Inside Ted Cruz's last-ditch battle to keep Trump in power … Sen. Ted Cruz was dining near the Capitol on the evening of Dec. 8, 2020, when he received an urgent call from President Donald Trump.  A lawsuit had just been filed at the Supreme Court designed to overturn the election Trump had lost …

Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian Peace Negotiators Suffer Symptoms of Suspected Poisoning  —  The Russian oligarch and others developed symptoms they blamed on hard-liners in Moscow who they say want to sabotage talks to end the war  —  Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace …

Jared Kushner expected to appear before Jan. 6 committee this week  —  Plans are for Kushner to appear virtually before the panel, say sources.  —  Jared Kushner, former President Trump's son-in-law who served as a senior West Wing aide during the Trump administration …

Academy ‘strongly considered’ removing Will Smith from Oscars after slapping Chris Rock, source says  —  (CNN)Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences leadership “strongly considered” removing Will Smith from the Oscars telecast Sunday night after the actor stormed the stage and slapped Chris Rock …

Ukraine says it retook several towns as it seeks to relieve hard-pressed cities.  —  Despite talk of Russia focusing its ambitions in the east, action on several battlefronts suggested a more dynamic and volatile situation.  Ukraine and Russia will meet this week for in-person talks.

Russia no longer demanding Ukraine be ‘denazified’ in ceasefire talks  —  Requests include Kyiv dropping Nato pursuit in exchange for security guarantees and EU membership  —  Russia is no longer requesting Ukraine be “denazified” and is prepared to let Kyiv join the European Union …

How an Ivy League School Turned Against a Student  —  Mackenzie Fierceton was championed as a former foster youth who had overcome an abusive childhood and won a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.  Then the University of Pennsylvania accused her of lying.

Fox Nation's Lara Logan Suggests Theory of Evolution Is a Hoax Funded by Jews  —  Lara Logan's latest anti-Semitic dog whistle is a claim that Charles Darwin only came up with the idea of evolution because Jews paid him to  —  It wasn't long ago that Lara Logan was a correspondent for CBS News …

‘Biggest fraud in a generation’: The looting of the Covid relief plan known as PPP  —  They bought Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Bentleys.  —  And Teslas, of course.  Lots of Teslas.  —  Many who participated in what prosecutors are calling the largest fraud in American history …

ABC, CBS, NBC ignore Hunter Biden scandals, haven't mentioned his name in 259 days, study says  —  'Twelve days after the Times confirmed that Hunter Biden's laptop is real, ABC, CBS and NBC are still silent,' Scott Whitlock wrote  —  Hunter Biden story resurrected

We are reinstating our SAT/ACT requirement for future admissions cycles by Stu Schmill '86  —  in order to help us continue to build a diverse and talented MIT … When we initially suspended our testing requirement due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote:

How Did a Phone Call From Walmart Turn Into Texas' Next Big Political Scandal?  —  His team suspects his primary rival of foul play — and is accusing his rival's allies in law enforcement of a massive cover-up  —  MCKINNEY, Texas — As it so often goes in American life, the trouble began when someone wanted to speak to the manager.

The drone operators who halted Russian convoy headed for Kyiv  —  Special IT force of 30 soldiers on quad bikes is vital part of Ukraine's defence, but forced to crowdfund for supplies  —  One week into its invasion of Ukraine, Russia massed a 40-mile mechanised column in order to mount an overwhelming attack on Kyiv from the north.

The Revenge of the Normal Republicans  —  This article was featured in One Story to Read Today, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a single must-read from The Atlantic, Monday through Friday.  Sign up for it here.  —  HELOTES, Texas—Last spring, having just retired from Congress, Will Hurd was feeling adrift.

Chris Wallace's stark admission about Tucker Carlson shames Fox News  —  When Chris Wallace resigned from Fox News last December, media observers correctly diagnosed the move's real meaning: This stripped away one of the last fig leaves disguising Fox's increasing role as a propaganda operation on Donald Trump's behalf.

“Designed to End Protesting”: Louisiana Supreme Court Makes Protesters Guilty by Association  —  The state joins others in broadening liability and heightening the legal risks of protesting.  —  The Louisiana Supreme Court on Royal Street in the French Quarter in New Orleans.  (Wikimedia Commons)

People's Convoy Gives Up, Will Leave D.C. After 3 Weeks of Doing Absolutely Nothing  —  After creating a mini-city in Hagerstown, the trucker convoy will pack it up and leave town in the coming days.  —  Three weeks after the so-called “People's Convoy” landed in Washington, D.C. …

U.S. training Ukrainian troops in Poland, Biden seems to reveal  —  President Joe Biden appeared to reveal that the U.S. is training Ukrainian forces in Poland — stating for the first time since the war began that American troops are actively teaching Ukrainians to fight and kill Russians.

For red and blue America, a glaring divide in COVID-19 death rates persists 2 years later  —  Post-vaccine, death rates in red states were 38% higher than in blue states.  —  Political polarization in the U.S. was evident and intensifying long before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, two years ago.

Why U.S. Population Growth Is Collapsing  —  Sign up for Derek's newsletter here.  —  The U.S. population grew at the slowest pace in history in 2021, according to census data released last week.  That news sounds extreme, but it's on trend.  First came 2020, which saw one of the lowest U.S. population-growth rates ever.

Democrats Have Become Too Reliant on Corporations to Push Progressive Values  —  The road to governing Florida does not run through The Walt Disney Company  —  Who do liberals have the power to convince these days, and who do they focus on convincing?  —  I ask this question because it's strange …

'Don't Say Gay' bill signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday that forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, a policy that has drawn intense national scrutiny …