Texas Democrats to flee state in effort to block GOP-backed voting restrictions  —  With Republican-backed voting bills moving rapidly through a special session of the state Legislature, Texas Democrats are planning to make a break for it — again.  —  At least 58 Democratic members …

Trump Organization CFO Removed as Officer of Subsidiaries, Records Show  —  The former president's company is discussing changes in its financial leadership after an indictment accused longtime Trump finance chief Allen Weisselberg of a 15-year tax-fraud, which he denies

Despite Outbreaks Among Unvaccinated, Fox News Hosts Smear Shots  —  Months after Rupert Murdoch got a Covid-19 dose, one of his network's stars, Tucker Carlson, called a Biden vaccination proposal “the greatest scandal in my lifetime.”  —  Back in December, before the queen of England …

Lawyers retreat from pro-Trump election suit  —  The legal reckoning for attorneys who pushed former President Donald Trump's spurious claims of election fraud advanced on Monday, with a federal court in Detroit holding a hearing on whether to impose sanctions over a suit filed last year seeking …

Maria Bartiromo's top 10 fails  —  Former President Trump failed to secure a second term in office via lawsuits contesting the Nov. 3 election, a Capitol riot by his supporters or all this whacked-out chatter about “reinstatement.”  Yet that doesn't mean that he can't still act out one of the rituals of his years in office.

Newsmax host suggests vaccines are “against nature,” and some diseases are “supposed to wipe out a certain amount of people”  —  Rob Schmitt: “That's just kind of the way evolution goes.  Vaccines kind of stand in the way of that”

Scuffle breaks out at Rep. Katie Porter's town hall  —  A melee broke out at Rep. Katie Porter's district town hall meeting Sunday, with her supporters scuffling with supporters of former President Trump who were loudly interrupting the congresswoman as she spoke.

Advisor To Major Pro-Trump Group Runs Racist Newsletter  —  This article was co-published with The Informant, which covers hate and extremism in the U.S. It was an email so racist it might make a ku klux klansman blush.  An advisor for the influential conservative youth organization Turning …

Doug Mataconis, RIP  —  Jazz Shaw drew my attention to a post on Doug's Facebook feed from last evening: … Alas, I have no further details and have not yet found any other confirmation of the news but have no reason to doubt that it's true.  —  Despite his long association with this blog …

Statement by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on Protests in Cuba  —  We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba's authoritarian regime.

The Kids Are Alright Why now is the time to rethink COVID safety protocols for children —and everyone else.  —  The kids are safe.  They always have been.  —  It may sound strange, given a year of panic over school closures and reopenings, a year of masking toddlers and closing playgrounds …

FDA adds new warning on Johnson & Johnson vaccine related to rare autoimmune disorder  —  The agency cites link to a small number of Guillain-Barré cases after vaccination but says the shot's benefits outweigh the risk  —  The Food and Drug Administration announced a new warning …

Arizona election official: Unchecked Cyber Ninjas use alarming ‘audit’ rules to count votes  —  We follow sensible rules that inspire confidence in fairness and accuracy.  We should be skeptical of results from the Cyber Ninjas, who are unchecked.  —  In the months since Arizona Senate …

The Republican Party's top lawyer called election fraud arguments by Trump's lawyers a ‘joke’ that could mislead millions  —  The Republican Party's top lawyer warned in November against continuing to push false claims that the presidential election was stolen, calling efforts …

Anthony Fauci And Deborah Birx Warned Top Officials About The “Dangers” Of Scott Atlas Last Summer, Emails Show  —  It only took a few days for Scott Atlas to alarm top US health officials after he became a White House COVID-19 adviser in mid-August of last year.

Police patrol Havana in large numbers after rare protests  —  HAVANA (AP) — Large contingents of Cuban police patrolled the capital of Havana on Monday following rare protests around the island nation against food shortages and high prices amid the coronavirus crisis.

‘Potentially a death sentence’: White House goes off on vaccine fear mongers  —  The Biden administration is casting conservative opponents of its Covid-19 vaccine campaign as dangerous and extreme, adopting a more aggressive political posture in an attempt to maneuver through the public health conundrum.

Haiti's police claim American recruited mercenaries.  —  A Haitian-born doctor based in Florida has been arrested as a key suspect in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti, and the national police chief suggested at a news conference that he believed the suspect was plotting to become president.

Critical race theory battles are driving frustrated, exhausted educators out of their jobs  —  When Rydell Harrison started a new job as a school superintendent in southwestern Connecticut last August, he was excited to join a community that seemed committed to diversity and equity.

‘Surprising amount of death’ will soon occur in these US regions from increased Covid-19 cases, expert says  —  (CNN)As the Delta variant rapidly spreads, US hot spots have seen climbing case numbers — and an expert warns a “surprising amount of death” from Covid-19 could soon follow.

The Technology 202: Sen. Warren calls for federal probe of mask sales on Amazon  —  The Democrat from Massachusetts accused the company of having deceptive search results and not providing customers enough information to ensure the masks it sells have received authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.

Media, critical race theory and one serious disconnect  —  Critical race theory (CRT) and education in the United States as a whole is shaping up to be a huge campaign issue for 2022 and 2024.  And that's terrible news for Democrats.  Recent polling backs up this perspective.

Eva Guzman raises $1 million in first 10 days of attorney general campaign, with some major donor support  —  The former state Supreme Court justice is one of two Republican primary challengers to Attorney General Ken Paxton, the other being Land Commissioner George P. Bush.  —  Copy link

Actually, Kristi Noem Supported COVID-19 Lockdowns and Mandates  —  Her rhetoric doesn't match her record in the early days of the pandemic.  —  3 hr ago  —  When Gov. Kristi Noem speaks to a national audience, she often leads by emphasizing her record on COVID-19.