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.

“Danger Warning”: Women Say Madison Cawthorn Harassed Them In College  —  Madison Cawthorn arrived at Patrick Henry College's small Christian campus in northern Virginia in fall 2016 blazing with charm, bravado, and a flashing white smile.  His former classmates said the future member …

F.B.I. Said to Have Singled Out Potential Assailant in Capitol Officer's Death  —  The death of the officer, Brian Sicknick, after the Capitol riot has been a major focus for investigators scrutinizing the attack by a pro-Trump mob.  —  WASHINGTON — The F.B.I. has pinpointed an assailant …

White House and press are at odds over plan to charge reporters for coronavirus testing  —  Reporters who cover the White House may soon be paying what amounts to an admission fee to do their jobs.  —  Starting Monday, the White House's press office said it will start charging journalists …

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 …

Lady Gaga's dogs recovered safely  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lady Gaga's two French bulldogs, which were stolen by thieves who shot and wounded the dogwalker, were recovered unharmed Friday, Los Angeles police said.  —  A woman brought the dogs to the LAPD's Olympic Community Police Station …

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!”

More than a dozen Republicans tell House they can't attend votes due to ‘public health emergency.’ They're slated to be at CPAC.  —  (CNN)More than a dozen of former President Donald Trump's closest Republican allies in the House have skipped Friday's votes and enlisted their colleagues to vote …

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?

This golden statue of Trump at CPAC is a perfect metaphor for the state of the GOP  —  Apparently CPAC attendees missed the part of the Bible about the Golden Calf.  —  The Golden Calf is one of the most famous stories in the Old Testament.  The Israelites, newly freed from Egyptian slavery …

Susan R. Lowry, R.I.P.  —  My mom passed away last night, at 90 years old.  She was married to my dad for more than 50 years, but arguably the defining relationship in her life was with my older brother, who has autism.  She was his lifelong friend, protector, companion, and advocate.

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.

‘Humiliated’ Rioter Jessica Watkins Vows to Ditch the Oath Keepers: ‘Time to Let All of That Go’  —  Jessica Watkins defended her actions at the Jan. 6 riot in court Friday—but said she'd renounce the far-right group.  “I did it out of love for my country,” she said of the siege.

‘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.

Biden considers elevating Mayor Pete's spokesperson  —  Chris Meagher, a top spokesman for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, is being seriously considered to be a White House deputy press secretary, according to two people familiar with the matter.  —  Meagher, who recently started …

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.

Amazon Strips Clarence Thomas Documentary From Streaming Service During Black History Month  —  Amazon stripped a documentary on conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, the only black justice currently serving on the Supreme Court, from its streaming service during Black History Month.

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 …

The GOP's strategy for retaking power is uglier than you think  —  By now, it should be clear to even the most committed both-sides commentators that Republicans are rerunning their 2009 scorched-earth strategy.  Back then, Republicans correctly calculated that if they denied the Democratic president …

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 …

New Class and Neocons  —  Why the Red Dogs won't hunt.  —  3 hr ago  —  Dear Reader (Including acolytes of the Apis Bull(sh*tter)),  —  Yesterday, a bunch of people—at least I assume they were people—emailed me a piece by Scott Alexander.  They wrote: “What do you think?”

Georgia Senate panel backs end to automatic voter registration, no-excuse absentee voting  —  A Senate committee passed voting restrictions Friday that would end automatic voter registration and no-excuse absentee voting in Georgia.  —  The Senate Ethics Committee voted mostly along party lines …

An American Dream, Tarnished  —  For Xi'an Famous Foods, the pandemic has brought an uptick in aggression toward Asian-American employees, mirroring a trend seen across the United States.

Teachers Unions Aren't the Obstacle to Reopening Schools  —  Donald Trump Jr. is thinking of the children.  “One of the things I want to talk about,” he said in a recent video, “is the teachers unions.”  Sitting in front of a wall of guns, he continued: They're “out of control,” they're …

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 …

ICE investigators used a private utility database covering millions to pursue immigration violations  —  Government agencies increasingly are accessing private information they are not authorized to compile on their own  —  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have tapped …

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.

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.

Manafort Can Keep Hamptons, New York Homes After Trump Pardon  — Justice Department tells judge it will not pursue properties  — Manafort was pardoned by Trump after federal convictions  —  U.S. prosecutors are no longer seeking to seize a Hamptons mansion and two New York City properties …