Jim Jordan sent one of the texts revealed by January 6 committee  —  Rep. Liz Cheney reveals frantic texts from GOP lawmakers to Mark Meadows on January 6  —  (CNN)Rep. Jim Jordan forwarded a text message to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on January 5, outlining a legal theory …

Meadows and the Band of Loyalists: How They Fought to Keep Trump in Power  —  A small circle of Republican lawmakers, working closely with President Donald J. Trump's chief of staff, took on an outsize role in pressuring the Justice Department, amplifying conspiracy theories and flooding …

Donald Trump's Megaphone  —  Fox News news hosts knew that Trump's lies were lies—and they amplified them anyhow.  —  Screw it.  —  I've shown a good deal of restraint since news broke that I left Fox News.  —  I haven't done any TV about it, and I've let a lot of nonsense go by without a response.

Sinema pops Democrats' filibuster trial balloon on voting rights  —  Kyrsten Sinema supports the elections reform bill that Democrats are considering a year-end push to pass.  She doesn't support a shortcut around the filibuster to get it done.  —  The Arizona moderate is making clear …

Democrat Jeff Jackson expected to drop out of U.S. Senate race  —  A leading Democrat vying for North Carolina's soon-to-be-open U.S. Senate seat plans to leave the race, people familiar with the matter told WRAL Thursday.  —  Sen. Jeff Jackson, D-Mecklenburg, was expected to announce …

Unvaccinated Covid Patients Push Hospital Systems Past the Brink  —  Data analysis and visualization by David Ingold and Paul Murray  —  In a Kentucky hospital bed at the end of November, a Covid-19 patient from the state's latest wave of infections lay alone behind the glass isolation wall.

Two major airline CEOs question the need for masks on planes  —  New York (CNN Business)The CEOs of two of the nation's major airlines say they don't think wearing masks on planes does much to help limit exposure to Covid.  —  The comments from American Airlines (AAL) CEO Doug Parker …

My trip into the metaverse with Facebook defender-in-chief Nick Clegg … Nick Clegg may be available in Berlin.  He has a slot in Paris.  He'll make time for lunch in Brussels.  Then Omicron hits, and the vice-president of global affairs at Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is not coming to Europe after all.

Americans can soon renew passports online, thanks to Biden order  —  The order also includes new technologies to speed up airport security  —  President Biden signed an executive order Monday to allow Americans to renew their passports online, eliminating the need for physical documents and paper checks to be sent through the mail.

Scoop: Perdue rejected GOP appeals to skip governor race  —  A majority of Georgia's Republican state senators quietly sent former Sen. David Perdue a letter last month asking him not to run for governor, Axios has learned.  Weeks later, Perdue forged ahead and announced his primary challenge to incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp.

Scoop: Biden to stop holding undocumented families in detention centers  —  The Biden administration is ending the practice of holding undocumented migrant families in detention centers, turning to remote tracking technology such as ankle bracelets as alternatives.

MTA manager caught using blow-up doll in apparent attempt to skirt HOV laws  —  Surely, he can't be serious.  —  An MTA manager claims an inflatable doll that's been riding shotgun in his Kia Telluride is there “for the company” — and not to skirt HOV restrictions, as his coworkers suspect.

U.S. Seeks to Replace Every Lead Water Pipe in the Country Within a Decade  —  White House to announce plan including new EPA rules, funded by $15 billion from the recently passed infrastructure bill  —  WASHINGTON—The Biden administration intends to announce a plan to replace every lead water pipeline …

GOP candidates are flocking to Mar-a-Lago to pay Trump for the privilege of hosting their events  —  The Washington Post identified at least 30 events held by GOP candidates or conservative groups at Trump properties through mid-December, more tallied than in any previous year

The bulldogs of Benghazi roll over for insurrectionists  —  Paging Trey Gowdy!  Where's the bulldog of Benghazi when his country needs him?  —  On Sept. 11, 2012, terrorists attacked the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.  Four Americans died.  —  On Jan. 6, 2021, terrorists attacked the U.S. Capitol.

After Taliban Return, Afghan Women Face Old Pressures From Fathers, Brothers  —  Family dynamics are changing as some men assert their power.  ‘Nothing scares me more than my father.  Not even the Taliban.’  —  KABUL—When Marjan Amiri marched for women's rights on the streets of Kabul in September …

More Americans than usual have been changing parties.  Why?  —  Here's what our research found  —  As we head into 2022, expect a deluge of predictions about the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.  Will Democrats maintain, widen or lose their slight advantage in the Senate?

Retail sales disappoint in November, raising concerns that inflation is slowing spending  —  Spending rose a modest 0.3 percent, as rising gas and grocery costs prompted Americans to pull back in other categories  —  Rising prices on gas and groceries are prompting Americans to pull back in other areas …

Helsinki Commission Welcomes Passage of Trap Provision in 2022 National Defense Authorization Act  —  WASHINGTON—Helsinki Commission Chairman Sen. Cardin (MD), Co-Chairman Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09), Ranking Member Sen. Roger Wicker (MS), and Ranking Member Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02) …

In Trump country, a willingness to set aside politics as Biden visits  —  MAYFIELD, Ky. — Cliff Giambrone most certainly didn't vote for President Biden and, in fact, was outside the U.S. Capitol protesting the election results on Jan. 6.  On the trailer hitch on the back of his van …

Historic wind storm slamming central U.S. with rare tornado threat in the north  —  Minnesota and northern Iowa could see their first December tornadoes on record; winds are expected to gust over 60 mph in Denver, Omaha and Des Moines.  —  Half of the Lower 48 faces a dangerous weather event Wednesday …

Leaving Gracie Mansion, Mayor de Blasio looks ahead  —  NEW YORK - Bill de Blasio stood on the front porch of historic Gracie Mansion a few nights ago, surveying a magnificent panorama of the East River, Triborough Bridge and towering skyscrapers before him.

Why Is the Left Worried Suddenly About the End of Democracy?  —  They are fearful and angry not because democracy does not work, but because it does despite their own media and political efforts to warp it.  —  What is behind recent pessimistic appraisals of democracy's future …