At least 13 Trump officials illegally campaigned while in office, federal investigation finds  —  At least 13 senior Trump administration officials illegally mixed governing with campaigning before the 2020 election, intentionally ignoring a law that prohibits merging the two and getting approval to break it …

The Man Who Made January 6 Possible  —  In late October 2020, Donald Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was attending the confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett when his cellphone rang.  He answered with a whisper and walked out to the hallway to take the call.

Former VA administrator and Georgia senator Max Cleland dies at home  —  Former U.S. senator and Veterans Administration leader Max Cleland died Tuesday more than 53 years after a live grenade dropped by a fellow soldier in Vietnam robbed him of three limbs.The injuries, however …

Trump makes — and loses — overnight bid to block Jan. 6 investigators  —  If you blinked you missed it.  —  Former President Donald Trump filed an emergency request to a federal judge late Monday night to prevent the National Archives from sending sensitive records to Jan. 6 committee investigators by Friday.

USA-ELECTION/THREATS  —  Law enforcement has taken little action as backers of Donald Trump aim stark threats at election officials.  Reuters tracked down nine of the harassers.  Most were unrepentant.  —  This story contains text, images and audio clips with offensive language.

Pelosi calls for ethics, criminal investigations into Gosar  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is calling for a series of investigations into Rep. Paul Gosar after the Arizona Republican took to Twitter this week to advertise violence against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and President Biden.

GOP Rep. Upton receives death threats after backing bipartisan public works bill  —  Washington — Republican U.S. Rep. Fred Upton said he has received well over 1,000 calls including multiple “nasty” death threats since he voted for a bipartisan infrastructure bill that he helped write …

A secret tape made after Columbine shows the NRA's evolution on school shootings  —  Soon after the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, senior leaders of the National Rifle Association huddled on a conference call to consider canceling their annual convention, scheduled just days later and a few miles away.

'90s Dad Thrillers: a List  —  Notes toward a theory of the Dad Thriller  —  For the first few months after my son was born last year, I was hunting for stuff to watch that would be entertaining but not taxing — movies I'd seen before, or movies that even if I hadn't actually seen them …

Trump's supporters have a bizarre secret password meant to own the libs  —  Biden's presence in the White House doesn't inflame Trump's base in quite the same way as Obama's did.  I wonder why.  —  A new shibboleth insulting President Joe Biden has been circulating lately among Republican members …

CBO's Schedule for Releasing a Cost Estimate for H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act  —  The Congressional Budget Office is in the process of preparing a cost estimate for the current version of H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act (Rules Committee Print 117-18 incorporating a manager's amendment by Congressman Yarmuth).

Producer prices rise 8.6%, matching September record high  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation at the wholesale level rose 8.6% last month from a year earlier, matching September's record annual gain and offering more evidence that inflationary pressures are not yet easing.

Man Shot by Kyle Rittenhouse Describes the Encounter on a Kenosha Street  —  The testimony underscores the prosecutors' challenge in disproving a self-defense claim.  Gaige Grosskreutz, who was armed, was shot while responding to an earlier shooting.  —  KENOSHA, Wis. — Gaige Grosskreutz …

What Moves Swing Voters  —  A creative new poll tries to understand.  —  Political pundits often talk about swing voters as if they were upscale suburbanites, like “soccer moms” or “office-park dads.”  And some are.  But many are blue-collar.  They are the successors to the so-called Reagan Democrats …

POLITICO Playbook: A Trump-backed Senate hopeful takes the stand  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  PARNELL DOUBTS GROW — All eyes are on SEAN PARNELL when he testifies today for the second and final time in an ugly child custody battle with his estranged wife, LAURIE SNELL.

Getting Back to Normal Is Only Possible Until You Test Positive  —  When I first received the invitation to the wedding where I would eventually get COVID, I was on the fence about attending at all.  My best friend had gone through a tough divorce and was remarrying.  I was thrilled for him.

USC Pushed a $115,000 Online Degree.  Graduates Got Low Salaries, Huge Debts.  —  The prestigious private university hired a for-profit firm to recruit low-income students to its social-work master's program; 'You don't feel like you're part of an elite school'

Inside Ivy Getty's Fantasy Wedding Weekend in San Francisco  —  Artist and model Ivy Love Getty, the great granddaughter of J. Paul Getty and one of the heiresses to the oil fortune he amassed, married photographer Tobias Alexander Engel in a ceremony officiated by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at City Hall in San Francisco.

Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to ask federal regulators to clear their boosters for all adults.  —  Pfizer and BioNTech are expected on Tuesday to ask federal regulators to expand authorization of its coronavirus booster shot to include all adults, according to two people familiar with the situation.

EXCLUSIVE Biden plans in-person summit with Trudeau, Lopez Obrador as soon as next week -sources  —  U.S. President Joe Biden is planning to host an in-person meeting with the leaders of Mexico and Canada, the first of its kind in more than five years, four people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

“Critical Race Theory” and actual education policy, part two  —  The core problem is a dangerous attack on efforts to measure learning  —  In yesterday's post I wrote about two recent trends in progressive education policy that have (rightly, I think) annoyed a lot of people …

Even in a polarized era, deep divisions in both partisan coalitions  —  Pew Research Center conducted this study to learn more about the complexity of the current political environment.  While partisanship remains the dominant factor in politics, we sought to identify the fissures within both partisan coalitions.

Most Voters Say Biden Endorsement Would Hurt Local Candidates  —  The sagging popularity of President Joe Biden has political consequences, as more than half of voters say they would vote against Biden-endorsed candidates in their state.  An endorsement by former President Donald Trump …

Tuvalu looking at legal ways to be a state if it is submerged  —  Tuvalu is looking at legal ways to keep its ownership of its maritime zones and recognition as a state even if the Pacific island nation is completely submerged due to climate change, its foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Guns, Knives, Flagpoles, And A Skateboard: A Guide To The Weapons At The Capitol Riot  —  WASHINGTON — On Jan. 16, FBI agents executed a search warrant at the Wylie, Texas, home of alleged Capitol rioter Guy Reffitt.  In his bedroom, agents found a holster with a Smith & Wesson semiautomatic handgun …

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu declines Senate bid in significant blow for Republicans  —  (CNN)New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu on Tuesday said he would not run against Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan in 2022, dealing a significant blow to Republicans who hoped the seat would be a top target in the critical midterm elections.

Trump DOJ chose not to brief Congress on “expected” Jan. 6 “unrest” … Justice Department officials considered briefing Congress on January 5 about expected “unrest” in Washington that week, but ultimately chose not to, according to records obtained by CREW.