Trump cancels Jan. 6 event amid GOP complaints  —  Senate Republicans can now breathe easier on Jan. 6.  —  Former President Donald Trump's announcement Tuesday evening that he would cancel a previously planned press conference is good news for Senate Republicans, who earlier in the day openly fretted …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Democracy is not in crisis just because Democrats are losing  —  Everywhere you look, Democrats are warning about the threat to democracy currently posed by Trump or the GOP or some combination of the two.  The panic seems omnipresent and is peaking as we approach the anniversary of the Jan. 6 riots at the capitol.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Sen. Ted Cruz says Republicans are likely to impeach Biden if they retake House  —  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) predicted Republicans would move to impeach President Biden “whether it's justified or not” if they retake the House in this year's midterm elections.  —  The White House responded Tuesday …