Trump Hotel Employees Reveal What It Was Really Like Catering to the Right Wing Elite … Everyone knew Table 72 belonged to the President.  The round booth in the middle of the Trump Hotel's mezzanine was impossible to miss. It didn't matter how many Congress members were clamoring …

Six Individuals Affiliated with the Oath Keepers Indicted by a Federal Grand Jury for Conspiracy to Obstruct Congress on Jan. 6, 2021  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. -This week, six additional individuals associated with an organization known as the Oath Keepers, some of whose members were among …

One night in Cancun: Ted Cruz's disastrous decision to go on vacation during Texas storm crisis  —  The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter's insights  —  Usually, it takes at least one full day in Cancun to do something embarrassing you'll never live down.

Los Angeles Times Owner Exploring Sale of Company  —  Patrick Soon-Shiong seeks exit after less than three years at the helm, as losses mount  —  Billionaire biotech investor Patrick Soon-Shiong is exploring a sale of the Los Angeles Times less than three years after buying it for $500 million, people familiar with the matter said.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor was targeted by gunman, federal judge tells ‘60 Minutes’  —  Federal judge tears up over late son: I can't describe the pain  —  (CNN)US District Court Judge Esther Salas said that a gunman who killed her son and wounded her husband in 2020 had also set his sights …

Pfizer Vaccine Is Highly Effective After One Dose and Can Be Stored in Normal Freezers, Data Shows  —  Peer-reviewed study comes as some governments debate whether to delay second vaccine doses  —  The Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE generates robust immunity …

Steve Bannon's vile threats show the GOP's radicalization is getting worse  —  A raft of new developments shows that the GOP civil war over Donald Trump's legacy is intensifying.  A top Senate Republican has now suggested that candidates in the former president's mold are unelectable.

Absentee and Sunday voting targeted in broad Georgia elections bill  —  In Georgia's most sweeping elections bill yet, Republican state representatives are seeking new absentee voting ID requirements, drop box restrictions and a ban on early voting on Sundays.

An 11-year-old boy died in an unheated Texas mobile home.  Authorities suspect hypothermia.  —  Even though he was still in bed after 2 p.m. on Tuesday under a pile of blankets in their unheated mobile home in Conroe, Tex., Maria Elisa Pineda wasn't concerned when she checked on her son.

The Virginia G.O.P. Voted on Its Future.  The Losers Reject the Results.  —  In a sign of the Trump era's lingering alternate realities, Republicans in the struggling state party are refusing to move forward with a new system for choosing nominees.  —  ARLINGTON, Va. — The Republican Party …

We'll Have Herd Immunity by April  —  Covid cases have dropped 77% in six weeks.  Experts should level with the public about the good news.  —  Amid the dire Covid warnings, one crucial fact has been largely ignored: Cases are down 77% over the past six weeks.  If a medication slashed cases by 77%, we'd call it a miracle pill.

Kim Kardashian Files for Divorce from Kanye West  —  Kim Kardashian has filed to divorce Kanye West after 7 years of marriage, but our sources say it's as amicable as a divorce can be.  —  Kim is asking for joint legal and physical custody of the couple's 4 kids.

Fox News Anchor Bill Hemmer Warns Cancel Culture Could ‘Come After Bible Characters Next’  —  Cancel culture could “come after Bible characters next,” warned Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer on Friday, during a segment about Chicago putting dozens of its monuments under review.

Anthony Fauci exclusive interview: ‘When I publicly disagreed with Trump he let terrible things happen’  —  Labelled a ‘disaster’ by President Trump, who publicly lobbied against his top Covid adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci is now back in the spotlight  —  It is not easy to secure an interview …

He was locked up at age 15.  Almost seven decades later, he's reentering an unfamiliar world.  —  PHILADELPHIA — On a snow-flecked morning earlier this month, Joe Ligon stepped from his lawyer's car, his gait deliberate yet steady, his hair as white as cotton.

California investor who donated nearly $1M to Trump inauguration sentenced to 12 years in prison  —  A Federal Judge in California on Thursday sentenced a venture capitalist who donated nearly $1 million to former President Donald Trump's inaugural committee to 12 years in prison …

President Joe Biden planning trip to storm-ravaged Texas, but 'I don't want to be a burden'  —  WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Friday he plans to visit Texas next week following the state's brutal winter storm that left millions without power but will only go when he determines his presence won't be a “burden.”

