Matt Gaetz, Loyal for Years to Trump, Is Said to Have Sought a Blanket Pardon  —  The congressman was at the time under investigation over whether he violated sex trafficking laws, though it was unclear what he knew of the inquiry.  —  Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida …

Why Not Fewer Voters?  —  The fact is that voters got us into this mess.  Maybe the answer isn't more voters.  —  Much of the discussion about proposed changes to voting laws backed by many Republicans and generally opposed by Democrats begs the question and simply asserts that having more people vote is …

Finding From Particle Research Could Break Known Laws of Physics  —  It's not the next Higgs boson — yet.  But the best explanation, physicists say, involves forms of matter and energy not currently known to science.  —  Evidence is mounting that a tiny subatomic particle called a muon …

“Everyone Just Knows He's an Absolute Monster”: Scott Rudin's Ex-Staffers Speak Out on Abusive Behavior  —  Even as other Hollywood bullies are being sidelined, the uber-producer behind ‘The Social Network’ and Broadway's ‘To  Kill a Mockingbird’ has been given a pass for his volcanic temper.

EXCLUSIVE: Pence returns to MAGA world with Trump-backed political group  —  Former Vice President Mike Pence will take a step back into public life and a possible 2024 run with the launch Wednesday of the Advancing American Freedom advocacy group, designed to merge traditional conservative thinking with Trumpism.

Biden to unveil long-awaited executive action on guns  —  President Joe Biden is expected to unveil a long-awaited package of executive actions to curb gun violence Thursday at the White House, according to four people familiar with the plan.  —  The announcement comes nearly three months …

Boehner Blasts Trump, Saying He ‘Incited That Bloody Insurrection’  —  In his new book, John Boehner, the Republican former House speaker, sharply rebukes the former president for his role in the “mob violence” at the Capitol on Jan. 6.  —  John Boehner, the Republican former House speaker …

Quarterly Gap in Party Affiliation Largest Since 2012  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — In Gallup polling throughout the first quarter of 2021, an average of 49% of U.S. adults identified with the Democratic Party or said they are independents who lean toward the Democratic Party.

Goodbye to Gate 35X, cursed portal to the rest of America  —  Let's get right to it: It was a bus station.  A bus station in an airport.  It was two places you'd rather not be, melded into one place.  —  There was no flourish to its badness.  Gate 35X at Reagan National Airport …

Exclusive: Andrew Giuliani targets Cuomo, plans 2022 gubernatorial bid  —  Andrew Giuliani, a former top Trump aide and son of “America's Mayor,” is “heavily considering” a bid for governor of New York in 2022, potentially setting up an epic clash between the two biggest political families in recent New York history.

‘60 Minutes’ misses the mark in its story about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and COVID-19 vaccines  —  The investigative journalism show is highly respected, but not infallible.  A sloppy moment on Sunday's show is raising serious concerns.  —  CBS's “60 Minutes” is the finest …

Corporate America isn't welcoming former Trump Cabinet officials with open arms, headhunters say  —  The toxicity of the former president's brand is choking off traditional money-making opportunities for members of his inner circle.  —  Before she joined the Trump administration as transportation secretary …

POLITICO Playbook: The question that's about to dominate politics  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  What is infrastructure?  —  That's a question that will dominate politics for the spring and summer.  —  President JOE BIDEN wants the concept to be defined expansively, using it for priorities …

Red Bull, Elon Musk, and Matt Gaetz  —  Politics and the attention economy.  —  1. Red Bull and Elon Musk  —  What is “Red Bull”?  —  “Red Bull” is a carbonated energy drink.  It is packaged in metal cans.  These cans and the liquid inside them are manufactured by Rauch …

Trump favorite Sean Parnell is almost definitely running for Senate in Pennsylvania  —  Sean Parnell, a decorated combat veteran and favorite of former President Donald Trump, is all but certain to run for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, according to a Republican official who spoke with Parnell this week.

Fulton DA won't prosecute lawmaker arrested during election law signing  —  Fulton County's district attorney said Wednesday that she won't prosecute the Democratic lawmaker who was arrested last month after she knocked repeatedly on the door of Gov. Brian Kemp's state office …

Mississippi Elections Chief Warns Biden May Register ‘Uninformed,’ ‘Woke’ College Voters  —  Mississippi's top election official says he is worried that the nation will suffer if more “woke” and “uninformed” college students become registered voters.  Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson …

Justice Breyer warns proponents of packing Supreme Court to ‘think long and hard’ about the risks  —  Justice Stephen G. Breyer said Tuesday that advocates of expanding the Supreme Court to dilute the power of its conservative majority should “think long and hard” about the risk …

Conspiracy Land … Omar Sabir explained his decision to his wife quietly, out of earshot of their six children, who were all under the age of 12.  He needed to start spending nights at a hotel.  Just in case.  —  The Nov. 3 presidential election was just days away.

Biden wants to cement a governing majority.  His Build Back Better bill is his plan to do it.  —  President Joe Biden's sprawling infrastructure plan doesn't just attempt to turn decades-old progressive policy pursuits into law.  Aides and operatives inside and out of the White House …

Biden Administration Announces 500,000 New Sign-Ups At HealthCare.gov  —  Promoting enrollment, something the Trump administration never did, seems to be paying off — and helping a lot of people.  —  So this is what it looks like when the people in charge of the Affordable Care Act want it to reach as many people as possible.

Buffalo Business Owner With Huge ‘Trump 2020’ Flag Prepared To ‘Go To Jail’ For Violating City Rules  —  MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Minnesota man refuses to take down a “Trump 2020” flag that's in violation of city ordinance.  —  Jay Johnson is flying the custom-made flag on a crane at his construction business in Buffalo.

Teachers' Union Head Rips Jews in Interview on School Reopening  —  AFT's Weingarten smears Jews as ‘ownership class’  —  Union leader Randi Weingarten criticized Jews as “part of the ownership class” dedicated to denying opportunities to others in an interview released on Friday.

US military cites rising risk of Chinese move against Taiwan  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The American military is warning that China is probably accelerating its timetable for capturing control of Taiwan, the island democracy that has been the chief source of tension between Washington and Beijing …

In her own words: Woman describes Cuomo's alleged groping at mansion  —  Woman says governor's ‘sexually aggressive’ behavior increased over time  —  ALBANY — The call came on a weekday in late November.  The governor inexplicably had a technical issue with his mobile phone and needed assistance at the Executive Mansion.

Tishaura Jones wins mayoral race: 'It's time for St. Louis to thrive'  —  ST. LOUIS — City Treasurer Tishaura Jones won the St. Louis mayor's race Tuesday, defeating Alderman Cara Spencer in a contest matching two progressive Democratic women.  —  Unofficial final returns showed Jones pulling …

President Biden Unveils Plan to Raise Corporate Taxes  —  The Biden administration unveiled its plan to overhaul the corporate tax code on Wednesday, offering an array of proposals that would require large companies to pay higher taxes to help fund the White House's economic agenda.

Survey: Even as schools reopen, many students learn remotely  —  Large numbers of students are not returning to the classroom even as more schools reopen for full-time, in-person learning, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Biden administration.

‘Leave no Tigrayan’: In Ethiopia, an ethnicity is erased  —  HAMDAYET, Sudan (AP) — The atrocities have been seared into the skin and the minds of Tigrayans, who take shelter by the thousands within sight of the homeland they fled in northern Ethiopia.  —  They arrive in heat that soars above 38 C …