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.

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.”

‘Nobody came, nobody helped’: Fears of anti-Asian violence rattle the community  —  About US is an initiative by The Washington Post to cover issues of identity in the United States.  Sign up for the newsletter.  —  They gather almost every night at San Francisco's Dragon Gate …

‘Nobody Listened To Me’: The Quest to Be MTG  —  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.  —  It was late April of 2019.  She sat in the rear of a room at the public library here near her home in this suburb north of Atlanta.

Trump shares plans for new super PAC in Mar-a-Lago meeting  —  President Donald Trump told political advisers Thursday that he's chosen longtime ally Corey Lewandowski to run a yet-to-be-formed super PAC as part of his expanding post-presidential political apparatus, according to multiple people familiar with the discussion.

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.

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 …

Three Percenter Truck at Capitol on Jan. 6 Belongs to Hitler-Quoting Rep's Husband  —  At least one baseball-bat wielding man tied to the far-right militia group has been arrested for his alleged role in the insurrection. … A pickup truck parked at the United States Capitol and bearing …

The Equality Act can become law — if Democrats will add religious exemptions  —  Opinion by Jonathan Rauch  —  Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author, most recently, of “The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth.”

Some local GOP leaders fire up base with conspiracies, lies  —  A faction of local, county and state Republican officials is pushing lies, misinformation and conspiracy theories that echo those that helped inspire the violent U.S. Capitol siege, online messaging that is spreading quickly …

Cruz received a special ‘welcome back’ message in Senate gym  —  Sen. Ted Cruz's colleagues had a little fun at the Texas Republican's expense when he returned to Washington this week following his infamous trip to Cancun.  —  When senators arrived at the Senate gym on Wednesday morning …

Seeking the True Story of the Comfort Women  —  How a Harvard professor's dubious scholarship reignited a history of mistrust between South Korea and Japan.  —  In January, I was outlining an article I hoped to write about a recent judgment by a South Korean court ordering Japan to pay compensation …

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 …

The Republican Party Is Now in Its End Stages  —  We are living in a time of bad metaphors.  Everything is fascism, or socialism; Hitler's Germany, or Stalin's Soviet Union.  Republicans, especially, want their followers to believe that America is on the verge of a dramatic time …

‘Worshipping the golden jackass’: CPAC mocked for displaying giant gold Trump statue  —  The Conservative Political Action Conference is set to begin this weekend, and early indications are that much of it will be dedicated to worshipping former President Donald Trump.

The Campaign to Cancel Wokeness  —  How the right is trying to censor critical race theory.  —  It's something of a truism, particularly on the right, that conservatives have claimed the mantle of free speech from an intolerant left that is afraid to engage with uncomfortable ideas.

On the Ground … Results, Not Headlines  —  Many heartland states have outperformed more prominent counterparts in the fight against Covid-19.  —  Covid-19  —  On the day that New York governor Andrew Cuomo won his Emmy, the governor of West Virginia announced a plan to vaccinate his state.

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.

The Coronavirus Is Plotting a Comeback.  Here's Our Chance to Stop It for Good.  —  Many scientists are expecting another rise in infections.  But this time the surge will be blunted by vaccines and, hopefully, widespread caution.  By summer, Americans may be looking at a return to normal life.

Saudi Crown Prince Implicated in Khashoggi Murder, U.S. Finds  — Intelligence report will be declassified as soon as Friday  — Prince has denied involvement in the columnist's killing  —  A U.S. intelligence report expected to be declassified as soon as Friday implicates Saudi …

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.

Amazon rainforest plots sold via Facebook Marketplace ads  —  Parts of Brazil's Amazon rainforest are being illegally sold on Facebook, the BBC has discovered.  —  The protected areas include national forests and land reserved for indigenous peoples.  —  Some of the plots listed via …

To unite America, Biden administration must brace for hate  —  The FBI is digging deeper into the motivations and leadership who may have driven and organized the Jan. 6th insurrectionists.  Our national realization of the increasing levels of hate and division in the U.S. has got me thinking …

Sen. John Thune, Opposing $15 Min Wage, Says He Earned $6 As a Kid—That's $24 With Inflation  —  In a tweet voicing his opposition to raising the national minimum wage to $15 an hour, Republican South Dakota Senator John Thune said he made $6 an hour working at a restaurant as a “kid.”

Capitol Police chief says extremists have discussed attack on Congress during Biden's first joint address  —  The acting chief of the U.S. Capitol Police warned lawmakers Thursday that militia members involved in the Jan. 6 riot “want to blow up the Capitol and kill as many members as possible” …