Biden White House Sandbags Staffers, Sidelines Dozens for Pot Use  —  In some cases, staffers were informally told by transition officials some past marijuana use would be overlooked, only to be told later that they were being asked to resign. … Dozens of young White House staffers have been suspended …

The Science of Making Americans Hurt Their Own Country  —  The National Intelligence Council has released an unclassified repor t assessing, retrospectively, foreign threats to the 2020 election.  It has a few twists and turns: The Iranian government attempted to run some kind of online influence campaign …

Former lobbyist accuses Rep. Tom Reed, a potential Cuomo challenger, of sexual misconduct  —  Nicolette Davis said she was 25, on her first networking trip as a junior lobbyist for an insurance company, when she felt the 45-year-old congressman's hand on her back.

Ex-wife of Trump Org executive has spoken to investigators ‘multiple times’ … The ex-wife of a Trump Organization executive has spoken “multiple times” with investigators from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, she told NBC News, as the probe into Donald Trump's financial dealings intensifies.

Kevin McCarthy, Fetch  —  Some dog lovers believe that what makes their canine companions wonderful is their ability to “live in the moment”—meaning that, although they can be trained and obedient, and can learn to recognize and remember things they love and things they fear …

The ‘Teen Vogue’ Mess Is What Happens When Bosses Don't Listen  —  Condé Nast's catastrophic mishandling of Alexi McCammond's hiring as the editor of ‘Teen Vogue’ is what happens when management doesn't respect its employees.  —  Alexi McCammond, a rising star and political reporter at Axios …

Washington's politicians have a rare chance to come together on the China challenge  —  Top Biden administration officials held their first big meetings with their Chinese government counterparts Thursday in Alaska.  Meanwhile, back in Washington, both parties face a major test.

Cuomo's First Accuser Raises New Claims of Harassment and Retaliation  —  In her first extensive interview, Lindsey Boylan sheds new light on a toxic workplace, as insiders detail the campaign to discredit her.  —  On the morning of December 13, 2020, Lindsey Boylan sat in the passenger seat …

How to rebuild trust in Georgia elections  —  Campaigning across our great state during the last nine weeks of 2020, I reminded Georgians of Sen. Chuck Schumer's giddy prediction: “Now we take Georgia, then we change America.”  He promised to clear a path for the Left in its march to grow government and shrink our freedoms.

Yes, Capitol Rioters Were Armed.  Here Are The Weapons Prosecutors Say They Used  —  In the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, a popular narrative has emerged: that because rioters did not fire guns that day, they were not really “armed.”  —  But a review of the federal charges …

Judge refuses to delay, move trial of ex-cop in Floyd death  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge on Friday denied a defense request to delay or move the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd's death after a $27 million settlement for Floyd's family raised concern about a tainted jury.

Twitter suspends GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as Democrats push to expel her from Congress  — Twitter has once again suspended the account of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., her office said Friday.  — The action comes as House Democrats move to expel the conspiracy-embracing lawmaker from Congress.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo Aides, Retaliation Accusations Are Part of Investigation  —  Investigators questioned three former aides over how senior officials responded to sexual-harassment accusations  —  The New York state investigation into whether Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women …

Get Ready for the Herschel Walker Experience  —  Georgia Republicans get ready for the next phase of the Trump Wars.  —  Ask any football fan about the worst trades in NFL history and the one player they will all mention is Herschel Walker.  —  Back in 1989 the Dallas Cowboys traded …

POLITICO Playbook: Don't call it a crisis  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  Whenever people in power start to police how the press describes an issue of major public concern — one those in power are charged with fixing — we should be at our most skeptical.  —  For the Biden administration …

Stephen Brown, editor in chief of POLITICO Europe, is dead at 57  —  Stephen Brown, the editor in chief of POLITICO Europe and a former news correspondent who reported widely from Europe and South America for Reuters for more than a quarter-century, died Thursday in Brussels.  He was 57.

