Biden Won't Penalize Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi's Killing, Fearing Relations Breach  —  The decision will disappoint the human rights community and members of his own party who complained during the Trump administration that the U.S. was failing to hold Mohammed bin Salman accountable.

CRUZ at CPAC: ‘They Want Him to Go Away’ but 'Donald J. Trump Ain't Going ANYWHERE!'  —  Texas Senator Ted Cruz delivered an explosive speech at CPAC Friday morning before a packed crowd in Orlando; telling conservative voters that Donald Trump “ain't going anywhere!”

Past marijuana use won't automatically disqualify Biden White House staff  —  WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is issuing new guidelines Friday meant to address an unexpected hurdle it faced as it aimed to quickly fill key White House positions: recreational marijuana use.

U.S. Attorney Durham Announces Departure from Office  —  After serving as the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut for more than three years, and as a federal prosecutor in Connecticut for more than 38 years, John H. Durham today announced his resignation from the U.S. Attorney's Office …

Some Democrats want to fire the Senate parliamentarian who scuttled $15 minimum-wage plans.  It's been done once before.  —  As Democrats sought to use budget reconciliation to keep Republicans from filibustering a minimum-wage increase in the Senate, the decision on whether to allow the measure …

Revealed: Meet The Trump Fanatic Who Tasered A Cop At The Capitol Insurrection  —  Danny “DJ” Rodriguez brawled with cops, tried to smash out a Capitol window, and assaulted a police officer on Jan. 6.  He's still at large.  —  The man in the red “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” hat seemed to think he was untouchable.

New York Times Columnist David Brooks Wrote A Blog Post For Facebook's Corporate Website  —  On Tuesday, New York Times columnist David Brooks published a 900-word ode to Facebook Groups and how they foster online communities around the world.  —  The column didn't appear in Brooks' usual spot in the Times …

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 …

U.S. diplomat openly calls for Christian nation-states, rails against Jews  —  A State Department official for several years has been publicly calling for the establishment of Christian nation-states, warning that white people face “elimination” and railing against Jews as well as Black Lives Matter and other social movements.

Joe Biden's Syria Airstrike Hit the Wrong Target  —  On February 25, President Joe Biden ordered an airstrike at a location in eastern Syria against facilities the Pentagon said belonged to or frequented by Iranian-backed militiamen.  First reports suggest minimal damage.

The evolution of CPAC's speaker lineup is the story of the GOP  —  Each year, the American Conservative Union hypes its Conservative Political Action Conference by listing the galaxy of conservative leaders who've been invited to attend.  The conference's website for years has had a page …

WNBA Approves Sale of Atlanta Dream to Larry Gottesdiener  —Former Dream Player Renee Montgomery to be Member of Ownership Group-  —  Atlanta, Georgia (February 26, 2021) - The WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors have unanimously approved the sale of the Atlanta Dream to Larry Gottesdiener …

American Cynicism Has Reached a Breaking Point  —  On Tuesday evening, at the start of his Fox News show, Tucker Carlson shared the results of an investigation that he and his staff had conducted into a well-known agent of American disinformation.  “We spent all day trying to locate the famous QAnon …

How this summer could bring the pandemic relief we're longing for  —  Coronavirus cases could increase in spring with variants.  Summer may bring some normalcy.  But the virus is almost certainly here to stay.  —  It's been months since David Rubin's children have seen their 87-year-old grandmother …

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 …

‘Superman’ Reboot In The Works At Warner Bros With Ta-Nehisi Coates Writing, J.J. Abrams Producing  —  Deadline has confirmed that author Ta-Nehisi Coates is writing a Superman reboot feature for Warner Bros and DC, which J.J. Abrams is producing under his Bad Robot label.  —  Hannah Minghella will serve as producer.

“We're Not Opening the Dementia Thing”: Inside Team Biden's Freakout Over Julia Louis-Dreyfus's Trump Jokes  —  At the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Veep's showrunner clashed with organizers over the HBO star's act—an episode revealing how the Biden campaign tried to tamp down any drama on its road to the White House.

How Trumpism Has Become a Cult of Losing  —  In the American system, with the president's dual roles of symbolic head of state and head of government, defeated presidents generally fade from sight.  The last two presidents to be defeated after a single term, George Bush and Jimmy Carter, immediately entered into political exile.

State treasurer Sarah Godlewski ‘seriously considering’ U.S. Senate run as Ron Kind also looks at race  —  As the potential Democratic runners get in position for next year's U.S. Senate race, a familiar name can't be dismissed.  —  That would be U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, who represents …

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 …

Mars Is a Hellhole  —  There's no place like home—unless you're Elon Musk.  A prototype of SpaceX's Starship, which may someday send humans to Mars, is, according to Musk, likely to launch soon, possibly within the coming days.  But what motivates Musk?  Why bother with Mars?

Mr. Potato Head drops the mister, sort of  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Is it Mr. Potato Head or not?  —  Hasbro created confusion Thursday when it announced that it would drop the “Mr.” from the brand's name in order to be more inclusive and so all could feel “welcome in the Potato Head world.”

QAnon Isn't So Sure Trump Will Magically Become President Again on March 4  —  Influencers within the conspiracy movement are trying to reverse course on a belief that Trump will become president again on that date.  —  DG  —  National Guard troops have been deployed …