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First on CNN: Trump's impeachment defense team leaves less than two weeks before trial — (CNN)Former President Donald Trump's five impeachment defense attorneys have left a little more than a week before his trial is set to begin, according to people familiar with the case, amid a disagreement over his legal strategy.
Discussion:
EA WorldView, Law & Crime, USA Today, Washington Monthly, The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider, Axios, Bloomberg, Raw Story and Political Wire
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Trump's top impeachment lawyer has left his team — Former President Donald Trump has lost his top impeachment lawyer just days before his trial is to begin, a person familiar with his legal strategy and two attorneys close to the team confirmed on Saturday night.
Discussion:
MyNorthwest.com, Washington Post, The Hill, Fox News, Axios and Raw Story


Trump loses lead impeachment lawyers a week before trial — WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has parted ways with his lead impeachment lawyers little more than a week before his trial, two people familiar with the situation said Saturday. The change injects fresh uncertainty …


Trump Parts Ways With Five Lawyers Handling Impeachment Defense — The departures, which include his lead lawyer, Butch Bowers, come more than a week before his Senate trial is set to begin. — Former President Donald J. Trump has abruptly parted ways with five lawyers handling his impeachment defense …
Discussion:
Al Jazeera and National Memo


Trump appears to be without a legal team as impeachment trial nears — Former President Donald Trump's legal team is unclear and undefined with just over a week to go before his second impeachment trial begins in the Senate, according to Trump adviser Jason Miller.


Dodger Stadium's COVID-19 vaccination site temporarily shut down after protesters gather at entrance — Dodger Stadium's mass COVID-19 vaccination site was temporarily shut down Saturday afternoon when about 50 protesters gathered at the entrance, frustrating hundreds of motorists who had been waiting in line for hours.
Discussion:
New York Times, Daily News, Bloomberg, Mediaite, The Hill, NBC Bay Area, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Daily Beast
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A Vast Web of Vengeance — Outrageous lies destroyed Guy Babcock's online reputation. When he went hunting for their source, what he discovered was worse than he could have imagined. — Guy Babcock vividly remembers the chilly Saturday evening when he discovered the stain on his family.


Marjorie Taylor Greene Is ‘the Worst Enemy for Most Causes That She Supposedly Supports’ — National Republicans long saw Majorie Taylor Greene, a first-term member of Congress from northwest Georgia, as a potential source of trouble. Few probably thought it would get this bad.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, NBC News, CNN and NPR
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Marjorie Taylor Greene touts Trump call amid growing backlash
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Mediaite, Washington Times, Common Dreams, Bloomberg and Political Wire


After Record Turnout, Republicans Are Trying to Make It Harder to Vote — The presidential election results are settled. But the battle over new voting rules, especially for mail-in ballots, has just begun. — WASHINGTON — In Georgia, Arizona and other states won by President Biden …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, The Guardian, National Memo, Raw Story and Maryland Matters


How Trump's Focus on Antifa Distracted Attention From the Far-Right Threat — Federal law enforcement shifted resources last year in response to Donald Trump's insistence that the radical left endangered the country. Meanwhile, right-wing extremism was building ominously.
Discussion:
Business Insider, Rolling Stone and Raw Story


For McCarthy and McConnell, Two Paths on Trumpian Crisis Management — Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, and Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, want to take back control of Congress in 2022. First they have to figure out how to handle Donald Trump.
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Republicans Are Over the Armed Insurrection of the Capitol. But We Can't Be.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Daily Kos and HotAir

Senate Republicans say Trump should be held accountable for riot — but not by them
Discussion:
abc7NY, Daily Kos and Washington Post


Texas City Councilman Posted Photo Of Noose After Insurrection, Saying 'Let ‘Em Hang’ — Martin Holsome, a city councilman running for governor, is part of a growing group of Republicans embracing right-wing extremism and cheering the Capitol riot. — A small-time city councilman in Texas …


Lawmakers are still struggling with the trauma of the Capitol riot. Pelosi is trying to help. — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi first saw the emotional wounds moments after she returned to the U.S. Capitol the evening of Jan. 6. — “The trauma that I saw in their eyes,” Pelosi said …
Discussion:
Business Insider
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Woman charged in Capitol riot said she wanted to shoot Pelosi ‘in the friggin’ brain,' FBI says
Discussion:
NBC News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Daily Beast and Raw Story


Thousands flee Hong Kong for UK, fearing China crackdown — LONDON (AP) — Cindy had a comfortable lifestyle in Hong Kong: she owned several properties with her husband, they had a good business going. But last year she made up her mind to leave it all behind and move her family to Britain …
Discussion:
Al Jazeera, Japan Times and Axios


Traffic stop leads to deportation of El Paso Walmart shooting victim — EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A survivor of the El Paso Walmart shooting has been deported, according to the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services in El Paso. — The woman, only identified as Rosa to protect her identity …
Discussion:
BuzzFeed News


Sexual Misconduct Allegations Prompt Another Alaska Attorney General to Resign — Ed Sniffen stepped down as the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica were preparing an article about his relationship with a 17-year-old girl three decades ago. The state has now launched an investigation into the allegations.
Discussion:
MyNorthwest.com


Saudi Arabia has been scrubbing its textbooks of anti-Semitic and misogynistic passages — BEIRUT — Saudi Arabia has been sharply criticized over the decades for school textbooks that preach women's subservience to men, anti-Semitism and a general enmity toward religions other than Islam.


10 days of struggle: Inside Biden's early coronavirus vaccine effort — For the first five days of President Biden's administration, he and his aides promised 100 million coronavirus shots in 100 days. — But then on the sixth day, Biden surprised everyone, including many of his own aides, by upping the ante — to 150 million.


What Are the Cultural Revolution's Lessons for Our Current Moment? — The great question of China's Maoist experiment now looms over the United States: Why did a powerful society suddenly start destroying itself? — On September 24, 1970, the Rolling Stones interrupted their concert …


CDC Issues Sweeping New Mask Mandate For U.S. Travelers, Extends Eviction Moratorium — Starting early next week, travelers and commuters will be required to wear face masks on nearly all forms of public transportation as part of a sweeping new order from the Centers for Disease Control …
Discussion:
National Review, CBS News, Forbes, Associated Press, Daily Kos and Politico
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CDC to Require Masks on All Forms of Public Transportation
Discussion:
TheBlaze


How the plan to grant clemency to Sheldon Silver was scuttled — ALBANY - When President Donald Trump was reported to be considering clemency for former state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver this month, it touched off a political clash played out behind the scenes in Washington and in New York …