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.

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.

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 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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Biden's centrist words, liberal actions  —  President Biden talks like a soothing centrist.  He promises to govern like a soothing centrist.  But early moves show that he is keeping his promise to advance a liberal agenda.  —  Why it matters: Never before has a president done …

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 …

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.

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 …

“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.

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?

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.

Kremlin Welcomes Biden's Offer to Extend Nuclear Treaty  —  The response from Moscow suggests that Russia will engage in talks to continue a disarmament pact, despite the new U.S. administration's pledge to take a harder line on other issues.  —  MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Friday welcomed …

Members of Congress Call on Biden to Commute Everyone on Federal Death Row  —  More than 35 members of Congress signed a letter asking Biden to commute the sentences of the remaining 50 people on federal death row.  —  Reps. Cori Bush and Ayanna Pressley released a letter today asking President Joe Biden …

Twitter suspends ‘fake’ account that carried a link to Iranian Supreme Leader's website  —  DUBAI (Reuters) - Twitter said on Friday it had suspended what it said was a fake account that carried a link to the website of Iran's Supreme Leader on Friday, hours after it carried the image …

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.

President Biden has button used to order Diet Coke removed from Oval Office's Resolute Desk  —  (NEXSTAR) - The furniture and artwork may be largely the same, but one ornament has apparently quickly disappeared from the White House Oval Office following the inauguration of President Joe Biden.