Top Republicans stand up for Rounds after Trump's attack: He ‘told the truth’  —  (CNN)Senior Republicans are closing ranks behind Sen. Mike Rounds after he endured a scathing attack from former President Donald Trump for acknowledging the reality that President Joe Biden won the 2020 election.

Hillary Clinton's 2024 Election Comeback  —  Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have become unpopular.  It may be time for a change candidate.  —  A perfect storm in the Democratic Party is making a once-unfathomable scenario plausible: a political comeback for Hillary Clinton in 2024.

Justice Dept. forms new domestic terrorism unit to address growing threat  —  The Justice Department is forming a new domestic terrorism unit to help combat a threat that has intensified dramatically in recent years, a top national security official said Tuesday.

Gov. Northam says he's ‘99% sure’ of identity of man in blackface  —  Who was the mystery man in blackface?  —  Gov. Ralph Northam told The Washington Post that he is “99% sure” of the identity of the man who donned blackface in a photograph included on his medical school yearbook page ― …

Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Trump Jr. advisers, Trump speechwriter  —  The select panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection is homing in on Donald Trump Jr.  —  The committee issued subpoenas for two close advisers, Andrew Surabian and Arthur Schwartz, to former President Donald Trump's eldest son on Tuesday …

NPR hosts' departures fuel questions over race.  The full story is complex  —  In the wake of a trio of departures, news stories and private messages shared among NPR staffers reflected the concern that Black and Latina stars are leaving the network in droves.

California hospitals find that Omicron causes fewer hospitalizations and shorter stays.  —  A new study of nearly 70,000 Covid patients in California demonstrates that Omicron causes less severe disease than other coronavirus variants.  The new research, posted online Tuesday …

A new plan to ‘Trump-proof’ the 2024 election quietly comes together  —  If Republicans succeed in blocking Democratic efforts to protect voting rights this week, as expected, the push to defend democracy will be anything but dead.  That's because another important proposal to prevent …

This Is Very Serious  —  A new publication from Josh Barro  —  A lot of writers write about people they disagree with.  I think part of what makes me different — and has made me different through my career — is that I try to write for people I disagree with.

FAA's Statement On Mysterious Air Traffic Halt Leaves More Questions Than Answers  —  The Federal Aviation Administration has finally put out an official statement regarding a still very mysterious ground stop order that it issued to all aircraft in the western U.S. and Hawaii yesterday around 2:30 PM PST.

Kanye West's Associates Can't Agree on Whether He's Meeting Vladimir Putin  —  One says the rapper/entrepreneur is plotting concerts, musical collaborations, and business opportunities with some Trump-connected billionaires; another calls the whole story “entirely fabricated”

Novak Djokovic Tested Positive: A Timeline of What Happened Next  —  If a tennis star knew he was positive for the coronavirus, why did he keep making public appearances without a mask?  —  In an interview room at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne, an Australian immigration officer sat down across from the tennis star Novak Djokovic.

Ted Cruz grills FBI on Ray Epps, asks if FBI had informants on Jan. 6  —  Sen. Ted Cruz on Tuesday grilled a top FBI official on whether bureau informants were present at the Jan. 6 riots — zeroing in on a man named Ray Epps.  —  Jill Sanborn, the FBI's executive assistant director …

Hot mic catches Fauci calling GOP senator ‘a moron’  —  White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci was caught on a hot mic Tuesday calling Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) “a moron” during his testimony before the Senate Health Committee on the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

New FOIA Document Asserts NSBA Letter Was Drafted at Request of Education Secretary  —  In newly obtained emails between National School Board Association board members Marnie Maldonado and Kristi Swett dated October 5-6, 2021, Ms. Swett —an officer of the NSBA board currently serving …

Biden-Cheney 2024?  —  As I've noted before, one reason I pay very close attention to the Israeli-Palestinian arena is that a lot of trends get perfected there first and then go global — airline hijacking, suicide bombing, building a wall, the challenges of pluralism and lots more.

A marketing firm that works with Jewish groups, Big Duck, has nixed a potential client because of its Israel ties  —  (JTA) — A marketing firm that has worked extensively with Jewish nonprofits has declined to work with one because of growing concerns among its staff members about groups with “significant programming in Israel.”

Biden Administration Approves 5 More Guantánamo Releases  —  Nearly half of the last 39 detainees have now been approved for transfer, and the challenge for U.S. officials is to find countries to receive them.  —  WASHINGTON — A U.S. government review panel has approved the release …

How Should Republicans Talk About Jan. 6?  —  The answer seems to be: Minimize it when we need votes, but denounce it when we want praise.  —  Last year I lost a congressional primary race on a platform that explicitly criticized former President Trump's behavior after the 2020 election …

The Biden sit-down that split PBS  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With Allie Bice.  —  Networks and news outlets are used to jockeying with each other for coveted presidential interviews.

The Trailer: San Francisco's school board recalls are tearing Democrats apart  —  In this edition: The school board battle in San Francisco, a special election in Florida and the continuing Democratic retirement party.  —  The only newsletter that promises never to use a “devil went down to Georgia pun”: This is The Trailer.

Supreme Court clears way for liberal group to depose Assembly Speaker Robin Vos  —  MADISON - The Wisconsin Supreme Court slammed down Assembly Speaker Robin Vos' attempt to avoid a deposition late Tuesday, setting the stage for him to take questions under oath Wednesday over whether he has followed the state's open records law.

Americans Reading Fewer Books Than in Past  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans say they read an average of 12.6 books during the past year, a smaller number than Gallup has measured in any prior survey dating back to 1990.  U.S. adults are reading roughly two or three fewer books per year than they did between 2001 and 2016.

The Marine Who Turned Against U.S. Empire  —  There are some figures whose place in the story of the American past is so central that schoolchildren cannot help but know them: George Washington, or Abraham Lincoln, or Rosa Parks.  But there is also a group of people who have not passed into national legend …

Ted Cruz's teen daughter comes out as bisexual  —  She described herself as bi on TikTok and said she “basically disagrees” with the far-right Senator on everything - from politics to her clothes.  —  Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz  —  Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-TX) daughter, Caroline …

The Agony of Parents With Kids Under 5  —  Sometimes I wake up to texts sent at 2 a.m. Sometimes they're from Meg, who lives in Scotland and is several time zones ahead, telling us her 4-year-old woke up with a fever.  Sometimes Kea, who lives in Maine, was up overnight with her 2-year-old.