Politics A.M.: Guns, radicalization and a father’s alleged threat: First Jan. 6 trial set to begin

Invasion meets fierce resistance; high-stakes talks on Belarus border begin; Republicans make gains in the Rio Grande Valley ahead of Texas primary; Biden wanted to use the State of the Union speech to pivot to his agenda. Then Russia started a land war.; Rep. Lauren Boebert says, like Ukraine, Canada and U.S. 'need freedom and need to be liberated'; Democrats try to regain footing for midterm elections ; Putin puts Russian nuclear forces on alert as Ukrainian civilian deaths mount; Four women on the Supreme Court would bring historic, near gender parity for institution long dominated by White men; Historic sanctions on Russia had roots in emotional appeal from Zelensky; Conservatives turn to a new message: 'God bless the Ukrainian people'; Barr calls prospect of Trump running for president again 'dismaying,' says GOP should 'look forward' to others; The war against democracy finds allies in America First ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for this newsletter Read online The most important politics stories today.     (John Minchillo/AP) Guns, radicalization and a father's alleged threat: First Jan. 6 trial set to begin Who is Guy Reffitt, the first Jan. 6 defendant set to go to trial, and what will the trial look like? By Spencer S. Hsu ●  Read more »   Invasion meets fierce resistance; high-stakes talks on Belarus border begin Belarus is preparing to send soldiers into Ukraine in support of the Russian invasion as soon as Monday. By Steve Hendrix, Robyn Dixon, Rachel Pannett, Bryan Pietsch, Annabelle Timsit and Jennifer Hassan ●  Read more »   Republicans make gains in the Rio Grande Valley ahead of Texas primary Republican uprisings have been sweeping across Democratic areas of the state, born of frustration with one-party rule, the influence of GOP state leaders and the shifting brands of the national parties. By Arelis R. Hernández and Michael Scherer ●  Read more »   Biden wanted to use the State of the Union speech to pivot to his agenda. Then Russia started a land war. President Biden's team has revised his first State of the Union address to portray Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as a vivid example of the the tension between democracy and autocracy. By Annie Linskey and Tyler Pager ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Rep. Lauren Boebert says, like Ukraine, Canada and U.S. 'need freedom and need to be liberated' Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) gave an interview with Fox Nation that prompted condemnation from Canadian politicians. By Jaclyn Peiser ●  Read more »   Democrats try to regain footing for midterm elections With just over eight months until the November elections, many lawmakers and strategists are questioning whether the White House focus on political issues has been sufficient and whether there is still time to shift. By Michael Scherer, Sean Sullivan and Tyler Pager ●  Read more »   Putin puts Russian nuclear forces on alert as Ukrainian civilian deaths mount Global governments moved to isolate Russia economically but fears of nuclear brinksmanship increased. An onslaught of Russian tanks and assault vehicles captured on video storming toward the capital, Kyiv, has triggered fears of further bloodshed as the humanitarian crisis of Ukrainians fleeing to neighboring countries grew. By Isabelle Khurshudyan, Drew Harwell, Robyn Dixon and Miriam Berger ●  Read more »   Four women on the Supreme Court would bring historic, near gender parity for institution long dominated by White men If confirmed, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson would join Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett on the nine-person Supreme Court. By Robert Barnes ●  Read more »   Historic sanctions on Russia had roots in emotional appeal from Zelensky A video call by the Ukrainian wartime leader prompted jaded European leaders to act. By David J. Lynch, Michael Birnbaum, Ellen Nakashima and Paul Sonne ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Conservatives turn to a new message: 'God bless the Ukrainian people' After years of warming to Russia and its leader Putin, Republicans found new praise for the Ukrainians fighting back against the invasion by their neighbor. By David Weigel ●  Read more »   Barr calls prospect of Trump running for president again 'dismaying,' says GOP should 'look forward' to others In a new book, "One Damn Thing After Another," the former attorney general takes shot after shot at Trump, especially over his leadership during the coronavirus pandemic and his false claims that the election was stolen from him. By Matt Zapotosky and Josh Dawsey ●  Read more »   The war against democracy finds allies in America First The sharpest critics of increased diversity side with the enemies of democracy. Analysis ●  By Philip Bump ●  Read more »     We think you'll like this newsletter Check out Plant Powered by Voraciously for our 12-week guide to cooking more plant-forward meals. Recipes, techniques and tips on Tuesdays. Sign up »

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