Leader of Oath Keepers and 10 Other Individuals Indicted in Federal Court for Seditious Conspiracy and Other Offenses Related to U.S. Capitol Breach  —  Eight Others Facing Charges in Two Related Cases  —  A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment yesterday …

R.N.C. Signals a Pullout From Presidential Debates  —  The Republican National Committee says it will require candidates to pledge to not participate in debates run by the Commission on Presidential Debates.  What would replace them, if anything, was unclear.

Trump is eyeing the White House and wants a more compliant Senate for when he gets there  —  As Donald Trump charts out his midterm elections strategy, his focus has turned to the contest for the Senate, not just in hopes of getting it back under GOP control but of having more compliant lawmakers there should he become president again.

Supreme Court blocks workplace vaccine requirements, allows requirement for health-care workers  —  The Supreme Court on Thursday stopped the Biden administration's vaccination-or-testing requirement on the nation's largest employers, expressing doubt that there is legal authority for such a broad mandate.

The Doom Loop Of “Relevance”  —  Rich Lowry and I disagree about Liz Cheney and Ron DeSantis  —  “Trump and I, we've had a hell of a journey.  I hate it to end this way, oh my God I hate it. ...  All I can say is count me out.  Enough is enough.”  —  Lindsey Graham, Now: (January 12, 2022)

Glenn Beck has Covid again after refusing vaccine: 'It's going into my lungs'  —  Right-wing talk radio personality Glenn Beck on Wednesday said he has contracted Covid-19 for the second time and complained about the disease's effect on his lungs.  —  “It's starting to go into my lungs today and a little disturbing.

Michigan woman arrested near Capitol had loaded shotgun, and she wanted to talk about Jan. 6, police say  — U.S. Capitol Police said they arrested a Michigan woman on multiple gun charges after she drove to Washington and told officers she wanted to talk about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Queen strips Prince Andrew of military roles and royal patronages  —  Move comes after more than 150 veterans request removal amid US sexual assault civil lawsuit  —  The Queen has removed a range of military affiliations and royal patronages held by Prince Andrew, Buckingham Palace has said.

Is Omicron Peaking?  —  In parts of the Northeast, it seems to be.  —  The number of new Covid-19 cases in New York City rose more than twentyfold in December.  In the past few days, it has flattened.  —  In both New Jersey and Maryland, the number of new cases has fallen slightly this week.

Your Bubble is Not the Culture  —  I don't have anything against cultural and ideological bubbles.  My family is a bubble.  We have a host of in-jokes that no one else will get, and a bunch of tastes that many others do not share.  We regularly eat a dish called “tuna quiche,” …

Hollywood stars back Emma Watson after Palestinian solidarity post  —  Susan Sarandon and Mark Ruffalo among signatories to letter supporting Harry Potter actor accused of antisemitism  —  Major figures from the world of film, including Susan Sarandon, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Capaldi and Charles Dance …

By their acts, top newsrooms reject calls to be ‘pro-democracy’  —  Any hope that our country's elite political journalists might heed the increasingly clamorous calls from former colleagues and media critics to adopt a pro-democracy approach to their coverage pretty much died this week.

'If you cross him once, you're dead': DeSantis keeps tight grip on Florida lawmakers  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis has become arguably the most powerful governor in Florida's history.  —  The Republican governor opened Florida's new legislative session this week by pushing …

Biden: We'll buy 500M more tests and get them to you ... sometime  —  This stretches the horses/barn-door axiom to an absurd degree, no?  Joe Biden began imposing vaccination-or-testing mandates late last summer, almost six months ago.  The autumn Delta-cum-Omicron wave began around Thanksgiving.