Colin Powell, first Black US secretary of state, dies of Covid-19 complications amid cancer battle  —  (CNN)Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state whose leadership in several Republican administrations helped shape American foreign policy in the last years of the 20th century …

As Trump Thunders About Last Election, Republicans Worry About the Next One  —  Donald Trump is the Republicans' greatest asset in mobilizing voters.  But some fret that his obsession with false claims about the 2020 election could cost the G.O.P. in 2022.  —  Republicans believe they have a good shot at taking Congress next year.

In book, former Sen. Joe Lieberman describes how Karl Rove and Republicans helped him beat Ned Lamont in 2006  —  HARTFORD — For the past 15 years, former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman has never spoken publicly about the secret help that he received from Republicans Karl Rove and Elizabeth Dole …

Scoop: Manchin's red lines  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has told the White House the child tax credit must include a firm work requirement and family income cap in the $60,000 range, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.  —  Why it matters: While Manchin's demands would dramatically weaken …

The wealthiest 10% of Americans own a record 89% of all U.S. stocks  — The wealthiest 10% of Americans now own 89% of all U.S. stocks, a record high that highlights the stock market's role in increasing wealth inequality.  — The top 1% gained over $6.5 trillion in corporate equities …

Why You Should Read “Read Max” by Max Read  —  Read Max Read on Reading Read Max  —  You're reading a newsletter called Read Max.  My name is Max Read, and this, my newsletter, is the first opportunity I've had in my professional life to use my name as a pun.

Justice Department asks Supreme Court to stop Texas abortion law  —  The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court on Monday for an emergency halt to the Texas law that has practically stopped access to abortion in the nation's second-largest state.  —  The action means the court will again …

2 longtime House Democrats will retire  —  Two longtime House Democratic incumbents will call it quits this week.  —  Rep. Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania, who has served 26 years in the House, is expected to announce his retirement later Monday, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans.

Trump faces a pile of civil lawsuits as depositions begin  —  Former President Donald Trump has been ordered to answer questions under oath in a lawsuit Monday, and his attorneys could set a date for a deposition in another case, as well.  —  The lawsuits, involving allegations …

Jefferson Statue May Be Removed After More Than 100 Years at City Hall  —  Black, Latino and Asian City Council members who find the sculpture oppressive and racist may finally win a two-decade fight to remove it from their chamber.  —  For more than 100 years, a 7-foot-tall statue …

Longtime Congressman David Price to retire  —  RALEIGH, N.C. — Democratic Congressman David Price, who has represented much of the Triangle in the U.S. House for more than 30 years, said Monday that he will retire at the end of his term in December 2022.  —  Price has represented …

Out of the Shadows: Christopher Steele defiant on dossier, says Trump still ‘potential’ threat  —  The British former spy says the Russians still may hold “kompromat” on Trump.  —  Retired British spy Christopher Steele is stepping out of the shadows to discuss his so-called “Steele dossier” …

Amazon may have lied to Congress, five U.S. lawmakers say  —  Five members of the U.S. House Judiciary committee wrote to Amazon.com Inc's chief executive Sunday, and accused the company's top executives, including founder Jeff Bezos, of either misleading Congress or possibly lying to it about Amazon's business practices.

GOP senator calls for senility test for aging leaders  —  Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, told me during an “Axios on HBO” interview that he favors cognition tests for aging leaders of all three branches of government.  —  Why it matters: Wisdom comes with age.  But science also shows that we lose something.

QAnon Is Becoming Even More Antisemitic  —  The organizer of a major QAnon conference in Las Vegas later this week, where at least four sitting GOP lawmakers speak on stage, shared a neo-Nazi film with his 70,000 followers on Sunday evening.  —  John Sabal, who's known online as QAnon John …

As Japan's yakuza mob weakens, former gangsters struggle to find a role outside crime  —  KITAKYUSHU, Japan — Noodle chef Takashi Nakamoto moves so deftly as he boils, strains and arranges his signature plates of udon that it's easy to overlook the brutal reminder of his former life: his missing left pinkie.

I get abuse and threats online - why can't it be stopped?  —  Online abuse against women is on the rise, but why aren't the police, the government and social media companies doing more to stop it?  —  Warning: Story contains strong language  —  I'm the BBC's first specialist disinformation reporter …

Sinclair Broadcast Group Provides Information On Cybersecurity Incident  —  BALTIMORE—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) today provided information on a recent cybersecurity incident.  —  On October 16, 2021, the Company identified and began to investigate …

Why no outrage for new Kentucky election laws?  They're no better than Texas or Georgia  —  A Democratic governor signed an election integrity bill into law — with Republican support.  —  In the hyperbolic, hyper-partisan political landscape we're facing, this type of situation would be normally unthinkable.

Wheels on Metro rail cars involved in derailment had failed repeatedly, NTSB says  —  An NTSB investigation found that an axle of the car that derailed was out of compliance with specifications.  —  The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board said wheel assemblies on Metro rail cars …

Silent disgrace: Where is the national media on abandoned Americans?  —  Just how many Americans — citizens and legal permanent residents — remain abandoned in Afghanistan?  The State Department has yet to give any firm figures, and the national media remains completely uninterested.

Inside the N.Y.C. Neighborhood With the Fastest Growing Asian Population  —  In a corner of Queens, a fivefold increase in Asian residents since 2010 is transforming the area's restaurants, housing and politics.  —  Yumpling, a Taiwanese eatery, opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in August 2020 …

‘His Street Cred Went Up’: The Unintended Consequences of Outing the GOP Lawmakers at Jan. 6  —  It didn't occur to them, not at first, that in the human mass pushing past police barricades around the Capitol, they might see the bald head of a Pennsylvania state senator gliding through the crowd …

Australian politician rips into Sen. Ted Cruz for mocking COVID-19 vaccine requirements: 'We don't need your lectures, thanks mate'  — An Australian politician slammed Sen. Ted Cruz after he mocked his government's vaccine mandate.  — “Individual liberty matters.

Abbott's ban on vaccine mandates is still a mandate  —  So what's a good number?  About 75,000?  How about 85,000?  Maybe 100,000?  —  How many deaths from COVID-19 will it take, we're wondering, before Gov. Greg Abbott shifts attention from his political ambitions to the health and well-being of his fellow Texans?