Exclusive: Beto O'Rourke Is Running for Governor  —  For months, Texas Democrats have failed to field a single serious candidate to challenge Governor Greg Abbott's reelection bid.  But today, Beto O'Rourke is announcing in Texas Monthly that he is entering the 2022 gubernatorial race.

Alex Jones Guilty by Default in All Sandy Hook Defamation Suits  —  A Connecticut judge's ruling combines with decisions in Texas to grant a clean sweep for families of shooting victims in their cases against the Infowars host.  —  A superior court in Connecticut granted a sweeping victory …

Leahy, longest-serving sitting senator, to retire  —  Vermont Sen. Patrick J. Leahy announced Monday he won't seek reelection to a ninth term in Congress, opting to retire following nearly five decades in Washington.  —  Leahy is the first Senate Democrat to announce his retirement …

Trump called January 6 ‘a very beautiful time with extremely loving and friendly people’ in a March 2021 interview for a new book  — Donald Trump called January 6 “a very beautiful time” in a March 2021 interview.  — ABC News' Jonathan Karl writes in his forthcoming book that Trump “fondly” recalled the crowd on Jan. 6.

Trump ally Steve Bannon surrenders after his indictment on two counts of contempt of Congress  —  (CNN)Steve Bannon, a former adviser to former President Donald Trump, turned himself in to the FBI Monday morning after being indicted on criminal contempt charges for refusing to cooperate with the House committee investigating January 6.

The Bad Guys Are Winning  —  The future of democracy may well be decided in a drab office building on the outskirts of Vilnius, alongside a highway crammed with impatient drivers heading out of town.  —  I met Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya there this spring, in a room that held a conference table, a whiteboard, and not much else.

Inside Chris Christie's breakup with Trump  —  Chris Christie told me on “Axios on HBO” that he and former President Trump haven't spoken since before Jan. 6, when Christie frantically tried to reach his friend of 20 years — and Trump never picked up the phone.

New book alleges Fox's Maria Bartiromo shouted at Bill Barr about imagined voter fraud  —  (CNN Business)Former attorney general Bill Barr says Fox News host Maria Bartiromo called him up “screaming” about imaginary voter fraud, according to his account in a new book.

Exasperation and dysfunction: Inside Kamala Harris' frustrating start as vice president  —  (CNN)Worn out by what they see as entrenched dysfunction and lack of focus, key West Wing aides have largely thrown up their hands at Vice President Kamala Harris and her staff …

US journalist jailed in Myanmar for nearly 6 months is freed  —  BANGKOK (AP) — American journalist Danny Fenster, who was recently sentenced to 11 years of hard labor after spending nearly six months in jail in military-ruled Myanmar, was freed and on his way home Monday, a former U.S. diplomat who helped negotiate the release said.

How Republicans Have an Edge in the Emerging 2022 Congressional Maps  —  On a highly distorted congressional map that is still taking shape, the party has added enough safe House districts to capture control of the chamber based on its redistricting edge alone.

Liverpool Women's Hospital explosion declared a terror incident  —  An explosion outside Liverpool Women's Hospital on Remembrance Sunday has been declared a terror incident by police.  —  A taxi exploded and was engulfed in flames just before 11:00 GMT at a drop-off zone near the entrance …

Charlotte-area GOP members shaken by Cawthorn move to district  —  Dual announcements by U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn and N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore have shaken the Republican establishment of Mecklenburg County — potentially the new stomping grounds of North Carolina's most controversial politician.

Doubt in American System Increases  —  GOP belief in 2020 election fraud couples with fundamental distrust  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Three in ten Americans now believe the nation's system is fundamentally unsound, according to the Monmouth ("Mon-muth") University Poll.

Inside Felicia Sonmez's War Against the Washington Post  —  Why was a reporter punished for speaking up about sexual assault?  —  In February 2020, the leadership of the Washington Post was in the midst of an internal crisis.  Marty Baron, the revered executive editor credited with reviving …

Flu shots uptake is now partisan.  It didn't use to be  —  (CNN)Uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine has, unfortunately, become partisan like so much else in our society.  Almost every Democratic adult (90% to 95%) has gotten a shot, while a little less than two-thirds of Republican adults have.

The GOP's repugnant midterm strategy requires a tough Democratic response  —  As Democrats ponder their recent electoral drubbing, they seem divided into two camps.  Both concern how to respond to GOP culture-warmongering, which will be in full saturation mode through 2022 and beyond.