GOP Congresswoman Blamed Wildfires on Secret Jewish Space Laser  —  Axios has a small squib about “The Mischief Makers,” a handful of idiosyncratic congressional backbenchers who make trouble for their respective party leadership.  The leading Democratic mischief-maker is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez …

Janet Yellen Received $810K In Speaking Fees From Hedge Fund Embroiled In GameStop Saga  —  Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen received more than $800,000 in speaking fees from a hedge fund that has become embroiled in the saga over stock trades for video game retailer GameStop, according to her financial disclosures.

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan won't run for U.S. Senate next year  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. - Champaign County GOP Rep. Jim Jordan on Thursday announced that he won't run for the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by Republican Rob Portman's upcoming retirement, a decision that opens the field …

Op-Ed: I called Arizona for Biden on Fox News.  Here's what I learned  —  The New York Evening Express was no great shakes as a newspaper.  But in 1886, when the New York Times ran the obituary of one of the Express' former owners, Erastus Brooks, it had to give credit where it was due.

Statement Following Meeting With President Trump … Follow Kevin … 661-324-6914  —  PO Box 12667  —  Bakersfield, CA 93389  —  *By adding your name, you become a member of Team Kevin McCarthy.  By the choice of communication channels you either choose/agree to receive emails or text messages or both.

N.Y. Severely Undercounted Virus Deaths in Nursing Homes, Report Says  —  The state attorney general, Letitia James, said the Cuomo administration likely omitted thousands of Covid-19 deaths of nursing home residents.  —  ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York State attorney general accused …

Covid-19 Live Updates: Vaccine Stocks Dwindle in the E.U.  —  President Biden took executive action to expand health care access by strengthening the Affordable Care Act and reopening enrollment.  He also moved to protect reproductive rights and expand abortion access.

GOP senator stocks office with 13 former Trump staffers  —  As Trump administration alums face a tough job market after the Capitol riot, one new Republican Senate office has turned into a full-employment factory for Trump officials looking for their next gig.

Trump officials moved most Bureau of Land Management staffers out of D.C. More than 87 percent quit instead.  —  The decision to relocate BLM headquarters to Colorado and redistribute jobs in the West prompted 287 employees to retire or find other jobs  —  The Trump administration's decision …

Democrats ready to plow ahead on Covid relief  —  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi will begin moving forward on a massive coronavirus package as soon as next week, with or without Republicans.  —  In separate remarks Thursday, the top two congressional Democrats …

Man arrested with gun, ammunition near Capitol  —  A man was arrested on Wednesday after it was discovered there was a handgun in his vehicle parked near the U.S. Capitol, authorities said.  —  Dennis Westover, 71, of South Charleston, W.Va., was arrested on Wednesday …

Pentagon halts Trump appointments to advisory boards  —  The Pentagon has suspended the processing of a number of former President Donald Trump's last-minute appointees to defense advisory boards as the new administration looks to weed out loyalists to the former president.

Star NY Times Reporter Accused of Using ‘N-Word,’ Making Other Racist Comments  —  The paper's top COVID reporter joined a group of students on a trip to Peru in 2019.  Participants alleged he repeatedly made racist comments. … Less than six months before he became the New York Times …

Republicans considering more than 100 bills to restrict voting rights  —  Restrictions come on the heels of an election in which federal and state officials called it ‘the most secure in US history’  —  After an election filled with misinformation and lies about fraud …

“This Is War”: Inside the Secret Chat Where Far-Right Extremists Devised Their Post-Capitol Plans  —  Chats from a private Telegram group obtained by ProPublica show how a suspect tied to the Jan. 6 insurrection tried to organize a self-styled militia.  The hidden proliferation of such groups worries experts.

Subway's tuna is not tuna, but a ‘mixture of various concoctions,’ a lawsuit alleges  —  Subway describes its tuna sandwich as “freshly baked bread” layered with “flaked tuna blended with creamy mayo then topped with your choice of crisp, fresh veggies.”  It's a description designed to activate …

RNC invites Trump to speak at spring meeting  —  The Republican National Committee is planning to invite former President Donald Trump to its upcoming spring donor meeting, according to a person familiar with preparations for the event.  —  The RNC is also expected to invite …

2022 Senate Races: Initial Ratings  —  On a potentially limited playing field, both parties look to expand past their current 50 seats  —  KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE  — Republicans will be defending more Senate seats than Democrats in 2022, but both sides have some potential pickup opportunities …

Ukraine Launches Criminal Probe Into Meddling In 2020 U.S. Election  —  Ukraine has launched a criminal investigation into attempts to interfere in the November 2020 U.S. presidential election.  —  Andriy Yermak, the head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy …

Washington Post, Reuters and Los Angeles Times Search for New Top Editors  —  In an industrywide changing of the guard, other big newsroom jobs that have come open include the No. 1 slots at Vox, HuffPost and Wired.  —  A generational changing of the guard is coming to the news industry.

Rob Portman's Exit Interview  —  He worries about the Trump trial's precedent, but he's bullish to serene on the Republican future.  —  Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio isn't running for re-election in 2022.  This is not good.  He is a rightly respected figure.  He tries to advance serious legislation.

After Presidency, Trump Hotel in Washington Is a Limited Draw  —  Traffic on two recent evenings at the hotel was exceedingly slow, even after the city lifted a ban on indoor dining.  —  WASHINGTON — Congress was in session.  The White House has been humming with activity for the past few days.

Federal court denies release to man who sat at Pelosi's office desk during riot  —  A federal judge has turned down a bid for release by the man photographed with his foot up on a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the Capitol riot earlier this month.

Merrick Garland Wants Former Facebook Lawyer to Top Antitrust Division  —  Susan Davies has spent much of the last decade working on behalf of major mergers and fending off antitrust enforcement.  —  Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland is working behind the scenes to install longtime aide Susan Davies …

Man Who Boasted That Fellow Capitol Rioters Smoked a Joint Inside a Politician's Office Charged and Bailed Out of Jail by His Dad  —  One of the many images of disrespect by U.S. Capitol insurrectionists shows two men inside a Congress member's office flashing “V” signs: one kicking his feet on a desk with a …

San Francisco's school board in name only  —  For the past year, the shuttered San Francisco schools have been schools in name only, so perhaps it's fitting that the school board has taken to occupying itself by tinkering with their names.  The members of the city's Board of Education …

Former Vice President Mike Pence Escapes Harsh Media Glare With St. Croix Vacation  —  CHRISTIANSTED — The now-former vice president could have gone anywhere.  —  But to get away and just feel safe, Mike Pence — who left office eight days ago — chose St. Croix.