Democrats rebuff McConnell's filibuster demands  —  Senate Democrats are signaling they will reject an effort by Mitch McConnell to protect the legislative filibuster as part of a deal to run a 50-50 Senate, saying they have little interest in bowing to his demands just hours into their new Senate majority.

GOP Rep. Andy Harris Tries To Bring Gun Into House Chamber  —  Republicans keep complaining about the new metal detectors outside the House chamber.  Now we know why.  —  WASHINGTON ― New security measures outside the U.S. House chamber prevented a Republican lawmaker from bringing a gun onto the House floor Thursday.

‘We feel incredibly betrayed’: Thousands of Guardsmen forced to vacate Capitol  —  Thousands of National Guardsmen were forced to vacate congressional grounds on Thursday and are now taking their rest breaks outside and in nearby parking garages, after two weeks of sleepless nights protecting …

Biden Inauguration Captures Bigger Audience Than Donald Trump's … Approximately 39.87 million people watched the half-hour swearing-in ceremony over the nation's six major TV-news outlets, according to Nielsen, compared with 38.35 million viewers for the 2017 event.

Biden cleans house at VOA after revolt over Trump changes  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has moved quickly to remove a number of senior officials aligned with former President Donald Trump from the Voice of America and the agency that oversees all U.S.-funded international broadcasting.

In first full day in office, Biden faces multiple crises  —  President Biden raced Thursday to show he was addressing the array of crises awaiting him on his first day in office, issuing executive orders aimed at combating the coronavirus and preparing measures to take on the struggling economy and other problems.

Tale of two briefings: Jen Psaki treated much differently by press than Sean Spicer  —  Biden press secretary faces mostly friendly questions from mainstream press  —  Biden WH press secretary takes mostly softball questions in first briefing  —  CNN pundit-turned-White House press secretary Jen Psaki held …

Trump Tax Law Firm Ends Work for Ex-President  —  Morgan Lewis has battled New York attorney general's office over its probe of Trump Organization  —  The law firm that handled the tax affairs of Donald Trump and his company during his presidency said it would stop representing him and his business.

Biden inheriting nonexistent coronavirus vaccine distribution plan and must start ‘from scratch,’ sources say  —  (CNN)Newly sworn in President Joe Biden and his advisers are inheriting no coronavirus vaccine distribution plan to speak of from the Trump administration, sources tell CNN …

Strange bedfellows!  MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell had secret romance with Jane Krakowski, wooing 30 Rock actress with flowers and champagne in relationship that baffled her friends  — MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell had a secret nine month romance with 30 Rock star Jane Krakowski, DailyMail.com can reveal

Instacart is firing every employee who voted to unionize  —  The layoffs are hitting 10 unionized workers in Skokie, Illinois, in addition to other Instacart employees  —  Instacart is laying off every employee who voted to unionize, Motherboard reports.  The news comes as the company shuts …

You Can't Move On From This Without An Accounting  —  We were promised a storm and a kraken and all we got was Rudy's hair dye running down his sweaty face.  —  6 hr ago  —  I'm sorry.  Everyone keeps telling me I need to move on.  But I don't think we can.

China threw down the gauntlet to the Biden team on day one  —  Four minutes past noon on Wednesday, while President Biden was still delivering his inaugural address, the Chinese government announced sanctions against 28 former U.S. officials and their families.

SCOOP: Trump taps his former chief of staff and impeachment lawyers as the gatekeepers to his papers during his post-presidency … - Trump picked seven former aides to represent him in requests for his presidential records.  — Among them are his former chief of staff and lawyers who defended him in his first impeachment trial.

Judge Refuses To Reinstate Parler After Amazon Shut It Down  —  A federal judge is refusing to restore the social media site Parler after Amazon kicked the company off of its web-hosting services over content seen as inciting violence.  —  The decision is a blow to Parler …

Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn denies relationship with brother Michael Flynn was a factor in military's response to Capitol attack  —  Army Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn, the brother of controversial former national security adviser Michael Flynn, on Thursday defended his actions in the U.S. military's deliberations …

ADT Technician Pleads Guilty to Hacking Home Security Footage  —  A home security technician has pleaded guilty to repeatedly hacking into customers' video feeds, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Prerak Shah.  —  Telesforo Aviles, a 35-year-old former ADT employee …

Fake GOP rage over Biden's ‘unity’ speech is a sucker's game  —  President Biden declared in his inaugural address that our prospects for much-needed “unity” are threatened by various political forces.  Among them, he said, are racism, nativism, political extremism, white supremacy and domestic terrorism.

Legal Liability Looms For Orgs Behind Rally That Incited Insurrection  —  Last week, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), ranking member and soon-to-be chair of the Senate Finance Committee, called on IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig to investigate tax-exempt groups that helped organize a January 6th rally …

The No. 2 official at the F.B.I. is departing.  —  The deputy director of the F.B.I. announced to the bureau's staff on Thursday that he was retiring, departing the bureau as the Biden administration takes over.  —  The exit of the official, David L. Bowdich, comes as the White House offered assurances …

Covid-19 Has Nearly Wiped Out the Flu—How Do We Keep It From Coming Back?  —  Mask-wearing and higher vaccination rates have contributed to historically low levels of seasonal influenza  —  Influenza, usually raging throughout the Northern Hemisphere this time of year, has become virtually invisible.

The Apprentice  —  Josh Hawley made a cynical bet about the Republican Party's future.  He might not be wrong.  —  March+April 2021 Issue  —  Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters.

Nearly 1 In 5 Defendants In Capitol Riot Cases Served In The Military  —  As a violent mob descended on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, lawmakers and aides hid wherever they could, waiting for military and police to arrive.  But many of those who stormed the Capitol were military veterans themselves …

Biden administration to seek five-year extension on key nuclear arms treaty in first foray with Russia  —  President Biden is seeking a five-year extension with Russia on the only remaining treaty limiting the world's two largest nuclear arsenals just days before it expires, said two senior U.S. officials.