Ted Cruz's Cancún Trip: Family Texts Detail His Political Blunder  —  The Texas senator faced fierce blowback for fleeing his state as a disaster unfolded.  Text messages sent by his wife revealed a hastily planned trip away from their “FREEZING” family home.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.”

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 …

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 …

Capitol Police suspends 6 officers, investigates dozens in probe of Jan. 6 riot  — The six officers were suspended with pay, and the department is looking into the behavior of more than two dozen others.  — USCP's acting chief ordered that any officer whose behavior is not in keeping …

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.

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 …

‘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.

It's time to kill the Iowa caucuses, if Democrats want to win at the state level again  —  I love the Iowa caucuses.  —  But for the good of our state, it's time to kill the Iowa caucuses.  —  The caucuses have defined my professional career in journalism and politics …

Summary of Key Findings  — Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe opens Democrats' primary race for governor with a quarter of the vote (26%), but half of Democratic voters are undecided (49%).  — State Sen. Amanda Chase leads Republican field for governor with 17%, with former Virginia House Speaker Kirk Cox …

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 …

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 …

Americans Remain Largely Dissatisfied With U.S. Gun Laws  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Fifty-six percent of Americans say they are dissatisfied with U.S. gun laws and policies, marking the ninth consecutive year of majority-level dissatisfaction since the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

White House says it's responding to pressure to act fast on USPS problems  —  (CNN)The White House is working to quickly fill the vacant seats on the Postal Service Board of Governors.  —  “President Biden has made clear his feelings on the current leadership of the Postal Service …

Cornel West threatens to leave Harvard again  —  Harvard University professor Cornel West, the well known philosopher, progressive political activist, and outspoken social critic, is threatening to leave Harvard University after he said the administration disrespected him by denying his request to be considered for tenure.

‘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 …

Policing Leaders Praise DOJ Nominee Vanita Gupta.  One Group Is Smearing Her Anyway.  —  Biden's nominee for the No. 3 position at the Justice Department is a progressive civil rights lawyer with a lot of support from GOP and law enforcement leaders.  —  President Joe Biden's nominee …

Biden warns European allies that ‘democratic progress is under assault’  —  President Biden on Friday warned that “democratic progress is under assault” in the United States and Europe as he pledged support for the transatlantic alliance and called on countries to work together to address shared challenges.

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.

Allegations of shackled students and gang rape inside China's detention camps  —  Hong Kong (CNN)On the first day of her new teaching job at a Chinese government-run detention center in Xinjiang, Qelbinur Sidik said she saw two soldiers carry a young Uyghur woman out of the building on a stretcher.

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 …

After Years of Chaos, the White House Is Definitely in Different Hands  —  Biden's new chief of staff, like the new President, is a serious Washington lifer.  —  Donald Trump made numerous outrageous but not necessarily consequential decisions throughout his Presidency …

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.

Heating Up Culture Wars, France to Scour Universities for Ideas That ‘Corrupt Society’  —  The government announced an investigation into social science research, broadening attacks on what it sees as destabilizing American influences.  —  PARIS — Stepping up its attacks on social science theories …