Republicans worry a national sales tax bill would be a ‘political gift’ for Democrats  —  As part of his deal to become House speaker, Kevin McCarthy reportedly promised his party's conservative hardliners a vote on legislation that would scrap the entire American tax code and replace it with a jumbo-sized national sales tax.

DeSantis pushes to permanently ban Covid-19 mandates in Florida  —  Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called on state lawmakers to make permanent existing penalties for companies that require all employees get the Covid-19 vaccination, his latest move to curtail pandemic mitigation efforts.

Disabled Veteran: George Santos Took $3K From Dying Dog's GoFundMe  —  QUEENS, NY — In May 2016, Richard Osthoff was living in a tent in an abandoned chicken coop on the side of Route 9 in Howell, New Jersey, with his beloved service dog Sapphire.  A veteran's charity gave the pit mix to Osthoff …

Donald Trump prepares for his return to Facebook and Twitter  —  Mounting a comeback for the White House, Donald Trump is looking to regain control over his powerful social media accounts.  —  With access to his Twitter account back, Trump's campaign is formally petitioning Facebook's parent company …

Take Detransitioners Seriously  —  When Kristin Beck, a decorated Navy SEAL veteran, came out as a transgender woman in 2013, she became a high-profile advocate for the trans community—a role that earned her glowing coverage in left-wing and mainstream center-left media.

George Santos' latest doozy: Records show his mom wasn't in NYC on 9/11  —  Newly obtained documents from the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services show that U.S. Rep. George Santos' mother, Fatima A.C.H. Devolder, was not in the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks on 9/11, as he has claimed.

Philadelphia Flyers Player Boycotts His Woke Team's “Pride Night,” Refuses To Wear Their LGBTQ Warmup Jersey (VIDEO)  —  The NHL over the past year has made a concerted effort to portray itself as America's most woke sports league, even at the expense of player safety.

George Santos Shows Early Signs of Tilting to the Hard Right  —  Through his staff hires and his public appearances with members of the House Freedom Caucus, Representative George Santos has signaled a move away from the mainstream.  —  On his first day in Congress, Representative George Santos …

1/18/23 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM … The rules package recently approved by the House on a party-line vote essentially puts OCE - the independent ethics watchdog - on hold, at least until House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries can name new Democratic board members (we have some news on this below.)

Subject: Focusing on our short- and long-term opportunity  —  Satya Nadella shared the below communication today with Microsoft employees.  —  We're living through times of significant change, and as I meet with customers and partners, a few things are clear.

After Lecturer Sues, Hamline University Walks Back Its ‘Islamophobic’ Comments  —  In an about-face, the school said that using the term was “flawed” and that respect for Muslim students should not have superseded academic freedom.  —  Hamline University officials made an about-face on Tuesday …

Exclusive: Special Counsel has questioned several officials about Donald Trump's handling of Russia probe papers.  —  Trump's conduct in that regard likely will play a role in any decision by prosecutors to charge Trump, say people close to the investigation.  —  Photo Credit... the Department of Justice.

Extremely Hardcore  —  Twitter's staff spent years trying to protect the social media site against impulsive billionaires who wanted to use the reach of its platform for their own ends, and then one made himself the CEO. … In April 2022, Elon Musk acquired a 9.2 percent stake in Twitter …

A font feud brews after State Dept. picks Calibri over Times New Roman  —  ‘The Times (New Roman) are a-Changin,’ read the subject line of a cable from Secretary of State Antony Blinken to U.S. embassies as part of an accessibility push  —  The U.S. State Department is going sans serif …

Statehouse Democrats Embrace an Unfamiliar Reality: Full Power  —  After taking control of four state governments in the midterms, including in politically mixed Michigan, Democrats have a long-sought chance to govern.  —  LANSING, Mich. — For the first time in 40 years …

Hunt on for alleged arsonist in Illinois Planned Parenthood clinic fire days after state enacted new abortion rights laws  —  An arsonist, driving a pickup truck, set fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic in central Illinois, police said Tuesday, just days after the state enacted new laws protecting abortion rights.

White House strategy to manage documents fallout takes shape  —  The White House strategy to manage the special counsel investigation into President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents has taken shape.  —  Pledge full cooperation.  —  Attack House Republicans.

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 17, 2023  —  Click here to see ISW's interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  This map is updated daily alongside the static maps present in this report.  —  Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced on January 17 …

Since Biden Inauguration, Anonymous Chinese Donors Poured Millions Into University That Houses His Think Tank … Since President Joe Biden took office in 2021 anonymous Chinese donors have poured millions of dollars to the university that houses President Joe Biden's think tank, where at least 10 classified documents were identified.

Why does anyone want to re-elect the RNC chair?  We asked.  —  The Republican National Committee will elect its chair in 10 days, after a contentious campaign between three-term incumbent Ronna McDaniel and California RNC member Harmeet Dhillon, with MyPillow founder Mike Lindell shooting from the sidelines.

McCarthy's specious attacks on Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell  —  “If you got the briefing I got from the FBI, you wouldn't have [Eric] Swalwell on any committee. ...  Adam Schiff openly lied to the American public.  He told you he had proof.  He told you he didn't know the whistleblower.”

Compact Make Birth Free  —  Childbirth in the United States should be free.  Too many couples feel they can't start or grow their families because of our disordered politics and warped economy.  The existing model that erects barriers to family formation and imposes dizzying costs for childbirth is both unworkable and untenable.

How One Bad Court Pick in New York Has Turned Into a National Quagmire  —  Today, the New York senate judiciary committee will speak to Hector LaSalle, governor Kathy Hochul's nominee for chief judge of the Court of Appeals, which is the highest-ranking position of the state's highest court.