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.

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 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 …

Canadian mogul fined after getting Covid vaccine meant for Indigenous residents … The former head of a Canadian casino company and his actor wife have been fined after chartering a private plane to a remote community near the Alaska border and receiving coronavirus vaccines meant for vulnerable Indigenous residents.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler pepper-sprayed a maskless man who accused him of disregarding coronavirus measures  —  On Sunday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler was walking outside a craft brewery on the Oregon city's southwest side when a man walked up to him and shouted, “Thanks for ruining the city!”

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.

Kayleigh McEnany's Financial Disclosure reveals agreement with Fox News … Former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is the latest official to take advantage of the revolving door between Fox News and the Trump administration.  According to her termination financial disclosure report …

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 …

Google suspends donations to lawmakers who voted against certifying election  —  Google late Monday announced that its political action committee will not make donations this election cycle to members of Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results.

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 …

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” …

Oregon Republican Party falsely calls U.S. Capitol riot a ‘false flag’ meant to ‘discredit President Trump’  —  Three weeks after hundreds of people stormed the U.S. Capitol in a violent rampage that left one police officer and four rioters dead and led to more than 100 arrests of the pro-Trump rioters …

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.

Biden to Suspend New Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Pending Review  —  Orders would boost conservation, setting up a confrontation with the oil industry  —  WASHINGTON—President Biden is planning on Wednesday to halt new oil and gas leasing on federal territory, people familiar with the matter said …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

'It's a shot at my reputation': Lauren Wolfe reacts to NYT's statement about her dismissal  —  Lauren Wolfe made no ripples last May when she started as a freelance editor at the New York Times.  She worked three to six days a week as part of the paper's “live updates” team …

White House signals it could agree to more narrowly targeted stimulus checks  — Brian Deese, President Joe Biden's top economic advisor, suggested the administration could be open to tweaking eligibility for future stimulus checks.  — As written, the president's plan calls …

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 …

Time for a Free Public Registry of Corporate Beneficial Ownership in the U.S.  —  In the tumult of recent weeks, a major legislative milestone in the American fight against kleptocracy has sneaked by almost unnoticed.  It demands our attention, especially because its work is only half done.

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.

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.

Why Is Big Tech Policing 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 …

Biden Will Lie to You  —  All presidents lie.  Even so, the Trump administration weaponized dishonesty to a remarkable degree.  —  Donald Trump did not merely lie to exaggerate his accomplishments, or smear his opponents.  For Trump and the Republican Party, lies were a loyalty test.

POLITICO Playbook: The White House power map  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  We've done some digging and pieced together who occupies most of the offices on the first two floors of the West Wing.  While there are still a few gaps — and some people haven't been into work yet because of Covid-19 …

One coal state senator holds the key to Biden's ambitious climate agenda.  And it's not McConnell.  —  He's a coal country native, born to a family of mining town mayors.  As West Virginia governor, he sued the Environmental Protection Agency.  He has scuttled efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions …

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 …