Pro-Trump rioters smeared poop in U.S. Capitol hallways during belligerent attack  —  They took a dump on the seat of American democracy — literally.  —  Some of the unhinged pro-Trump rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday defecated inside the historic building and “tracked” …

Donald Trump's Final Days  —  The best outcome would be for him to resign to spare the U.S. another impeachment fight.  —  By The Editorial Board  —  The lodestar of these columns is the U.S. Constitution.  The document is the durable foundation protecting liberty, and this week it showed its virtue again.

Two Trump Supporters From Chicago Suburbs Arrested in D.C.  —  The chief executive officer of a company in Schaumburg and a tattoo artist from Roselle were among supporters of President Donald Trump who got arrested after a violent mob stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C.,this week.

Dominion sues pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, seeking more than $1.3 billion  —  Dominion Voting Systems on Friday filed a defamation lawsuit against lawyer Sidney Powell, demanding more than $1.3 billion in damages for havoc it says Powell has caused by spreading “wild” and “demonstrably false” …

Farah: Election Results “Almost Perfectly Aligned” With Team Trump's Internal Polling  —  And Alyssa Farah would know.  Farah worked in Donald Trump's White House, following a few years of working in and around other MAGA figures, or at least she did until a month ago or so.

Live updates: Pelosi says she spoke to nation's top military leader about ensuring Trump doesn't launch a nuclear attack  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told colleagues in a letter Friday that she had spoken to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley …

Major Josh Hawley donor calls for him to be censured by the U.S. Senate  —  A Joplin businessman who helped bankroll Sen. Josh Hawley's first campaign denounced him on Thursday as a “political opportunist” who used “irresponsible, inflammatory, and dangerous tactics” to incite the rioting that took over the U.S. Capitol Building.

American Democracy Survived Ted Cruz's Demagoguery—This Time  —  Texas's junior senator shares responsibility for inciting the mob that breached the U.S. Capitol.  That's brought him scorn from much of the country—but might win him fresh support from Trump Republicans.  —  NOTES

Exclusive: Biden will release nearly all available vaccine doses in break from Trump administration policy of holding back stock for second dose  —  Vaccination rate will take 3 years to reach herd immunity  —  (CNN)President-elect Joe Biden will aim to release nearly every available dose …

‘What else could I do?’  NJ Rep. Kim helps clean up Capitol  —  Water bottles, clothing, Trump flags, even a U.S. flag littered the ground inside the U.S. Capitol after a mob backing President Donald Trump ransacked the building.  —  New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim walked amid the mess shortly …

Texas woman flew on private jet to Washington, DC to ‘storm the Capitol’  —  A real estate broker from Frisco, Texas, flew on a private jet to Washington, DC, along with friends to “storm the Capitol” on Wednesday.  —  Jenna Ryan, who is also a radio host, flew from US Trinity Aviation in Denton …

Pentagon put significant restrictions on D.C. Guard ahead of pro-Trump protests  —  The Pentagon placed significant restrictions on the D.C. Guard ahead of pro-Trump protests this week, putting the District's military force in a back-seat role ahead of events that resulted in an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Senator Ben Sasse On Impeachment and Transition, the GOP in Minority  —  Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) joined me this morning:  —  Audio:  —  01-08hhs-sasse  —  Transcript:  —  HH: I'm joined now by Senator Sasse.  Good morning, Senator.  —  BS: Good morning, Hugh.

Haley criticizes Trump over Capitol riot, election claims in RNC speech  —  Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley sharply criticized President Donald Trump over the Capitol riot and his behavior since the election, telling Republican National Committee members in a closed-door speech Thursday evening …

Alabama man 1 of 5 who died in wake of Washington, D.C. chaos  —  Kevin Greeson of Athens, Ala. (photo supplied by the Greeson family)  —  CloseMore share options:  —  A 55-year-old Athens man was one of the people who died on Wednesday while chaos broke out at the Capitol building.

Why 300 Doses of Vaccine Sat Unused in Freezers for 2 Weeks  —  Small numbers of doses have even been thrown out as New York City's mass vaccination campaign gets off to a dispiriting start.  —  Dr. Peter Meacher expected to receive just a small supply of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine …

What We Found in Robert Caro's Yellowed Files  —  The author of “The Power Broker” and a multivolume biography of L.B.J. is giving awed archivists — and New York — access to more than 50 years of research.  —  A seasoned curator entered the spare Upper West Side office of her subject …