Devastating cold in Texas was forecast more than a week in advance  —  NOAA highlighted the threat beginning Feb. 5, while ERCOT's meteorologist also provided advanced notice.  —  The operators of Texas' electrical grid as well as state leaders and officials in surrounding states had ample warning …

The Rise and Fall of the L. Brent Bozells … In The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, a classic 1943 film that traces, in vaguely allegorical fashion, half a century's evolution in England's national character, the actress Deborah Kerr plays a series of roles that represent changing incarnations of the ideal British woman.

Joe Manchin comes out against Neera Tanden as Biden's OMB chief, imperiling nomination … WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said Friday he will oppose Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget, imperiling the prospects of a high-profile nominee of President Joe Biden.

The Real Lincoln Project Scandal  —  Political grifter Steve Schmidt used homophobia to distract from his own sins—and everyone just let him get away with it

‘This Crap Means More to Him Than My Life’: When QAnon Invades American Homes  —  For months, Emily has been married to a ghost.  The trouble began last summer, when her husband Peter, the man who once showered her with affection and doted on their kids, started to spend all of his free time online …

The Book That Should Change How Progressives Talk About Race  —  Heather McGhee writes that racism increases economic inequality for everyone.  —  When Heather McGhee was a 25-year-old staffer at Demos, the progressive think tank she would eventually lead, she went to Congress to present findings …

As Trump's latest intra-party feud rages, Sen. Graham heads to Mar-a-Lago on a peace mission  —  Lindsey Graham: I'm worried about GOP's chances in 2022  —  Washington (CNN)Sen. Lindsey Graham is heading to Mar-a-Lago this weekend to meet with Donald Trump in hopes of bridging a growing rift …

Chesapeake man gets 3 years for driving truck toward Black Lives Matter protesters  —  A Chesapeake man was sentenced Thursday to three years in jail after he pleaded guilty to driving his truck toward a group of Black Lives Matter protesters and angrily confronting several of them while wielding a hatchet.

Indiana Republican lawmakers shout down, boo Black colleagues speaking about discrimination  —  Arika Herron Kaitlin LangeIndianapolis Star  —  INDIANAPOLIS - Tensions flared at the Indiana Statehouse Thursday when Republican lawmakers shouted down and booed Black lawmakers during floor debate …

Nine Texans On How They Survived A Frozen Week  —  After an unprecedented freeze swept Texas, the state's grid approached a catastrophic blackout.  Millions of Texans lost power or water—or both.  —  By Texas Observer Staff  —  February 18, 2021 … Michael Gienger

‘Bullying, screaming’: In Albany, Cuomo wields phone as a weapon  —  ALBANY, N.Y. — Rep. Tom Reed was pulled off on the side of an upstate New York road, somewhere along the 40-mile stretch between Ithaca and Corning, being berated for about 45 minutes straight.  —  On the other end of the line: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Biden admin targets Trump's let-the-water-flow legacy and other energy efficiency rules … Former President Donald Trump's effort to loosen regulations dictating the water-flow levels of many household appliances and fixtures is under threat with the Biden administration announcing it will launch …

Under Biden, Justice Department presses fight against Omarosa  —  The Biden Justice Department is showing no sign of letting up in a two-year-old legal fight against a former White House aide who became an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump.  —  While the Justice Department …

U.S. Senate judiciary chair to retain GOP's ‘blue slip’ system of selecting some judges  —  Sen. Dick Durbin, the Senate Judiciary Committee's new Democratic leader, is retaining a Republican rule that allowed President Donald Trump's judicial nominees to be confirmed to federal appeals courts over home-state senators' objections.

Rush Limbaugh's Complicated Legacy  —  He was a gifted entertainer and advocate, but in his later years certain flaws became more evident.  —  I meant to talk about something else this week, but my thoughts keep circling back to Rush Limbaugh.  His obituaries in the mainstream press were mostly judgment, no mercy.

South Carolina abortion law suspended 1 day after passage  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina's new law banning most abortions was suspended by a federal judge Friday on its second day in effect.  —  Judge Mary Geiger Lewis put a 14-day temporary restraining order on the law and will renew …