U.S. Has Far Higher Covid Death Rate Than Other Wealthy Countries  —  Two years into the pandemic, the coronavirus is killing Americans at far higher rates than people in other wealthy nations, a sobering distinction to bear as the country charts a course through the next stages of the pandemic.

Jan. 6 Panel Examining Trump's Role in Proposals to Seize Voting Machines  —  The House committee is looking into efforts by the former president's outside advisers to create a legal basis for national security agencies to help reverse his defeat in 2020.  —  WASHINGTON — The House Jan. 6 committee …

Scoop: Leaked document reveals Biden's Afghan failures  —  Leaked notes from a White House Situation Room meeting the day before Kabul fell shed new light on just how unprepared the Biden administration was to evacuate Afghan nationals who'd helped the United States in its 20-year war against the Taliban.

Surprise!  Tucker Carlson Draws the Most Democratic Viewers in Key Demo, Even Topping Rachel Maddow  —  There is an entire cottage industry within media dedicated to disseminating Tucker Carlson's nightly Fox News musings to presumably liberal audiences who may not be tuning in to hear …

FBI Director Wray says scale of Chinese spying in the U.S. ‘blew me away’  —  Full interview: FBI Director Wray discusses efforts to halt China's economic and political spying  —  Chinese spying in the U.S. has become so widespread that the FBI is launching an average of two counterintelligence …

Scoop: McCarthy says Pelosi may cap State of Union crowd  —  Each party may be allowed to invite just 25 House members to attend President Biden's State of the Union Address in person, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told colleagues on Tuesday.  —  Why it matters: The possible restrictions …

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Florida Governor's key link to Trump just stepped out of the shadows  —  The political tension between former president Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis these days stems from their presumed mutual ambition to win the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

Newsweak  —  Newsweek is not really Newsweek, and it hasn't been for a long time.  —  When I hear the word “Newsweek,” my mind conjures an image of the magazine rack inside a Borders bookstore circa 2003.  As smaller magazines jumped in and out of stock, opened and closed in the blink of an eye …

Whoopi Goldberg Is Suspended for 2 Weeks After Saying Holocaust Was ‘Not About Race’  —  Ms. Goldberg's comments, on Monday's episode of “The View,” came amid growing ignorance about the Holocaust and rising antisemitism.  She has apologized.  —  Whoopi Goldberg, the comedian and actress …

How big is Russia's military build-up around Ukraine?  —  It is the biggest concentration of firepower in Europe since the cold war  —  The crisis on the Russia-Ukraine border shows no sign of easing.  On January 27th Joe Biden, America's president, told Volodymyr Zelensky …

A Progressive Lawmaker Claims She Did Nothing Wrong.  Her Former Allies Aren't So Sure  —  Rep. Marie Newman is accused of making a quid-pro-quo job offer to convince a potential rival not to run against her  —  Rep. Marie Newman swears she didn't offer a job to her political rival in order …

Tucker Carlson donates to Marjorie Taylor Greene's campaign  —  Fox News host Tucker Carlson contributed to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-Ga.) re-election campaign last fall, federal election records show.  —  An FEC filing, dated Sept. 15, 2021, shows a donation for $250 to …

Luján stroke jolts 50-50 Senate  —  News of Sen. Ben Ray Luján's (D-N.M.) stroke sent shockwaves through the Senate on Tuesday, underscoring the fragility of Democrats' 50-50 majority.  —  Democrats are in the majority because they have 50 seats and the ability for Vice President Harris to break a tie.

Cawthorn sues to stop NC challenge against his 2022 campaign  —  North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, whose eligibility to run for reelection to Congress is being formally challenged, has now begun his legal fight against that effort.  —  Aside from a blanket one-sentence denial …

Putin Accuses U.S. of Stoking War in Ukraine as Russia Masses Troops  —  The Russian president blamed the United States for the crisis in Ukraine, saying Americans were goading the Kremlin to start an conflict as a pretext for enacting harsh sanctions.  —  RIGHT NOW Orban, visiting Moscow, is accused of stoking acrimony with the E.U.

