GOP shudders at Trump Jan. 6 speech  —  Senate Republicans are cringing at former President Donald Trump's plans to speak on Jan. 6, openly fretting he's trying to pull their party back into debating his false election claims.  —  “I don't think that's a good idea,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).

Ben Smith Is Leaving The Times for a Global News Start-Up  —  Mr. Smith will help start a new organization with Justin Smith, the chief executive of Bloomberg Media.  —  Ben Smith, the media columnist for The New York Times, is leaving the paper to start a new global news organization with Justin Smith …

Scoop: Jan. 6 committee to request Sean Hannity's cooperation  —  The Jan. 6 select committee is preparing to ask Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity for his voluntary cooperation with its investigation of the assault on the U.S. Capitol, a source with direct knowledge of the plans tells Axios.

What if the Jan. 6 insurrection had succeeded in illegally installing Trump?  —  What if Donald Trump were illegally installed for a second term?  Election stealer would then have moved quickly to consolidate power, with Republican help.  —  View Comments

No Way to Grow Up  —  American children are in crisis.  —  American children are starting 2022 in crisis.  —  I have long been aware that the pandemic was upending children's lives.  But until I spent time pulling together data and reading reports, I did not understand just how alarming the situation had become.

Ron Johnson escalates attack on vaccines: ‘Why do we think that we can create something better than God?’  —  Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) this week doubled down on his campaign to promote the so-called “natural immunity” that occurs after one has been infected by Covid-19.

New COVID-19 variant named IHU discovered in France  —  What is the IHU variant?  —  A new COVID-19 variant has been discovered in France.  It is called IHU.  —  NEW YORK - A new COVID-19 variant has been detected in France.  The variant has been named IHU.

Biden disapproval hits new high as voters give him bad grades on economy, new CNBC/Change poll says  — President Joe Biden's overall disapproval rating reached a new high in December as more voters signaled their unhappiness with his handling of the economy and the Covid pandemic.

Ron DeSantis's Vaccination Status Is Now a State Secret … Florida governor Ron DeSantis has been walking a delicate balancing act on vaccinations, assiduously courting vaccine skeptics without going so far to the right that he lands in Marjorie Taylor Greene territory.

Lies are bad.  A press corps enabling liars is worse  —  Propaganda works when reporters fear telling the truth.  —  It's conventional wisdom among newspaper reporters that we should let readers decide.  Don't come to conclusions.  Just present the facts objectively.  Leave the rest to the op-ed page.

Manchin: There are ‘no negotiations’ on Biden spending bill ‘at this time’  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told reporters Tuesday that he isn't involved in any serious talks at this time about reviving President Biden's sweeping climate and social spending bill, underscoring the lack of progress …

Kelly Ernby, former Orange County GOP state Assembly candidate and deputy D.A., dies of COVID-19  —  Kelly Ernby, a political newcomer who ran for an Orange County state Assembly seat two years ago as a Republican, died this week of COVID-19.  In addition to political activism …

Inside D.C.'s Rowdy New Progressive Scene  —  Once a month, in the latter, vaccinated half of 2021, denizens of D.C.'s progressive ecosystem flocked to a bar in Washington's Adams Morgan neighborhood for a happy hour hosted by the pollster and think tank Data for Progress.

Capitol rioter compares attacks on her to treatment of ‘Jews in Germany’  —  Jenna Ryan, a Texas realtor who has sought to parlay her role in the Capitol riot into a career as a right-wing media personality, posted a tweet in March last year that quickly went viral.

POLITICO Playbook: The election reform idea gaining currency on the right  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  TODAY'S BIG EVENT: Senate Democrats will hold a virtual meeting at 12:45 p.m. It will be the first opportunity of the new year for all 50 caucus members to talk about where Build Back Better 2. stands …

USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll: Red flags for the GOP on the midterms, for Biden on leadership  —  A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll raises a red flag for Republicans on the midterm elections and offers mixed advice for President Joe Biden on whether he should fight or fold on his big domestic initiative.

Kamala Harris aide leaves vice president's office for Capitol Hill on heels of other departures  — Another aide is leaving Vice President Kamala Harris' office soon after two other advisors departed late last year.  — Vincent Evans, who was Harris' deputy director of public engagement …

Hogan declares 30-day state of emergency as state enters its ‘most challenging time’ of the pandemic  —  Gov. Larry Hogan declared a 30-day state of emergency that mobilizes the National Guard to assist state and local health officers at testing and vaccine sites and authorizes the state Department …

The Elizabeth Holmes Verdict: Theranos Founder Is Guilty on Four of 11 Charges in Fraud Trial  —  Jury's mixed verdict caps downfall for former startup CEO who claimed to revolutionize the blood-testing industry  —  SAN JOSE, Calif.— A federal jury convicted Elizabeth Holmes …

U.S. Logs Record 1 Million Virus Cases With Data Delay  —  The U.S. added more than 1 million people to its Covid-19 case count on Monday as the true scope of a surge in infections over the holidays began to round into view.  —  The highly mutated variant, combined with delayed reporting …

The Radicalization of J.D. Vance  —  As he runs for the Senate, the ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ author has gone from media darling to establishment pariah.  Is his new, fiery, right-wing persona an act?  Or is something more interesting going on?  —  Let's start with the beard.  J.D. Vance didn't used to have one.

Latino groups want to do away with “Latinx”  —  Elected officials, a major newspaper and the oldest Latino civil rights organization in the U.S. have all spoken out strongly in recent weeks against the continued use of “Latinx,” the gender-neutral term promoted by progressives to describe people of Spanish-speaking origin.

As Midterms and 2024 Loom, Trump Political Operation Revs Up  —  The former president is set to headline an event at Mar-a-Lago next month for endorsed candidates and major donors to benefit a supportive super PAC.  —  Donald J. Trump and his allies are scheduling events and raising money …