Why I'm Seeking a Third Senate Term  —  I'd like to retire, but I think the country is in too much peril.  —  I decided to run for the U.S. Senate in 2010 because growing entitlements and out-of-control federal spending had exploded our national debt to $14 trillion.

Steve Bannon Is Onto Something  —  In his 2020 book “Politics Is for Power,” Eitan Hersh, a political scientist at Tufts, sketched a day in the life of many political obsessives in sharp, if cruel, terms.  —  To Hersh, that's not politics.  It's what he calls “political hobbyism.”

They bought a blender.  Three weeks later, their cats continue to hold it hostage.  —  On Black Friday, Jessica and Nikii Gerson-Neeves bought a blender.  It was a Vitamix blender, a professional-grade splurge, and the couple was looking forward to a winter of smoothies and soups.

Early Data Hints at Omicron's Potential Toll Across America  —  The extremely transmissible Omicron variant is spreading quickly across the United States, making up a vast majority of U.S. cases after becoming dominant in the week before Christmas.  —  The Centers for Disease Control …

U.S. Details Costs of a Russian Invasion of Ukraine  —  The Biden administration and its allies are developing new possible sanctions ahead of a series of meetings to defuse the crisis with Moscow.  —  WASHINGTON — The Biden administration and its allies are assembling a punishing set of financial …

A rural Washington school board race shows how far-right extremists are shifting to local power … EATONVILLE, Wash. — On the morning she met her opponent for coffee, Sarah Cole walked in with a front-runner's confidence.  —  To Cole, the school board seat in this rural red district about an hour outside Seattle was all but hers.

Adams defends brother's NYPD job, says he'll protect against white supremacists  —  Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday defended choosing his brother to serve as a deputy NYPD commissioner, saying he needs someone he can trust to protect him — including from potential threats by white supremacists.

Walensky says Sotomayor's pediatric COVID hospitalization number was off 96.5%  —  The Supreme Court justice claimed there are more than 100,000 children in ‘serious condition’ from COVID-19  —  CDC director corrects Justice Sotomayor on mischaracterization of pediatric hospitalizations

Trump's Cable Cabinet: New texts reveal the influence of Fox hosts on previous White House  —  Stephanie Grisham, former press secretary to President Donald Trump, remembers the challenges that came from so many Fox News hosts having the direct number to reach Trump in the White House residence.

How the Trump Social-Media Ban Paid Off for Trump, Platforms  —  One year after being kicked off Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, the former president is raking in campaign cash and planning his own social-media company  —  For an entire year, Donald Trump has been banned from mainstream social-media outlets.

Alan Dershowitz asked Donald Trump to grant Ghislaine Maxwell a pre-emptive pardon  —  Jeffrey Epstein's former lawyer lobbied Donald Trump to pre-emptively pardon Ghislaine Maxwell during the final days of his presidency after talks with her family.  —  Alan Dershowitz, 83 …

What New Yorkers See in This Portrait of the Mayor's Mother  —  Dorothy Mae Adams-Streeter posed for a portrait at her 75th birthday party.  Her image, floating in a brandy snifter, has a powerful resonance.  —  On New Year's Day, when Eric Adams was sworn in as the 110th mayor of New York City …

Biden shied away from news conferences, interviews in Year 1  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — In what's become a familiar scene President Joe Biden lingered after delivering a recent speech on the pandemic as reporters fired a barrage of questions.  —  He bristled at a query about the shortage …

Texas GOP's voting meme shows how Trump-style messaging wins internet's attention  —  The Republican Party of Texas' meme that linked COVID-19 test wait times with waiting in line to vote is the latest example of a growing — and successful — political social media strategy, experts say.  —  Copy link

Taliban Detain Prominent Critic, Intensifying Crackdown on Dissent in Afghanistan  —  After initial tolerance,Taliban start arresting, killing Afghans for criticizing regime  —  KABUL—The Taliban have arrested a Kabul university professor who gained national fame for berating a senior official …

FACT FOCUS: Unfounded theory used to dismiss COVID measures  —  An unfounded theory taking root online suggests millions of people have been “hypnotized” into believing mainstream ideas about COVID-19, including steps to combat it such as testing and vaccination.

U.S. experts offer a sensible strategy for living with covid.  Biden should listen.  —  Quite understandably, the coronavirus pandemic at first was a dire emergency.  But it can't be one forever.  The crisis will have to shift to a manageable health threat without massive disruption and overwhelming anxiety.

‘We are going right to the belly of the beast’: Biden takes on Georgia  —  Fresh off a high-profile speech in which he warned that a dagger had been placed at the throat of American democracy, President Joe Biden will travel to the state that White House officials view as “ground zero” for Republican-led election suppression efforts.