Meandering Performance by Defense Lawyers Enrages Trump  —  The former president was particularly angry at Bruce L. Castor Jr., one of his lawyers, for acknowledging the effectiveness of the House Democrats' presentation.  —  On the first day of his second impeachment trial …

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.

Why Jamie Raskin's Speech Resonated  —  The emotional high point of Donald Trump's second impeachment trial probably came in its first hours.  —  Closing out the opening presentation from the Democratic House managers, Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland offered a powerful speech …

'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.

Trump hid his calls with Putin.  Now, Biden has access to them.  —  Few Trump-era mysteries are as intriguing as what the 45th president said to Vladimir Putin in at least a dozen rambling, off-the-cuff calls and meetings over four years.  Understanding what was said between …

In impeachment trial, a clarifying moment for the GOP  —  WASHINGTON — The second impeachment trial of Donald Trump offers a clarifying moment for the GOP.  —  As the trial began Tuesday, Republican senators remained deeply — though not evenly — divided over whether to convict the party's …

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 …

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.”

Dozens of states see new voter suppression proposals  —  There are at least 165 proposals under consideration in 33 states so far this year to restrict future voting access by limiting mail-in ballots, implementing new voter ID requirements and slashing registration options.

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 …

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 …

A majority of the people arrested for Capitol riot had a history of financial trouble  —  Trail of bankruptcies, tax problems and bad debts raises questions for researchers trying to understand motivations for attack  —  Jenna Ryan seemed like an unlikely participant in the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

TikTok Sale to Oracle, Walmart Is Shelved as Biden Reviews Security  —  Trump-driven deal had languished as video-sharing app's Chinese owner mounted successful legal challenges  —  WASHINGTON—A U.S. plan to force the sale of TikTok's American operations to a group including Oracle Corp …

Biden Team Fears: No COVID Herd Immunity Until Thanksgiving  —  Dr. Fauci is still “cautiously optimistic” that life can return to normal by the beginning of the fall.  But others worry that we may not get there until the early winter.  —  Top members of Biden's COVID response team …

Yang holds commanding lead in mayor's race: new poll  —  Andrew Yang commands a double-digit lead in the Democrat primary for mayor, with his closest rivals, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Comptroller Scott Stringer, trailing by more than 10 percentage points each, a new poll released early Wednesday morning revealed.

The Jan. 6 images were already disturbing.  The impeachment-trial video makes them terrifying.  —  The pounding on the Capitol doors, the shouts of the mob, police officers screaming in pain, barricades toppled, windows shattered, the deadly gunshot.  —  Captured in fragments on cellphone videos …

With states doing better than expected, time to rethink Biden's $350 billion rescue  —  There hasn't been much to celebrate, economically or public-health-wise, during the past year, but one area has surprised on the upside: state finances.  —  In April 2020, as the United States entered a sudden shutdown …

Aunt Jemima Rebrands As Pearl Milling Company  —  PepsiCo, Inc., today announced the debut of Pearl Milling Company, the new name of the pancake mix and syrup varieties previously found under the Aunt Jemima brand.  —  Pearl Milling Company-branded pancake mixes, syrups, cornmeal, flour …

GOP Image Slides Giving Democrats Strong Advantage  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' opinions of the Republican Party have worsened in recent months, with 37% now saying they have a favorable view of the party, down from 43% in November.  This decline, along with a slight increase …

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 …

Inside Republicans' plans for a House takeover  —  House Republicans surprised nearly everyone last November when they almost captured the majority.  —  Then they spent January roiled by the deadly attack on the Capitol, confronting a second impeachment of then-President Donald Trump …