House approves $768 billion defense bill with strong support, despite some discord among Democrats  —  The House passed a finalized version of the $768 defense authorization bill late Tuesday night with overwhelming majority support, moving legislation hamstrung by delays …

Exclusive: January 6 committee casts a wide net with over 100 subpoenas for phone records  —  (CNN)The House select committee investigating the January 6 riot has formally subpoenaed the phone records of more than 100 people, a substantial number that includes former Trump officials and associates …

Dems begin souring on vaccine mandates  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With Allie Bice.  —  Three months ago, as California Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM was turning around his fate in the state's recall election …

Pfizer's vaccine provides some protection against Omicron, a lab study suggests.  —  A report out of South Africa offered a first glimpse at how vaccinated people might fare against the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus.  —  Laboratory experiments found that Omicron seems …

‘Latinx’ is an unpopular term but Democrats shouldn't panic  —  New poll finds only 2% of U.S. Hispanics use term ‘Latinx’  —  Once again, the term “Latinx” is trending — and once again, it is all for the wrong reasons.  —  Like a modern-day Hydra, a term based on a Spanish gender-inclusive …

So you think Kamala Harris has it rough.  Remember Dan Quayle?  —  Kamala Harris can't catch a break.  —  When she's not being ignored — which is much of the time — the vice president is portrayed as inept, impossible to work for or depicted as an anchor weighing down the listing Biden administration.

‘I think we need to rethink entirely how we do things,’ says Dana Milbank of the Washington Post  —  Longtime Washington Post political journalist Dana Milbank on Friday accused his colleagues of being “accessories to the murder of democracy.”  —  Milbank wrote in his biweekly opinion column:

The pandemic worsened young people's mental health crisis.  —  The United States surgeon general on Tuesday warned that young people are facing “devastating” mental health effects as a result of the challenges experienced by their generation, including the coronavirus pandemic.

Wisconsin Conservative Group Finds ‘No Evidence Of Widespread Fraud’ In 2020 Election  —  A 10-month-long review of Wisconsin's 2020 election conducted by a conservative group in the state found no signs of widespread or significant election fraud, according to a new report of its findings …

Saule Omarova, Biden's pick for top bank regulator, withdraws nomination  —  Saule Omarova, President Biden's pick to serve as a top banking regulator, has withdrawn her nomination for the office of the Comptroller of the Currency.  —  The Cornell University law professor …

A Very Weird Interview With Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  —  There are many criticisms to lob at Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and, as a result of the COVID pandemic, one of the most powerful and adored physicians in America.

The Fight for Ukraine From Putin's View  —  He sees Russia's loss of the country as a historic injustice.  So how far will he go?  —  An independent Ukraine is for Vladimir Putin what the Treaty of Versailles was for Hitler —a historical injustice imposed on a defeated nation at its moment …

French Police Arrest Man in Connection With Khashoggi Killing  —  A man with the same name, Khalid Alotaibi, is wanted in connection with the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.  A Saudi official says France arrested the wrong man.  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon — The French police arrested …

Young Dems more likely to despise the other party  —  Nearly a quarter of college students wouldn't be friends with someone who voted for the other presidential candidate — with Democrats far more likely to dismiss people than Republicans — according to new Generation Lab/Axios polling.

CNN's Don Lemon blasted for not mentioning his own key role in Jussie Smollett drama  —  CNN host Don Lemon is getting blasted for covering his pal Jussie Smollett's trial on his late-night show — without mentioning his own central role in tipping off the “Empire” star that he was being investigated by police.

Inside Tim Cook's Secret $275 Billion Deal with Chinese Authorities  —  Interviews and internal Apple documents provide a behind-the-scenes look at how the company made concessions to Beijing and won key legal exemptions.  CEO Tim Cook personally lobbied officials over threats that would have hobbled its devices and services.

Michael Nutter: Larry Krasner owes an apology to the 521 families of Philly's homicide victims  —  District Attorney Larry Krasner's recent remarks about whether we are experiencing a crime crisis are some of the worst, most ignorant, and most insulting comments I have ever heard spoken …

I am leaving New York City for Florida.  I never thought I would  —  I was raised in Brooklyn, my husband in Queens.  Our three children were born in Manhattan  —  Parents should ‘speak up on behalf of their kids’: Karol Markowicz  —  I always hated the “Goodbye, New York” genre of writing.

Cancel Student Debt: $50K for Every Borrower  —  Higher education should be accessible to everyone, regardless of economic status or background.  Unfortunately, that's not the reality in the United States.  —  The cost of higher education has grown exponentially in our country …

Downing Street staff shown joking in leaked recording about Christmas party they later denied  —  Senior Downing Street staff joked about holding a Christmas party in Number 10 just four days after the event is alleged to have taken place last December, a recording leaked to ITV News has revealed.

Rep. Pressley to introduce resolution to condemn Rep. Boebert  —  Nearly a dozen House liberals want Democratic leadership to act against the Colorado Republican for anti-Muslim remarks  —  Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) plans to introduce a resolution Wednesday to strip Rep. Lauren Boebert …

Yamiche Alcindor Joins NBC News as Washington Correspondent (EXCLUSIVE) … Alcindor, who is expected to start with NBC in March, will cover the Biden administration as well as the impact of federal policies on communities across the country and issues at the intersection of race …

Hillary Clinton was right about the “deplorables” — and about the end of Roe v. Wade  —  Still hate Hillary's guts?  Fine.  But let's admit that she saw all this coming — and way before the rise of Trump  —  During her 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton warned us that Donald Trump and his …