UCLA moves classes online after ex-lecturer appears to threaten mass shooting  —  UCLA will resume in-person classes Wednesday after a former lecturer who sent campus members a video referencing a mass shooting and an 800-page manifesto with specific threats was taken into custody Tuesday by police in Boulder, Colo.

Banned: Books on race and sexuality are disappearing from Texas schools in record numbers  —  Facing pressure from parents and threats of criminal charges, some districts have ignored policies meant to prevent censorship.  Librarians and students are pushing back.

The Zients-geist is coming  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With Allie Bice.  —  Chief of staff RON KLAIN hasn't said he's planning to leave the White House any time soon but current and former Biden …

Taylor Lorenz Hopes The New York Times Will “Evolve in Their Ways” as She Leaves for The Washington Post  —  The star reporter with a massive online following thinks the Post gets the internet in ways other outlets don't.  —  The Washington Post is powering up its coverage of the online world …

It's a mitzvah, not anti-Semitism, to attack George Soros' dangerous DA campaigns  —  It was wrong for Obama acolytes to denounce criticisms of the Obama presidency as “racist.”  Yes, one of Barack Obama's parents was black.  But his policies were not “black.”  They were just bad.

U.S. State Department Rejects Amnesty's Apartheid Claim Against Israel  —  'The Jewish people must not be denied their right to self-determination, and we must ensure there isn't a double standard being applied,' says U.S. State Department spokesman following Amnesty International report

“Spotify Needs Him Way More Than He Needs Spotify”: Joe Rogan Drama Exposes the Drift of Audio Giant's Other Mega Deals  —  Spotify's once-grand star-studded podcast ambitions now rest squarely on Rogan's shoulders.  Even the Obamas are frustrated with their deal.

Authorities raid Michigan home of high-ranking Homeland Security official Vance Callender  — Authorities raided the Michigan home of a top U.S. Homeland Security Investigations official and seized several items from the residence, a neighbor said Tuesday.

Meta Will Allow Solicitation of Human Smuggling on Its Platforms  —  Policy comes amid surge in Facebook groups devoted to human smuggling  —  Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, privately announced on Monday that users can use its platforms to solicit human smugglers …

Georgetown Law Students Stage Sit-In, Demand Dean Fire Ilya Shapiro  —  The aggressive cancellation campaign against Ilya Shapiro continues.  On Monday, Georgetown Law dean William Treanor announced that Shapiro would be put on administrative leave from his new post at the law school's Center …

AOC says she's taking a break from Twitter, then resumes tweeting  —  Ocasio-Cortez ended a brief break from Twitter to target Sen. Joe Manchin  —  Fox News Flash top headlines for February 1  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was back on Twitter less than a day after saying …

Kinzinger pushes ‘uneasy alliance’ to thwart Trump's allies  —  NEW YORK (AP) — In the high-stakes fight for the GOP's future, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., is calling on Democrats and independents to form an “uneasy alliance” with Republicans to fight former President Donald Trump's influence.

Texas leaders warn of “treacherous” driving conditions and possible local power outages as freezing weather approaches  —  Gov. Greg Abbott said he could not guarantee power would stay on throughout Texas this week, just two months after he promised the lights would stay on this winter.  —  Copy link

Ohio secretary of state finds 27 potentially illegal votes  —  Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) has referred just 27 potential instances of illegal votes cast in the 2020 presidential election to state and local prosecutors for investigation, an indication of what he called a secure election two years ago.

NSO offered ‘bags of cash’ for access to U.S. cell networks, whistleblower claims  —  Rep. Ted Lieu asks the Justice Department to investigate after hearing the account of what he called ‘fishy’ behavior.  —  The surveillance company NSO Group offered to give representatives …

After more than a dozen HBCUs get bomb threats on the first day of Black History Month, students and staff express unease and dismay  —  (CNN)A growing number of historically Black colleges and universities have had to lock down or postpone classes due to bomb threats on the first day of Black History Month.

Biden launches effort to woo GOP senators on Supreme Court pick  —  President Biden called Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to discuss his upcoming Supreme Court nomination.  He hosted the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee and asked him, along with the Democratic chairman, to suggest potential justices.