G.O.P. Declares Jan. 6 Attack ‘Legitimate Political Discourse’  —  The Republican National Committee voted to censure Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for participating in the inquiry into the deadly riot at the Capitol.  —  WASHINGTON — The Republican Party on Friday officially declared …

North Carolina Court Says G.O.P. Political Maps Are Unconstitutional  —  The State Supreme Court said maps of the state's 14 House districts and state legislative districts violated guarantees of free elections, speech and assembly.  —  The North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday upended Republican efforts …

U.S. restores sanctions waiver to Iran with nuclear talks in final phase … President Joe Biden's administration on Friday restored sanctions waivers to Iran to allow international nuclear cooperation projects, as indirect American-Iranian talks on reviving the 2015 international nuclear deal with Tehran enter the final stretch.

Former clerk rewrites SCOTUS contenders' Wikipedia bios  —  A former law clerk for a potential Supreme Court nominee embarked on a Wikipedia editing spree over the past week, bolstering the page of his former boss while altering the pages of her competitors in an apparent attempt to invite liberal skepticism …

Michael Avenatti convicted of stealing $300k from Stormy Daniels  —  Attorney-turned-criminal Michael Avenatti was convicted Friday of swiping nearly $300,000 in book-advance money from his then-client Stormy Daniels.  —  The now twice-convicted felon — and one time rising star …

Amir Locke's Death Should Incense Anyone Who Cares About Gun Rights  —  An officer with the Minneapolis Police Department SWAT team shot and killed a 22-year-old man early Wednesday morning during the execution of a no-knock raid, reinvigorating debate around a law-enforcement tactic that many say is ripe for abuse.

In Beijing, Olympic Spectacle and Global Power Games  —  The opening of the Winter Games gave Xi Jinping and Vladimir V. Putin a chance to cement their partnership against Western censure.  —  BEIJING — China's leader, Xi Jinping, opened an Olympic Games on Friday intended to celebrate …

How Jeff Zucker Turned CNN Into A Cult  —  In movies and history books when someone is fighting with the French Resistance against the Nazis nobody cares if they are cheating on their spouse, or engaged in dubious ethical practices.  It's an existential crisis, and normal rules don't apply.

Russian Troops in Final Stages of Readiness Add to Worries for Ukraine  —  Though the Kremlin's intentions are unclear, Ukrainian officials are newly worried about the Crimean Peninsula, where Russia has deployed 10,000 additional troops, they said.  —  KYIV, Ukraine — While Russian …

French elections 2022: Marine Le Pen's party gets Hungarian loan … Marine Le Pen, the nationalist candidate for the French presidency, received an €11 million campaign loan from a Hungarian bank that is assumed to have had support from Viktor Orban, the country's authoritarian leader.

Documents Reveal That Clarence Thomas Has Been in Contact With Ron DeSantis “On Various Things”  —  Clarence Thomas' entry into the United States began with controversy.  The judge was confirmed in 1991 despite claims of constant sexual harassment by subordinate Anita Hill.

Jan. 6 Defendant Seeks to Subpoena Trump as Witness at Trial  —  The request to have the former president testify faces an uphill fight, but it illustrates efforts by defendants to place him at the center of their cases.  —  Almost from the moment that the first rioters were arrested …

Judge temporarily halts Youngkin order making masks optional in Va. schools after lawsuit from school boards  —  An Arlington judge has issued a temporary restraining order barring enforcement of Gov. Glenn Youngkin's mask-optional order for schools — a major victory for the seven school boards …

Black legislators caucus in VA House of Delegates refuses to admit black Republican A.C. Cordoza  —  Last year Republicans routed Democrats in the Virginia elections.  In addition to winning the governorship and lieutenant governorship, they also took control of the Virginia House of Delegates.