Sen. Shirkey baselessly claims U.S. Capitol riot was ‘staged’ by Trump haters, recording shows  — Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey.  —  Michigan state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey suggested the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was a “hoax” perpetuated by opponents of former President Donald Trump.

'I'm Not a Cat,' Says Lawyer Having Zoom Difficulties  —  The video was immediately shared widely and brought joy to many.  The lawyer, Rod Ponton, said he was happy people got a much-needed laugh.  —  It was a civil forfeiture case hearing like any other hearing, except for the lawyer cat.

Exclusive: Ukraine Releases ‘Shock’ Call With Giuliani As Trump's Second Impeachment Trial Begins  —  “Let these investigations go forward,” Rudy Giuliani told the presidential headquarters in Kyiv, Ukraine, his voice turning impatient.  “Get someone to investigate this.”

‘Woke’ American Ideas Are a Threat, French Leaders Say  —  Politicians and prominent intellectuals say social theories from the United States on race, gender and post-colonialism are a threat to French identity and the French republic.  —  PARIS — The threat is said to be existential.

Suspect In Custody After Multiple People Shot At Allina Health Clinic In Buffalo  —  MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) — A suspect is in custody and multiple people are injured following a shooting at an Allina Health Clinic in Buffalo Tuesday morning.  —  According to the Wright County Sheriff's Office …

White House Walks Back Promise to Open Schools in 100 Days  —  The White House on Tuesday qualified its promise to reopen schools in President Joe Biden's first 100 days in office, saying the administration wants “some” in-person learning “at least one day a week.”

Is This Beverly Hills Cop Playing Sublime's ‘Santeria’ to Avoid Being Live-streamed?  —  Police officers in Beverly Hills have been playing music while being filmed, seemingly in an effort to trigger Instagram's copyright filters.  —  DT  —  Last Friday, a man entered the Beverly Hills police department …

What happened with New York Times reporter Donald McNeil?  —  The Constitution protects people from being prosecuted twice for the same offense.  But those “double jeopardy” protections hold no sway in private workplaces like the New York Times, as now-former reporter Donald G. McNeil Jr. discovered …

Fox Files Motion to Dismiss Smartmatic's $2.7 Billion Defamation Suit  —  In a court filing, Rupert Murdoch's media company says it had the right to broadcast the debunked claims of election fraud promoted by President Donald Trump's legal team on Fox News and Fox Business.

Republicans came within 90,000 votes of controlling all of Washington  —  The 2020 election was bad for Republicans, full stop.  For the first time since 1932, a president came into office with both chambers of Congress under his party's control, and lost both of them and reelection.

Majority favor conviction as impeachment trial begins, but many Republicans urge loyalty to Trump — CBS News poll  —  As former President Trump's second impeachment trial begins, a 56%-majority of Americans would like the Senate to vote to convict him, and the same percentage say he encouraged violence …

One of Trump's impeachment lawyers sued him last year — and accused him of making claims about fraud with ‘no evidence’  —  Last year, Philadelphia lawyer Michael T. van der Veen filed a lawsuit against then-President Donald Trump accusing him of making “repeated claims” that mail voting is ripe with fraud …

28% of Americans bought GameStop or other viral stocks in January: Yahoo Finance-Harris Poll  —  Over a quarter of American adults say they bought GameStop (  —  The Harris Poll.  —  The GameStop frenzy, kicked off by the subreddit  —  r/wallstreetbets, struck a chord with many retail investors …

‘I Said The Opposite’: Criticism Of Trump's Impeachment Defense Intensifies  —  Toggle more options  —  A constitutional law professor whose work is cited extensively by former President Donald Trump's lawyers in their impeachment defense brief says his work has been seriously misrepresented.

Trump Partner Exploring Ways to End Relationship With Ex-President's Company  —  Vornado considers step after efforts to sell, refinance office towers misfired, possibly due to Trump stake  —  One of the nation's biggest real-estate investors, which is run by a longtime friend of Donald Trump …

The Case for Semicolons  —  There are very few opportunities in life to have it both ways; semicolons are the rare instance in which you can; there is absolutely no downside.  —  For several years I have returned, frequently, to a vague memory of reading an article in which a woman recommended eating dessert after every meal.

Cuomo Distances State from Use of Experimental COVID-19 Cocktail at NYS-Run Veterans Nursing Home in Queens  —  Gov. Andrew Cuomo deflected blame Tuesday for the use of an unproven COVID-19 treatment administered at a state-run nursing home in Queens.  —  His response came a day after a report …

Biden Administration Quietly Drops Trump Proposal To Track Chinese Influence In US Schools  —  The Biden administration quietly withdrew a rule proposed by the Trump administration that would have required American schools and universities to disclose their partnerships with Confucius Institutes …

User Clip: House impeachment managers' opening video  —  Video presented by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D) of the events of Jan. 6, 2021.