The Clearest Evidence Yet of Donald Trump's Criminal Intent on Jan. 6  —  On Tuesday, Bob Woodward and Robert Costa reported in the Washington Post that the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 has the White House presidential phone log, and it shows a seven-hour gap in the record of his communications that fateful day.

Frustrations with Garland grow among Jan. 6 committee members  —  Good morning, Early Birds!  This is a good week to be a Beyoncé fan.  Tell us about your favorite album, send really cool tips or do both: earlytips@washpost.com.  Thanks for waking up with us.

What if Putin Didn't Miscalculate?  —  The conventional wisdom is that Vladimir Putin catastrophically miscalculated.  —  He thought Russian-speaking Ukrainians would welcome his troops.  They didn't.  He thought he'd swiftly depose Volodymyr Zelensky's government.  He hasn't.  He thought he'd divide NATO.

U.S. Households Face $5,200 Inflation Tax This Year  —  Paying More  —  Inflation means the average U.S. household has to spend an extra $5,200 this year  —  Notes: This chart shows our estimate of the inflation cost for each income quintile assuming differential inflation rates facing each income group …

Cawthorn's orgies-and-drugs comment stirs trouble within Freedom Caucus  —  Kevin McCarthy isn't the only senior Republican who wants to have a talk with Rep. Madison Cawthorn about his claim that some of his colleagues invited him to orgies and used cocaine.

Sanctioned Oligarch's Presence Adds Intrigue to Ukraine-Russia Talks  —  Roman Abramovich, sanctioned owner of the Chelsea Football Club, mysteriously showed up at the talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, and is said to be playing an unofficial role.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Trump's Truth Social App Plummets in Traffic, Sees 93% Drop in Signups Since Launch Week (Exclusive)  —  Former president Donald Trump's Truth Social app is seeing a 93% drop in signups and similarly steep decline in traffic after a rocky rollout last month fraught with technical issues …

Facebook paid GOP firm to malign TikTok … Facebook parent company Meta is paying one of the biggest Republican consulting firms in the country to orchestrate a nationwide campaign seeking to turn the public against TikTok.  —  The campaign includes placing op-eds and letters to the editor …

Why Russian troops are using tree branches for camouflage in Ukraine  —  Russian troops in Ukraine have scrambled to avoid detection and attack by using tree branches and straw, even swaths of carpeting, to conceal tanks and other armored vehicles, in what analysts call a surprising lack …

After crossing Trump, Cassidy weighs governor bid  —  There's no Senate Republican quite like Bill Cassidy: He voted to convict Donald Trump of inciting an insurrection after getting reelected by 40 points, while helping cut big deals on Covid relief and infrastructure.

Half of Russia's 20 Richest Billionaires Are Not Sanctioned  —  Data and graphics by Raeedah Wahid, Mira Rojanasakul, Marion Halftermeyer and Alex McIntyre  —  Half of Russia's 20 richest people have not been sanctioned over its war in Ukraine, leaving a group of super-rich …

Bank records show Hunter Biden received $100,000 in 2017 from Chinese firm  —  Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson have revealed financial records showing how an arm of the Chinese government transferred $100,000 to President Biden's son Hunter Biden.  —  Speaking on the floor of the Senate …

Op-Ed: CBS News giving Mick Mulvaney a paid contributor gig is an act of journalistic malpractice  —  From mid-December 2018 through early March 2020, Mick Mulvaney, a former member of Congress from South Carolina, served as President Trump's acting chief of staff.

St. Louis beer heiress joins race for U.S. Senate  —  JEFFERSON CITY — St. Louis beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine joined the heated race for Missouri's U.S. Senate seat Monday.  —  The move triggered former state Sen. Scott Sifton, who had represented south St. Louis County …

Republican Jewish Coalition PAC endorses Marjorie Taylor Greene opponent Jennifer Strahan  —  The rare move by RJC to not back an incumbent comes as Strahan appears to be gaining momentum ahead of the May 24 primary  —  CAROLINE BREHMAN/CQ-ROLL CALL, INC VIA GETTY IMAGES, COURTESY

Will Smith Was Wrong, but Being Thin-Skinned Is Not  — Give this article- - - Read in app  —  Dr. Gay, a contributing Opinion writer, is the editor of “The Selected Works of Audre Lorde” and the author of the memoir “Hunger,” among others.  Her book “How to Be Heard” is forthcoming.

Statement from Jamie Wallis MP - 30th March 2022  —  Yesterday the parliamentary party had a photo in the chamber and then we went for dinner together.  It was nice, especially for those of us in the ‘2019 intake’ of MPs who haven't done anything like that before.

David Perdue says he misunderstood ‘lock him up’ chants about Brian Kemp  —  Republican David Perdue said he “misunderstood” the Donald Trump supporters who chanted about imprisoning Gov. Brian Kemp when he smiled and flashed them a thumbs-up sign at the former president's rally.The former U.S. senator …