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.

Top Senate Republican signals support for election reform  —  A top Republican is signaling his party isn't necessarily opposed to joining with Democrats to clarify an existing federal law to reduce the potential for election subversion.  —  Driving the news: While broader federal voting …

I-95 in Va. reopens as motorists battle bailout traffic jam on Route 1  —  Have you or someone you know been stuck on I-95?  Tell WTOP about your experiences.  —  Listen to WTOP live online and on the radio at 103.5 FM.  Download the free WTOP News app for Android and Apple phones to sign up for custom traffic and weather alerts.

Entrata founder emails Utah tech CEOs, claiming COVID vaccine part of extermination plot by ‘the Jews’  —  SALT LAKE CITY — The founder and chair of Entrata, a Silcon Slopes tech firm, sent an email to a number of tech CEOs and Utah business and political leaders, claiming the COVID-19 vaccine …

Ben Smith Can't Say What His New Media Venture Is  —  The departing Times media columnist and former editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed News wants to push the envelope but isn't yet ready to say just how.  —  Ben Smith had a hundred-and-forty-four unread text messages when we talked …

The Real Tragedy of Jan. 6 Is That It's Still Not Over  —  I had a front-row seat to the riot.  A year later, one thing is clear: Nothing has changed. … It was around noon on Jan. 6, 2021, and I was already late.  —  I was supposed to be covering the counting of the electoral votes …

Rep. Brenda Lawrence to retire from Congress, leaving Detroit-area seat up for grabs  —  Washington — U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence said she plans to retire from Congress at the end of her term, becoming the 25th House Democrat to decide against seeking reelection in 2022.

White House embraces a manage-not-contain Omicron game plan  —  When President Joe Biden took office last January amid a winter Covid-19 surge, he vowed an all-out federal assault aimed at vanquishing the virus.  —  A year later, with the country facing unprecedented levels of disease once again …

Kazakhstan government resigns after violent protests over fuel price  —  Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the government's resignation on Wednesday, his office said, after a fuel price increase in the oil-rich Central Asian country triggered protests in which nearly 100 police were injured.

Manchin floats modest Senate rules changes  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Tuesday night floated smaller changes to the Senate rules that would stop short of the filibuster reforms being pushed for by many of his Democratic colleagues.  —  Manchin, coming out of a meeting …

2022 House Overview: Still a GOP Advantage, but Redistricting Looks Like a Wash  —  The surprising good news for Democrats: on the current trajectory, there will be a few more Biden-won districts after redistricting than there are now — producing a congressional map slightly less biased in the GOP's favor than the last decade's.

Manhattan DA to stop seeking prison sentences in slew of criminal cases  —  Who needs soft-on-crime judges when the district attorney doesn't even want to lock up the bad guys?  —  Manhattan's new DA has ordered his prosecutors to stop seeking prison sentences for hordes of criminals …

‘Vaccine Police’ Leader Traveling Country With Flamethrower Jailed for Trespassing  —  The antivax leader, who set out to arrest Democratic governors, has found himself behind bars.  —  An anti-COVID-19 vaccine organization leader, who recently set out on a cross-country road trip …

One MVP voter says he won't vote for Aaron Rodgers, calling him “the biggest jerk in the league”  —  Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the favorite to win the league's MVP award.  But one voter has already ruled out Rodgers for consideration.  —  That voter is Hub Arkush …

As China Tensions Smoulder, Japan and Australia Move to Sign Defense Treaty  —  Australia-Japan pact will allow troops to freely enter each other's countries for exercises without having to negotiate terms each time  —  in Adelaide, Australia and Alastair Gale

North Korea fires suspected ballistic missile into the sea  —  North Korea has fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast, in its first such launch since October.  —  The missile landed in water between the Korean peninsula and Japan, bringing condemnation from Seoul and Tokyo.

GOP sees ‘huge red wave’ potential by targeting critical race theory  —  Missouri state Rep. Brian Seitz has one clear priority for the 2022 legislative session: “Shut down” critical race theory in his state.  He intends to do that by passing a bill that would forbid public school teachers …

More than 1,000 US public figures aided Trump's effort to overturn election  —  Insurrection Index identifies those who acted as accomplices by participating in 6 January attack or spreading Trump's ‘big lie’  —  More than 1,000 Americans in positions of public trust acted as accomplices …

Aw, Apple Made Me a “Memory” of the Time I Hid From Rioters in the U.S. Capitol  —  What was it like being inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021?  Kind of a blur.  My colleagues and I on the congressional beat first got word that a House office building was under lockdown.

Georgia opens investigation into possible illegal ballot harvesting in 2020 election  —  Secretary of State Raffensperger says subpoenas could be forthcoming.  — Article  —  Georgia authorities have launched an investigation into an allegation of systematic ballot harvesting during …