McConnell privately says he wants Trump gone as Republicans quietly lobby him to convict  —  Mitch McConnell: Capitol rioters were fed lies  —  Washington (CNN)As the House prepares to send articles of impeachment to the Senate on Monday, CNN has learned that dozens of influential Republicans …

The Ignominious Deceits of Congressman Cawthorn  —  Representative Madison Cawthorn has misled the public about training for the Paralympics, just as he misrepresented his education and business history.  —  Before January 6, 25-year-old Representative Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) …

The Washington Post Tried To Memory-Hole Kamala Harris' Bad Joke About Inmates Begging for Food and Water  —  UPDATE: “As of 1:15 p.m. on January 22, The Washington Post has updated its website and URLs to restore the original version of the Kamala Harris profile detailed in Reason's post, below.

Trump Campaign Paid Organizers of Pre-Riot Rally $2.7 Million  —  Former President Donald Trump's campaign paid more than $2.7 million to individuals and firms that organized the Jan. 6 rally that led to violent rioters storming the U.S. Capitol, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Hall of Famer Henry “Hank” Aaron dies at 86  —  Hall of Famer and one-time home run king Atlanta Braves legend Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron passed away this morning at the age of 86, CBS46 has learned.  He leaves behind an indelible legacy on and off the baseball diamond.  —  Aaron was born in Mobile, Alabama in 1934.

‘No way’: Murkowski rules out switching parties  —  Lisa Murkowski has made no secret of her distaste for former President Donald Trump's takeover of the Republican Party.  But she said there is “no way” she would caucus with the Senate Democrats and give Chuck Schumer an outright Senate majority.

Trumps dismissed ushers before Bidens' arrival  —  The chief usher was sacked, and the staff was sent home early Wednesday, which may explain why the Bidens arrived to find the doors to the North Portico closed.  —  One of Donald and Melania Trump's final small acts in a presidential …

‘We feel incredibly betrayed’: Thousands of Guardsmen forced to vacate Capitol  —  Thousands of National Guardsmen were allowed back into the Capitol Thursday night, hours after U.S. Capitol Police officials ordered them to vacate the facilities, sending them outdoors or to nearby parking garages …

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.

Senior Democrats drafting plan to give parents $3,000 per child in Biden stimulus  —  Senior Democratic lawmakers are moving to fulfill President Biden's desire to expand the child tax credit by drafting legislation that would direct the Internal Revenue Service to send recurring monthly payments …

Meet Your Local Republican Insurrectionist  —  A new HuffPost tally finds over 20 GOP state and local lawmakers or officials were at the D.C. rally that turned into a violent insurrection.  Here are their names.  —  At least 21 state and local Republican officials attended the Jan. 6 rally in Washington …

Biden Plans Executive Action to Expand Food Stamps and Speed Stimulus Checks  —  The president's latest executive orders include an effort to protect employees who fear for their safety from coronavirus infection at work.  —  WASHINGTON — President Biden will issue an executive order …

Biden calls for LGBTQ protections in Day 1 executive order, angering conservatives  —  On his first day in office, President Biden issued a sweeping executive order making it clear that gay and transgender people are protected against discrimination in schools, health care, the workplace and other realms of American life.

Enemies, a Love Story: Inside the 36-year Biden and McConnell Relationship  —  The last time Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell faced off, Biden blinked first.  —  It was the winter of 2012.  Then, as now, Democrats had just won a presidential election, had a narrow Senate majority …

Twitter suspends Antifa accounts with more than 71K followers  —  Twitter has suspended several popular Antifa accounts with more than 71,000 followers combined following Inauguration Day riots.  —  At least four accounts tied with the militant group have been yanked offline — @JewishWorker …

Statement from President Biden and Vice President Harris on the 48th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade … Today marks the 48th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade.  —  In the past four years, reproductive health, including the right to choose, has been under relentless and extreme attack.

Ex-Houston police officer claimed he only breached the Capitol during riots to see ‘historical art’  —  When federal agents asked Houston police Officer Tam Dinh Pham why he was in Washington during the pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, he said he had traveled there on business …

“I Think My Gmail Has Crashed”: The Teacher Who Made Bernie Sanders' Mittens on Watching Them Go Viral  —  Joe Biden's inauguration doubled as a promenade of style, featuring thousand-dollar Dior Air Jordan 1s, monochromatic jewel-toned looks, and a skirt so wide it enforced its own sartorial social distancing.

Austin confirmed as first Black defense secretary  —  The Senate on Friday confirmed Lloyd Austin to be the new Defense secretary, making the retired Army general the first Black person to run the Pentagon.  —  Austin's nomination was approved in a 93-2 blowout despite concerns among Democrats …

How a Pair of Pickup Artists Turned into Far-Right Extremists  —  Two men arrested in connection with the Capitol riot sold themselves as seduction experts  —  As we continue to piece together the chaotic U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, the day Congress was to certify Joe Biden's …

How Biden Plans to Beat Republican Obstructionism  —  Joe Biden's team is planning a party.  His inauguration on Wednesday, held under threat from the coronavirus and pro-Trump extremists, wasn't much of a celebration.  But the Biden administration hopes that January 20, 2022—a year from now …

Japan looks for a way out of Tokyo Olympics because of Covid … The Japanese government has privately concluded that the Tokyo Olympics will have to be cancelled because of the coronavirus, and the focus is now on securing the Games for the city in the next available year, 2032.

Fragments of Rage  —  The neuroscience of how social media and fake news are hijacking our brains and fomenting violence.  —  We're drowning in debates about banning violence-inciting speech and its authors from social media platforms, but what if that's only half the story?

Authorities found sniper rifle, handcuffs in home of accused ‘zip tie guy’ in Capitol riot  —  Natalie Neysa Alund Mariah TimmsNashville Tennessean  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Federal agents recovered a sniper rifle and more than a dozen high-powered weapons from the home of Eric Munchel …

Trump ally Matt Schlapp got $750k in unsuccessful pardon push  —  The lobbying firm run by Trump ally Matt Schlapp brought in $750,000 in the final two weeks of 2020 from a former top Trump fundraiser and convicted fraudster who retained Schlapp to lobby — unsuccessfully — for a presidential pardon.

Fauci: Trump administration's Covid strategy ‘very likely did’ cost lives  —  The Trump administration's lack of candor and habitual breaks with scientific guidance in its pandemic response “very likely did” cost lives, Anthony Fauci said Friday morning.  —  “When you start talking about things …

An Open Letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell From an Army Veteran … Two weeks ago, I wrote a letter to the Speaker of the House expressing my belief that President Trump must be impeached.  I am now writing to you, Sen. Mitch McConnell, to let you know why I, a United States Army veteran …

Nixon rehabilitated his image.  Could Trump?  —  The path back to mainstream respectability  —  Presidents Donald Trump and Richard Nixon both left Washington in helicopters and ignominy, awash in financial problems and their customary self-pity.  Both were above-average paranoiacs who felt …