Biden, Back Into the Breach  —  A year after the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol, the President delivered the speech that he never wanted to give.  —  He never mentioned Donald Trump by name.  He didn't have to.  Joe Biden gave the speech of his Presidency on Thursday …

Ted Cruz Begs Tucker Carlson's Forgiveness for Being Mean to Violent Insurrectionists  —  Senator Ted Cruz has tried to cling to what has become the safest ground in the Republican Party: Denouncing the violent attack on the Capitol one year ago without criticizing either the lies that inspired …

Hiring falters in December as payrolls rise only 199,000, though the unemployment fell to 3.9%  — Nonfarm payrolls rose by 199,000 in December, far fewer than the 422,000 estimate.  — The unemployment rate dropped to 3.9%, better than the 4.1% estimate.  — Wages increased more than expected, rising 4.7% year over year.

CDC director turns to media consultant as Covid-19 messaging frustrations mount  —  (CNN)Dr. Rochelle Walensky assumed her new role as the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last January with a vow to restore trust in the agency.  But last fall, several months …

White House, USPS finalizing plans to begin shipping coronavirus test kits to U.S. households  —  The White House is finalizing details with the U.S. Postal Service to deliver 500 million coronavirus test kits to households across the country, according to four people familiar with the plans …

Bill Clinton, Oprah and his fellow centrists: Dems go all-out to sway Manchin  —  The strongest voices lobbying Joe Manchin to change Senate rules and advance elections reform aren't liberal activists or die-hard filibuster opponents.  Instead, they're a small group of his friends who once shared his reluctance.

Democrats Are Failing to Defend Democracy  —  When it comes to elections, the Republican Party operates within a carapace of lies.  So we rely on the Democrats to preserve our system of government.  —  The problem is that Democrats live within their own insular echo chamber.

Mike Pompeo tells The Post how he lost 90 pounds in six months  —  America isn't just seeing less of Mike Pompeo because the Trump administration is no longer in the White House.  We are seeing less of the former Secretary of State because there is literally less of him — 90 pounds, to be exact.

Omicron Isn't Mild for the Health-Care System  —  The new variant is spreading quickly enough to inundate hospitals that were already buckling under the cumulative toll of every previous surge.  —  when a health-care system crumbles, this is what it looks like.  Much of what's wrong happens invisibly.

Conservative social media app Parler raises $20 million  —  Parler, the social media app that was temporarily booted from app stores in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, has raised $20 million in new funding, according to a filing with federal securities regulators.

What Role Will January 6 Play in The 2022 Midterms?  —  The following things can be true at the same time.  First, the attack on the Capitol on January 6 was a dark moment in American history and one in which the former president bears responsibility.  Second, the attack on the Capitol …

My call to protect and serve NYC: Philip Banks, Eric Adams' newly appointed deputy mayor for public safety, defends himself  —  The law is in my blood.  My brothers and I grew up with it, watching my father leave the house every day from our home in Cambria Heights, off to protect the people of the city.

Kazakhstan president gives shoot-to-kill order against protesters, dismissing calls for negotiations  —  MOSCOW — Kazakhstan's president said Friday he had ordered his troops to “shoot to kill without warning” in an effort to quash anti-government protests that have been raging since the weekend.

Sen. Mark Kelly raises nearly $9 million in final three months of 2021  —  (CNN)Sen. Mark Kelly raised nearly $9 million in the final three months of 2021, a figure that surpasses what he raised in the previous three months and positions the Arizona Democrat to be one of the best funded candidates in the 2022 midterms.

2022 is a ‘crucial year’ for Biden's climate agenda, from Congress to the Supreme Court.  Here's what to know.  —  Good morning and welcome to The Climate 202!  We always appreciate feedback from readers, and we try our best to respond to your emails.  Let us know what you've enjoyed …

Battle over Biden's vaccine rules for workers arrives at Supreme Court  —  The Supreme Court convenes in a special session Friday to consider challenges to the Biden administration's most significant intervention to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and its public health impacts …

DeSantis admits, up to 1 million COVID test kits DID expire in FL  —  Quality Journalism for Critical Times  —  Gov. Ron DeSantis and Kevin Guthrie, director of Florida's Division of Emergency Management, acknowledged Thursday that 800,000 to a million COVID tests had expired in a state stockpile …

Ten questions for retiring Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.)  —  Good morning, Early Birds.  President Biden heads to Colorado today to survey fire damage, and the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two cases challenging the Biden administration's vaccine mandates for companies and health care workers.

The cult of Jan. 6  —  A year ago today, a mob determined to intimidate Vice President Mike Pence and Congress into delaying the certification of the 2020 presidential election descended upon the Capitol from the Ellipse, where President Donald Trump had falsely told them, “We won this election, and we won it by a landslide.”

Do Republicans really believe Trump won the 2020 election?  Our research suggests that they do.  —  All credible evidence tells us that the 2020 election was very secure.  Experts on both sides of the political aisle, and even President Donald Trump's own Justice Department, have confirmed that 2020 was a free and fair election.

Cyber Ninjas faces fine over Arizona election review records  —  PHOENIX (AP) — A judge said Thursday he will fine Cyber Ninjas, the contractor that led Arizona Republicans' 2020 election review, $50,000 a day if the firm doesn't immediately turn over public records related to the unprecedented inquiry.