F.B.I. Finds Contact Between Proud Boys Member and Trump Associate Before Riot  —  A leader of the far-right group separately said he had been in touch with Roger Stone, but an official said it was not the same contact investigators found through electronic communications records.

Sinema Slammed For Exaggerated Thumbs-Down On $15 Minimum Wage  —  Hand gestures are commonplace in the Senate, but Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is getting flack for the way she voted against a $15 minimum wage.  —  Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) faced criticism Friday afternoon for the way in which she chose …

Senate Democrats announce deal on unemployment insurance, allowing Biden bill to move forward  —  Deal reached after nine-hour standoff stalled action on Biden's $1.9 trillion relief bill  —  Senate Democratic leaders reached an agreement over unemployment benefits with moderate Democratic …

Cuomo accuser alleges a staffer took sexual harassment training for the governor  —  When asked Wednesday if he had completed sexual harassment training, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the “Short answer is yes.”  But Charlotte Bennett, one of the women accusing the governor of sexual harassment …

Ron Johnson: No decision on 2022 run but leaving office is ‘probably my preference now’  —  U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, who has taken center stage this week in the U.S. Senate debate over a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill, said he hasn't yet decided whether he'll run for his seat in 2022 …

Black People Need Better Vaccine Access, Not Better Vaccine Attitudes  —  The focus on “hesitancy” as the driver of lower Covid-19 vaccination rates misses the real problem, and opportunity.  —  Dr. Boyd is a pediatrician, public health advocate and scholar who writes and teaches about the impacts of racism and inequity on health.

Capitol riot shaman's TV interview irks judge  —  The lawyer for the horned shaman who became one of the most iconic figures involved in the storming of the Capitol in January is in hot water with a federal judge after facilitating an interview that the judge said violated federal rules.

Former astronaut mulling Senate run in North Carolina  —  Joan Higginbotham, right, waves as other crew members look on while she is introduced during a Space Day celebration event at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum May 5, 2005 in Chantilly, Va. |  Joan Higginbotham, a former NASA astronaut …

Whitmer kidnapping plot hearing live feed: Confidential FBI informant testifies  —  Joe Guillen Omar Abdel-BaquiDetroit Free Press  —  A confidential FBI informant testified Friday in a Jackson court about being embedded for months alongside leaders of a group accused of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren quietly releases massive social media report on GOP colleagues who voted to overturn the election  —  Washington (CNN)Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren has quietly posted a nearly 2,000-page report documenting social media posts by her Republican colleagues who voted …

For top budget job, Biden hesitates at naming a candidate who has bipartisan support  —  As the White House seeks to fill a critical vacancy, there's a clear public front-runner to be President Biden's budget chief: Shalanda Young, a widely respected former congressional aide who has been endorsed …

As the Insurrection Narrative Crumbles, Democrats Cling to it More Desperately Than Ever  —  If the threat of “armed insurrectionists” and “domestic terrorists” is as great as some claim, why do they have to keep lying and peddling crude media fictions about it?  —  3 hr ago

Rudy Giuliani, After Blowing Past Deadline to Respond to Dominion's Billion-Dollar Lawsuit, Personally Asks for Extension  —  Despite publicly welcoming a court fight over his false claims about voting machines being used to steal the 2020 election from Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani doesn't seem …

Biden Moves to Fire EEOC Top Lawyer Who Wouldn't Resign  — General Counsel Sharon Gustafson took office in 2019  — Republican attorney's term would have ended in 2023  —  President Joe Biden was to fire Sharon Gustafson, the Trump-appointed general counsel of the EEOC, at 5 p.m. Friday …

GOP groups quiet as billionaire donor stands accused of running biggest tax fraud scheme ever  — The billionaire accused of running the biggest tax fraud scheme in U.S. history was a prolific donor to Republican groups and causes.  — The leaders of those organizations have kept quiet on the accusations against him.

Oh, No, the Labor Market Is Recovering  —  Democrats play down good jobs news to pass their spending blowout.  —  By The Editorial Board  —  Now we know why the Democrats who run all of Washington are so eager to rush through their $1.9 trillion spending bill without negotiating with Republicans.

Democrats Want a Stronger Edge in the Senate.  Ohio Could Be Crucial.  —  The retirement of a moderate Republican senator and conservative infighting have raised Democratic ambitions in the state, a longtime political bellwether that is increasingly tilting red.

Los Angeles City Council Moves to Ensure Safer Buildings  —  Build with Strength supports unanimous 5-0 vote in Public Safety Committee to move “Building a Safer Los Angeles” motion forward  —  Today, Councilmember Monica Rodriguez led the Public Safety Committee in passing out of Committee …

CDC lets child migrant shelters fill to 100% despite COVID concern  —  The Centers for Disease Control is allowing shelters handling child migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border to expand to full capacity, abandoning a requirement that they stay near 50% to inhibit the spread of the coronavirus, Axios has learned.

Rachel Powell, Capitol Rioter Known as ‘Bullhorn Lady,’ Indicted by Grand Jury  —  A D.C. grand jury has indicted a Pennsylvania mother-of-eight over her alleged participation in the storming of the U.S. Capitol building.  —  Rachel Powell, of Mercer County, was indicted by a grand jury in Washington …

Federico Klein, former Trump appointee charged in Capitol riot, wants jail cell without cockroaches  —  WASHINGTON — A former Trump political appointee charged with battling police during the Capitol riot told a federal judge his jail cell is crawling with insects.

Biden has decided not to wage war on ‘Neanderthal’ GOP governors.  Here's why.  —  This week, after President Biden slammed GOP governors for “Neanderthal thinking” over their suspensions of mask mandates, a whole lot of Republicans pretended to be outraged.  And a whole lot of folks in the media pretended to believe them.

The Navy tried to cast Capt. Brett Crozier as a villain.  New emails reveal how much support he really had  —  The Navy has repeatedly blamed Capt. Brett Crozier for the unprecedented novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt last year …

The ISIS War Crime Iraqi Turkmen Won't Talk About  —  Jihadists made rape a weapon of their genocidal campaign, but for one ethnic minority in Iraq, it's too painful to discuss  —  Hollie McKay is a journalist and author  —  One crisp afternoon more than three years ago …

‘It was horrific’: Houston restaurants brace for threats after sticking with masks  —  The past three days have been difficult for Monica Richards, a co-owner of Picos restaurant in Upper Kirby.  After Gov. Greg Abbott announced he is reopening Texas on March 10, the restaurant told its customers …

Giuliani probe awaits Garland as he nears AG confirmation  —  NEW YORK (AP) — With Merrick Garland poised to be confirmed as attorney general as early as next week, one of the first major questions he is likely to encounter is what to do about Rudy Giuliani.