Playbook: Iowa enters the spin zone  —  With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  HISTORY LESSON, PART 1 — “Martin Luther King Jr. Was a Radical,” by Sheryll Cashin for POLITICO Magazine: “The civil rights icon's image has been sanitized to Kumbaya, feel-good platitudes.

Why The World Is Betting Against American Democracy  —  Ambassadors to Washington warn that the GOP-Democratic divide is endangering America's national security.  —  Foreign diplomats are aghast that so many U.S. leaders let their zeal for partisan politics prevent the basic functions of government.

Austin is released from hospital after complications from prostate cancer surgery he kept secret  —  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from the hospital Monday, after spending two weeks there to treat complications from surgery for prostate cancer he kept secret from senior Biden administration leaders and staff for weeks.

Key Trump Lawyer Withdraws as Manhattan Criminal Trial Nears  —  Joseph Tacopina brought extensive experience with high-profile cases to former president Donald J. Trump's legal team.  —  Joseph Tacopina, the trial lawyer on Donald J. Trump's legal team with the most successes defending high-profile clients …

Nikki Haley Refuses to Say a Man Cannot Become a Woman During Campaign Event  —  The Iowa Caucus is just hours away and social issues seem to be top of mind for at least some voters in the Hawkeye State.  —  Extreme weather conditions in Iowa limited the 2024 GOP hopefuls to mostly virtual events …

A person called 911 falsely reporting a fire at the White House in apparent ‘swatting’ event  —  President Joe Biden was at Camp David when the call to 911 was made early Monday morning.  —  WASHINGTON — A person called 911 Monday morning falsely claiming that there was a fire at the White House and that someone was trapped inside.

Swastika spray-painted near Holocaust memorial in Philadelphia, police say  —  Authorities are investigating the vandalism, which comes amid a surge in antisemitic incidents nationwide.  —  A swastika was discovered on a wall near Philadelphia's Holocaust memorial on Sunday, police said.

How the Iowa caucuses work  —  Here's how the first Republican presidential nominating contest of 2024 will work on the ground Monday night.  —  On Monday evening, Iowa Republicans will head to schools and community centers to participate in their first-in-the-nation caucuses …

Biden Money Haul: Nearly $100 Million Raised, Most Ever By a Democrat at This Point  —  The haul shows how fundraising is one of Biden's distinct competitive advantages over Republicans in 2024  —  President Joe Biden announced Monday that his campaign and the Democratic National Committee raised $97 million …