Inspector General's Report Cites Elaine Chao for Using Office to Help Family  —  The Justice Department under the Trump administration declined to open a criminal investigation into the actions by Ms. Chao when she was transportation secretary.  —  WASHINGTON — While serving …

Did the Pentagon wait for Trump's approval before defending the Capitol?  —  Three hours and 19 minutes.  —  That's how long it took from the first, desperate pleas for help from the Capitol Police to the Trump Pentagon on Jan. 6 until the D.C. National Guard finally received permission to help put down the bloody insurrection.

Capitol Police Increase Security Following Threat  —  The United States Capitol Police Department is aware of and prepared for any potential threats towards members of Congress or towards the Capitol complex.  We have obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol …

Biden limits eligibility for stimulus payments under pressure from moderate Senate Democrats  —  President Biden has agreed to narrow eligibility for a new round of $1,400 stimulus payments in his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, under pressure from moderate Senate Democrats who've pushed for more “targeted” spending in the bill.

Trump Weighs 2024 White House Run Without Mike Pence, Allies Say  — Pence drew Trump's ire by not rejecting Biden electoral votes  — Former president has said he's considering another run in 2024  —  Donald Trump is telling allies he's strongly considering another run for president in 2024 …

David Brooks's Side Hustle Was Funded By Facebook And Jeff Bezos's Father  —  New York Times columnist David Brooks is drawing a second salary for his work on an Aspen Institute project funded by Facebook and other large donors — a fact he has not disclosed in his columns.

Murkowski emerges as focus of Biden effort to find GOP support for his agenda  —  As early as December, the incoming Biden administration began to woo a Republican who could prove pivotal in their legislative efforts: Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.  —  As transition officials sifted through …

Maybe It's a Good Thing Andrew Cuomo Is Still Governor  —  Gov. Andrew Cuomo stands accused by three different women of sexual harassment.  And yet, oddly enough, he is still serving as governor.  And that, friends, may be a good thing.  —  In Monday's New York Times …

U.S. suspends federal agent who joined crowd outside Capitol during rampage, lawyer says  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has suspended an agent who was outside the Capitol when a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the building, his lawyer said …

House Democrats pass sweeping elections bill as GOP legislatures push to restrict voting  —  The House late Wednesday night passed expansive legislation to create uniform national voting standards, overhaul campaign finance laws and outlaw partisan redistricting, advancing a centerpiece …

Brexit: Northern Ireland loyalist armies renounce Good Friday Agreement  —  Loyalist Communities Council warns of ‘strength of feeling’ over border checks but says protests about Northern Ireland Protocol should stay peaceful  —  A body that claims to represent loyalist paramilitary organisations …

In Trump probe, Manhattan district attorney puts pressure on his longtime chief financial officer  —  The Manhattan district attorney is delving deeply into the personal and financial affairs of the chief financial officer for former president Donald Trump's company, probing the extent …

3 out of 4 Abbott medical advisers say they were not consulted before he lifted Texas mask mandate  —  Texas' top health official said Wednesday he did not speak with Gov. Greg Abbott before the governor announced Tuesday he would end his statewide mask order and “open Texas 100%.”

‘She wished that she had spoken up more’: Why a Madison woman's obituary asks people to donate to Ron Johnson's 2022 opponent  —  Carol Lindeen raised her children to avoid certain topics — like politics, religion and money — in mixed company.  —  “If you were at a social gathering …

Two Transformer Statues At Center Of Georgetown Debate  —  The fate of humanity may not exactly have been at stake, but still the battle was on.  —  On one side, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.  On the other, a Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commission.  (Cue dramatic music.)

Jeffrey Epstein's New York Townhouse to Sell for Roughly $50 Million  —  The late financier and convicted sex offender's Upper East Side home originally asked $88 million.  —  The New York City townhouse of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is in contract to sell …

Rantz: Man calls 911 on self to ‘goad’ cops into George Floyd incident, reports Black man with gun  —  Arlington Police were called to a bus stop near a middle school after a report of a young Black man brandishing a handgun.  That man, Tamon Leverette, later said that “he was stopped and frisked” …

Apple Threatens North Dakota, Suffers Crushing Loss in Arizona: “A Lot of It is Just Fear”  —  Facebook, Apple, Google do not obey the law.  Lawmakers know it.  —  4 hr ago  —  Welcome to BIG, a newsletter about the politics of monopoly and finance.  If you'd like to sign up, you can do so here.

Biden Secretly Limits Counterterrorism Drone Strikes Away From War Zones  —  Requiring higher-level approval is a stopgap measure as officials review whether to tighten Trump-era targeting rules and civilian safeguards.  —  WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has quietly imposed temporary limits …

David Shor on Why Trump Was Good for the GOP and How Dems Can Win in 2022  —  In the United States, every season is campaign season.  Four months after America last went to the polls, Democrats are still refining their autopsies of the 2020 race and already governing with an eye toward the 2022 midterms.

Donald Trump's Gab Account Uses an Email Address Belonging to the Extremist Platform's CEO … Gab, the far-right social network that's known as a safe space for hate speech, QAnon believers, Trump election fraud conspiracists, and white supremacist terrorists, was hacked pretty badly.

Stockton's Basic-Income Experiment Pays Off  —  Two years ago, the city of Stockton, California, did something remarkable: It brought back welfare.  —  Using donated funds, the industrial city on the edge of the Bay Area tech economy launched a small demonstration program …

‘Exit Counselors’ Strain To Pull Americans Out Of A Web Of False Conspiracies  —  Michelle Queen does not consider herself part of QAnon, but she does believe some of its most outlandish conspiracies - including that Satan-worshipping elites in a secret pedophile cabal are killing babies and drinking their blood.

CDC delays guidelines for vaccinated people  —  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will not be releasing its guidance for vaccinated Americans on Thursday as originally planned, according to two senior administration officials with knowledge of the situation.

Sole GOP vote on House police reform bill says he ‘accidentally pressed the wrong voting button’  —  Rep. Lance Gooden (Texas), the only House Republican to vote in favor the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act on Wednesday, tweeted Wednesday evening that he cast the wrong ballot by accident.