Support for Third U.S. Political Party at High Point  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' desire for a third party has ticked up since last fall and now sits at a high in Gallup's trend.  Sixty-two percent of U.S. adults say the “parties do such a poor job representing the American people …

Frozen wind turbines hamper Texas power output, state's electric grid operator says  —  Nearly half of Texas' installed wind power generation capacity has been offline because of frozen wind turbines in West Texas, according to Texas grid operators.  —  Wind farms across the state generate up to a combined 25,100 megawatts of energy.

Trump's Party, But Worse  —  Acquitted but not exonerated  —  Mad respect for the seven GOP senators who voted to convict Donald Trump.  —  Don't underestimate how much raw political courage that took.  Even the ones who aren't up for re-election face censure, excommunication …

The Strategic Silence of Mike Pence  —  Complicity, cowardice, or nihilism?  —  On January 6, a horde of pro-Trump rioters breached the United States Capitol with one bloodthirsty mission in mind: to stop Vice President Mike Pence from carrying out his constitutional obligation to certify Joe Biden's 2020 presidential victory.

The Capitol Riot Killed “Both Sides” Journalism  —  On January 6, terrorists—encouraged by former President Donald Trump and enabled by his Republican supporters in Congress—attacked the United States Capitol.  And as they came for the republic, they also came for something else: Beltway journalists.

Ask Every Republican These Two Questions  —  Over and over again.  —  1 hr ago  —  Before we start: As of today we have four years to fortify American Democracy before the next authoritarian tide comes in.  —  This is the time to roll up our sleeves and work.  I hope you'll labor with us.

Lincoln Project's fundraising page shut down as scandals mount  —  The Lincoln Project's fundraising page has been shut down, following a wave of scandals which continue to engulf the organization.  —  The donation page on the Lincoln Project website has listed as inactive since Saturday …

‘The last straw’: the US families ending love affair with grocery chain after Capitol riot  —  Families are boycotting Publix after a member of founding family donated $300,000 to the Donald Trump rally that preceded January's deadly Capitol attack  —  endy Mize's family grew up on Publix …

Gina Carano and Crowd-Sourced McCarthyism  —  Talking with the Star Wars actress about her cancellation and a meme.  —  1 hr ago  —  It used to be possible to follow the allegations and cancellations.  Remember when the cooking columnist Alison Roman lost her job at The New York Times because she criticized Chrissy Teigen?

The U.S.' vaccine rollout is world-beating  —  That doesn't mean it's good enough.  But let's take a moment to appreciate it.  —  4 hr ago  —  The U.S. vaccine rollout is not going fast enough.  Currently, about 1.7 million shots are being put into arms per day:

A GOP donor gave $2.5 million for a voter fraud investigation.  Now he wants his money back.  —  Like many Trump supporters, conservative donor Fred Eshelman awoke the day after the presidential election with the suspicion that something wasn't right.  His candidate's apparent lead in key battleground states had evaporated overnight.

Fox News Lie: Teachers' Unions Are ‘Power-Hungry Science Deniers Who Clearly Hate Kids’  —  First they went after Fauci, and then headed on to hit the teachers' unions for protecting their members' health.  —  Views:  —  Fox News is fighting for relevance in today's extreme right-wing media Hunger Games …

What Was the Wing?  To the extent that it's remembered, it will be as an artifact of the Trump era.  —  Photo-Illustration: by the Cut; Photo Getty Images  —  I remember, over New Year's in 2017, trying to explain to a friend's boyfriend what the Wing was.

The Founders Were Wrong About Democracy  —  If there was one idea shared by just about every author of the Constitution, it was the one articulated by James Madison at the convention on June 26, 1787.  —  The mass of the people would be susceptible to “fickleness and passion,” he warned.

The Taliban Close In on Afghan Cities, Pushing the Country to the Brink  —  The Taliban have positioned themselves around several major population centers, including the capital of Kandahar Province, as the Biden administration weighs whether to withdraw or to stay.

Exclusive: GOP governor Kristi Noem, potential Trump successor, used state aircraft for tens of thousands of dollars in political travel  —  Newly unearthed flight logs show South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem used a state airplane to travel to right wing political events around the country …

Another Impeachment Failure  —  On the menu today: You can tell it's a Monday already.  Impeachment ends with a whimper, not a bang, as the Senate is gift-wrapped a bombshell witness but bizarrely chooses to skip over her; CDC director Rochelle Walensky changes her recommendations …

What Biden should do now about Trump  —  Tapper: Indecent behavior is indecent, regardless of party  —  Dean Obeidallah, (@DeanObeidallah) a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM radio's daily program “The Dean Obeidallah Show” and a columnist for The Daily Beast.  The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.

Dems buzz about breakout stars of Trump's impeachment  —  The Democratic House members who prosecuted the case against former President Donald Trump last week say they've been laser-focused on his trial.  —  But as their speeches were being piped into Americans' homes 24-7 …

Why Is Michael Bennet Defying Joe Biden's Call for Non-Corporate Judges?  —  The Colorado senator has recommended a top corporate lawyer for a federal district court seat, after Biden specifically asked for public defenders and civil rights attorneys.  —  Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) …

The Rich Fool and the Race Scientist  —  A Great American Story of Money, Guns, Sex, Racism, Divorce, and Horse Breeding  —  He is a very wealthy man, by reputation one of the wealthiest in all of Manhattan.  His reputation is built on his lucrative real estate dealings and his properties pepper …

Democrats Watching Israeli Election Hope for ‘Anyone but Bibi’  —  The Biden team will work closely with whoever wins next month's election, but one source close to the administration says Netanyahu has ‘personally undermined any goodwill about engaging with him’

Pennsylvania G.O.P.'s Push for More Power Over Judiciary Raises Alarms  —  After fighting the election results, state Republicans are trying to increase their control of the courts.  Outraged Democrats and good government groups see it as a new kind of gerrymandering.