Are Jews a Race?  —  Whoopi Goldberg's Holocaust comments reflect how Jews don't fit into Western boxes … Yesterday, celebrated actor and TV host Whoopi Goldberg caused a minor meltdown on ABC's The View when she asserted that the Holocaust “isn't about race.”

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Lev Parnas just revealed how Ron DeSantis got Trump's endorsement and the Florida governorship  —  Scott and Grant interview Lev Parnas, who became well-known for his leading role in the former President's efforts to pressure Ukraine to launch an investigation into political rival Joe Biden …

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 …

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 …

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.

Here are 50 books Texas parents want banned from school libraries  —  Conservative parents have swarmed school board meetings in Texas and across the country in recent months to call for the removal of library books that deal with race, racism, sex, gender and sexuality.

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.

Feds raid Homeland Security chief's Royal Oak home  —  Royal Oak — Federal agents have raided the house of a high-ranking Department of Homeland Security official as part of an unspecified investigation, The Detroit News has learned.  —  Neighbors and law enforcement officials confirmed …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

“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.

Yes, more variants may emerge in the future.  That's why we should lift restrictions now.  —  As the omicron blizzard recedes, and as more Americans itch for pandemic restrictions to be lifted, a vocal segment of the country is pleading for caution.  As with omicron, they argue …

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 …

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 …

U.S. National Debt Tops $30 Trillion as Borrowing Surged Amid Pandemic  —  The record red ink, fueled by spending to combat the coronavirus, comes as interest rates are expected to rise, which could add to America's costs.  —  WASHINGTON — America's gross national debt topped $30 trillion …

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 …

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.

CDC: COVID hospitalization rates higher for unvaccinated than boosted  —  Unvaccinated people, who contracted coronavirus during the Omicron wave, were 23 times more likely to be hospitalized, according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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.