounting of Covid-19 deaths is greatest in pro-Trump areas, analysis shows  —  Tens of thousands of Covid-19 deaths are going unreported in the U.S., with far more missed in counties that strongly supported former President Trump, according to new research.

MAGA media looks to turn White House briefing room into a battlefield  —  Eric Bolling, the conservative host of Sinclair Broadcast Group's “America This Week,” would travel regularly to Donald Trump's White House, interviewing the former president seven times and occasionally attending press briefings.

Liz Cheney Should Step Away From Leadership For The Sake Of GOP Voters  —  There is no reason to leave Cheney in her leadership position.  In fact, it's negligence for Republican leaders to keep her there.  —  Liz Cheney's problems are piling up, according to Politico.

Some Key Gaps in the January 6 Story  —  DOJ continues to roll out arrests of people involved in the January 6 coup attempt.  —  But there are some obvious gaps in the (public) story so far.  —  Arrests relating to over 100 police assaults  —  In a filing submitted over the weekend …

Mike Lindell moves the goalposts on a run for Minnesota governor  —  The will-he-or-won't-he speculation surrounding a possible gubernatorial run by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is destined to continue at least a bit longer.  —  What he's saying: Lindell told Axios that his focus is currently on proving his …