Two arrested in assault on police officer Brian D. Sicknick, who died after Jan. 6 Capitol riot  —  U.S. authorities have arrested and charged two men with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick with bear spray during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot but have not determined whether the exposure caused his death.

Super PAC supporting potential Senate candidate J.D. Vance gets $10M donation from PayPal cofounder  —  COLUMBUS - PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel donated $10 million to a super PAC supporting Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance, a show of support for the possible Ohio Senate contender.

Biden Eyes First Major Tax Hike Since 1993 in Next Economic Plan  — Tax increases would help fund long-term U.S. recovery program  — Corporate, capital-gains levies targeted for hikes, aides say  —  President Joe Biden is planning the first major federal tax hike since 1993 …

Trump's jealous rants can't hide his failures  —  How green with envy is Donald Trump?  —  President Biden has him begging for attention.  —  Since Biden's inauguration, the COVID-19 infection rate has been cut by well over half.  —  And last week congressional Democrats passed Biden's popular COVID-19 relief bill.

US to house up to 3,000 immigrant teens at Dallas site  —  HOUSTON (AP) — The U.S. government plans to use the downtown Dallas convention center to hold up to 3,000 immigrant teenagers as sharply higher numbers of border crossings have severely strained the current capacity to hold youths, The Associated Press has learned.

Florida's pandemic response gets a second look from the national media  —  After a solid year of living with a pandemic, the national press is beginning to ask the question that even Democrats have been quietly pondering in the Sunshine State: Was Gov. Ron DeSantis' pandemic response right for Florida?

The American Rescue Plan as Economic Theory  —  So, this happened.  —  Some people are frustrated about the surrender on the minimum wage, the scaled-back unemployment insurance, the child tax credit that should have been a universal child allowance, the fact that most of the good things phase out over the nest year or two.

Vatican says it will not bless same-sex unions, calling them a ‘sin’  —  Rome (CNN)The Vatican said Monday that the Catholic Church would not bless same-sex unions, in a combative statement approved by Pope Francis that threatens to widen the chasm between the church and much of the LGBTQ community.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson's Racist Comments Are Worse Than You Think  —  While it wasn't the first time Ron Johnson downplayed the U.S. Capitol attack, the Republican senator from Wisconsin drew criticism for saying during an interview that he would have been more afraid of Antifa …

‘We want to be educated, not indoctrinated,’ say Trump voters wary of covid shots  —  The responses of focus group participants suggest they can be persuaded — but perhaps not by politicians, including the former president.  —  Be honest that scientists don't have all the answers.

The Misinformation Campaign Was Distinctly One-Sided  —  In 2020, false propaganda about voting came almost exclusively from the right, putting tech companies in a bind.  —  on the morning of September 21, 2020, three trays of United States mail were discovered in a ditch in Greenville, Wisconsin.

A Hacker Got All My Texts for $16  —  A gaping flaw in SMS lets hackers take over phone numbers in minutes by simply paying a company to reroute text messages.  —  Joseph Cox  —  I didn't expect it to be that quick.  While I was on a Google Hangouts call with a colleague …

CNN Anchor Brianna Keilar Slams Fox News' Vaccine Skepticism Bullshit  —  “Americans, whether they are Fox viewers or not, will pay for it with their health... or their lives because no price is too high for Fox to right its rating ship.”  —  CNN anchor Brianna Keilar took aim at Fox News …

Biden Chooses Prosperity Over Vengeance  —  Donald Trump was a punishment.  —  Conservatives saw him that way, and Trump saw himself that way, too.  After his upset victory over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, some conservatives started to respond to any perceived liberal excess with a simple phrase: “This is why Trump won.”

Exclusive: U.S. Congress launches probe into multibillion-dollar ‘clean coal’ tax credit  —  BOSTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress is investigating a multibillion-dollar subsidy for chemically treated coal that is meant to reduce smokestack pollution, after evidence emerged that power plants using the fuel produced more smog not less.

Interior secretary Haaland confirmed to implement Biden crackdown on oil and gas leasing  —  The Senate voted on Monday to confirm Deb Haaland to be secretary of the Interior Department, ending a tumultuous confirmation process and positioning her to oversee a vast reshaping of energy development on public lands.

Vindman twin set for promotion after bad evaluations from Trump appointees  —  Army Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman is set to be promoted to full colonel, despite attempts by loyalists to former President Donald Trump to derail his career following his bit role in the president's first impeachment …

Justice Breyer Should Retire Right Now  —  If he doesn't, Democrats run the very real risk that they would be unable to replace him.  —  Mr. Campos is a law professor who writes extensively about politics and the Constitution.  —  Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was widely, and deservedly …

Audio shows the media got the Trump-Georgia story all wrong  —  It's one thing if a single news outlet botches an anonymously sourced “scoop.”  It's another thing entirely if multiple newsrooms claim to have independently “confirmed” the botched “scoop” with anonymous sources of their own.

CDC identifies public-health guidance from the Trump administration that downplayed pandemic severity  —  The analysis was done to promote public trust and ensure that the agency's coronavirus guidance ‘is evidence-based and free of politics,’ a memo says.  —  Federal health officials …

Cuomo's “Women's Equality Party” Might Just Be the Most Cynical Political Move of His Career … In 2018, Liuba Grechen Shirley was one of thousands of women across the country galvanized by the election of Donald Trump to jump into the political ring — but first, she had to grapple with child care.

Republicans shamelessly take credit for Covid relief they voted against  —  And it's not going over well.  —  Two recent tweets from members of Congress illustrate how, in the wake of President Joe Biden signing the Covid-19 relief bill, Republicans are trying to “have their cake and vote against it, too,” as Barack Obama once put it.

‘Clear and present danger’: Republicans fret about Greitens' comeback  —  Disgraced former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is moving closer to a 2022 Senate bid, alarming top Republicans who worry he will jeopardize the party's grip on the seat and imperil their prospects of seizing the majority.

Senior Democrat ‘hot mic’ says GOP foot-dragging will force fast-track process for infrastructure  —  Sen. Ben Cardin, a senior Democrat on the committee responsible for crafting a surface transportation bill, in a “hot mic” moment told Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Monday that Democrats …

Why You Should Still Pay Attention To Joe Biden's Approval Rating  —  When it comes to presidential approval ratings, the days of big swings in opinion and sky-high ratings are gone.  —  Consider that former President Donald Trump's approval rating mostly hovered between 40 and 45 percent …

Warren, Sanders join Newsom to fight ‘extremist’ GOP recall  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — A crowd of national Democratic leaders on Monday put their muscle behind California Gov. Gavin Newsom to fight the recall, dubbing it an extremist “Republican power grab” and launching their first opposition ad.

A one-woman watchdog torments the far right in deep-red Northern California  —  Only halfway into the endless plague year, the most outspoken journalist in one of California's most conservative counties had already tangled with the sheriff, the local megachurch, a rodeo operator and other characters …

New EPA administrator: ‘Science is back’  —  In his first interview as the nation's top environmental official, Michael Regan says he is focused on restoring morale at the agency, combatting climate change and lifting up communities burdened by pollution  —  Michael Regan has bold aspirations …

Pandemic burnout is rampant in academia … Virginia Gewin is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon.  —  A year into the coronavirus pandemic, many in the academic scientific workforce are experiencing a state of chronic exhaustion known as burnout.  Although it is not a medical condition …

Nashville bomber acted alone, was driven by ‘paranoia,’ FBI says  —  Adam Tamburin Natalie Neysa AlundNashville Tennessean  —  The FBI said Monday the Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville was motivated by the bomber's intention to kill himself and was not an act of terrorism.