The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax  —  The Secret IRS Files  —  In 2007, Jeff Bezos, then a multibillionaire and now the world's richest man, did not pay a penny in federal income taxes.  He achieved the feat again in 2011.

Joe Manchin is opposing big parts of Biden's agenda as the Koch network pressures him  — The Koch network has been pressuring Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to oppose key parts of the Democratic agenda, including filibuster reform and voting rights legislation.  — That lobbying effort appears to be paying off.

Capitol Police had intelligence indicating an armed invasion weeks before Jan. 6 riot, Senate probe finds  —  The U.S. Capitol Police had specific intelligence that supporters of President Donald Trump planned to mount an armed invasion of the Capitol at least two weeks before the Jan. 6 riot …

Biden Justice Department Seeks to Defend Trump in Suit Over Rape Denial  —  Donald Trump is facing a defamation lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll, who has accused Mr. Trump of raping her.  —  During the presidential campaign, Joseph R. Biden Jr., then the Democratic candidate …

Global sting: Secure FBI-run messaging network tricks crooks  —  THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Criminal gangs divulged plans for moving drug shipments and carrying out killings on a secure messaging system secretly run by the FBI, law enforcement agencies said Tuesday, as they unveiled …

Sidney Powell Just ‘Eviscerated’ Her Own Legal Defense, Experts Say  —  “That seems like an extremely damaging admission from Ms. Powell,” a top lawyer says.  —  Sidney Powell lost the plot.  —  To protect herself from a billion-dollar defamation lawsuit, the Trumpist lawyer was supposed …

U.S. report concluded COVID-19 may have leaked from Wuhan lab - WSJ  —  A report on the origins of COVID-19 by a U.S. government national laboratory concluded that the hypothesis of a virus leak from a Chinese lab in Wuhan is plausible and deserves further investigation …

Why a Judge Has Georgia Vote Fraud on His Mind: ‘Pristine’ Biden Ballots That Looked Xeroxed  —  When Fulton County, Ga., poll manager Suzi Voyles sorted through a large stack of mail-in ballots last November, she noticed an alarmingly odd pattern of uniformity in the markings for Joseph R. Biden.

Why Cruise Ship Vaccination Requirements Are Different from Those of Other Institutions  —  A huge part of life is drawing distinctions.  —  This requires observation, foresight for likely consequences, and judgment — and even then, you can still get it wrong.  This is hard.

Newsmax turned down embattled Republican Matt Gaetz for a job -spokesperson  —  Conservative media outlet Newsmax, a favorite of former President Donald Trump's, rejected embattled Republican U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz's request for a job, a spokesperson for the website said on Monday.

How America Fractured Into Four Parts  —  Nations, like individuals, tell stories in order to understand what they are, where they come from, and what they want to be.  National narratives, like personal ones, are prone to sentimentality, grievance, pride, shame, self-blindness.

Record-High 70% in U.S. Support Same-Sex Marriage  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. support for legal same-sex marriage continues to trend upward, now at 70% — a new high in Gallup's trend since 1996.  This latest figure marks an increase of 10 percentage points since 2015 …

Sen. Johnson and Colleagues Request Answers from DOJ on Unequal Application of Justice to Protestors  —  WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), along with senators Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), sent a letter on Monday …

James Murdoch spent $100 million to help fund political causes during 2020 election cycle  — James Murdoch, the son of billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch, quietly invested $100 million into his nonprofit foundation, which then used a chunk of the money to fund political groups during the 2020 election cycle.

Why the GOP Just Got Blown Out in a Congressional Race  —  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—  Two weeks before the GOP had its first chance to pick up a seat in Congress since Joe Biden became president, the Republican Party of New Mexico hosted a three-day event dubbed “Operation Freedom.”

Why I Stopped Hiring Ivy League Graduates  —  Even those who aren't woke seem damaged by the experience, and they're deprived of role models.  —  I'm not inclined to hire a graduate from one of America's elite universities.  That marks a change.  A decade ago I relished the opportunity …

Abbe Lowell Is the Go-To Lawyer for Embattled Politicians.  Now He Faces a Controversy of His Own.  —  Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters.  —  Abbe Lowell, one of Washington's top attorneys …

Rebekah Jones' Twitter account suspended, citing ‘platform manipulation,’ ‘spam’  —  Rebekah Jones, who formerly maintained Florida's COVID-19 dashboard but was fired last year as she raised concerns about transparency, was suspended Monday from Twitter for “platform manipulation and spam.”

Right-wing ‘Boogaloo’ militants plotted violence against cops so Trump would invoke Insurrection Act: Court docs  —  An Air Force sergeant accused of killing law enforcement officers last year in California was part of an extremist cell plotting “war” against police, according to newly revealed court filings.

Judge orders Virginia school district to reinstate teacher who said he wouldn't use transgender students' preferred pronouns  —  A Virginia judge said Tuesday that a Loudoun County teacher suspended for refusing to address transgender students with their preferred names and pronouns should return to work immediately.

Democrats control the language of politics and culture — but for how long?  —  Elections are won by creating a contrast between you and your opponent.  Republicans are not doing a very good job at creating that contrast right now; they seem to acquiesce when Democrats define the issues.

Are We Destined for a Trump Coup in 2024?  —  Some alarm is understandable.  The progressive sense of certain doom is not.  —  GUEST ESSAY  —  Your Next Car and Clothes Dryer Could Help Save Our Planet  —  To slow global warming, we need to electrify vast parts of our economy and power it with clean energy.