‘Plan B’ for $15 minimum wage unveiled  —  Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Friday announced Democrats' “Plan B” to raise the minimum wage after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that an earlier proposal from House Democrats to raise the federal minimum wage $15 an hour did not meet special budgetary rules.

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.

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 …

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.) …

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 …

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 …

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.”

‘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.

As fractures emerge among Proud Boys, experts warn of a shift toward extremist violence  —  As members of the Proud Boys arrived at the foot of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, they gathered as a unified front, donning bright orange beanies and tactical gear and carrying flags and megaphones used …

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.

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 …

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.

CPAC hosts booed for asking attendees to wear masks  —  Organizers of the Conservative Political Action Conference were met with boos on Friday morning as they encouraged the crowd inside a Florida hotel ballroom to put on face masks in compliance with the host venue's policies.

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.

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 …

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 …

Former Air Force Contractor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Taking 2,500 Pages of Classified Information  —  WASHINGTON - A former contractor with the U.S. Air Force pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio today to illegally taking approximately 2,500 pages of classified documents.

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.