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 …

Ron Johnson on Jan. 6 Capitol attack: 'This didn't seem like an armed insurrection to me'  —  MADISON - Two days after members of the U.S. Senate acquitted former President Donald Trump on charges of inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Wisconsin's senior senator is questioning whether an armed insurrection even occurred.

Dear Colleague: Security, Security, Security  —  Today, we celebrate the birthdays of America's two greatest presidents: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  —  George Washington was the patriarch of our country, who with his courage, fought for and won our independence at great odds …

Adam Kinzinger's Lonely Mission  —  Censured by his party and shunned by family members, Mr. Kinzinger, a six-term Illinois Congressman, is pressing Republicans to leave Donald Trump behind — and risking his career doing so.  —  WASHINGTON — As the Republican Party censures …

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.

Perdue explores Senate comeback bid against Warnock in 2022  —  Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue took the first steps toward a potential comeback bid by filing campaign paperwork on Monday to explore a challenge against Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.

A GOP donor gave $2.5 million for a voter fraud investigation.  Now he wants his money back.  —  Like many Trump supporters, conservative donor Fred Eshelman awoke the day after the presidential election with the suspicion that something wasn't right.  His candidate's apparent lead in key battleground states had evaporated overnight.

Inside the new President's routine: Oval Office fires and early bedtimes  —  (CNN)When President Joe Biden flew aboard Air Force One for the first time this month, he did not spend much time soaking in the moment.  —  The flight, after all, was only 25 minutes long.

The FBI Wants You To Make These Photos Of Capitol Insurrectionists Go Viral  —  Inside the bureau's evolving strategy to get photos of the Trump supporters who invaded the U.S. Capitol on your social media feed.  —  The search for the insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol last month isn't your typical FBI manhunt.

Frozen wind turbines hamper Texas power output, state's electric grid operator says  —  Nearly half of Texas' installed wind power generation capacity has been offline because of frozen wind turbines in West Texas, according to Texas grid operators.  —  Wind farms across the state generate up to a combined 25,100 megawatts of energy.

Ask Every Republican These Two Questions  —  Over and over again.  —  1 hr ago  —  Before we start: As of today we have four years to fortify American Democracy before the next authoritarian tide comes in.  —  This is the time to roll up our sleeves and work.  I hope you'll labor with us.

Pat Toomey is facing a Republican backlash in Pennsylvania for voting to convict Donald Trump  —  Pennsylvania Republicans are heaping condemnation on Sen. Pat Toomey after their GOP senator voted to convict Donald Trump in his impeachment trial, signaling how fealty to the former president has come to define the party.

Trump drives past jubilant supporters at impromptu rally in Florida  —  Trump marks Presidents Day by waiving to supporters near his south Florida residence  —  Trump acquitted after media blitz  —  Former President Trump marked President's Day by waiving to a throng of supporters gathered near his south Florida home.

Lack of witnesses at Trump's trial is not the problem.  Witness intimidation is.  —  The former president has a record of threatening rhetoric toward anyone who crosses him.  Now there's a record of supporters willing to back him with violence.  —  On Saturday morning …

Acquittal Vindicated the Constitution, Not Trump  —  House managers wanted us to rush through a sham trial.  Instead we did our duty to the rule of law.  —  Jan. 6 was a shameful day.  A mob bloodied law enforcement and besieged the first branch of government.

2 million Texas households without power as massive winter storm drives demand for electricity  —  Some utility companies that deliver electricity to Texans are telling customers to expect power outages through Monday night and potentially into Tuesday.  —  Copy link  —  Here's what you need to know:

Exclusive: Russia in prisoner swap talks with U.S. over detained American - lawyer  —  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and the United States are in talks on a possible prisoner swap that could secure the release of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. marine jailed for spying, within two to three months, his lawyer told Reuters on Monday.

Fauci Awarded $1 Million Israeli Prize For ‘Speaking Truth To Power’ Amid Pandemic  —  America's top infectious disease official Dr. Anthony Fauci received a prestigious $1 million Israeli prize Monday, along with six other researchers who shared two additional $1 million prizes for their contributions to health and medicine.

Exclusive: GOP governor Kristi Noem, potential Trump successor, used state aircraft for tens of thousands of dollars in political travel  —  Newly unearthed flight logs show South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem used a state airplane to travel to right wing political events around the country …

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:

Gina Carano and Crowd-Sourced McCarthyism  —  Talking with the Star Wars actress about her cancellation and a meme.  —  1 hr ago  —  It used to be possible to follow the allegations and cancellations.  Remember when the cooking columnist Alison Roman lost her job at The New York Times because she criticized Chrissy Teigen?

Lincoln Project's fundraising page shut down as scandals mount  —  The Lincoln Project's fundraising page has been shut down, following a wave of scandals which continue to engulf the organization.  —  The donation page on the Lincoln Project website has listed as inactive since Saturday …

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.

Interior Secretary Nominee on Collision Course With Oil Industry  —  Deb Haaland, poised to be first Native American cabinet secretary, has joined pipeline protests and opposed fracking  —  WASHINGTON— Deb Haaland is poised to make history on two fronts, as both the first Native American cabinet secretary …