The House GOP's Trump trap  —  A LEGITIMATE QUESTION — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is backing the removal of his No. 3 leader, Liz Cheney, after her repeated criticism of Donald Trump's baseless claims that the 2020 election was marred by widespread fraud.

Kathryn Garcia for Mayor  —  The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values.  It is separate from the newsroom.  —  The mix of optimism and anxiety that New Yorkers feel as the coronavirus is beaten …

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use in Adolescents in Another Important Action in Fight Against Pandemic  —  For Immediate Release:  —  Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the emergency use authorization (EUA) …

Leonardo DiCaprio unrecognizable in first photos of new Scorsese film  —  Apple has released the first-ever photos from Martin Scorsese's highly anticipated Western, “Killers of the Flower Moon.”  —  The pics depict Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone as Ernest and Mollie Burkhart …

Sheikh Jarrah highlights the violent brazenness of Israel's colonialist project … The young Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd sits quietly in front of his laptop with a grin on his face, preparing for the launch of his most recent manuscript, “Rifqa.”  He seems excited …

Rahm Emanuel to be appointed US ambassador to Japan  —  Former Chicago mayor will boost Washington's alliance with Tokyo as China's influence grows  —  Joe Biden has chosen Rahm Emanuel, a former congressman and Chicago mayor, to be US ambassador to Japan, according to eight people familiar …

The Real Steal Is Coming  —  Who will prevent the next attempt to overturn the will of the voters?  —  War is peace.  —  Freedom is slavery.  —  Ignorance is strength.  —George Orwell, 1984  —  Welcome to the funhouse world the Republican party is building.  Up is down.  Black is white.

Glenn Youngkin Wins G.O.P. Nomination for Virginia Governor  —  Mr. Youngkin, a wealthy newcomer to politics who walked a line between the Trump base of the G.O.P. and business interests, will look to test Democrats' strength in the blue-leaning state in November.

Gov. Reeves Ending Federal Aid for Unemployed Mississippians, Rejecting ‘Rescue Act’ Funds  —  Unemployed Mississippians will no longer be eligible for $300 per week in federal COVID-19 unemployment benefits after Gov. Tate Reeves announced today that Mississippi will opt out next month.

Reporters fume at White House ‘quote approval’ rules  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. … Email us at [email protected].  —  If you've read a quote from an administration official in a newspaper or a wire story recently …

The Texas Republican Asking His Party to Just Stop  —  Will Hurd is the kind of politician who loves to find the middle ground.  He spent six years as a Republican congressman from one of the most competitive districts in the country, a sprawling expanse that traces the southwest border of Texas along the Rio Grande.

Grievance, rebellion and burnt bridges: Tracing Josh Hawley's path to the insurrection … LEXINGTON, Mo. — Joshua Hawley was 13 years old, living comfortably as the son of a bank president, when his parents gave him a book about political conservatism for Christmas.  —  Hawley became enamored with the ideology.

Obamacare sign-ups reach 1 million during special enrollment window  —  One million people have signed up for health coverage under an Affordable Care Act special enrollment period announced earlier this year, officials said Tuesday.  —  “That's one million more Americans who now have the peace …

S.F. seniors might go back to school for only one day before term ends.  Parents are furious  —  When the teachers union over the weekend announced the “exciting news” that San Francisco's high school seniors will get a chance to go back to classrooms starting Friday, they left out details about the plan …

Ted Cruz bets big on Facebook  —  Sen. Ted Cruz isn't up for reelection until 2024.  But the Texas Republican has spent more on Facebook advertising over the past two months than all but one senator, an investment strategy that other lawmakers have used in recent cycles to help set the stage for presidential runs.

Ra'am freezes coalition talks with ‘change bloc,’ amid violence  —  Source in Islamist party says unclear if negotiations will resume before Lapid's mandate to form coalition expires; anti-Netanyahu parties call for forceful response to attacks  —  The Islamist Ra'am party on Monday announced …

The Supreme Court considers an important showdown over abortion this week  —  The Court has been surprisingly hesitant to weigh in on abortion.  But a pending case is likely to force its hand.  —  The Supreme Court has been sitting on a potentially very significant abortion case for the last two months …

Claims of Microwave Attacks Are Scientifically Implausible  —  There's little evidence for an unknown weapon being behind “Havana syndrome.”  —  “It's an act of war,” said Christopher Miller, former President Donald Trump's last acting secretary of defense.

Vaccinated but wary, Washingtonians start to emerge from isolation  —  The liberation of Richard McWalters was in full bloom as he strolled 14th Street NW the other day, his nose and jaw newly freed of the mask and constant worry that had shrouded him for more than a year.

Feinstein's former staffer helped funnel millions to Steele and Fusion GPS after 2016  —  A nonprofit group run by a former top aide for Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein and funded in part by left-wing philanthropist George Soros spent the post-2016 era funneling millions of dollars …

Britain's Labour Party just collapsed in blue-collar England.  Democrats should consider themselves warned.  —  Opinion by  —  Political trends in the United States and Britain have mirrored one another for decades, so the Labour Party's stunning collapse across blue-collar England …

Federal investigators press for cooperation from two key witnesses in Gaetz probe  —  Washington (CNN)Federal investigators scrutinizing Rep. Matt Gaetz are seeking the cooperation of a former Capitol Hill intern who was once a girlfriend of the Florida Republican, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.

CAN WE PLEASE DITCH THE TERM “SYSTEMIC RACISM”?  —  As a linguist I know we can't, but systemic racial inequities can almost never be undone by “getting rid of the racism.”  —  3 hr ago  —  The Elect are direly committed to teaching us the difference between personal racism and systemic racism.

CDC's slow, cautious messaging on Covid-19 seems out of step with the moment, public health experts say  —  WASHINGTON — Nearly a year ago, amid concerns about how to prevent transmission of the virus causing Covid-19, scientists were beginning to conclude that rigorous disinfection of surfaces …

Where in the World is Q?  Clues from Image Metadata  —  The hunt to identify the person or group behind the QAnon conspiracy theory continues.  Known only as “Q,” this individual or collective is responsible for the many posts, or “drops,” that appeared on internet imageboards between October 2017 and December 2020.