Covid Gets Even Redder  —  The partisan gap in deaths has grown larger.  —  As 2020 wound down, there were good reasons to believe that the death toll during the pandemic's first year might have been worse in red America.  There were also good reasons to think it might have been worse in blue America.

Trump told RNC chair he was leaving GOP to create new party, says new book  —  In his new book, Jonathan Karl shares what Trump said before backing down.  —  In an angry conversation on his final day as president, Donald Trump told the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee …

Countries' climate pledges built on flawed data, Post investigation finds  —  Malaysia's latest catalogue of its greenhouse gas emissions to the United Nations reads like a report from a parallel universe.  The 285-page document suggests that Malaysia's trees are absorbing carbon four times faster …

We Can't Wait for Universities to Fix Themselves.  So We're Starting a New One.  —  I left my post as president of St. John's College in Annapolis to build a university in Austin dedicated to the fearless pursuit of truth.  —  So much is broken in America.  But higher education might be the most fractured institution of all.

Notes on an Authoritarian Conspiracy: Inside the Claremont Institute's “79 Days to Inauguration” Report  —  The sun rises on January 6, 2021 while a nation is in crisis.  —  Michigan's presidential electors are in dispute after a mysterious fire in Detroit destroyed thousands of mail-in ballots …

The Democratic Senate majority was already dicey.  Then came Virginia.  —  Democrats go into the midterm election with one advantage — a favorable map that gives some reason to think the party can hold its minuscule Senate majority next year.  —  But it's not going to be enough on its own …

How 31 Republicans Just Betrayed The Country To Reward Illegal Immigration, Worsen Inflation, And Pay Off Democrats' Donors  —  A vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill is a vote for Biden's reconciliation legislation — the largest cradle-to-grave expansion of federal power since the New Deal.

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 …

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%.

Mitch McConnell spent decades chasing power.  Now he heeds Trump, who mocks him and wants him gone.  —  How one of Washington's longtime Republican power players succumbed to the preeminence of the 45th president  —  As President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 …

Satellite images show China built mock-ups of US warships  —  BEIJING (AP) — Satellite images show China has built mock-ups of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and destroyer in its northwestern desert, possibly for practice for a future naval clash as tensions rise between the nations.

Biden's border woes expose White House divisions as centrists assert more control  —  Illegal border crossings and coronavirus cases were both rising this summer when a group of Biden administration officials developed a plan to vaccinate migrants in U.S. custody, viewing the shots as a sensible public health measure.

Meet the anti-Fauci: Florida's sane surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo  —  America has had 20 long months with Dr. Anthony Fauci as the spokesman for the government's COVID response, poorly explaining to us both the pandemic and the concurrent illogical restrictions.  —  Perhaps it's time for some new voices.

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.”

Study: Diversity Statements Required for One-Fifth of Academic Jobs  —  Requirements as common in STEM as in social science  —  Nearly a fifth of university jobs require diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statements that press applicants to express and expound upon their commitment to diversity …

Winter Heating Bills Loom as the Next Inflation Threat  —  After plunging during the pandemic as the economy slowed, energy prices have roared upward.  Washington is already moving to offer homeowners relief.  —  With consumers already dealing with the fastest price increases in decades …

Elon Musk faces a $15 billion tax bill, which is likely the real reason he's selling stock  — Elon Musk faces a tax bill of more than $15 billion in the coming months on stock options.  — Musk asked his 62.7 million Twitter followers over the weekend whether he should sell 10% of his Tesla holdings.

CIA Director had rare conversation with Putin while in Moscow last week  —  (CNN)CIA Director Bill Burns held a rare conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week, to convey “serious” US concerns about Russia's military buildup along the Ukrainian border and to attempt …

A Way Forward for Biden and the Democrats in 2022 and 2024  —  Mr. Penn is a former adviser and pollster to President Clinton and Hillary Clinton.  Mr. Stein is a former president of the New York City Council.  —  Swing voters in two blue-leaning states just sent a resounding wake-up call …

GOP lobbyists say corporate America is coming back into the tent  —  Top Republicans on K Street say that big business is warming up to the Republican Party again, less than a year after Jan. 6 but with the 2022 elections in sight.  —  GOP K Streeters last week held a fundraiser for Reps. Jim Jordan …

Big Bird's vaccination announcement sparks backlash from conservatives, GOP  —  Big Bird's seemingly innocuous — and obviously fictional — announcement Saturday that he has been vaccinated against Covid-19 caused a stir online, as Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas accused …

Democrats must fight and win on the economy  —  Here's a smart move — Democrats start channeling Ronald Reagan's famous question in the 1980 presidential campaign: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”  —  If Democrats want to win in the 2022 midterm elections, voters need to hear Reagan's question over and over.

More Than 30,000 Health Care Workers Are on the Verge of Striking  —  On November 4, a handful of unions representing more than 30,000 Kaiser Permanente workers notified the health system of their intention to strike on November 15, a move that would be among the largest hospital workplace actions in recent memory.

Biden's Afghan war crime gets the whitewash treatment  —  Mistakes were made, but no one did anything wrong.  —  No one will be held accountable.  —  This is the result of the Air Force's investigation last week into the drone strike that President Joe Biden authorized.