In a 6-3 Ruling, the Supreme Court Upholds the Covid Pandemic  —  When the Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week on whether to block two federal Covid-19-related mandates, Justice Samuel Alito asked the Biden administration if it would accept a brief administrative stay while it considered the case.

Biden's Georgia Speech Is a Break Point  —  He thought he was merely appealing to his base.  He might have united the rest of the country against him.  —  It is startling when two speeches within 24 hours, neither much heralded in advance—the second wouldn't even have been given without the first …

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 …

Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal Drama Critic, Dies at Age 65  —  Missouri-born author and musician wrote biographies of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and H.L. Mencken  —  Terry Teachout, a prolific New York-based biographer and essayist who wrote exuberantly about drama for The Wall Street Journal …

With Biden's signature legislation stalled, Democrats stare into political void  —  President Joe Biden's sweeping climate and social spending bill is faltering in the Senate, and Democrats are trying to make lemonade out of infrastructure.  —  Democrats are quietly preparing for life after Build Back Better.

Ukraine says government websites hit by ‘massive cyber attack’  —  Kyiv has yet to assign blame for the disruption on at least 10 sites  —  Ukraine said it was the target of a “massive cyber attack” after at least 10 government websites ceased functioning.

A Wisconsin judge rules absentee ballot drop boxes are not allowed under state law  —  A Waukesha County judge has ruled that absentee ballot drop boxes are not allowed under Wisconsin law, a ruling that could potentially remove an option for voting ahead of the state's crucial midterm elections.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton violated open records law, says Travis County DA  —  AUSTIN — The Travis County district attorney has determined that Attorney General Ken Paxton violated the state's open records law by not turning over his communications from last January …

Baltimore state's attorney indicted on federal charges  —  Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, the city's top prosecutor, was indicted on Thursday on federal charges of perjury and filing false mortgage applications related to her purchase of two Florida vacation homes.

Australia cancels Novak Djokovic's visa again, upending tennis star's quest for record 21st Grand Slam title  —  SYDNEY — Australian authorities canceled the visa of Novak Djokovic on Friday and threatened to detain him again, reigniting the legal battle over the unvaccinated tennis star's controversial entry …

Two parties held in Downing Street as Queen and country mourned death of Prince Philip  —  The leaving events for No 10 staff were held on the eve of the Duke's funeral and excessive alcohol is believed to have been consumed  —  Downing Street staff drank alcohol into the early hours …

RFK Assassin Sirhan Sirhan Denied Parole by California Governor  —  Sirhan Sirhan, convicted of killing Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 in one of the most infamous acts of a turbulent decade, was denied pardon again by California Governor Gavin Newsom, the latest rejection in a long campaign for leniency.

A Democrat won a US House seat this week with 79 percent of the vote.  Her GOP opponent has not conceded.  —  An election in South Florida this week may serve as a marker for where the Republican Party stands in 2022, and how much American democracy has already changed since Donald Trump lost reelection.

Doctors Debate Whether Trans Teens Need Therapy Before Hormones  —  Clinicians are divided over new guidelines that say teens should undergo mental health screenings before receiving hormones or gender surgeries.  —  An upsurge in teenagers requesting hormones or surgeries to better align …

POLITICO Playbook: Bill and Hillary peek their heads out  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  SENATE SKIPS TOWN — Just before 10 p.m. Thursday night, Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER ditched plans to keep the Senate in town through the weekend in order to meet an MLK Day deadline to pass voting rights legislation.

Former Michigan state legislator mounts challenge to Rashida Tlaib  —  Detroit native Shanelle Jackson served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2007 to 2012  —  Shanelle Jackson, a former Michigan state legislator in Detroit who now works in the private sector …

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.

New Virus Cases Begin to Slow in U.S. Cities Where Omicron Hit First  —  Reports of infections are falling in Cleveland, Newark and Washington, suggesting that a national peak may be approaching.  —  At another bleak moment of the pandemic in the United States — with nearly 800,000 new cases a day …

Senate scraps recess for swing at filibuster  —  With help from Sarah Ferris and Olivia Beavers  —  DEMS DEADLINE, DASHED — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) key deadline of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Monday for a Senate vote on election and voting legislation …

Harris team looks to course changes to reset her political prospects  —  Vice President Harris's team is engaged in a series of course changes that aides and supporters hope will boost her public image and reset her political prospects, after a first year in office that even some of her allies say has fallen short of expectations.

It's Time For Democrats To Accept That Norms Are Dead  —  The GOP has no problem being completely unmoored from reality.  —  When members of the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 asked Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to meet with them, they probably should've known that he wouldn't comply with their request.

EXCLUSIVE: Jeffrey Epstein brought EIGHT young women with him on his trips to see Bill Clinton at the White House: Displayed photos of himself posing at the Briefing Room podium at his Palm Beach mansion  — Visitor logs obtained by DailyMail.com reveal Jeffrey Epstein was not always alone …