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 …

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?

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.

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 …

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.”

‘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.

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.

For Voting Rights Advocates, a ‘Once in a Generation Moment’ Looms  —  Opposition to restrictive Republican voting laws — and support for a sweeping Democratic bill — fuels a movement like none in decades.  But can it succeed?  —  WASHINGTON — State and national voting-rights advocates …

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.

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.

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 …

‘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.

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 …

With few other options, Texas Democrats need Beto O'Rourke to challenge GOP Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022  —  The rising stars of the Democratic Party aren't ready to mount major statewide campaigns.  —  With few other viable options, Texas Democrats are hoping that next year former …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Among Residents of Two Skilled Nursing Facilities Experiencing COVID-19 Outbreaks — Connecticut, December 2020-February 2021  —  Amadea Britton, MD1,2,*; Kara M. Jacobs Slifka, MD1,*; Chris Edens, PhD1,*; Srinivas Acharya Nanduri, MD1 …

The Right Way to Boycott the Beijing Olympics  —  The United States can repudiate Chinese policy without unfairly punishing our athletes.  —  Mr. Romney is a U.S. senator from Utah and was the president and C.E.O. of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games of 2002.

The White House is set to unveil a wide-reaching, billion-dollar campaign aimed at convincing every American to get vaccinated  —  WASHINGTON — The White House this week will unveil a wide-reaching, $1.5 billion public relations campaign aimed at boosting vaccine confidence and uptake across the U.S. …

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 …

Legendary social scientist Robert Putnam: We may be on the cusp of a new Progressive era  —  Biden is consciously linking himself to FDR and LBJ — but Putnam says the real lessons are even deeper in history  —  Last week, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) was passed by the Democrats in Congress …

How the West Lost COVID How did so many rich countries get it so wrong?  How did others get it so right?  —  I'm bashing my head as well," says Devi Sridhar.  —  It is January 2021, and the Florida-born, Edinburgh-based professor of global public health is looking back on the pandemic year …

Amid Republican civil war, Trump holds court — and his grip on GOP — at Mar-a-Lago  —  Christine Stapleton Antonio FinsPalm Beach Post  —  PALM BEACH, Florida - The lobby of the Trump Hotel in Washington — dubbed America's Living Room after loyalists made it their favorite schmoozing …

Navy probe finds contractor charged in Capitol insurrection was well-known Nazi sympathizer  —  (CNN)An Army reservist charged with storming the US Capitol was a well-known White supremacist and Nazi sympathizer at the Navy base where he worked as a contractor, and was even rebuked for sporting a distinctive …

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 …

Redlined, Now Flooding  —  Maps of historic housing discrimination show how neighborhoods that suffered redlining in the 1930s face a far higher risk of flooding today.  —  Flooding is a rising threat across the U.S., with homeowners facing as much as $19 billion in damages every year.