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 …

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.

Former GOP lawmaker: Republican Party ‘engulfed in lies and fear’  —  Former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) argued in a pre-taped interview that ran Friday that the Republican Party has lost its way and become “engulfed in lies in fear.”  —  Curbelo and former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) …

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 …

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.”

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 …

Hawley Announces Legislation To Require $15 Minimum Wage for Billion-Dollar Corporations  —  Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced a plan to require companies with revenues of $1 billion or more to pay their employees $15 per hour.  Senator Hawley's plan would result …

U.S. Airstrikes in Syria Target Iran-Backed Militias That Rocketed U.S. Troops in Iraq  —  President Biden ordered retaliatory strikes against the militias whose attacks in Erbil this month killed one foreign contractor and wounded a U.S. service member.  —  WASHINGTON — The United States …

‘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.

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 …

‘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.

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 …

Kavanaugh and Barrett's Share of the Shame  —  The Trump-appointed justices' alliance with the liberal wing of the Supreme Court is not a betrayal of Republicans or the president who appointed them.  It's a betrayal of the Constitution.  —  With Election Day looming and early voting underway …

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.

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.

“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.

Harris gets a crash course on foreign policy  —  After insisting for the last few months that she didn't need a clear-cut portfolio in the Biden administration, Vice President Kamala Harris is now trying to carve out a niche in foreign policy, with the president's encouragement.

Toxic wokeness taints a campus and causes liberal staffer to resign  —  In 2018, Smith College student Oumou Kanoute accused the school of racial profiling, saying she was approached by a security officer for “eating while black.”  A subsequent investigation found that not only was Kanoute dining …

CPAC Canceled An Anti-Semite.  Here Are The Extremists They Didn't Cancel.  —  Bigots, insurrectionists and conspiracy theorists are on the agenda at the annual gathering of American conservatives, including former President Donald Trump.  —  The theme of the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference is “America Uncanceled.”

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.

Attacks on Asian-Americans in New York Stoke Fear, Anxiety and Anger  —  Hate crimes involving Asian-American victims soared in New York City last year.  Officials are grappling with the problem even as new incidents occur.  —  Maggie Cheng could stand to watch the video only once.

Navalny Walks in the Footsteps of the Great Russian Dissidents  —  His name should become as familiar in the free world as Solzhenitsyn, Sakharov, and Sharansky.  —  RUSSIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVIST ALEXEI NAVALNY DURING A HEARING INTO AN APPLICATION BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERAL PENITENTIARY SERVICE …

Murkowski to meet with Tanden on Monday as confirmation remains on the rocks  —  (CNN)Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska will meet on Monday with Neera Tanden, the Biden administration's pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.

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 …

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 …

Biden's Proposed Tax Hike Would Have 3 Huge Consequences, Study Finds  —  President Biden is pushing a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 spending package which he claims will boost the economy.  But a new study warns that one other key policy Biden has proposed would hurt the economy and have at least three major consequences for workers.

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.