Trump and Justice Dept. Lawyer Said to Have Plotted to Oust Acting Attorney General  —  Trying to find another avenue to push his baseless election claims, Donald Trump considered installing a loyalist.  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department's top leaders listened in stunned silence this month …

Kevin McCarthy: ‘Everybody Across This Country’ Is To Blame For Capitol Attack  —  Donald Trump is responsible for the Jan. 6 riot, but so are you, according to the House Republican leader.  —  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) attracted attention last week when he said in a floor speech …

Navalny Protests: Live Updates as Mass Rallies Sweep Across Russia  —  The poisoning and arrest of Aleksei A. Navalny set off nationwide protests, beginning in the Far East, where people braved temperatures of minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit.  Thousands gathered in central Moscow …

Giuliani concedes that an associate did ask for $20,000 a day to help Trump post-election.  —  Rudolph W. Giuliani, former President Donald J. Trump's personal lawyer, conceded on Friday night that an associate had sent an email to campaign officials asking that Mr. Giuliani be paid $20,000 …

Larry King, Breezy Interviewer of the Famous and Infamous, Dies at 87  —  Over five decades, he chatted with an estimated 50,000 people from all walks of life, from presidents and pundits to swindlers and U.F.O. “experts.”  —  Larry King, who shot the breeze with presidents and psychics …

Sen. Tom Cotton campaigned on his “experience as an Army Ranger” — but he didn't have any  —  Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas has accrued a resume tailor-made for a Republican politician: He leapt from a small-town Arkansas cattle farm to Harvard University and then Harvard Law School …

Texas Supreme Court Silently Denies Alex Jones All Forms of Relief: Sandy Hook Families and Others Can Now Sue Conspiracy Theorist and InfoWars into the Ground  —  An empire built on conjecture, conspiracy and a series of fake homeopathic cures for various ailments stands to be sued into oblivion …

Criticized by science community and Trump, Deborah Birx said she ‘always’ considered quitting  —  Facing criticism from the administration she worked for and some in the scientific community, Deborah Birx, coordinator of the Trump White House's coronavirus response, “always” considered quitting her job …

How Alvin the Beagle Helped Usher in a Democratic Senate  —  Senator Raphael Warnock was sworn in this week as Georgia's first Black senator, and he arrived with a canny canine assist.  —  The dog had a lot of work to do.  —  He was co-starring in a political ad that had to showcase the candidate's good-natured warmth.

“The President Threw Us Under the Bus”: Embedding With Pentagon Leadership in Trump's Chaotic Last Week  —  Throughout the final, frenzied days of the Trump administration, a reporter rode shotgun with the outgoing acting defense secretary, Christopher Miller, the man who …

Should the FBI investigate Trump's claims of voter fraud?  —  An FBI investigation of whether fraudulent votes were cast in the 2020 election might be the only way to help placate a bitterly divided nation.  —  Joe Biden is president and that won't be overturned.

MyPillow CEO Hires Gawker-Killing Lawyer to Go After Daily Mail for Jane Krakowski Affair Story  —  The tabloid story “damaged my integrity as a Christian,” Lindell said to The Daily Beast in confirming he has retained the Trump lawyer most infamous for taking on media outlets.

In Cape May County, questions over a local chapter of the Oath Keepers  —  CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, N.J. — The question posed at the Cape May County commissioners meeting Jan. 12 over Zoom by a lone member of the public took Commissioner Gerald Thornton by surprise.

Biden administration ousts Victoria Coates, who was falsely accused of being ‘Anonymous’  —  Victoria Coates, who was hired as the president of the government-funded Middle East Broadcasting Networks in the waning days of Donald Trump's presidency, has been fired by the Biden administration, she told POLITICO.

A New Era of Unity  —  Interested in penetrating, good-faith discourse and not misinterpreting jokes?  Here's a great newsletter option for you!  —  7 hr ago  —  In light of recent events, I've decided to spend more time with my family.  —  Seriously, though, can you spend …

Biden sticks to vaccine goals nearly met by his predecessor  —  The accelerating pace of inoculations suggests he inherited a program poised to meet his target of 100 million doses in 100 days  —  When President Biden announced in early December that his administration would aim …

‘I Was Lied To’: Meghan McCain Lashes Out At Biden, Fauci And Amazon Over COVID Hypocrisy  —  Meghan McCain lashed out Friday at President Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Amazon, saying that everyone was sending mixed messages with regard to COVID-19.  —  McCain began a segment of ABC's …

Trump's Last-Minute Pardon Frees Man Still Facing Accusations of Violence  —  Jonathan Braun's 10-year sentence for running a drug ring was commuted by the departing president.  The White House did not mention that he faces separate accusations of violence and threats.

Josh Hawley's ludicrous clean-up act is in full swing  —  Sen. Josh Hawley has a problem.  The Missouri Republican thought he had cleverly spied an opening: He grabbed an early role as lead promoter of our former president's scheme to get his allies to overturn the election by objecting …

Why McConnell Dumped Trump  —  After the Capitol assault—and after losing his perch as Majority Leader—the senator finally denounced the outgoing President.  Was it a moral reckoning or yet another act of political self-interest?  —  On the afternoon of January 6th …

Is That a Rolex on Biden's Wrist?  —  Recent presidents not named Trump have tended to wear Everyman timepieces such as Timex and Shinola.  —  President Biden may cast his arrival in the White House as a return to business as usual at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but there's at least …

Focus group: Former Trump voters say he should never hold office again  —  “Relief” is the top emotion some swing voters who used to support Donald Trump say they felt as they watched President Biden's swearing-in, followed by “hope.”  —  Why it matters: For voters on the bubble between parties …

Yes, the Senate Can Try Trump  —  Impeachment for former officials was the norm at the time of the founding.  —  One of the first questions the Senate will face in Donald Trump's impeachment trial is whether the chamber has jurisdiction to hear a case against a former official.  The correct answer is yes.

Microsoft President Brad Smith explains how political contributions really work  — Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, said the company needs the Microsoft Political Action Committee.  — The company is looking at whether to stop giving money to politicians who opposed the vote …

‘Zip Tie Guy’ Who Invaded the Capitol with His Mom Ordered Released Before Trial  —  Spotted at the U.S. Capitol insurrection with his mother and hopping around the Senate while holding tactical restraints, so-called “zip tie guy” Eric Gavelek Munchel's image was blasted around the world on Jan. 6 …

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with the President of the United States of America Joe Biden  —  Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden.  The two leaders agreed to meet next month in order to advance the important work …

Vice President Harris to stay at Blair House while official residence undergoes repairs  —  Although they've had to put off their move into the official vice president's residence, Vice President Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff are in very good hands.

Why Mitch McConnell Is Filibustering to Protect the Filibuster  —  This article is part of the The DC Brief, TIME's politics newsletter.  Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox every weekday.  —  It's a rare thing on Capitol Hill for a lawmaker's team to try and play down their power.