Former President Barack Obama: We need to follow John Lewis' example and fight for our democracy  —  “The world, and future generations, will be watching,” Obama writes as he calls on Senate to “do the right thing” and pass legislation to protect voting rights.  —  Barack ObamaSpecial to USA TODAY

Matt Gaetz's ex-girlfriend testifies to grand jury in sex trafficking probe  —  ORLANDO, Fla. — Rep. Matt Gaetz's ex-girlfriend testified Wednesday before a federal grand jury investigating him for sex crimes, a major development that suggests the Department of Justice may be moving closer to indicting him.

Political Instability Not U.S. Adversaries, Seen As Bigger Threat, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Nearly 6 In 10 Think Nation's Democracy Is In Danger Of Collapse  — mail_outline  —  In a sharply divided country, Americans agree on this: the bigger danger to the United States comes from within.

Pressed on his election lies, former President Trump cuts NPR interview short  —  Some Republican leaders are trying to move on from former President Donald Trump's failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election that he lost.  —  “While there were some irregularities, there were none …

Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany met with January 6 committee, sources say  —  (CNN)Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday appeared before the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection, two sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.

Mike Lindell says he has ‘enough evidence’ to put ‘300 million’ Americans in jail for election fraud  —  MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell argued this week that “300 million” Americans belong in jail for election fraud.  —  Lindell's remarks on Real America's Voice were first reported by Right Wing Watch.

Jan. 6 committee broaches witness tampering and Trump  —  A few weeks ago, Jan. 6 committee member Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) floated a specific crime she suggested President Donald Trump might have committed that day: “corruptly” obstructing or attempting to obstruct an “official proceeding” …

Redistricting: Ohio Supreme Court strikes down state House and Senate maps  —  Jessie Balmert Laura A. BischoffThe Columbus Dispatch  —  The Ohio Supreme Court struck down GOP-drawn state House and Senate maps as unconstitutional gerrymandering in a 4-3 decision Wednesday …

Republicans stung by a change they made on judicial picks  —  Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee warned for years that a change Republicans made during the Trump administration for judicial nominees would one day work against them — and Wednesday was that day.

The Great Epstein Cover-up, Part 2  —  Last week, we reviewed our ruling class's strange lack of interest in Jeffrey Epstein's child molestation ring, in which so many of them played a part.  The media cover-up is second only to the government cover-up, with prosecutors delivering loss …

Rep. Trey Hollingsworth won't run for reelection in Indiana's 9th district.  Here's why.  —  U.S. Rep. Trey HollingsworthSpecial to IndyStar  —  At the entryway to your congressional office on my very first day as your representative, I had a plaque installed that reads …

Revealed: The Billionaires Funding the Coup's Brain Trust  —  Conservative mega-donors including the DeVoses and Bradleys are pumping big money into the Claremont Institute think tank that fueled Trump's election-fraud fantasies  —  The Claremont Institute, once a little-known …

Olivia Nuzzi Developing Pitch-Black Satirical DC Drama At AMC  —  EXCLUSIVE: Olivia Nuzzi, the Washington correspondent for New York magazine who wrote some of the wildest stories about President Donald Trump during his four years in office, is turning her attention to television.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice says he's ‘extremely unwell’ after testing positive for coronavirus  —  West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) announced late Tuesday that he's “extremely unwell” after testing positive for coronavirus, forcing him to postpone his State of the State address.

A Look Inside Rikers: ‘Fight Night’ and Gang Rule, Captured on Video  —  Videos obtained by The New York Times reveal scenes of violence as the Department of Correction struggles to restore order in the jail system.  —  The men had gotten along on Rikers Island, had even been friendly …

U.S. COVID deaths rising but likely due to Delta, not Omicron, says CDC chief  —  COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States have increased by about 33% and deaths are up by about 40% from a week earlier, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday.

Florida Is Now a MAGA Megachurch  —  With Donald Trump as the Almighty and Ron DeSantis as the prosperity-gospel pastor.  —  Florida—or God's waiting room, as the locals refer to it—has always emitted a siren song drawing snowbirds to it.  The combination of beaches, golf, warm weather …

Omicron wave prompts media to rethink which data to report  —  NEW YORK (AP) — For two years, coronavirus case counts and hospitalizations have been widely used barometers of the pandemic's march across the world.  —  But the omicron wave is making a mess of the usual statistics …

We suspected that rightwing politics caused mass injury and death.  A new book proves it  —  When partisanship subsumes everything, people die.  Period. … The Republicans are sabotaging the country's full recovery from the covid pandemic.  They don't think so, though.

Scientists believed Covid leaked from Wuhan lab - but feared debate could hurt ‘international harmony’  —  Emails to Dr Anthony Fauci show ‘likely’ explanation identified at start of coronavirus pandemic, but there were worries about saying so  —  Leading British and US scientists thought …

Grid, a ‘Fuller Picture’ News Site, Goes Live  —  The latest media start-up, with millions in funding and a team of more than 20 journalists, aims to bring clarity to weighty issues.  —  Grid, a news site more than a year in the making, went live early Wednesday, with the goal of becoming …

Biden says separated migrant families deserve compensation.  But in court, the Justice Dept. says they're not entitled to it.  —  Two months after President Biden said migrant families separated at the border under the Trump administration deserve compensation, his administration's lawyers …

Saratoga community voices concern over Housing Element proposal  —  Dozens of community members voiced their opposition to Saratoga's plans for future housing development at a special virtual meeting Monday evening  —  More than 550 residents sat in on the seven-hour meeting …

How the Left Alienates Jews  —  Jewish voices are too often excluded from precisely the conversations they should be leading.  —  Eons ago—in 2019—Linda Sarsour, Tamika Mallory, and Bob Bland stepped down from their leadership positions on the Women's March board after a series of self-inflicted wounds.