Scoop: McConnell leans toward convicting Trump  —  There's a better than 50-50 chance that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would vote to convict President Trump in an impeachment trial, sources tell Axios.  —  What they're saying: “The Senate institutional loyalists are fomenting a counterrevolution” …

Rep. Mikie Sherrill says Congress members gave ‘reconnaissance’ tours day before Capitol raid  —  Rep. Mikie Sherrill, during a live webcast Tuesday evening, said she witnessed some members of Congress leading people through the Capitol on Jan. 5 in what she termed a “reconnaissance for the next day …

New York City Will End Contracts With Trump Over Capitol Riot  —  The mayor said the city would cancel contracts with the Trump Organization for two ice skating rinks, the Central Park Carousel and the Trump Golf Links in the Bronx.  —  New York City is terminating its contracts …

Pence Reached His Limit With Trump.  It Wasn't Pretty.  —  After four years of tongue-biting silence that critics say enabled the president's worst instincts, the vice president would not yield to the pressure and name-calling from his boss.  —  WASHINGTON — For Vice President Mike Pence, the moment of truth had arrived.

House freshman divided over Capitol siege  —  The freshmen class of House Republicans has been fighting since last Wednesday's Capitol assault, creating a clear split just over a week after being sworn in.  —  What we're hearing: On Tuesday, Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene …

‘I feel betrayed’ — Ken Langone blasts Trump and Capitol rioters, vows to support Biden  — Billionaire Ken Langone called the Capitol Hill riot a “disgrace” and urged Americans to rally behind President-elect Joe Biden.  — “I think the biggest mistake anybody is going to make is try …

‘It was like looking at evil’: The Capitol attack through the eyes of the Massachusetts delegation  —  WASHINGTON — On the day Congress was set to count the electoral votes certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory, Representative Seth Moulton was one of the first members …

Trump's approval rating craters in final days  —  Tarnished by last week's riot at the Capitol, Donald Trump is ending his presidency with his lowest-ever poll numbers.  —  A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll pegs Trump's approval at just 34 percent, the lowest in four years of tracking opinions of the president's job performance.

U.S. Executes Lisa Montgomery for 2004 Murder  —  She was the first woman to be put to death by the federal government since 1953 and had been the only woman on federal death row.  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration early Wednesday morning executed Lisa M. Montgomery …

Kojo Nnamdi, long-running Washington radio host, is retiring from daily show after 23 years  —  Kojo Nnamdi, a fixture on Washington's radio airwaves and an influential factor in the region's politics, will retire from his daily program on WAMU-FM, the public station announced Wednesday.

Census Bureau Stops Work On Trump's Request For Unauthorized Immigrant Count  —  The U.S. Census Bureau has halted all work on President Trump's directive to produce a state-by-state count of unauthorized immigrants that would have been used to alter a key set of census numbers, NPR has learned.

Biden to nominate Samantha Power to lead foreign aid agency  —  WASHINGTON — Signaling a dramatic new direction for U.S. foreign assistance, President-elect Joe Biden is expected to announce Wednesday that he will nominate former U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power to head the U.S. Agency …

Hampton Roads man who wore ‘Camp Auschwitz’ sweatshirt at Capitol riot arrested  —  HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY/NEXSTAR) — A man from Hampton Roads photographed wearing a sweatshirt with the words “Camp Auschwitz” during the U.S. Capitol insurrection last Wednesday is in custody.

Georgia man arrested following Capitol insurrection has died by suicide  —  Investigators: Christopher Georgia killed by a gunshot wound  —  An Alpharetta man who was among those arrested following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday has killed himself, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office.

Learning from the Failure of Reconstruction  —  Last Wednesday, January 6th, a day after Georgia elected its first Black senator, a mob encouraged by Donald Trump and his false claims of election fraud stormed Capitol Hill, resulting in at least five deaths.

Four years ago, I wondered if the media could handle Trump.  Now we know.  —  One way or another, Donald Trump will soon be gone from the White House.  And that, to quote Prince Hamlet, is “a consummation devoutly to be wished.”  —  As the remaining moments dwindle, I find myself thinking back to Nov. 8, 2016.

A Black officer faced down a mostly White mob at the Capitol.  Meet Eugene Goodman.  —  It was a video clip that captured not only the terror of the day, but the values at stake: a lone Black police officer in the marble halls of the U.S. Capitol building, facing down a mob of mostly White rioters …

Majority back impeachment and are concerned about more D.C. violence — CBS News poll  —  Even as they widely condemn the violence at the Capitol last week, Americans say there could be more in the days to come: 74% think it at least somewhat likely that there could be more acts …

Biden team plans inauguration night celebrity TV special  —  President-elect Joe Biden's inaugural committee is producing a television special for the night of his inauguration next week in lieu of the normal in-person festivities, an official familiar with the plans told POLITICO.

Trump is missing in action as extremists plan more violence  —  President Trump is committing an unforgivable sin of omission this week.  —  Trump should be openly, sternly, and vociferously urging all his supporters not to protest or riot at capitol buildings across the nation in the next week …

Iran Is Assembling Gear Able to Produce Key Nuclear-Weapons Material  —  Iran has taken a new step toward possible atomic-weapons production, United Nations inspectors said in a confidential report  —  BRUSSELS—Iran has taken a new step toward possible atomic-weapons production …

Online Police Communities Are Rife With Conspiracies And Support For The Capitol Riot  —  Unable to grasp how Trump supporters could turn against cops, many officers are blaming antifa for the deadly violence.  Others joined the riot themselves.  —  In the week since a mob laid siege …

Video shows retired Navy SEAL boasting of ‘breaching the Capitol’  —  The Navy veteran said he wanted lawmakers to be left “shaking in their shoes.”  —  Retired Navy SEAL boasts of ‘breaching the Capitol’  —  A video posted to Facebook by Adam Newbold following the Jan. 6 attack …