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.

'I have no idea what he's doing': Manchin perplexes with Covid aid power play  —  The Senate was more than two hours into a vote on Friday afternoon as Jon Tester and several fellow Democrats pleaded with Joe Manchin.  —  The voluble West Virginian was talking with his colleagues …

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 …

Republicans Are Gaslighting The Country About The Capitol Riot  —  GOP lawmakers are desperately trying to deflect blame away from Donald Trump and themselves.  —  Sure, the attack on the Capitol was bad, but did you hear about the attack on the White House last year?

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 …

Vaccine hesitancy drops, but with partisan divide  —  69% of the public intends to get a COVID vaccine or already has, up significantly from 60% in November, according to a report out Friday from the Pew Research Center.  —  Yes, but: The issue has become even more partisan …

Kevin McCarthy's Dr. Seuss Stunt Leaves People Very, Very Puzzled  —  “So what's the point?  Forgive me if I am confused.”  —  It was storytime with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Friday when he released a five-minute video of himself reading a Dr. Seuss book.

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 …

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.

Vindication for Ron DeSantis  —  The media vilified him for rejecting harsh lockdowns.  But Florida's Covid-19 numbers are better than California's or New York's, and its economy thrives.  —  In the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo imposed strict lockdown policies …

How Never Trumpers Are Becoming Pro-Democracy Republicans  —  One of the most predictable developments of the post-Trump era was that the small band of anti-Trump conservative intellectuals and Republican officials would quickly melt away.  They had been repulsed by Donald Trump's combination …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

‘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 …

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 …

Newsmax Loses More Than Half Its Audience Since Post-Election Ratings Surge  —  Following its post-election ratings surge, right-wing network Newsmax has seen its ratings drop, losing more than half of its total day audience, according to data from Nielsen.  —  In December, Newsmax …

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 …

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.

If you're upset about Hunter Biden, Elaine Chao should send you into fits of rage  —  It was only a few months ago that word got out that the Justice Department was investigating Hunter Biden's finances, including his ties to Chinese business interests.  Republicans leapt all over it.

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

Democrats, keep your promise on the $15 minimum wage  —  Opinion by William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove  —  What a $15 minimum wage really looks like  —  The Rev. William Barber is president of Repairers of the Breach.  Minister Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove is the author of “Revolution of Values.”