Trump cancels Jan. 6 event amid GOP complaints  —  Senate Republicans can now breathe easier on Jan. 6.  —  Former President Donald Trump's announcement Tuesday evening that he would cancel a previously planned press conference is good news for Senate Republicans, who earlier in the day openly fretted …

I-95 in Va. reopens as motorists battle bailout traffic jam on Route 1  —  Have you or someone you know been stuck on I-95?  Tell WTOP about your experiences.  —  Listen to WTOP live online and on the radio at 103.5 FM.  Download the free WTOP News app for Android and Apple phones to sign up for custom traffic and weather alerts.

Ben Smith Is Leaving The Times for a Global News Start-Up  —  Mr. Smith will help start a new organization with Justin Smith, the chief executive of Bloomberg Media.  —  Ben Smith, the media columnist for The New York Times, is leaving the paper to start a new global news organization with Justin Smith …

Entrata founder emails Utah tech CEOs, claiming COVID vaccine part of extermination plot by ‘the Jews’  —  SALT LAKE CITY — The founder and chair of Entrata, a Silcon Slopes tech firm, sent an email to a number of tech CEOs and Utah business and political leaders, claiming the COVID-19 vaccine …

Top Senate Republican signals support for election reform  —  A top Republican is signaling his party isn't necessarily opposed to joining with Democrats to clarify an existing federal law to reduce the potential for election subversion.  —  Driving the news: While broader federal voting …

White House embraces a manage-not-contain Omicron game plan  —  When President Joe Biden took office last January amid a winter Covid-19 surge, he vowed an all-out federal assault aimed at vanquishing the virus.  —  A year later, with the country facing unprecedented levels of disease once again …

Rep. Brenda Lawrence to retire from Congress, leaving Detroit-area seat up for grabs  —  Washington — U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence said she plans to retire from Congress at the end of her term, becoming the 25th House Democrat to decide against seeking reelection in 2022.

Manhattan DA to stop seeking prison sentences in slew of criminal cases  —  Who needs soft-on-crime judges when the district attorney doesn't even want to lock up the bad guys?  —  Manhattan's new DA has ordered his prosecutors to stop seeking prison sentences for hordes of criminals …

The smoking gun that Liz Cheney is looking for on Trump comes into view  —  For weeks, Rep. Liz Cheney has hinted that the House select committee examining Jan. 6 might urge the Justice Department to consider prosecuting Donald Trump.  The grounds for this criminal referral might be that Trump obstructed the …

The Radicalization of J.D. Vance  —  As he runs for the Senate, the ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ author has gone from media darling to establishment pariah.  Is his new, fiery, right-wing persona an act?  Or is something more interesting going on?  —  Let's start with the beard.  J.D. Vance didn't used to have one.

One MVP voter says he won't vote for Aaron Rodgers, calling him “the biggest jerk in the league”  —  Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the favorite to win the league's MVP award.  But one voter has already ruled out Rodgers for consideration.  —  That voter is Hub Arkush …

Ron Johnson escalates attack on vaccines: ‘Why do we think that we can create something better than God?’  —  Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) this week doubled down on his campaign to promote the so-called “natural immunity” that occurs after one has been infected by Covid-19.

‘Vaccine Police’ Leader Traveling Country With Flamethrower Jailed for Trespassing  —  The antivax leader, who set out to arrest Democratic governors, has found himself behind bars.  —  An anti-COVID-19 vaccine organization leader, who recently set out on a cross-country road trip …

Kazakhstan government resigns after violent protests over fuel price  —  Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the government's resignation on Wednesday, his office said, after a fuel price increase in the oil-rich Central Asian country triggered protests in which nearly 100 police were injured.

Georgia opens investigation into possible illegal ballot harvesting in 2020 election  —  Secretary of State Raffensperger says subpoenas could be forthcoming.  — Article  —  Georgia authorities have launched an investigation into an allegation of systematic ballot harvesting during …

Aw, Apple Made Me a “Memory” of the Time I Hid From Rioters in the U.S. Capitol  —  What was it like being inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021?  Kind of a blur.  My colleagues and I on the congressional beat first got word that a House office building was under lockdown.

CDC clarifies isolation guidance after criticism but still no call for testing  —  An update on the CDC website gives Americans more details on the guidance.  —  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday clarified its guidelines around what to do when you get COVID-19 …

Sen. Ted Cruz says Republicans are likely to impeach Biden if they retake House  —  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) predicted Republicans would move to impeach President Biden “whether it's justified or not” if they retake the House in this year's midterm elections.  —  The White House responded Tuesday …

Inside D.C.'s Rowdy New Progressive Scene  —  Once a month, in the latter, vaccinated half of 2021, denizens of D.C.'s progressive ecosystem flocked to a bar in Washington's Adams Morgan neighborhood for a happy hour hosted by the pollster and think tank Data for Progress.