The Hollywood Reporter reports: More than two years after it was first announced, filming has begun the Grease prequel TV series. Originally titled Rydell High and ordered at HBO Max before moving to Paramount+ and gaining a new title, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies has unveiled its cast and begun production in Vancouver. Set four years before the beloved …

The New York Times reports: In less than six months, Wordle has gone from a gift to a viral sensation, to being an official part of The New York Times portfolio. Josh Wardle, a software engineer in Brooklyn, created the game as a gift for his partner. It was released to the public in October, and it exploded in popularity …

Law & Crime reports: A California man indicted for allegedly conspiring with other members of an extremist militia to obstruct the certification of Joe Biden’s victory asked a federal judge for permission to move to Texas because employers there are “more sympathetic” to the charges he’s facing in connection with the Jan. 6 siege. Ronald Mele is believed to be …

The Press Progress reports: Benjamin Dichter, a failed candidate for both the Conservative Party and People’s Party, participated in a Twitter Space discussion with a pair of highly controversial former Rebel Media personalities – Keean Bexte and Lauren Southern. During a Twitter Space chat, Dichter was asked about photos circulating of hate symbols at the convoy, including multiple Confederate flags …

Reuters reports: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said Canadians were disgusted by the behavior of some people protesting against COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Ottawa and said he would not be intimidated. Police said most demonstrators have been peaceful but local residents complained about blaring truck horns and some demonstrators using the streets as a toilet. Some also harassed a …

CNN reports: Marc Short, former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, quietly testified before the House select committee investigating January 6 last week in response to a subpoena, sources tell CNN, in the most significant sign to date that Pence’s team is cooperating with the probe. Short, who was with Pence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and …

The New York Post reports: An upstate district attorney’s office is dropping its criminal investigation of sexual harassment allegations against Andrew Cuomo — shutting down the last of five criminal cases involving the disgraced ex-governor. But Oswego DA Gregory Oakes told The Post on Monday that while there’s not “sufficient legal basis” to bring charges based on allegations of unwanted …

Variety reports: MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow plans to take a hiatus in order to focus on other projects she is working on as part of a broader content deal with NBCUniversal, according to two people familiar with the matter. The anchor, who is the linchpin of the cable news outlet’s primetime schedule, is expected to tell viewers about her planned absence, …

The Associated Press reports: Attorneys for a man who killed four people in a shooting at a Nashville Waffle House said Monday that Travis Reinking believed the restaurant patrons and employees were government agents whom he had been commanded by God to kill. Reinking, 32, was naked save for a green jacket when he opened fire inside the restaurant on …

Posted to Franklin Graham’s Facebook page: The rookie who made the game-winning kick is Evan McPherson. He’s just 22 years old, but Evan is the first kicker in NFL history to hold the record for having the most field goals without a miss in a single postseason. That’s impressive. But what impresses me most about Evan is that he’s not …

Mediaite reports: Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Sunday promoted the highly unlikely idea that President Joe Biden will nominate Vice President Kamala Harris to the Supreme Court, filling outgoing Justice Stephen Breyer’s seat. “I think there is a chance they name Kamala to the court, in part because they can’t stand her. And one of the virtues of naming …

The Insider reports: “Maus,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust, surged to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list over the weekend after a Tennessee school board removed it from its eighth-grade curriculum. As of Monday morning, “The Complete Maus,” which includes all volumes of the graphic novel, was number one on Amazon. Individual editions for volumes one and …

Reuters reports: The United States and its allies have prepared a list of Russian elites in or near President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle to punish with sanctions if Russia sends troops into Ukraine, a senior U.S. official said on Monday. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said planned legislation will give London new powers to target companies linked to the Russian state, …

Florida Politics reports: Odds that Gov. Ron DeSantis will be the 47th President of the United States have improved, according to one betting aggregator. US-Bookies, which bases its odds on “betting markets offered by UK/European/worldwide operators regulated in jurisdictions where wagering on these props is legal,” said Monday that DeSantis’ odds have improved in recent weeks from 8/1 to 7/1. …

The Hill reports: The Republican National Committee (RNC) pulled in $158.6 million in 2021, narrowly edging out the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) fundraising haul for the year. The DNC and its joint fundraising arm announced earlier on Monday that they had raised $10.7 million in December, bringing the committee’s annual total to more than $157 million. The DNC still ended …

The Washington Post reports: The Food and Drug Administration has granted full approval to Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, the agency announced Monday. Moderna’s vaccine, now known as Spikevax, was previously available under emergency use authorization and is the second coronavirus vaccine to get full FDA approval. Pfizer and BioNTech’s product was approved in August. Moderna, a biotechnology company, said Monday that …

CNN reports: The Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney is asking for the FBI’s help in providing security for buildings and staff one day after former President Donald Trump called prosecutors investigating him “racists” and said his supporters should hold “the biggest protests we have ever had” in cities like Atlanta if the prosecutors “do anything wrong or illegal.” DA Fani …

The New York Times reports: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada has tested positive for the coronavirus after an exposure last week. He said on Twitter that he was not feeling ill. He said later in an online news conference that two of his three children had also tested positive. Mr. Trudeau has been isolating since last Thursday, when he …

Florida Politics reports: The Lake Worth Republican’s year-end report shows a total of $119,821 in contributions. Meanwhile, she spent $105,232 for the quarter, including sending $8,400 in refunds. But those expenditures primarily fueled a campaign apparatus seemingly built on spending money to raise more money. That means she netted just $6,189 in the quarter. That appears to be the consequence …

Reuters reports: Some events at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office and residence during a COVID-19 lockdown should not have taken place, an inquiry said on Monday, describing serious failures of leadership and judgment at the heart of the British government. In her inquiry into lockdown-breaking gatherings at Downing Street under Johnson, senior civil servant Sue Gray condemned some of the …