Republicans' Jan. 6 Responsibility  —  The GOP has a duty to condemn the riot and those who refuse to acknowledge it.  —  We're in an acrimonious period of partisan tribalism and have been for some time.  Both parties are guilty of overwrought denunciations of their political opponents.

Mike Pence's team helping Jan. 6 committee  —  People in and around former Vice President Mike Pence's office have been particularly cooperative as the Jan. 6 select committee focuses on what former President Trump was doing during the more than three hours the Capitol was under attack, sources familiar with the testimony tell Axios.

Biden to squarely blame Trump for Jan. 6 assault  —  President Biden will squarely blame former president Donald Trump for the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, and for continuing to propagate falsehoods and unrest over the past year, when he speaks Thursday on the one-year anniversary of the insurrection.

Seattle police improperly faked radio chatter about Proud Boys as CHOP formed in 2020, investigation finds  —  At a crucial moment during 2020's racial justice protests, Seattle police exchanged a detailed series of fake radio transmissions about a nonexistent group of menacing right-wing extremists.

Scoop: Bipartisan Senate group in talks about election reform measure  —  A new bipartisan Senate group is in early discussions about crafting an election reform measure, as the Democrats' sweeping voting rights proposals continue to run into steep procedural hurdles.

‘Shut the whole system down’: S.F. teachers plan sickout as schools struggle amid omicron surge  —  A group of San Francisco teachers has organized a “sickout” Thursday, saying they will skip school because they feel the district failed to adequately protect them during the pandemic.

Russian troops arrive in protest-roiled Kazakhstan, where security forces have killed dozens of protesters  —  MOSCOW — Kazakhstan's sweeping anti-government protests turned deadly early Thursday, as overnight clashes saw “dozens” of demonstrators “eliminated,” authorities said, and Russian troops arrived to help the government.

Accused Capitol Rioter Edward Jacob Lang Blasts Trump and Begs For His Help in Jailhouse Call  —  Calling in to a right-wing show, Edward Jacob Lang told Trump that “We are rotting in jail because we stood up for what you told us to stand up for!”  —  On the eve of the first anniversary …

Djokovic stuck in airport, Serbian president demands Australian entry  —  Novak Djokovic was left stranded at a Melbourne airport overnight, caught in a internatonal political maelstrom over whether Australia would honour the World No. 1's medical exemption from vaccine requirements or send him home due to a visa blunder.

Who Are the Real Insurrectionists?  —  Stone-cold sober elites are systematically waging a far more dangerous and insidious revolution in the shadows than anything threatened by the American Right.  —  Recently, Democrats have been despondent over Joe Biden's sinking polls.

Think Jan. 6 Was A Big Deal?  Here Are 30 Far More Significant Events On That Day In History  —  The rest of the nation may have moved on, but Democrats are determined to squeeze the events of a year ago for every ounce of political juice they can from the events that happened at the U.S. Capitol.

F.B.I. Arrests Man Accused of Stealing Unpublished Book Manuscripts  —  Filippo Bernardini, an Italian citizen who worked in publishing, was charged with wire fraud and identity theft for a scheme that prosecutors said affected hundreds of people over five or more years.

For C.D.C.'s Walensky, a Steep Learning Curve on Messaging  —  Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has stumbled in explaining her policy decisions.  —  WASHINGTON — Two days before Christmas, with the Omicron variant driving a near-vertical rise …

The Strangest Ongoing Mystery of January 6  —  The security-camera footage is grainy and gray with no sound, like an old silent film.  Night has fallen in Washington, and a person wearing a light-colored hoodie, a face mask, and Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers strides down the sidewalk along South Capitol Street carrying a backpack.

Right wing brain worms are a real thing  —  This is a followup to Scott's post about the fresh martyrdom of yet another academic right winger.  —  I've known Larry Alexander for 30 years.  I used to talk to him quite a bit back in the day — we have overlapping interests in regard …

USDA Secretary Vilsack's Son Now Works for a Controversial Ethanol Pipeline Project  —  Fight disinformation.  Get a daily recap of the facts that matter.  Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter.  —  To reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's agribusinesses and farms …