The Man Who Made January 6 Possible  —  In late October 2020, Donald Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was attending the confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett when his cellphone rang.  He answered with a whisper and walked out to the hallway to take the call.

Former VA administrator and Georgia senator Max Cleland dies at home  —  Former U.S. senator and Veterans Administration leader Max Cleland died Tuesday more than 53 years after a live grenade dropped by a fellow soldier in Vietnam robbed him of three limbs.The injuries, however …

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu declines Senate bid in significant blow for Republicans  —  (CNN)New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu on Tuesday said he would not run against Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan in 2022, dealing a significant blow to Republicans who hoped the seat would be a top target in the critical midterm elections.

Trump makes — and loses — overnight bid to block Jan. 6 investigators  —  If you blinked you missed it.  —  Former President Donald Trump filed an emergency request to a federal judge late Monday night to prevent the National Archives from sending sensitive records to Jan. 6 committee investigators by Friday.

USA-ELECTION/THREATS  —  Law enforcement has taken little action as backers of Donald Trump aim stark threats at election officials.  Reuters tracked down nine of the harassers.  Most were unrepentant.  —  This story contains text, images and audio clips with offensive language.

CBO's Schedule for Releasing a Cost Estimate for H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act  —  The Congressional Budget Office is in the process of preparing a cost estimate for the current version of H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act (Rules Committee Print 117-18 incorporating a manager's amendment by Congressman Yarmuth).

A secret tape made after Columbine shows the NRA's evolution on school shootings  —  Soon after the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, senior leaders of the National Rifle Association huddled on a conference call to consider canceling their annual convention, scheduled just days later and a few miles away.

Republican congressman details threatening voicemail he received after voting for bipartisan infrastructure bill  —  Washington (CNN)Republican Rep. Fred Upton on Monday shared a threatening voicemail he had received after voting for the bipartisan infrastructure bill last week.

Inside Ivy Getty's Fantasy Wedding Weekend in San Francisco  —  Artist and model Ivy Love Getty, the great granddaughter of J. Paul Getty and one of the heiresses to the oil fortune he amassed, married photographer Tobias Alexander Engel in a ceremony officiated by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at City Hall in San Francisco.

POLITICO Playbook: A Trump-backed Senate hopeful takes the stand  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  PARNELL DOUBTS GROW — All eyes are on SEAN PARNELL when he testifies today for the second and final time in an ugly child custody battle with his estranged wife, LAURIE SNELL.

Producer prices rise 8.6%, matching September record high  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation at the wholesale level rose 8.6% last month from a year earlier, matching September's record annual gain and offering more evidence that inflationary pressures are not yet easing.

USC Pushed a $115,000 Online Degree.  Graduates Got Low Salaries, Huge Debts.  —  The prestigious private university hired a for-profit firm to recruit low-income students to its social-work master's program; 'You don't feel like you're part of an elite school'

Gavin Newsom's wife, California Democrats bristle at questions about governor's continued absence  —  California Gov. Gavin Newsom has not appeared publicly since abruptly canceling a visit to Glasgow, Scotland on Oct. 29 for a climate change conference, stirring considerable online speculation.

What Moves Swing Voters  —  A creative new poll tries to understand.  —  Political pundits often talk about swing voters as if they were upscale suburbanites, like “soccer moms” or “office-park dads.”  And some are.  But many are blue-collar.  They are the successors to the so-called Reagan Democrats …

Indictment of Steele dossier source is more bad news for multiple media outlets  —  MSNBC host Rachel Maddow in December 2017 aired a special report on the Trump-Russia dossier compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele.  That document, claimed Maddow …

Trump's supporters have a bizarre secret password meant to own the libs  —  Biden's presence in the White House doesn't inflame Trump's base in quite the same way as Obama's did.  I wonder why.  —  A new shibboleth insulting President Joe Biden has been circulating lately among Republican members …

“Critical Race Theory” and actual education policy, part two  —  The core problem is a dangerous attack on efforts to measure learning  —  In yesterday's post I wrote about two recent trends in progressive education policy that have (rightly, I think) annoyed a lot of people …

Sen. Mitch McConnell tours AppHarvest facility in Morehead  —  MOREHEAD, Ky. (WKYT) - Monday afternoon, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took a trip to Morehead to tour AppHarvest's facility.  —  After his tour with AppHarvest founder and CEO Jonathan Webb, Senator McConnell addressed dozens …

Crisis brews in Bosnia as U.S., EU stand by  —  The international community's top representative in Bosnia is sounding the alarm over the “very real” possibility of a return to conflict, citing secessionist maneuvers by the Serb member of the country's tripartite presidency.

Postal Banking Test in the Bronx Yields No Customers  —  From September 13 to October 31, not a single customer put a paycheck on a gift card in one of the four test locations.  —  While 9.4 percent of New York City households have no bank account, in the Bronx that number nearly doubles to 17.7 percent.

Rep. Paul Gosar tweets altered anime video showing him killing Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and attacking President Biden  —  Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.) shared an altered, animated video that depicts him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and swinging two swords at President Biden …

Ron DeSantis enemies list targets DNC member for “sleeping dragons” and viral tweets  —  Thomas Kennedy embarrassed Florida's governor.  DeSantis' office directed the state's top law enforcement agency to disseminate criminal intelligence about him.  —  Florida's top statewide law enforcement …

The 1619 Project and the Long Battle Over U.S. History  —  Fights over how we tell our national story go back more than a century — and have a great deal to teach us about our current divisions.  —  To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Desperately Seeking DeSantis (and Youngkin)  —  Hoping for a post-Trump future.  —  On the election night 2021, mere minutes after the Virginia governor's race had been called for Glenn Youngkin, Ross Douthat tweeted: … No need to wait for Youngkin to pass legislation.  Or create jobs.

Is the Supreme Court on Its Way to Becoming a Conservative Bastion? … When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.  —  JUSTICE ON THE BRINK  —  The Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Rise of Amy Coney Barrett, and Twelve Months That Transformed the Supreme Court

Covid-Related School Chaos Is a Problem for Democrats  —  Last Wednesday morning, Christopher Rufo, the architect of the right-wing crusade against critical race theory, sent me a message asking if I wanted to talk, I suppose because I was one of the first people to write about his project back in February.

Why millions of job seekers aren't getting hired in this hot job market  —  The United States has a record number of job openings, but many firms continue to favor candidates with several years of experience, availability to work evening or weekend hours, and a willingness to work in-person

U.S. Tests Israel's Iron Dome in Guam as Defense Against Chinese Cruise Missiles  —  System gets tryout at Pacific base, countering Beijing's buildup  —  Israel has used it to intercept thousands of Palestinian rockets and mortars.  Now the Iron Dome missile-defense system is being tested …