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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Cigarettes Are Making a Comeback  —  Cigarettes, once shunned, have made a comeback with a younger crowd who knows better.  —  On a recent not-so-wintry Thursday in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, when the only snowflakes seen were over text, a gang of 20-somethings stood in a circle outside …

Can fact-checking solve the misinformation pandemic?  —  Fact-checking is presented as the antidote to misinformation, but it's not a silver bullet.  —  The 2009 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting was awarded to PolitiFact, a then-upstart fact-checking initiative, for its coverage of a bruising presidential campaign.

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 …

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 …

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

GOP Election Deniers Are On Pace To Raise Record Sums For Secretary Of State Races  —  Candidates who have falsely asserted Trump won the 2020 election are on pace to smash fundraising records.  But Democrats are also pouring major money into these contests.

Eric Adams Cuts His Brother's Duties After Giving Him Top Police Job  —  Amid concerns of nepotism, Bernard Adams will be executive director of mayoral security, not deputy police commissioner.  He will earn $210,000.  —  When Mayor Eric Adams named a Virginia parking administrator …

‘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.

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.

‘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 …

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.

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.

6abc anchor Jim Gardner signs off from Action News at 11  —  Jim Gardner has held the long-tenured position of anchor of Action News at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. since May 11, 1977 … Jim Gardner signs off from Action News at 11  —  PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — It's the end of an era here on Action News.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …