Trump was supposed to be a political Godzilla in exile.  Instead, he's adrift.  —  He backed away from creating a third party and has soured on the costly prospect of launching his own TV empire or social media startup.  —  His vow to target disloyal Republicans with personally-recruited primary challengers …

New York's vaccine czar called county officials to gauge their loyalty to Cuomo amid sexual harassment investigation  —  New York's “vaccine czar” — a longtime adviser to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo — phoned county officials in the past two weeks in attempts to gauge their loyalty …

House Democrats draw the line: No bipartisan cooperation with Republicans who questioned the election  —  WASHINGTON - Freshman Rep. Jake Auchincloss, a Democrat, has begun turning to an unusual source when trying to decide whether he wants to work with a Republican he thinks makes a good point during committee hearings: Google.

After receiving second dose, Yo-Yo Ma transforms waiting period into performance at Pittsfield vax clinic  —  PITTSFIELD — After Yo-Yo Ma received his second jab of a COVID-19 vaccine at Berkshire Community College Saturday, he transformed his 15-minute observation period into a concert for the newly inoculated.

Police Shrugged Off the Proud Boys, Until They Attacked the Capitol  —  Two Proud Boys accused of leading a mob to Congress followed a bloody path to get there.  Law enforcement did little to stop them.  —  A protester was burning an American flag outside the 2016 Republican convention in Cleveland when Joseph Biggs rushed to attack.

Kobach teamed up with Wichita businessman to sell COVID-killing device.  An investigation found no validity to their claims.  —  NEW YORK CITY — In early October, Kris Kobach, Kansas' former Secretary of State, and Daniel Drake, a Wichita-based venture capitalist-turned-CEO, made a sales pitch to Kansas legislators.

Online harassment of female journalists is real, and it's increasingly hard to endure  —  Julia Carrie Wong remembers a time, years ago, when she felt that being a part of digital culture was fun.  —  “I used to really enjoy online spaces, having a personality and a voice,” …

How Trump's team amassed a $1 trillion war chest for Biden to deploy  —  Republicans are bashing the new $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package for further ballooning the federal debt, but it's the Trump administration that greased the path for a smooth federal spending spree.

Georgia voting rights activists pressure big corporations to oppose GOP-backed ballot restrictions  — Civil rights and activist groups are turning up the pressure on large Georgia companies like Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines to oppose sweeping voting restrictions proposed by Republican state legislators.

What used cars tell us about the risk of too much inflation hitting the economy  —  Nationwide, used car prices soared 17 percent nationally in seven months last year — the most of any product.  —  When the coronavirus pandemic upended automobile supply chains last year …

Fauci: CDC “analyzing” data that could change distancing guidelines to 3 feet  —  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking at data that suggests “3 feet are okay under certain circumstances,” for social distancing guidelines, NIAID Director Anthony Fauci said on CNN's “State of the Union” Sunday.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IMPLEMENTS REP. MARIA SALAZAR'S COVID RELIEF BILL  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Biden Administration has just implemented Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar's (FL-27) COVID relief bill as part of Small Business Administration (SBA) policy.

Distinguished pol of the week: No progress was possible without Biden  —  Many public officials can claim credit for the passage of the extraordinary rescue plan, the eye-popping progress in vaccinations, the falling infection rates and the prospect of a normal-ish summer.

Congressional Testimony: The Leading Activists for Online Censorship Are Corporate Journalists  —  A hearing of the House Subcommittee focused on anti-trust and monopoly abuses examines the role of the corporate media in these growing pathologies.  —  There are not many Congressional …

Leaving Portland  —  Portland, Oregon, has been the most politically violent city in the United States since Donald Trump was elected in 2016.  Just a few days after the result, a peaceful protest against the incoming president turned into a riot when anarchists broke off from the main group …

Americans see better days ahead in pandemic and economy — CBS News poll  —  Though “exhausted” from a year-long pandemic, confidence about containing the coronavirus is hitting new highs as more vaccines roll out, and Americans say they're also “grateful” and widely optimistic about the coming months.

Georgia's No. 2 Republican boycotts debate over election restrictions  —  As Georgia Senate lawmakers began debating sweeping elections restrictions on Monday, the top Republican in the chamber sat in a darkened Capitol office watching the proceedings on a TV screen wedged into the corner …

Pentagon may reverse gender-neutral physical fitness test for US army soldiers  —  A new test has been scoring men and women on the same basis - but more than half of women are failing  —  The US Army is considering a reversal of its new gender-neutral physical test to instead include different evaluation categories for men and women.

How Biden, Republicans and public health leaders are trying to convince GOP skeptics to get their Covid vaccinations  —  WASHINGTON — Vaccine holdouts could end up being the last obstacle to defeating the pandemic, and a growing effort is aimed at convincing one substantial group of skeptics: Republicans.

Sen. Cassidy: Biden policies ‘entirely’ to blame for border surge  —  'You can't help but notice that the administration changes and there is a surge,' Louisiana senator says  —  Sen. Cassidy on coronavirus relief bill, migrant surge at border  —  Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. …

Virus tolls similar despite governors' contrasting actions  —  Nearly a year after California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the nation's first statewide shutdown because of the coronavirus, masks remain mandated, indoor dining and other activities are significantly limited, and Disneyland remains closed.

U.S. Has 1,000 More Troops in Afghanistan Than It Disclosed  —  The undercount complicates President Biden's decision on carrying out a complete withdrawal by May 1, as his administration tries to jump-start peace talks.  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — Facing a high-stakes choice and running …