Feds investigating alleged scheme to illegally finance Collins' reelection bid  —  The FBI is investigating what it describes as a massive scheme to illegally finance Sen. Susan Collins' 2020 reelection bid, Axios has learned.  —  What's happening: A recently unsealed search warrant application shows …

McCarthy comes out against bipartisan deal on Jan. 6 commission  —  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will oppose a bipartisan deal announced last week that would form a 9/11-style commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, his office announced Tuesday.

Source: U.S. helped avert Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, hopes rise conflict could end soon  —  The Biden administration is increasingly hopeful that the deadly conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants is in its final stages, and U.S. officials are confident their mostly behind …

Scoop: Biden to waive sanctions on company in charge of Nord Stream 2  —  The Biden administration will waive sanctions on the corporate entity and CEO overseeing the construction of Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline into Germany, according to two sources briefed on the decision.

Biden floors electric Ford truck in test drive as he pushes infrastructure plan  —  Biden went pedal to the metal while modeling green energy with a test drive.  —  Biden endorses cease-fire in Middle East amid mounting pressure  —  The administration has been focusing on quiet diplomatic efforts behind the scenes.

Arizona auditors now say voter data is intact, after sparking GOP feud  —  ‘Exasperated’: GOP Arizona election official reacts to Trump's election lie  —  (CNN)Auditors hired by the Arizona state Senate backtracked Tuesday from claims that a key database had been deleted …

The Pro-Trump Culture War on American Scientists  —  Two questions have dominated politics throughout the coronavirus pandemic.  Democrats and public-health experts have asked: What should we do?  Former President Donald Trump, for his part, minimized the need to act.

Val Demings to run for Senate against Rubio  —  ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida Rep. Val Demings is planning to run for the U.S. Senate, rather than governor, providing Democrats with a big-name candidate to take on Republican Sen. Marco Rubio next year.  —  For months, Demings mulled …

Obama on UFO videos: 'We don't know exactly what they are' … Former President Barack Obama on Monday offered a blunt assessment of the videos of unidentified aerial phenomenon that have continued to gain attention in the United States.  —  “What is true, and I'm actually being serious here …

Charles Grodin, Star of ‘Beethoven’ and ‘Heartbreak Kid,’ Dies at 86  —  A familiar face who was especially adept at deadpan comedy, he also appeared on Broadway in “Same Time, Next Year,” wrote books and had his own talk show.  —  Charles Grodin, the versatile actor familiar from “Same Time …

Don't believe right-wing media — overturning Roe v. Wade is a big deal  —  Right-wing media — and Trump — also used this strategy during the run-up to Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation … RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ZACHARY PLEAT & ALEX WALKER  —  As President Donald Trump prepares …

Ohio sees boost in shots after it announces $1 million vaccination lottery … CINCINNATI — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's $5 million lottery to encourage vaccinations appears to be an early win.  —  State health officials said Monday that more than 25,400 Covid-19 vaccine shots were administered Friday …

Nevada GOP candidate for governor who hadn't been vaccinated tests positive for coronavirus  —  (CNN)Hours after launching his campaign for governor, a Nevada Republican who had not yet received the coronavirus vaccine said he had just tested positive for the virus.

Capitol Rioters' ‘Trump Defense’ Comes Up Again And Again.  Will It Make A Difference?  —  A few weeks after his arrest for allegedly storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, the man known as the “QAnon Shaman,” Jacob Chansley, floated an idea that dozens of others have tried — that Trump himself deserved some of the blame for his actions.

Rick Scott continues to plead with Donald Trump to stay out of Senate primaries  —  Will a scorned ex-President play in Senate primaries?  Scott hopes not.  —  U.S. Sen. Rick Scott continues to express hope that former President Donald Trump won't engage against Senate incumbents in 2022.

Sinead O'Connor Remembers Things Differently  —  The mainstream narrative is that a pop star ripped up a photo of the pope on “Saturday Night Live” and derailed her life.  What if the opposite were true?  —  Sinead O'Connor is alone, which is how she prefers to be.

Woke Coke, like Nike, might rightly suffer for political bullying  —  Far too many corporate giants have engaged in ill-informed pandering to left-wing political causes, all while their own stables need major house-cleaning.  They may suffer as they learn that political turnabout is fair play.

Build Your Own America  —  Stop yelling stop, and start getting to work with your friends.  —  William F. Buckley described his mission with the then-new National Review as “standing athwart History, yelling stop.”  On an institutional level, for the last several decades …

Twitter's Holocaust problem  —  Accounts cheering the slaughter of Jews are in the clear so long as they occasionally delete their pro-genocide tweets.  —  9 hr ago  —  Twitter plays by a bizarre set of rules.  —  Verified users who tweet in support of the slaughter of Jews …

State Dept. ends policy denying US citizenship to children born through in vitro, surrogacy  —  Children of several same-sex parents were denied citizenship by the Trump admin.  —  Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.  —  Anadolu Agency/Getty Images, FILE

Narrative Napalm  —  Malcolm Gladwell's apologia for American butchery … THERE ARE INFINITE KINDS OF IRRESPONSIBLE BOOKS that a well-credentialed media insider can write.  —  First are the total farces of fact.  These include former New York Times chief Jill Abramson's mangling …