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 …

POLITICO Playbook: Our exclusive new poll on voting rights  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  INFLATION WATCH — The Consumer Price Index for December 2021 will be released at 8:30 a.m. November's CPI came in at 6.8% for the previous 12 months, the biggest one-year increase since 1982.

Trump Rips ‘Gutless’ Politicians — Like DeSantis — Who Won't Say If They've Had Vaccine Booster: ‘Say It’  —  Former President Donald Trump said that politicians who don't disclose their booster shot status when asked in interviews are “gutless.”  —  He made the remarks on One America News in an interview aired on Tuesday night.

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.

Omicron will infect ‘just about everybody,’ Fauci says … The omicron coronavirus variant will infect “just about everybody” regardless of vaccination status, top U.S. infectious-disease expert Anthony S. Fauci said Tuesday.  —  But those who have been vaccinated will “very likely …

Schools See Big Drop in Attendance as Students Stay Away, Citing Covid-19  —  Depressed attendance rates create challenges for teaching and learning; ‘there has never been anything like this’  —  Public-school attendance across the U.S. has dropped to unusually low levels …

Johnson apologises over attending lockdown drinks party  —  Watch live: BBC News coverage of Prime Minister's Questions  —  Play video Watch live: BBC News coverage of Prime Minister's Questions  —  Summary  — Boris Johnson admits he attended a drinks party at No 10 during the first lockdown, saying he was there for 25 minutes

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.

MAGA App Gettr Sick of Their Racist Users, Bans Right-Wing Pundit Over N-Word  —  BOOTED  —  The free speech MAGA-loving social media site Gettr, founded by former Trump advisor Jason Miller, banned former Blaze TV host Jon Miller over using the N-word on their platform.

‘I hate to use this language:’ Marjorie Taylor Greene suggests it's time to use ‘Second Amendment’ on Democrats  —  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Tuesday floated resorting to using the “Second Amendment” to deal with Democrats who are imposing what she described as a “tyrannical” government.

December prices rise 7 percent, compared to a year earlier, as 2021 inflation reaches highest in 40 years  —  Officials within the Fed and Biden administration expect high inflation will persist through much of 2022  —  Prices rose at the fastest pace in 40 years in December …

‘Crime tourists’: An international spree targets D.C. area's wealthy Asian residents  —  A string of burglaries in the suburbs revealed a crime trend with worldwide reach  —  Detectives crept into the parking lot of a Days Inn in Alexandria one night in March and surreptitiously attached GPS trackers …

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.

Prince Andrew to face civil sex assault case after US ruling  —  Prince Andrew has failed in his bid to get a civil case which alleges he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre dismissed by a US judge.  —  Ms Giuffre is suing the prince claiming he abused her when she was 17.

Omicron may be headed for a rapid drop in Britain, US  —  Scientists are seeing signals that COVID-19′s alarming omicron wave may have peaked in Britain and is about to do the same in the U.S., at which point cases may start dropping off dramatically.  —  The reason: The variant …

The Supreme Court takes up a case, brought by Ted Cruz, that could legalize bribery  —  Ted Cruz wants the Court to kill an important anti-corruption law.  —  The details of Federal Election Commission v. Ted Cruz for Senate, a case that the Supreme Court will hear next Wednesday …

Virginia's legislative session will test GOP's ability to roll back Democrats' gains  —  RICHMOND — Legislators from across the commonwealth will gather Wednesday in the Capitol as resurgent Republicans and the spiking coronavirus promise to dominate the annual General Assembly session.

Gov. Justice tests positive for COVID-19  —  CHARLESTON, WV - Today, upon the sudden onset of symptoms Gov. Jim Justice received a positive PCR test for COVID-19.  Confirmatory testing was performed by the West Virginia State Lab with an additional positive result.

Greg Jaffe wins January Sidney for Moving Account of Union Organizing at a Dollar General Store  —  Greg Jaffe of the Washington Post wins the January Sidney Award for “The worker revolt comes to a Dollar General in Connecticut,” a deeply reported piece that chronicles a struggle for job security …

Americans visited IRS refund website 632 million times last year as challenges swamp tax agency ‘in crisis’  —  Four takeaways from a new government watchdog report on the difficult year facing the Internal Revenue Service  —  Americans visited the IRS's website to learn the status …

An open letter to YouTube's CEO from the world's fact-checkers  —  Ms. Susan Wojcicki,  —  It's been almost two years since the COVID-19 pandemic started.  The world has seen time and time again how destructive disinformation and misinformation can be for social harmony, democracy …

Shin Bet thwarted Iranian attempt to recruit Israelis as spies  —  Israeli citizens were in contact with an Iranian intelligence agent, known as Rambud Namdar, and were recruited to carry out missions.  —  Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency has arrested five Israelis who had been recruited …

University of Washington: Professor created ‘toxic environment’ by deviating from university-approved language about Native American land  —  If professors at the University of Washington want to include a statement of land acknowledgment on their syllabi, they must parrot the administration's viewpoint or shut up.

The shadow race to succeed McConnell is on — and all-John  —  When Mitch McConnell steps down as Senate GOP leader, which won't happen anytime soon, John is sure to replace him.  —  The question confronting Senate Republicans now is: Which John?  —  The decision by Senate Minority Whip John Thune …

The Big Lie's Long Shadow  —  Mike Cuffe blends in.  Sitting in a chair that almost matches the color of his suit, which almost matches the gray Montana sky outside, the state senator looked a lot like the other legislators in a state administration committee meeting last February.

Time to Re-Evaluate the Legacy of Martin Luther King  —  After finding evidence that the “man of God” and “moral conscience of our nation,” the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., participated in the rape of a parishioner, engaged in numerous sex orgies, received cash payments from known communists …