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.

Two men cried in the Senate Tuesday.  One of them made a devastating case against Trump  —  Democrats begin impeachment trial with stunning riot video  —  Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) is a journalist based in New York and author of the book “OK Boomer, Let's Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind.”

'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.

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 …

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 …

Dominion says it hired private investigators in a bid to reach pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell  —  Facing a more than $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting systems, former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell dodged the company's legal team for weeks, forcing Dominion to hire private investigators …

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 …

The Great Firewall Cracked, Briefly.  A People Shined Through.  —  China's censors finally blocked Clubhouse, but not before users were able to bypass the caricatures painted by government-controlled media and freely discuss their hopes and fears.  —  For years, the Chinese government …

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 …

Mark Cuban's Mavericks won't play national anthem anymore  —  Haven't heard about any national anthem protests at Dallas Mavericks games?  There's a good reason for that: The team isn't and won't be playing it anymore.  —  Mark Cuban told The Athletic it was his decision to eliminate …

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 …

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.

‘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.

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.