New York joins several other U.S. states in rolling back mask mandates as infections fall.  —  Gov. Kathy Hochul will drop New York's stringent indoor mask mandate on Wednesday, ending a requirement that businesses ask customers for proof of full vaccination or require mask-wearing at all times …

Where's Liz Cheney?  The Wyoming Republican's Exile From Wyoming Republicans  —  The congresswoman hasn't attended Republican Party events in person in her state in years, amid a wave of local conservative hostility.  “I'm not going to convince the crazies,” she said.

The hacked account and suspicious donations behind the Canadian trucker protests  —  The jumble of misinformation, online fundraising groups and amplification from right-wing political figures suggests there's more to these protests than meets the eye.  —  Hundreds of people have been camped …

White House Approves Plan to Help Americans Leaving Ukraine if Russia Attacks  —  U.S. troops will set up checkpoints and tent camps inside Poland's border to help Americans who leave Ukraine  —  WASHINGTON—The White House has approved a Pentagon plan for U.S. troops in Poland to help thousands …

Missouri Supreme Court disciplines St. Louis lawyers who waved guns at BLM protesters  —  The McCloskeys drew national headlines when they confronted a group of mostly Black protesters who had entered their gated community en route to demonstrate in front of the nearby home of a former St. Louis mayor in June 2020.

Texas GOP candidate Shelley Luther complains that students can't make fun of transgender children  —  BONHAM — Shelley Luther, the hair salon owner who was catapulted into political stardom after being jailed for defying a pandemic lockdown order, put transgender kids in the crosshairs …

Rep. Cori Bush isn't backing down on “defund the police” slogan  —  Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) says she's not going to stop using the slogan “defund the police” ahead of this fall's midterms — even though some of her colleagues have made that request.  —  Why it matters: Progressives …

New Partygate image shows Boris Johnson and open bottle of bubbly at No 10 Xmas quiz  —  The image shows the Prime Minister flanked by three members of staff, one wearing tinsel and another a Santa hat, at the event on December 15, 2020  —  The Met Police faces fresh calls to investigate a No 10 …

Analyzing the Very Bizarre Sale of Melania Trump's $170,000 NFT  —  The crypto used to purchase the former First Lady's NFT came from the NFT creator themselves, blockchain records reveal.  But why?  —  Jordan Pearson  —  The $170,000 purchase of an NFT collection auctioned by Melania Trump …

Left splits over Supreme Court pick pushed by top Biden ally  —  After Sherrod Brown caught wind of the progressive angst over judge Michelle Childs' possible ascension to the Supreme Court, the labor stalwart talked it through with her biggest Democratic backer — the House majority whip.

Nikole Hannah-Jones Responds to Our 1619 and Slavery Issue  —  Nikole Hannah-Jones went on Twitter Monday night to respond to our issue looking at American slavery and the 1619 Project.  Those familiar with how she typically responds to engagement with her work — engagement that typically appears …

North Carolina elections board says it has power to disqualify Rep. Cawthorn from running over January 6  —  New legal case may threaten Rep. Cawthorn's reelection bid  —  (CNN)The North Carolina State Board of Elections said on Monday that it has the power to block GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn …

Pelosi buckles, pushes stock-trading ban  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is moving to ban stock trading on Capitol Hill, after having consistently opposed such a measure, Punchbowl News reports.  —  Why it matters: This adds unprecedented momentum to an issue that also has bipartisan support on the Senate side.

Three graduate students file sexual harassment suit against prominent Harvard anthropology professor  —  Three Harvard University graduate students sued the university on Tuesday, alleging it ignored nearly a decade of sexual harassment and retaliation by a prominent anthropology professor …

ESPN On-Air Talent Discuss Toxic Workplace Environment in Whistleblower's Explosive Undercover Footage: ‘Just Blatantly Racist Sh*t’  — Whistleblower-recorded audio and video show numerous ESPN employees discussing what they see as a toxic, racist workplace environment which directly contradicts the image that ESPN tries to project.

China bought none of the extra $200 billion of US exports in Trump's trade deal  —  Image credit: Oriental Image via Reuters Connect/Li Xiaofei  —  Yilin Wang provided outstanding data assistance, and Nia Kitchin, Melina Kolb, and Oliver Ward assisted with graphics.

Pressure builds for Biden, Democrats to move past COVID  —  Americans remain deeply divided on what it means to ‘live with the virus.’  —  It's a move that would have been unthinkable last year: Weeks after a holiday surge crushed hospitals and more people died in a single month …

Eric Schneiderman Says He's Changed.  Is That Enough?  —  Eric Schneiderman paced around his prewar Upper West Side apartment in what he would later call a “crazed bunker mentality,” trying to make sense of the past few days.  —  As New York's attorney general, Schneiderman had been a hero …

Conversation With Russell Brand, Who Isn't “Right Wing”  —  Talking media, politics, censorship and other topics with the brilliant, irreverent, and increasingly influential British comic  —  Had a terrific and wide-ranging talk recently with someone I've long admired, the comedian, actor …

Ruby Bridges is only 67 years old  —  I had often wondered how Ruby Bridges felt in the moment that she first arrived at William Frantz Elementary School in November 1960.  If the name isn't familiar, the image above probably is — as may be the Norman Rockwell painting of a small Black girl walking …