McConnell relents on Senate rules, signals power-sharing deal with Democrats  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday night signaled he would step back from an ultimatum over Senate rules that sparked a partisan showdown and threatened to obstruct President Biden's early legislative agenda.

Biden tells CNN Trump's impeachment trial ‘has to happen’  —  (CNN)President Joe Biden on Monday offered his most extensive comments since taking office on former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, telling CNN, “I think it has to happen.”  —  Biden made the comment during a brief …

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler pepper sprays unmasked man who confronted him with video camera  —  Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler blasted with pepper spray an unmasked man who confronted him and former Mayor Sam Adams with a video camera as the two left a pub Sunday night, the two men told police.

Trump opens “Office of the Former President” in Florida  —  Washington — Former President Donald Trump announced Monday the official opening of the “Office of the Former President” in Palm Beach County, Florida, which is tasked with overseeing the 45th president's official activities in his post-presidency life.

From Navy SEAL to Part of the Angry Mob Outside the Capitol  —  The presence in Washington of a longtime member of the Navy SEALs who was trained to identify misinformation reflects the partisan politics that helped lead to the assault.  —  In the weeks since Adam Newbold …

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has been banned from Twitter  —  (CNN Business)Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, was banned from Twitter Monday night, according to a Twitter spokesperson.  —  Twitter made its decision based on a new policy it enacted after the Capitol insurrection whereby people …

As Trump Seeks to Remain a Political Force, New Targets Emerge  —  As Donald Trump surveys the political landscape, there is a sudden Senate opening in Ohio, an ally's bid for Arkansas governor, and some scores to settle elsewhere.  —  Former President Donald J. Trump …

Giuliani wasn't just a Trump partisan but a shrewd marketer of vitamins, gold, lawsuit says  —  Trump's personal lawyer sought to turn conspiracy theories and voter fraud videos into online moneymakers, attorneys for Dominion say  —  As he outlined how “pervasive voter fraud” …

Mayor Aims to Turn Small Town Into QAnon, USA  —  “I think we're a little microcosm of what's happening at the national level,” said Marsha Maguire, a resident of Sequim, Washington.  —  City council meetings don't often get heated in Sequim, Washington, a small town of roughly 7,000 people popular with retirees from Seattle.

Kellyanne Conway Accused of Posting Topless Photo of Her 16-Year-Old Daughter on Twitter … Kellyanne Conway, ex-counselor to disgraced former President Trump, allegedly posted a topless picture of her daughter Claudia, 16, on Twitter on Monday.  —  Reached for comment …

Biden to reopen ACA insurance marketplaces as pandemic has cost millions of Americans their coverage  —  President Biden is scheduled to take executive actions as early as Thursday to reopen federal marketplaces selling Affordable Care Act health plans and to lower recent barriers to joining Medicaid.

Boebert Claimed not to Know Anti-Govt Extremists She Posed With, But Photos Show Otherwise  —  Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO) claimed she “didn't know” the anti-government extremists she posed with on the steps of the Colorado Capitol in 2019, but it turns out she's known some of them for over a year.

Fact-checking 7 statistical claims from Biden's (quite factual) economic speech  —  Biden: We cannot, will not let Americans go hungry  —  Washington (CNN)President Joe Biden recited a flurry of figures in a Friday speech in which he urged Congress to pass the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package he calls the American Rescue Plan.

Robert Kraft's sex videos from police sting should be destroyed, judge orders  —  Sex videos of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft are set to be destroyed under a court order.  —  It's been two years since the 79-year-old billionaire was among more than two dozen people secretly videotaped …

Former Voice of America overseer hired two law firms to $4 million no-bid contracts.  —  The former head of Voice of America's parent agency hired two law firms to open-ended, no-bid contracts, including one specifying that top lawyers would earn $1,470 per hour, according to documents and people familiar with the matter.

U.S. Satisfaction at 11% in Early January  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Before the Jan. 20 inauguration of Joe Biden as the nation's 46th president, 11% of Americans said they are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. This is down from 16% in December and marginally lower than readings …

Scoop: Google won't donate to members of Congress who voted against election results  —  Google will not make contributions from its political action committee this cycle to any member of Congress who voted against certifying the results of the presidential election, following the deadly Capitol riot.

CEO Who Jumped Vaccine Line Lost Job Amid Apollo Casino Deal  — Great Canadian's Baker ticketed after flying to Yukon for shot  — Apollo's purchase of casino company expected in second quarter  —  The chief executive officer of a Canadian casino company that's being bought …

Why Is Big Tech Policing Free Speech?  Because the Government Isn't  —  Deplatforming President Trump showed that the First Amendment is broken — but not in the way his supporters think.  —  In the months leading up to the November election, the social media platform Parler attracted millions …

Meet the Woman Behind Salon's Sloppy Tom Cotton Piece  —  Something funny happened when Sen. Tom Cotton's (R., Ark.) aides received a request for comment from intrepid Salon reporter Roger Sollenberger.  —  Cotton's team, which shared the email correspondence with the Washington Free Beacon …

Fact check: Hawley makes misleading denial on post-election efforts  —  Hawley's mentor says backing him was worst decision of his life  —  Washington (CNN)One of the few US senators who led the effort to object to the electoral college results on January 6, Josh Hawley is now claiming …

After Capitol riot, a call to protect veterans from disinformation  —  A prominent veterans advocate wants the Biden administration and Congress to help retired servicemembers protect themselves from online disinformation following the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

Biden's politically correct assault on girls sports  —  President Biden has signed an executive order forcing schools that accept public funding to allow biological boys to compete in girls sports.  His Department of Education is also expected to flip sides on two transgender sports battles …

Teachers are vital public servants.  Time for them to start acting like it.  —  It won't be easy for President Biden to get America's teachers back into public schools.  Teachers unions are a powerful force in Democratic politics, and they're resisting calls to return to classrooms …

Harris County judge dismisses vaccine theft charge against doctor, blasts DA for bringing the case  —  Dr. Hasan Gokal was fired by Harris County Public Health and charged with misdemeanor theft after he admitted taking leftover doses of COVID-19 vaccine and administering them to nine people.

California officials say unemployment fraud now totals more than $11 billion  —  California officials said Monday they have confirmed that $11.4 billion in unemployment benefits paid during the COVID-19 pandemic involve fraud — about 10% of benefits paid — and another 17% are under investigation.

Scoop: Former OMB director to set up Pro-Trump think tanks  —  Russ Vought, who led Donald Trump's Office of Management and Budget, plans to announce two pro-Trump organizations Tuesday, aiming to provide the ideological ammunition to sustain Trump's political movement after his departure from the White House.

Woman Accused of Stealing Laptop from Nancy Pelosi's Office May Lose Internet Access as Feds Allege Deepening Cover-Up  —  The woman alleged to have stolen a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the U.S. Capitol insurrection may have encouraged others to destroy evidence …

The Republican Party is at war with itself as it charts its post-Trump future  —  AZ GOP censures politicians who know how to win statewide as it doubles down on Trump conspiracy theorists  —  (CNN)A cold war is underway within the Republican Party as its members begin to navigate …

Biden to tap nurse as acting surgeon general  —  Susan Orsega would be among the first nurses to serve in the role of 'the nation's doctor'  —  The Biden administration has selected nurse Susan Orsega to serve as the nation's acting surgeon general, said two people with knowledge of her selection …

Apollo C.E.O. to Step Down After Firm Finds More Payments to Jeffrey Epstein  —  An inquiry's finding that Leon Black, the billionaire boss of Apollo Global Management, paid the convicted sex offender $150 million touched off an attempt to remove him.  —  The founders of Apollo Global Management …