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

Kevin McCarthy Refuses Interview Request From Jan. 6 Committee  —  The panel said it was interested in conversations the top House Republican had with President Donald J. Trump on the day of the riot and afterward.  —  WASHINGTON — The House select committee scrutinizing the Jan. 6 attack …

Omicron waves appear to slow in New York City, other major metropolitan areas … The explosion of omicron cases along the Interstate 95 corridor from the Mid-Atlantic to New England is showing signs of slowing down, according to health officials and epidemiologists, offering reason …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

House Republicans Release Text of Redacted Fauci Emails on Covid Origins … On Tuesday, Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform released a letter that paints a damning picture of U.S. government officials wrestling with whether the novel coronavirus may have leaked …

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 …

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.

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.

Don't rule out a GOP Senate wave  —  ANALYSIS — As usual, Democrats are fighting among themselves — this time about what to do with the Senate filibuster.  —  Most would like to simply eliminate it, but that is not going to happen in a 50-50 Senate that includes Sens. Joe Manchin III …

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 …

I See Signs of Despair From Parents of Kids Under 5  —  I've been talking to parents about pandemic stress for nearly two years, and I haven't heard the level of despair that I've heard over the past week since the spring of 2020.  Some of the words parents used to describe their January 2022 …

Incoming North Korean Missile Warning Prompted FAA's Mysterious Air Traffic Halt  —  Two days after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a highly peculiar ground-stop order to aircraft operating across the western United States and Hawaii, and after the release of a remarkably murky official statement …

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.

Amherst residents voice support for moratorium on large-scale solar projects … AMHERST — A temporary moratorium on developing large-scale, ground-mounted solar projects, defined as ones that generate at least 250 kilowatts of power, is winning support from residents.

Extensive Hacking of Media & Civil Society in El Salvador with Pegasus Spyware  —  Key Findings  — The Citizen Lab and Access Now have conducted a joint investigation into Pegasus hacking in El Salvador in collaboration with Frontline Defenders, SocialTIC, and Fundación Acceso.

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 …

A Simple Plan to Solve All of America's Problems  —  Sign up for Derek's newsletter here.  —  During the holiday week, I spent a frigid afternoon standing in a long line outside the local library to pick up a rapid COVID test.  Lines for essential goods are a pretty good sign of failed public policy.

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 …

Ex-Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Is Coming Home to Start a New “Political Organization”  —  Enrique Tarrio is set to be released from jail on January 14 and plans to return to Miami over the weekend.  —  Time appears to have slowed down for Enrique “Henry” Tarrio.