Mary Trump has her next act — and believes her uncle's guilty of sedition  —  Another Trump has decided to enter the political arena following the 45th president's departure from office.  It's just not the one most people expected.  —  Mary Trump, a ferocious critic of the uncle she's called cruel …

Collins opposes key Pentagon nominee, narrowing confirmation path  —  GOP Sen. Susan Collins is opposing President Joe Biden's nominee for a top Pentagon job, narrowing the path for Colin Kahl to be confirmed as the undersecretary of defense for policy.  —  Collins' position likely means …

Trump Official Charged In Capitol Riot Has Family Ties to Argentina's Military Junta  —  Federico “Freddie” Klein, a Trump appointee, repeatedly praised the Argentinian military junta of the 1970s and 80s while working at the State Department.  —  CJ  —  A Trump administration official who's …

Xiaojie Tan dreamed of traveling the world and celebrating her 50th birthday with her daughter.  Then the Atlanta shooter ended her life  —  Trevor Hughes Romina Ruiz-Goiriena Cara KellyUSA TODAY  —  ATLANTA — On her 50th birthday, Xiaojie Tan would have gathered with her only child …

One lucky borrower got 17 PPP loans: How the Trump administration lost millions in an effort to shore up small businesses  —  WASHINGTON — Computer errors caused the government to hand out duplicate loans to thousands of borrowers under the Trump administration's program to rescue businesses …

From Soft Liberalism to Iron-Fisted Leftism in Today's U.S. Military  —  In the Marine Corps, we don't have quotas, but we do have goals.  And Marines accomplish goals," my officer-in-charge told me and a few other brand-new second lieutenants, each of us assigned to temporary recruiting duty while awaiting orders to Quantico.

‘Uh Oh’: Sean Hannity Caught Vaping On Air After Commercial Break  —  Fox host Sean Hannity got caught on air chilling and vaping a little too long on Thursday night.  —  After the last commercial break of the show, Hannity's graphics cued up and he appeared on screen as usual …

Students need only 3-feet of space in the classroom with masks, CDC says  —  CDC cites new research showing less than 6-feet is already working in schools.  —  CDC to give new recommendations on social distancing in schools  —  The Centers for Disease Control is expected to issue …

For Political Cartoonists, the Irony Was That Facebook Didn't Recognize Irony  —  As Facebook has become more active at moderating political speech, it has had trouble dealing with satire.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Since 2013, Matt Bors has made a living as a left-leaning cartoonist on the internet.

Who Can and Can't Get Vaccinated Right Now  —  Some countries have stockpiles.  Others have nothing.  Getting a vaccine means living in the right place — or knowing the right people.  —  A 16-year-old in Israel can get a vaccine.  —  So can a 16-year-old in Mississippi.  —  And an 18-year-old in Shanghai.

Children are lonely, parents are stressed: CDC study finds remote learning taking a devastating toll  —  WASHINGTON — Virtual school is fostering isolation in children and stress in parents, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The findings confirm

Economy Revs Up as Americans Increase Spending on Flights, Lodging, Dining Out  —  Forecasters have raised their predictions for growth as consumers gain confidence; 'I'd rather travel than do almost anything.'  —  Restaurant and hotel bookings are up.  Airplane tickets are selling fast.

Turkey's Erdogan says Biden comments on Putin ‘unacceptable’  —  ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Joe Biden's comments about Russia's Vladimir Putin, in which he said he thought he was a killer, were “unacceptable” and unfitting of a U.S. president.

Scoop: Biden has ambassadors list in hand  —  President Biden is reviewing a list of finalists as he prepares to nominate a series of ambassadors to key embassy postings, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.  —  Why it matters: The new president has promised to restore alliances …

Did Michigan cover up nursing home COVID deaths like New York?  —  Michigan Governor Whitmer may be in the same trouble that New York Governor Cuomo is dealing with after covering up COVID deaths.  —  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo may not be the only governor who covered up the deaths of vulnerable senior citizens during the pandemic.

Racist anti-Asian hashtags spiked after Trump first tweeted ‘Chinese virus,’ study finds  —  As the coronavirus spread across the globe last February, the World Health Organization urged people to avoid terms like the “Wuhan virus” or the “Chinese virus,” fearing it could spike a backlash against Asians.

What Will Turnout Look Like Without Trump?  —  Trying to model the make-up of a midterm electorate is always a challenge.  Figuring out which voters will be engaged, which ones will ‘drop-off’, and which ones will be newly added is critical to effective campaigning.

Son of Atlanta Shooting Victim Calls ‘Bullshit’ on Sex Addiction Claim  —  Police have not ID'ed her, but 23-year-old Randy Park says his mother was killed—and he's not buying the suspect's line on why six Asian women are dead. … ATLANTA—Randy Park said he learned of his mother's murder …