‘Stop the Steal’ founder told Jan. 6 committee about contacts with GOP lawmakers  —  Ali Alexander, who founded the pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” movement and attended the rally that preceded the Capitol attack, told congressional investigators that he recalls “a few phone conversations” …

3 retired generals: The military must prepare now for a 2024 insurrection  —  Paul D. Eaton is a retired U.S. Army major general and a senior adviser to VoteVets.  Antonio M. Taguba is a retired Army major general, with 34 years of active duty service.  Steven M. Anderson is a retired brigadier general …

Federal appeals court reinstates Biden administration's business vaccine and testing mandate  — A federal appeals court has reinstated the Biden administration's vaccine and testing requirement for private businesses that covers about 80 million American workers.

Vaccine Data Gaps Point to Millions More in U.S. Who Lack Shots  —  The U.S. government has over-counted the number of Americans who are at least partly vaccinated against the coronavirus, state officials warn, meaning millions more people are unprotected as the pandemic's winter surge gathers steam.

Kamala Harris, in interview, says administration did not anticipate Omicron variant  —  Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday that the administration failed to anticipate the variants that have prolonged and worsened the COVID-19 pandemic and that she underestimated the role misinformation …

When facts have a liberal bias, New York Times editors can get squirmy  —  Nina Bernstein was covering homelessness for the New York Times in 1999 when then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani announced his intention to lock homeless families out of the city's shelters for even minor rule violations.

Moderna backs down in its vaccine patent fight with the N.I.H.  —  Moderna has backed down in a bitter dispute with the government over who deserves credit for a crucial component of its coronavirus shot, in a case that has major implications for the vaccine's future distribution and Moderna's future profits.

How the government helps investors buy mobile home parks, raise rent and evict people  —  Money is tight for Mary Hunt.  She often has to decide which bills to pay on time — heat, her car loan, the phone bill.  But she's been able to scrape by for more than 30 years, living in a mobile home park in Swartz Creek, Mich.

'Let's get a drink': Dems confront prospect of a 2022 hurricane  —  CHARLESTON, S.C. — Democratic Party leaders moved quietly this week to lower expectations for the midterm elections as they met for year-end talks against the backdrop of an increasingly bleak electoral landscape.  —  The House?

Map by Map, G.O.P. Chips Away at Black Democrats' Power  —  Black elected officials in several states, from Congress down to the counties, have been drawn out of their districts this year or face headwinds to hold onto their seats.  —  More than 30 years ago, Robert Reives Sr. marched …

Quidditch to change name, citing J.K. Rowling's ‘anti-trans positions’  —  Real-life quidditch, inspired by the magical game in “Harry Potter,” is changing its name, citing author J.K. Rowling's “anti-trans positions in recent years.”  —  US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch announced …

My father, the white supremacist  —  I'd inherited his family's money, his height, his arthritis.  Could I inherit the very worst parts of him, too?  —  Illustrations by Amanda Northrop/Vox  —  My father collapsed in his own backyard in the early spring of 2019, all 6 feet 5 inches of him …

Actor Jay Johnston Banned From 'Bob's Burgers' Over Capitol Riot  —  KARMA … The ‘Mr. Show’ and ‘Anchorman’ actor will no longer be voicing the character of Jimmy Pesto Sr. on Fox's animated hit after he was allegedly spotted at the Jan. 6 insurrection.  —  The aftermath of the deadly …

Team Biden is making a list: Favorite Year 1 numbers  —  White House communications director Kate Bedingfield sent Democratic lawmakers a memo outlining President Biden's Year 1 accomplishments, even with Build Back Better in limbo.  —  Driving the news: A copy came down the Axios AM chimney.

Two positive COVID tests on trip with Secretary of State Antony Blinken were not disclosed  —  Three cases of COVID-19 upended Secretary of State Antony Blinken's multi-nation trip this week — including two previously undisclosed cases among members of the Air Force flight crew.

The Afghanistan humanitarian crisis is dire.  Where is the U.S.?  —  Americans have been generous after military victories.  Just look at the postwar economic miracles in Germany and Japan.  But it's harder to be generous in defeat — as we see in the Biden administration's wary response …

The malicious, historically illiterate 1619 Project keeps rolling on  —  The New York Times is like God, who, if Genesis reported Creation correctly, beheld His handiwork and decided “it was very good.”  The Times is comparably pleased with itself concerning its creation, “The 1619 Project.”

The Phrase “No Evidence” Is A Red Flag For Bad Science Communication  —  ...  Related to: Doctor, There Are Two Types Of No Evidence; A Failure, But Not Of Prediction.  —  I.  —  Every single one of these statements that had “no evidence” is currently considered true or at least pretty plausible.

With Omicron, U.S. Testing Capacity Faces Intense Pressure  —  President Biden came into office vowing to make testing cheap and accessible, but matching supply with demand has been a persistent problem.  —  WASHINGTON — The nation's coronavirus testing capacity, already straining to keep up with demand …

DeSantis shares stage with activist who posted QAnon-related conspiracy theories on social media  —  TALLAHASSEE — A Miami activist Gov. Ron DeSantis' office handpicked to amplify his criticism of critical race theory has espoused views aligned with QAnon conspiracy theories and appears …

Doctors and Nurses Are ‘Living in a Constant Crisis’ as Covid Fills Hospitals  —  Hospitalizations across the country have increased 20 percent in two weeks, taxing already exhausted health care workers as the United States confronts the Omicron variant.  —  SAGINAW, Mich. …

‘The Corpse Bride Diet’: How TikTok Inundates Teens With Eating-Disorder Videos  —  The app's algorithm can send users down rabbit holes of narrow interest, resulting in potentially dangerous content such as emaciated images, purging techniques, hazardous diets and body shaming

New York Reports a Record Number of Coronavirus Cases for One Day  —  New York officials reported 21,027 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the highest single-day total since the earliest days of pandemic, when the availability of testing was not as widespread as it is now.