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 …

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 …

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 …

Rolling Stone seeks ‘thought leaders’ willing to pay $2,000 to write for them  —  Emails from ‘best-known entertainment media outlet’ invite ‘Culture Council’ to pay for chance to publish on website  —  Rolling Stone magazine is offering “thought leaders” the chance to write for its website …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

The 1776 Commission Report Reinvigorates the American Mind  —  Despite hostility from the Biden Administration, the report stands as a guiding light for future generations.  —  Editors' Note  —  Former President Trump's 1776 Commission has issued a report that summarizes …

Operation Warp Speed's success  —  On April 27, 2020, in the throes of coronavirus-induced shutdowns across the globe, the Wall Street Journal ran a little-remarked piece titled “The Secret Group of Scientists and Billionaires Pushing a Manhattan Project for Covid-19: They are working to cull …

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.

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 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.

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.

Here's why protesters say they're gathering in Portland  —  Portland, Oregon (CNN)Protesters again took to the streets of Portland, Oregon, on Thursday — the first full day of Joe Biden's presidency — to let the Democratic establishment know they are still fighting for racial justice, some told CNN.

“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 …

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.

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 …