First on CNN: US intelligence indicates Russia preparing operation to justify invasion of Ukraine  —  Washington (CNN)The US has information that indicates Russia has prepositioned a group of operatives to conduct a false-flag operation in eastern Ukraine, a US official told CNN on Friday …

Redistricting: Ohio Supreme Court strikes down congressional map, forcing another round of drawing  —  Jessie Balmert Laura A. BischoffThe Columbus Dispatch  —  The Ohio Supreme Court struck down the state's congressional district map, saying Republicans violated the Ohio Constitution by drawing districts that favored GOP candidates.

Joe Biden was set up to fail  —  The Democratic president is a flawed politician in an impossible job  —  Have any voters demanded more of their leaders than modern Americans?  The thought occurred to your columnist while listening to a group of eight Georgians, Ohioans and Pennsylvanians …

What Joe Manchin told Steve Clemons at dinner  —  Steve Clemons is a D.C. institution — an operator who connects some of the biggest power players in the capital.  He also happens to be the confidant of the most powerful senator in Washington, Democrat Joe Manchin.

The Culture War Has Warped the Supreme Court's Judgment  —  If you read the legal language in the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which authorizes the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to act in an emergency capacity when workers face “grave danger from exposure to substances …

The accountability-free world of Tucker Carlson  —  Correction: This article originally stated that the square root of nine is six.  The article has been corrected.  —  See that correction?  That's not real.  At no point did I misstate the square root of nine in this article.

In days after January 6, McCarthy said Trump admitted bearing some responsibility for Capitol attack  —  (CNN)House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said publicly and privately in the days following the deadly riots at the US Capitol that President Donald Trump admitted personally bearing …

Northam pardons Sen. Joe Morrissey for his interaction with 17-year-old  —  Gov. Ralph Northam has pardoned Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, for a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor related to his relationship with a 17-year-old assistant who later became his wife.

Hey, Virginia lawmakers, the Lincoln-Douglas debates did not involve Frederick Douglass  —  Of all the paragraphs in a bill to ban “divisive concepts” from being taught in Virginia public schools, Section B3 may have seemed the most innocuous.  After all, it was in the part of the proposal …

Possible Netanyahu plea deal could force him out of politics  —  Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu has for several weeks been negotiating a plea agreement with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, according to Israeli media reports.  —  Why it matters: One key sticking point is whether the deal …

Boris Johnson's ‘wine time Fridays’ - No10 staff held drinks EVERY week during pandemic  —  EXCLUSIVE: Downing Street held yet MORE parties throughout the Covid pandemic with events taking place every Friday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson encouraged staff to “let off steam” even though indoor socialising was strictly banned

Covid Live Updates: U.S. Site for Free Tests to Go Live Jan. 19, but Shipping Will Take Time  —  The Treasury Department threatened to withhold relief funds from Arizona, which is using some of the money to undercut mask requirements in schools.  Hospitals are filling up in two dozen U.S. states.

Judge Pryor cleared of allegations involving hiring of controversial clerk  —  Bill Pryor, chief judge of the federal appeals court in Atlanta, has been cleared of allegations of wrongdoing in that he hired a law clerk accused of sending racist and xenophobic texts.

Why Rapid Covid Tests May Not Be Free Upfront at First  —  Not all health plans will be ready for the Covid tests to be free upfront at stores, relying at first on receipts and reimbursement.  —  Starting Saturday, new federal rules will require private insurers to cover the at-home coronavirus tests …

Capitol rioters called Nancy Pelosi's office looking for a ‘lost and found’ for items they left behind on January 6, according to Rep. Jamie Raskin  — Capitol rioters called Nancy Pelosi's office on January 7 to ask if there was a lost and found, according to a congressman.

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.

How Martin Luther King, Jr.'s multifaceted view on human rights still inspires today  —  The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. towers over history as a civil rights legend—known for leading the movement to end segregation and counter prejudice against Black Americans in the 1950s and 1960s, largely through peaceful protests.

House Democratic campaign arm outraises GOP counterpart in final quarter of 2021  —  House Democrats' campaign arm outraised its Republican counterpart in 2021, with fundraising records for each party setting the stage for an expensive battle for the lower chamber.

Trump to rally supporters in Texas  —  Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Texas later this month as he looks to ramp up his travel schedule ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.  —  The rally is scheduled for Jan. 29 in Conroe, Texas, north of Houston, at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds …