Nashville council votes to reinstate Black Tennessee lawmaker  —  The expulsions of two lawmakers put Tennessee's issues of race, gun control and freedom of speech and into the national spotlight  —  NASHVILLE — Local officials voted Monday to reinstate one of the two Black Democratic lawmakers expelled …

Egypt secretly planned to supply rockets to Russia, leaked U.S. document says  —  President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi in February planned to produce 40,000 rockets for Russia and instructed officials to keep production and shipment secret ‘to avoid problems with the West’

Drug Company Leaders Condemn Ruling Invalidating F.D.A. Approval of Abortion Pill  —  More than 250 executives said that the decision ignored both scientific and legal precedent and, if it stands, would create uncertainty for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Lauren Boebert's Eldest Son's Car Wreck Injured Friend, Led to Criminal Charges  —  Representative Lauren Boebert with her son Tyler. … Like mother, like son.  —  On September 17, 2022, Representative Lauren Boebert's eldest son, Tyler, was issued a “careless driving causing bodily injury” …

Police: 4 killed in shooting at downtown Louisville building  —  A shooting at a bank in downtown Louisville killed at least four people and wounded at least eight others Monday, police said.  The suspected shooter was also dead.  —  The shooting, the 15th mass killing in the country this year …

Senate Democrats call on Chief Justice Roberts to investigate Thomas' undisclosed trips  —  The Senate Judiciary Committee said it plans to hold a hearing on the “need to restore confidence in the Supreme Court's ethical standards,” and would consider legislation.

Citing Trump's attacks on ‘hush money’ judge, court keeps E. Jean Carroll rape jury completely anonymous  —  Some weeks after cloaking a jury in complete anonymity to preside over E. Jean Carroll's lawsuit accusing former President Donald Trump of rape, a federal judge refused to relax …

Al Jaffee, King of the Mad Magazine Fold-In, Dies at 102  —  For 55 years, he encouraged fans of the satiric magazine to mutilate it.  —  Al Jaffee, a cartoonist who folded in when the trend in magazine publishing was to fold out, thereby creating one of Mad magazine's most recognizable …

White House launching $5 billion program to speed coronavirus vaccines  —  ‘Project Next Gen’ would succeed ‘Operation Warp Speed’ with a mission to develop next-generation vaccines and therapies.  —  The Biden administration is launching a $5 billion-plus program to accelerate development …

Dalai Lama apologizes after video asking child to ‘suck’ his tongue sparks outcry  —  New Delhi and Dharamshala, India CNN —  The Dalai Lama has apologized after a video emerged showing the spiritual leader kissing a child on the lips and then asking him to “suck my tongue” at an event in northern India.

U.S. Deems WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich ‘Wrongfully Detained’ by Russia  —  Official designation enables U.S. to press a foreign government, unlocks other resources to free detainee  —  The State Department on Monday designated as “wrongfully detained” Evan Gershkovich …

Trump Ignores Deadline for Personal Financial Disclosure to F.E.C.  —  The disclosure will eventually provide the first look at the former president's businesses since leaving the White House.  —  Former President Donald J. Trump has a minor addition to his mounting pile of legal challenges …

Why I decided to shoot all my Bud Light: A letter to my ‘woke’ liberal neighbors  —  The company I have long supported by getting day drunk caved to the absurd liberal notion that we should treat everyone with respect by partnering with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer.  —  Dear neighbors:

What the Bud Light backlash has in common with today's Republican Party  —  The marketing plan was obviously courting controversy from the outset.  Bud Light, the most popular beer in the country, was going to put together a campaign centered on a group that makes up less than 9 percent of the population of the U.S.?

Conspiracy theorists made Tiffany Dover into an anti-vaccine icon.  She's finally ready to talk about it.  —  The Tennessee nurse stayed quiet in hopes that her silence would quiet false claims of her death.  Now, she says it only hurt.  —  HIGDON, Ala. — Tiffany Dover is alive.

Hounded by baseless voter fraud allegations, an entire county's election staff quits in Virginia  —  In Buckingham County, four people quit their jobs after a feud between local Republicans and the general registrar consumed the small community.  —  BUCKINGHAM, Virginia — Lindsey Taylor loved running elections here.

Donald Trump returning to New York for deposition in $250M civil lawsuit: Sources  —  Letitia James has accused Trump of overvaluing real estate assets.  —  Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to return to New York City Thursday to sit for a second deposition as part of New York Attorney General Letitia James'

What to know as Gov. Abbott pushes to pardon a man who was just convicted of murder  —  One day after a jury convicted U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Perry of murder for shooting and killing Garrett Foster at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he wants Perry to receive a pardon.

State Rep. Bryan Slaton retains criminal defense lawyer in possible ethics investigation  —  The complaint came after an incident in which Slaton and the staffer allegedly met up at his Austin apartment last weekend.  A separate staffer told The Texas Tribune that Slaton drank alcohol with an intern under 21 years old.

Hashtags are everything on Mastodon — why not give them a home? … Mastodon has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Twitter's ongoing meltdown, and since I started seriously using it late last year, it's won me over.  While I still use Twitter for monitoring news and talking to the occasional source …

Two friends were denied care after Florida banned abortion.  One almost died.  —  New abortion restrictions have disrupted the standard of care for a pregnancy complication both women experienced late last year  —  MIRAMAR, Fla. — Anya Cook did not want to push.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw posts #boycottbudlight video with fridge full of Karbach, owned by same company  —  Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate  —  Rep. Dan Crenshaw has jumped on the #boycottbudlight bandwagon but he made a critical mistake in the execution.

Exclusive: Florida GOP Congressman Backs Trump for President, as More Prepare to Follow Suit  —  As Republicans in Congress mull whether to back a candidate in next year's presidential race, the choice facing Florida's delegation is particularly fraught.  The battleground state is home …

In U-turn, Netanyahu Announces That Gallant Will Remain Defense Minister  —  Netanyahu also said that Israel's opposition and the movement against his government's efforts to overhaul the judiciary are responsible for the military escalation between Israel and its neighbors

Paging Dr. Sasse...  Ever since Ben Sasse, a former Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska, took office, there's been a president-sized hole left in much of the UF community.  —  For eight years, he dealt with national political reporters as a senator in the Beltway.

Behind the Scenes of Barack Obama's Reading Lists  —  Does the president really read all those books?  The answer might surprise you.  —  As a journalist covering the book-publishing industry, when an editor reaches out to me about a story, it's usually because there's something dark lurking under the cover.

Time is almost up for Proud Boys on trial for seditious conspiracy: Another week gone and another week begins in historic Jan. 6 case  —  From emptywheel: Thanks to the generosity of emptywheel readers we have funded Brandi's coverage for the rest of the trial.