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.

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 …

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.”

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.

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 …

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 …

It's time to stand up against the muzzling of America  —  Have you checked your social credit score lately?  You might want to.  Mine seems to have taken a nosedive this month.  You might want to see how yours is doing.  —  Everyone knows what a credit score is.  But social credit scores are new.

“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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Newsom cancels California's COVID-19 stay-at-home orders  —  California officials lifted regional coronavirus stay-at-home orders across the state on Monday, a change that could allow restaurants and gyms in many counties to reopen outdoor dining and other services.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders running for governor of Arkansas: What to know  —  Sanders aims to follow in her father's footsteps by winning election as Arkansas governor  —  Sarah Sanders slams media's double standard towards women Biden chose for WH communications roles

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Retains Neutralizing Activity Against Emerging Variants First Identified in the U.K. and the Republic of South Africa  —  Out of an abundance of caution, Moderna launches clinical program to boost immunity to emerging variants  —  Manuscript posted to preprint server …

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 …

Arizona Republican Meltdown  —  The state party reveals the divisions that could doom the GOP for years.  —  By The Editorial Board  —  Republicans lost Arizona in the November presidential race for the first time since 1996, and they have lost three U.S. Senate races in a row.  How to respond?

POLITICO Playbook: Republicans feel the squeeze on impeachment  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  REPUBLICANS ARE UNDER INTENSE PRESSURE to acquit DONALD TRUMP — whether they think he committed an impeachable offense or not.  At this point, it's all about self-preservation.

CDC director says federal government does not know how much Covid vaccine the U.S. has  — The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Sunday that the federal government doesn't know how much coronavirus vaccine the nation has.  — “I can't tell you how much vaccine …

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 …

Merck Scraps Covid-19 Vaccine Candidates  —  The two shots generated comparatively weak immune responses in early-stage studies  —  Merck & Co. said Monday that it is halting development of its two experimental Covid-19 vaccines, after early clinical-trial data showed the shots generated …

Twitter Unveils ‘Birdwatch,’ a New Platform Where Users Fact-Check Tweets  —  On Monday, Twitter debuted a new feature that will allow users to add notes to other people's tweets.  It's a user-generated fact-checking system, and it's called Birdwatch.  —  In the pilot phase …