The beginning of the end of Trumpism  —  Don't waste time mourning the Senate's failure to convict Donald Trump for crimes so dramatically and painstakingly proven by the House impeachment managers.  The cowardice of the vast majority of Republican senators was both predicted and predictable.

Trump's Party, But Worse  —  Acquitted but not exonerated  —  Mad respect for the seven GOP senators who voted to convict Donald Trump.  —  Don't underestimate how much raw political courage that took.  Even the ones who aren't up for re-election face censure, excommunication …

Postcard From Peru: Why the Morality Plays Inside The Times Won't Stop  —  Other news organizations have their own personnel dramas.  But none attract the spotlight like The Times.  —  In 2012, when The New York Times was panicked about its financial future, this newspaper went into the travel business.

Support for Third U.S. Political Party at High Point  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' desire for a third party has ticked up since last fall and now sits at a high in Gallup's trend.  Sixty-two percent of U.S. adults say the “parties do such a poor job representing the American people …

What Was the Wing?  To the extent that it's remembered, it will be as an artifact of the Trump era.  —  Photo-Illustration: by the Cut; Photo Getty Images  —  I remember, over New Year's in 2017, trying to explain to a friend's boyfriend what the Wing was.

The Strategic Silence of Mike Pence  —  Complicity, cowardice, or nihilism?  —  On January 6, a horde of pro-Trump rioters breached the United States Capitol with one bloodthirsty mission in mind: to stop Vice President Mike Pence from carrying out his constitutional obligation to certify Joe Biden's 2020 presidential victory.

Why Seven Republican Senators Voted to Convict Trump  —  The Republicans who broke with their party to find Donald J. Trump guilty were an eclectic group, bound by their shared lack of concern about retribution from the former president or his followers.  —  WASHINGTON — The seed …

Biden's special Obamacare enrollment period opens Monday.  Here's what you need to know  —  Biden: Health care orders undo the damage Trump has done  —  (CNN)Uninsured Americans who want to buy Affordable Care Act coverage have another three months to do so, thanks to an executive order President Joe Biden signed last month.

Democracy Is the Only Solution  —  The countermajoritarian institutions of the United States are holding us back.  —  Staff writer at The Atlantic  —  If there was one idea shared by just about every author of the Constitution, it was the one articulated by James Madison at the convention on June 26, 1787.

The Wages of Trump Hatred  —  Hating Donald Trump in the hater's eyes makes one moral.  But in the real world, such pathological fixations usually result in abject immorality and moral decline.  —  Over the last five years, the pathology of Trump Derangement Syndrome has been widely described.

The U.S.' vaccine rollout is world-beating  —  That doesn't mean it's good enough.  But let's take a moment to appreciate it.  —  4 hr ago  —  The U.S. vaccine rollout is not going fast enough.  Currently, about 1.7 million shots are being put into arms per day:

The Taliban Close In on Afghan Cities, Pushing the Country to the Brink  —  The Taliban have positioned themselves around several major population centers, including the capital of Kandahar Province, as the Biden administration weighs whether to withdraw or to stay.

'What's the Point?'  Young People's Despair Deepens as Covid-19 Crisis Drags On  —  Experts paint a grim picture of the struggle with lockdown isolation — a “mental health pandemic” that should be treated as seriously as containing the coronavirus.  —  Life seemed promising last year …

Pennsylvania G.O.P.'s Push for More Power Over Judiciary Raises Alarms  —  After fighting the election results, state Republicans are trying to increase their control of the courts.  Outraged Democrats and good government groups see it as a new kind of gerrymandering.

The New York Times Retracts the Sicknick Story  —  Like so many fake news stories about Donald Trump and his supporters, millions of Americans believe the Sicknick story as truth; even a correction won't change their minds.  —  In a quiet but stunning correction, the New York Times backed away …

Biden is winning Republican support for his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan.  Just not in Washington.  —  The pandemic has not been kind to Fresno, the poorest major city in California.  The unemployment rate spiked above 10 percent and has stubbornly remained there.

Trump impeachment lawyer Michael van der Veen's home vandalized  —  The word “traitor” was spray-painted on the front of the attorney's driveway.  —  Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.  —  Tyger Williams /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP

Smoking gun: Comey told Clapper FBI unable to ‘sufficiently corroborate’ Steele — then signed FISA  —  In January 2017 email to intel chief coughed up under court order, the former FBI director contradicted sworn avowal to FISA court that Steele dossier was verified.  — Article

On Parkland anniversary, Biden calls for tougher gun laws  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Sorrow reverberated across the country Sunday as Americans, including President Joe Biden, joined a Florida community in remembering the 17 lives lost three years ago in the Parkland school shooting massacre.

In a Dangerous Game of Cat and Mouse, Iran Eyes New Targets in Africa  —  Fifteen people arrested in Ethiopia were part of what American and Israeli officials said was a foiled Iranian plot against diplomats from the United Arab Emirates.  —  NAIROBI, Kenya — When Ethiopia's intelligence …

New report traces the history of conspiracy theories claiming COVID-19 is a bioweapon  —  Nine-month research collaboration by the DFRLab and AP analyzes how narratives propagated in Russia, the U.S., China and Iran  —  **DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT**  —  In December 2019 …