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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

‘Packed us together like sardines’: Guard deployed to Capitol struggles to contain Covid  —  The National Guard has struggled to implement a plan to test troops flowing into and out of Washington, D.C., for Covid-19, with some Guard members being forced to find their own tests and others pressured …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

Biden administration unveils plan to combat domestic extremism  —  White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced at a briefing on Friday that the Biden administration will roll out a three-pronged, interagency plan to assess and combat the threat posed by domestic violence extremism.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Trump ‘prank-called by Piers Morgan impersonator’  —  Donald Trump was called on Air Force One last year by a prankster posing as Piers Morgan, the TV presenter says.  —  The president, as he was at the time, only realised he had been tricked when he phoned the real Morgan while on his way to vote in Florida last year.