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.”

In self-imposed exile, Trump watches with unhappiness as second impeachment trial unfolds  —  As he faces his second impeachment trial, Donald Trump has been unusually quiet.  —  Ensconced in his private Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., the former president has spent his days golfing.

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 …

‘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.

Colin Kaepernick forms a SPAC  —  Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick on Tuesday disclosed that he has formed a blank-check company that will seek to raise $250 million in an IPO.  —  Why it matters: Kaepernick hasn't played pro football since 2016, but has remained a cultural lightening rod …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.”

Fox's effort to clean up its post-election misinformation is not terribly convincing  —  In the days after the presidential election, an entire ecosystem emerged to bolster President Donald Trump's false claims that rampant fraud had mired the election results.

The Comedy Industry Has a Big Alt-Right Problem  —  In the dark recesses of the internet lurks a man who goes by ToxicCisWhiteMaleFat.  He makes his home on onaforums.net, a community named after the shock jock duo Opie & Anthony—a safe space to say what cannot be said offline.

Trump hid his calls with Putin.  Now, Biden has access to them.  —  What was said between the two leaders is a great mystery, one that advisers to the current president say is imperative to find out.  —  Then-President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left …

John Fetterman, Senate Candidate, Revisits Gun Incident Involving Black Jogger  —  As a mayor in 2013, Mr. Fetterman, a Democrat, used a gun to stop Christopher Miyares, a Black man jogging nearby, after saying he heard gunshots.  The police found no weapons on Mr. Miyares and released him.

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 …