The danger of a fourth wave  —  The U.S. may be on the verge of another surge in coronavirus cases, despite weeks of good news.  —  The big picture: Nationwide, progress against the virus has stalled.  And some states are ditching their most important public safety measures even as their outbreaks are getting worse.

Hard and Soft Threats to Democracy  —  Conspiracy theorists and militia threats led the House of Representatives to abandon its work.  —  Today should be a typical Thursday in Washington, or at least as typical as COVID permits.  But on Capitol Hill, security threats have resulted …

Scoop: Leaked HHS docs spotlight Biden's child migrant dilemma  —  Fresh internal documents from the Department of Health and Human Services show how quickly the number of child migrants crossing the border is overwhelming the administration's stretched resources.

Glenn Greenwald Says ‘I Consider Tucker Carlson To Be A Socialist’  —  Glenn Greenwald, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and co-founder of The Intercept, claimed Monday that Fox News host Tucker Carlson is “a socialist.”  —  Greenwald appeared on the Daily Caller's “Wall Street Meets Washington” …

Cotton to block Garland's quick confirmation to lead Biden DOJ  —  Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) will slow down the confirmation of Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden's pick to lead the Department of Justice.  —  In a series of tweets Wednesday evening, Cotton said that Garland refused …

'It's Not Fair!':  Rioter Who Posed at Pelosi's Desk Loses It in Court  —  “This has been a bunch of crap,” Richard Barnett screamed on Thursday, as he complained that other Capitol rioters have been released from jail.  —  The self-described white nationalist who stormed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office …

Once omnipresent Kushner now MIA from Trump's political pack  —  (CNN)As Donald Trump plotted his Conservative Political Action Conference appearance last week, and a broader, more-robust plan to return to politics as an omnipresent disruptor, one person was conspicuously absent from the confab.

As Senate rushes $1.9 trillion bill through Congress, Biden faces doubts over whether it's still the right package  —  The pandemic was exacting a brutal toll when, six days before his inauguration, President-elect Joe Biden first released his $1.9 trillion relief proposal.

Andrew Cuomo Should Resign  —  The sexual harassment charges are bad enough, but the man the media crowned “America's Governor” last year needlessly let thousands of New Yorkers die from COVID  —  The first charge of a state governor should be to keep as many of their constituents alive as possible, especially during times of crisis.

Kelly Loeffler Just Lost Her WNBA Team to a Player She Refused to Meet  —  A massive story just went down in Atlanta, if we take the time to acknowledge it.  —  By any measure, it should be the biggest story in sports: a franchise owner runs a racist Senate campaign, throwing their own Black players under the bus in the process.

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 …

How covid hastened the decline and fall of the U.S.-China relationship  —  Donald Trump's victory in 2016 shattered a fragile understanding between Washington and Beijing and put the most important relationship of the 21st century in the hands of a novice.  Trump had attacked China …

'I'm angry and I'm hurt' |  Social media post shows 5 teachers holding up racial slur  —  It started as a game of human Scrabble.  The photo shows faculty from the Christian School District rearranging letters to form the word “coons”  —  O'FALLON, Mo. — The St. Charles County branch …

Feds quietly dismiss dozens of Portland protest cases  —  KGW found 31 of 90 protest cases have been dismissed by the U.S. Department of Justice, despite warnings there would be “consequences for acts of violence.”  —  PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal prosecutors have dismissed more than one-third …

In ‘exceedingly rare’ case, Iowa journalist faces charges from reporting on summer protests  —  The trial of a Des Moines Register reporter who was  —  arrested covering racial justice protests last summer is slated to begin next week in what experts said is a rare criminal prosecution of a journalist on assignment in the USA.

Here's how a single resignation, retirement or death could flip control of the 50-50 Senate  —  19 seats could potentially flip if there was an unexpected vacancy, according to state vacancy rules.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett issues first Supreme Court opinion  —  The 7-2 decision dealt with a Freedom of Information Act exception  —  Fox News Flash top headlines for March 4  —  Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett authored her first merits decision in a case since joining the high court in October.

