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 …

House passes workaround to move forward on raising the debt ceiling  —  The House passed a bill Tuesday night to expedite a debt ceiling fix in the Senate, allowing Democrats to essentially raise the nation's credit limit on their own and thwart a Christmastime default.

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:

Austin Rejects ‘Red Lines’ for Taiwan, Ukraine  —  As crises loom, defense secretary reveals a bit of his diplomacy-first thinking.  —  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who served as a general during several Middle East wars, is used to the military charting the U.S. path in conflict zones.

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 …

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.

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regulator, withdraws nomination  —  Saule Omarova, President Biden's pick to serve as a top banking regulator, has withdrawn her nomination for the office of the Comptroller of the Currency.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

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 …

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.

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.

Charlottesville's Robert E. Lee statue will be melted down by city's African American history museum  —  The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that once provoked a deadly weekend of violence in Charlottesville will soon be melted down and turned into a new piece of public artwork …

Exclusive: WSJ taps Biden, Trump pollsters for 2022  —  The Wall Street Journal and its parent company Dow Jones are making big changes to its polling strategy ahead of the midterms, executives tell Axios.  —  Why it matters: The company had partnered with NBC News for the past three decades on polling.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

‘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 …

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 …

How Biden Is Reshaping The Courts  —  When former President Donald Trump left office in January, one of the most formidable aspects of his legacy was his imprint on the federal courts.  In Trump's four years in the White House, he appointed three Supreme Court justices …

Chris Cuomo Will Not Receive Severance, CNN President Says  —  Star anchor was fired on Saturday after probe into his involvement in Andrew Cuomo's defense  —  CNN President Jeff Zucker told employees in a meeting Tuesday that the network won't pay anchor Chris Cuomo a severance after firing …

Lin Wood Claims Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Under Influence of ‘the Devil’  —  ‘DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS’  —  Pro-Trump lawyer Lin Wood, who's embroiled in an escalating war of words with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), told The Daily Beast that he believes the far-right firebrand is under the “influence of the devil.”

In new podcast interview, Kyle Rittenhouse says traveling to Kenosha was ‘not the best idea’  —  About 24 minutes into the podcast “You Are Here” on the right-wing network the Blaze on Monday night, co-host Sydney Watson told her guest, Kyle Rittenhouse, that it was “kind of impressive” that …