Former Vice President Walter Mondale dies at 93  —  Walter Mondale, who transformed the role of U.S. vice president while serving under Jimmy Carter and was the Democratic nominee for president in 1984, died Monday at 93, according to a family spokesperson.  —  The big picture: President Biden …

Scoop: U.S. ambassador refuses Kremlin push to leave Russia  —  The United States ambassador to Russia is refusing to leave the country after the Kremlin “advised” him to return home following new Biden administration sanctions, two sources briefed on the situation tell Axios.

'It's almost like insanity': GOP base continues to lash out over Trump's defeat  —  MARIETTA, Ga. — Nowhere has the post-Trump era been more painful for the Republican Party than in Georgia, where Trump loyalists' war on Republican elected officials is still raging, at great cost.

Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who engaged rioters, suffered two strokes and died of natural causes, officials say  —  Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick suffered two strokes and died of natural causes a day after he confronted rioters at the Jan. 6 insurrection, the District's chief medical examiner has ruled.

Satellite Images Show Russia's Expanding Ukraine Buildup  —  Combat aircraft, other military equipment seen in Crimea and along the Ukraine border as estimates of Kremlin forces grow  —  Russia has moved warplanes to Crimea and bases near Ukraine to an extent greater than has previously been disclosed …

Maxine Waters requested police protection for Minnesota trip: Report  —  Documents show Rep. Maxine Waters asked for police protection during her trip to Hennepin County, Minnesota, where she told demonstrators to get “confrontational” if ex-officer Derek Chauvin is acquitted over the death of George Floyd.

Howard University's removal of classics is a spiritual catastrophe  —  Cornel West is a professor of the practice of public philosophy at Harvard University and serves on the board of academic advisers of the Classic Learning Test.  Jeremy Tate is the founder and chief executive officer of the Classic Learning Test.

George Floyd's brother bonds with Emmett Till's cousin over brutal, public deaths decades apart   —  Minneapolis (CNN)When Deborah Watts met Philonise Floyd, they already knew each other's pain without saying a word.   —  The cousin of Emmett Till and the brother of George Floyd …

The Pandemic Will Be More Deadly This Year  —  Consider the surging case count in India.  A false sense of complacency is discouraging any course correction, and numbers could get worse still.  —  Covid-19 is going to kill more people in 2021 than it did last year.

BREAKING: JAMES O'KEEFE SUES TWITTER in New York Supreme Court for ‘FALSE AND DEFAMATORY’ Statements Following Ban From Platform ... Intends to Prove Twitter Acted With ‘RECKLESS DISREGARD’ For the Truth  — James O'Keefe made good on his promise to fight back and “go on offense” …

India's devastating outbreak is driving the global coronavirus surge  —  Those on the country's front lines say the wave is worse than anything they have seen before.  —  NEW DELHI — More than a year after the pandemic began, infections worldwide have surpassed their previous peak.

China launches app for citizens to report anyone who has ‘mistaken opinions’ or ‘denies the excellence of socialist culture’  — The app and hotline has been released ahead of party's 100th anniversary in July  — It will allow citizens to report others for ‘mistaken opinions’ shared online

Elizabeth Warren invites billionaire critic Leon Cooperman to testify at Senate hearing on taxes  — Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants one of her biggest critics to face lawmakers in a hearing next week.  — Warren, a progressive Democrat from Massachusetts, is inviting billionaire investor Leon Cooperman …

Georgia Faith Leaders to Urge Boycott of Home Depot Over Voting Law  —  Black religious leaders representing more than 1,000 churches in the state are planning a “warning shot” for other Republican-led states that are trying to limit voting access.  —  A major coalition of Black faith leaders in Georgia …

Axios-Ipsos poll: Americans say J&J pause was the right call  —  Most Americans support the pause in distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, and so far there's no evidence that it's leading to broader vaccine hesitancy, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

An ‘insane’ covid lockdown two miles from the Capitol, with no end in sight  —  For a year, 1,500 people held at D.C. jail have been confined to cells 23 hours a day in what experts call a grave human rights abuse  —  More than a year ago, about 1,500 men and women at the D.C. jail were locked …

There are hundreds of posts about plans to attack the Capitol.  Why hasn't this evidence been used in court? … WASHINGTON — FBI officials have repeatedly said they gathered no credible intelligence in the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection suggesting that pro-Trump extremists intended to storm the U.S. Capitol.

GOP eyes new strategy to derail Biden infrastructure plan  —  Republicans say President Biden's $2.3 trillion infrastructure package will have a tough time getting through the Senate intact because of several key provisions that will open the legislation up to parliamentary challenges under the arcane Byrd Rule.

‘Fox is not news’: New CNN morning anchor debuts with blistering takedown of right-wing network  —  On her debut on CNN's morning segment, anchor Brianna Keilar tore into Fox News for its use of partisan chyrons to push far-right narratives against President Joe Biden.

State Department to list 80% of countries as ‘Do Not Travel’ as it updates advisory system to align with CDC  —  Washington (CNN)The State Department announced Monday that it would begin to update its travel advisories to more closely align with those from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention …

Biden Education Dept. Seeks to Prioritize Critical Race Theory and 1619 Project Grant Applications  —  Proposed new rule prioritizes applications from school districts to implement critical race theory, the 1619 Project, and ‘anti-racism’ into civics curriculum.  — Parler  — Gab  — MeWe

Spokeswoman: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer traveled to visit her ill father  —  LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer traveled out of state more than a month ago to visit her chronically ill father, her office said Monday.  —  News of Whitmer's trip, first reported by the Lansing newsletter Michigan …