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 …

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 the way The Times does.  —  In 2012, when The New York Times was panicked about its financial future, this newspaper went into the travel business.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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:

Anatomy of a conspiracy: With COVID, China took leading role  —  BRUSSELS (AP) — The rumors began almost as soon as the disease itself.  Claims that a foreign adversary had unleashed a bioweapon emerged at the fringes of Chinese social media the same day China first reported the outbreak of a mysterious virus.

Democracy Is the Only Solution  —  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 mass of the people would be susceptible to “fickleness and passion,” he warned.

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.

Another Impeachment Failure  —  On the menu today: You can tell it's a Monday already.  Impeachment ends with a whimper, not a bang, as the Senate is gift-wrapped a bombshell witness but bizarrely chooses to skip over her; CDC director Rochelle Walensky changes her recommendations …

Democrats Watching Israeli Election Hope for ‘Anyone but Bibi’  —  The Biden team will work closely with whoever wins next month's election, but one source close to the administration says Netanyahu has ‘personally undermined any goodwill about engaging with him’

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.

Why Is Michael Bennet Defying Joe Biden's Call for Non-Corporate Judges?  —  The Colorado senator has recommended a top corporate lawyer for a federal district court seat, after Biden specifically asked for public defenders and civil rights attorneys.  —  Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) …

CDC defends school guidelines as advocates say they make it too hard to reopen  —  For months, President Biden has been urging schools to reopen, and promised that guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would help them do so safely.  —  At the same time …

with an assist from Marina McNairy  —  🌨 Good morning from Salt Lake City.  We're expecting snow throughout the day, with a high of 37°.  —  🇺🇸 Today is President's Day, the day we celebrate George Washington's and Abraham Lincoln's birthday.

Dems buzz about breakout stars of Trump's impeachment  —  Rep. Joe Neguse, who is an attorney and the youngest impeachment manager, won acclaim for his compelling and high-minded arguments. |  The Democratic House members who prosecuted the case against former President Donald Trump last week …

The Evolution of Alexey Navalny's Nationalism  —  For years I have been content to be conflicted about Alexey Navalny.  On the one hand, I thought he was an extraordinarily brave, inventive, and committed opponent of Vladimir Putin's regime.  On the other hand, he had allied himself …

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.

'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 …

How ‘American Idol’ Used Claudia Conway … Claudia Conway faces challenges that evoke real and powerful sympathy, and not just because of her tender age.  First, this 16-year-old emerged onto the national stage as someone seemingly desiring to make an impact but unable to escape her own famous name.