A Military Strike in Syria Shows Biden Team at Work  —  ‘You own the clock,’ president was told by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.  But last-minute intelligence forced a change in plans.  —  WASHINGTON—After 10 days of deliberations, President Biden had ordered the Pentagon to conduct airstrikes …

Former Trump appointees say they're still waiting on their vacation payouts  —  A number of former Trump political appointees have still not received their lump-sum vacation payouts and required forms that are necessary to file for unemployment benefits as they face a tough job market in a Democratic Washington.

Mitch McConnell Working With Kentucky Legislature on Senate Exit Strategy … Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has compiled a short list of successors in his home state of Kentucky, preparing for the possibility that he does not serve out his full term, Kentucky Republicans tell The Intercept.

“QAnon Shaman” claims he wasn't attacking the country in first interview since Capitol riot arrest  —  Jacob Chansley, the man seen wearing face paint and a fur helmet with horns during the January 6 insurrection, tells 60 Minutes+ he was trying “to bring God back to the Senate.”

Republicans Won Blue-Collar Votes.  They're Not Offering Much in Return.  —  Party leaders want to capitalize on Donald Trump's appeal to the white working class.  But in recent weeks, they've offered very little to advance working people's economic interests.

Cyprus to lift veil of secrecy with register of company owners  —  NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus plans to launch a register in coming months identifying the owners of thousands of companies on the island, lifting a veil of secrecy on opaque and complex corporate structures that campaigners say can help criminals seeking to hide their loot.

“It's The Cuomo Way”: Former Staffers Describe Toxic Workplace Under Governor's Relentless Thumb  —  Sarah, a blonde woman in her twenties, won a fellowship to work in Governor Andrew Cuomo's office in 2013.  She was surprised when she was quickly invited by senior staffers to sit …

How Much Longer Can This Era Of Political Gridlock Last?  —  Democrats may have a narrow majority in both the House and the Senate for the next two years, but it's nothing near the margin they hoped for.  And the likelihood that Democrats keep both the House and the Senate in 2022 are low …

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.

Glory Hallelujah for Texas!  —  Gov. Greg Abbott takes a calculated gamble on we, the people against the experts  —  Even in the quick-as-a-wink world of democratic politics, where calculations change at slot-machine speed, you can feel major moments growling and growing.

125 people got $500 per month free for 2 years.  Here's what happened.  —  The real-world experiment in one U.S. city gave 125 people $500 per month with no rules on how to spend it.  —  SACRAMENTO, Calif — Editor's note: The video above was published July 1, 2020.

Idea Man Rubio Envisions a ‘Common Good’ GOP  —  This is the first in a series of occasional profiles on potential 2024 White House hopefuls.  —  In this economy, even a sitting United States senator can use a second job.  So Marco Rubio teaches every Friday at Florida International University.

Klobuchar lines up first antitrust hearing  —  With help from Cristiano Lima, Leah Nylen, Mark Scott and John Hendel  —  Act on the news with POLITICO Pro.  —  QUICK FIX  — Klo's big plans: Senate Judiciary Antitrust Chair Amy Klobuchar will hold her first hearing one week from today …

Business as Usual With Saudi Arabia Is Good for Business  —  Biden missed an opportunity to hold MBS truly accountable.  —  Consultants linked to Bidenworld have advised Saudi Arabia about MBS's most ostentatious vanity project.  —  It's only taken six weeks for major conflicts of interest to arise for President Biden.

Businesses tied to Noem family got $600,000 in virus grants  —  PIERRE, S.D. — Family members of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem received more than $600,000 in funds from a state grant program pushed by the governor that directed federal coronavirus relief funds to small businesses.

The Deficit Hawks That Make Moderate Democrats Cower … This week, the first true headline-grabbing legislative battle of the Biden administration and the Democratic Congress has begun as the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package takes center stage in the Senate.