Biden's minimum wage increase runs afoul of budget rules  —  The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that President Joe Biden's minimum wage hike violates arcane budget rules that could jeopardize the rest of his $1.9 trillion relief package, dealing a blow to progressives in a highly anticipated decision …

US carries out air strikes in Syria targeting Iranian backed militia structures  —  (CNN)The US military struck a site in Syria on Thursday used by two Iranian-backed militia groups following rocket attacks on American forces in the region in the past two weeks, according to a US official.

Twitter announces paid Super Follows to let you charge for tweets  —  It's also planning a groups feature  —  Twitter announced a pair of big upcoming features today: the ability for users to charge their followers for access to additional content, and the ability to create and join groups based around specific interests.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's Final Financial Disclosures Show Where They Made Their Money  —  Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have filed their final financial disclosure forms (known as OGE 278e), covering their non-governmental income for 2020 and the first few weeks of 2021.

Boehner goes off script, tells Cruz to “go f**k yourself”  —  John Boehner has been going off script while recording the audio version of his new memoir, using expletives and asides not in the book — such as the former Republican House speaker saying, “Oh, and Ted Cruz, go f**k yourself.”

Manhattan DA Gets Trump's Tax Returns  —  Manhattan's District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. now has possession of the tax records of former President Donald Trump.  —  The records from 2011-2018 arrived at the DA's office as a result of the Supreme Court refusing to intervene in the DA's subpoena for the documents.

Biden's chief of staff at center of controversy over White House budget pick  —  White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain has adamantly defended Neera Tanden, both in public and internally  —  White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain is at the center of the controversy over President Biden's choice …

Kennedy: I'm sorry for calling Haaland a ‘whack job’  —  Sen. John Kennedy apologized on Thursday for calling President Joe Biden's Interior Department nominee, Deb Haaland, a “whack job.”  —  The Louisiana Republican said he regretted the remark about Haaland, explaining that he was searching …

The Republican Party Is Now in Its End Stages  —  The GOP has become, in form if not in content, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union of the late 1970s.  —  Author of Our Own Worst Enemy  —  We are living in a time of bad metaphors.  Everything is fascism, or socialism; Hitler's Germany, or Stalin's Soviet Union.

House votes to pass Equality Act, prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity  —  The House on Thursday voted to pass the Equality Act, a far-reaching measure that has been decades in the making and would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

My Year of Grief and Cancellation  —  What was I trying to accomplish with my anonymous Tumblr?  —  If you were on Tumblr in the early 2010s, you may remember a blog called Your Fave Is Problematic.  If not, its content should still sound familiar to you.

My baby daughter died of brain cancer.  Here's what we can do to save other kids.  —  Opinion by Andrew Kaczynski  —  Andrew Kaczynski is an investigative reporter and founder of CNN's KFile Team.  —  It was a beautiful September day that began with a long, relaxing walk across Brooklyn …

A Capitol rioter texted his ex during the insurrection to call her a ‘moron,’ feds say.  She turned him in.  —  Standing on the Capitol steps on Jan. 6, Richard Michetti allegedly took a break from the rioting to argue with his ex-girlfriend over text message.

Unprecedented numbers of students have disappeared during the pandemic.  Schools are working harder than ever to find them.  —  DETROIT — Kenneth Chapman Sr. was hopeful as he navigated a hulking Detroit Public Schools van down the street, pulling up to a brick home.

Nursing Homes, Once Hotspots, Far Outpace U.S. in Covid Declines  —  20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% of weekly deaths compared with start of vaccinations July Sept. Nov. Jan. 2021 Feb. 7Vaccinationrollout begins  —  Deaths among nursing home residents have dropped significantly since vaccinations began.

“You've Made the Post Swashbuckling Once Again”: Marty Baron Receives a Star-Studded Farewell and Dishes in a Wide-Ranging Exit Interview  —  Stars from Hollywood (Spielberg, Schreiber) and the news biz (Baquet, Blitzer) toasted the legendary editor, who recalls angry calls from Trump …

Judge rules CDC eviction moratorium unconstitutional  —  A federal judge in Texas ruled on Thursday that an order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) temporarily halting evictions amid the pandemic is unconstitutional.  —  In a 21-page ruling, U.S. District Judge John Barker sided …

Dozens of Capitol rioters have been granted public defenders.  Their trials could cost us millions  —  The majority of suspects in the January 6 insurrection could wind up with court-appointed attorneys.  That's the cost of our justice system, experts say.

Republican Senators Haven't Represented a Majority of Voters Since 1996  —  As we wait for the Senate parliamentarian to let us know if 41 senators will be able to block a minimum wage increase that a comfortable majority of Americans supports, it's as good a time as any to be reminded …

Ex-Olympic gymnastics coach dies by suicide hours after being charged with human trafficking, sex crimes  —  Former U.S. Olympic gymnastics coach John Geddert, who led the women's team to a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics, killed himself Thursday after he was charged with sexual assault …

The joy of vax: The people giving the shots are seeing hope, and it's contagious  —  The happiest place in medicine right now is a basketball arena in New Mexico.  Or maybe it's the parking lot of a baseball stadium in Los Angeles, or a Six Flags in Maryland, or a shopping mall in South Dakota.

The GOP is not even trying to disguise its racism anymore  —  This week, Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.) played up White victim mentality during the confirmation hearing for attorney general nominee Merrick Garland.  Kennedy took issue with Garland's use of the term “implicit bias,” …

Chip Roy Is A Cowardly Goldfish  —  Butching up with MAGA by condemning people who hold the same position you did six weeks ago.  —  Here's a take on Donald Trump that sounds like something you might've read here in The Bulwark or heard on MSNBC: … Hard to argue with, right?

‘Nobody Listened To Me’: The Quest to Be MTG  —  All Marjorie Taylor Greene ever wanted was someone to pay attention to her.  —  Drew Angerer/Getty Images  —  ALPHARETTA, Ga.—Marjorie Taylor Greene smacked her gum as she pretended to listen to a man in a dress read a book about a unicorn.

Scoop: Schumer wants to freeze stimulus changes  —  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is privately saying he can pass President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus package but wants to avoid any last-minute changes jeopardizing its trajectory, three sources familiar with the talks tell Axios.

Sen. Rand Paul parrots right-wing media lies about trans youth during Dr. Rachel Levine's confirmation hearing  —  Paul lied that kids are undergoing “genital mutilation” and cited junk science from discredited anti-LGBTQ group American College of Pediatricians