Gloomy landscape for Democrats for midterms as Biden's approval drops to 38%: USA TODAY/Suffolk poll  —  A year before the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans hold a clear early lead on the congressional ballot as President Joe Biden's approval rating sinks to a new low of 38%.

Republicans, Basking in Tuesday's Victories, Diverge on What Comes Next  —  Looming over a gathering of Jewish conservatives in Las Vegas were questions about whether former President Donald J. Trump should remain the face of the party.  —  LAS VEGAS — Two strikingly divergent visions …

Russiagate has no rock bottom  —  The indictment of the Steele dossier's key source newly humiliates the Clinton campaign, FBI, and US media.  —  It did not seem possible for the Steele dossier - the collection of Trump-Russia conspiracy theories funded by the Clinton campaign …

Eric Adams says he wants to end NYC's school mask mandate, calls himself ‘conservative’ on crime  —  Mayor-elect Eric Adams took to the airwaves Sunday and declared he wants to nix mask mandates in the classroom and called himself “conservative” on public safety.

A love letter to Kabul  —  This summer's Taliban takeover was a seismic moment for Kabul.  Those who call this city their own wonder if life has changed forever.  Much of what made Kabul special is now a cultural battlefield - evocative street murals have been painted over with Islamic verses …

Trump bashes Senate Republicans, McConnell over bipartisan infrastructure bill  —  Former President Trump on Sunday doubled down on his criticism of Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Republicans who voted in favor of passing a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.

Covid-19 Vaccines and Myocarditis Link Probed by Researchers  —  Several theories are under investigation seeking to explain heart-inflammation conditions among small numbers of vaccinated  —  As U.S. health authorities expand use of the leading Covid-19 vaccines, researchers investigating …

Columbia Campus Cleared After Bomb Threats At Ivy Schools  —  Columbia University said its buildings have been cleared for re-entry after bomb threats on Sunday were deemed “not credible” by the New York City Police Department.  —  Two other Ivy League universities — Cornell University …

Sen. Josh Hawley defends speech on porn and video games  —  Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told “Axios on HBO” he'll make masculinity a signature political issue, because he claims “the left” is telling men: “You're part of the problem. ...  Your masculinity is inherently problematic.”

Disgraced Fox News Anchor Quietly Resurfaces at Fringe Right-Wing Outlet  —  Real America's Voice boasts a roster of MAGA freaks like Steve Bannon and John Solomon.  It can now add to that list a former Fox News anchor accused of sexual misconduct.  —  More than a year after Fox News fired …

Statement by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on Nicaragua's Sham Elections  —  What Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, orchestrated today was a pantomime election that was neither free nor fair, and most certainly not democratic.

Democrats can't keep ignoring the culture war.  They should fight it — and win  —  One bit from the great satirical newspaper-turned-website The Onion that has stayed with me more than any other is searingly funny, of course, but also the best-ever summary of the ugly turn that American politics has taken over the last 40 years.

Biden may tap strategic reserve amid rising fuel prices, Granholm says  —  Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Sunday that President Joe Biden is considering tapping into the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve amid rising crude oil prices.  —  In an interview with CNN's “State of the Union …

POLITICO Playbook: What happens in Vegas ...  DRIVING THE DAY  —  MOVE OVER ALEC, THERE'S A NEW DONALD — You know you've arrived as a national political figure when you get impersonated on “Saturday Night Live.”  Last night, GLENN YOUNGKIN got the SNL treatment in a sketch …

Terry Bradshaw unloads on Aaron Rodgers: “You lied to everyone”  —  Fox viewers won't see the Kansas City defense try to sack Aaron Rodgers on Sunday.  Before the games began, however, Fox viewers got a chance to see a quartet of Hall of Famers verbally give him the business, from the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

For Whom Do the Covid “Fact Checkers” Really Work?  —  I recently came across two tweets that caught my eye.  —  Here is the first one from the CDC director: … And here is the second one, from a couple months back: … Together they got me thinking.  What do they have in common?

Steve Bannon's popular podcast is a ‘dangerous’ fantasyland of election lies  —  ‘House Republicans hate Steve Bannon, but they fear him’ says former Trump comms director  —  Washington (CNN)Steve Bannon's aggressive campaign to undermine American democracy didn't stop on January 6.

Fears of Wider Instability in Iraq After Attack on Prime Minister's Home  —  Armed drones struck the Iraqi prime minister's home in what was seen as a warning as Iranian-backed groups dispute the results of parliamentary elections.  —  Iraq's prime minister survived a drone strike on his home early Sunday …