Scoop: Ohio Senate candidate Josh Mandel escorted out of RNC retreat  —  During this weekend's highly anticipated donor retreat hosted by the Republican National Committee in Palm Beach, Ohio Senate candidate Josh Mandel was escorted off the premises while his primary opponent, Jane Timken …

Trump in 2024?  He says only that ‘a Republican’ will win  —  PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump plans to affirm his commitment to the Republican Party — and raise the possibility that someone else will be the GOP's next presidential nominee — in a closed-door speech to donors Saturday night.

Maryland enacts landmark police overhaul, first state to repeal police bill of rights  —  BREAKING: Maryland's Democratic-majority legislature on Saturday overrode Gov. Larry Hogan's vetoes of three historic police accountability bills, becoming the first state in the nation to do away …

Nevada Republicans vote to censure SOS Cegavske over voter fraud allegations  —  Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske on the first day of the 81st session of the Legislature in Carson City on Monday, Feb. 1, 2021.  (David Calvert/The Nevada Independent)  —  The Nevada Republican Party Central Committee …

POLITICO Playbook: The Gaetz Show gets weirder  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  MIAMI — Welcome to a special edition of Playbook from Miami.  It's time for an update on The Gaetz Show, which just came to town.  —  Battling anonymous leaks that he had sex with a minor or had paid prostitutes …

Scoop: Biden eyes Russia adviser criticized as soft on Kremlin  —  President Biden is considering appointing Matthew Rojansky, head of the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute, as Russia director on the National Security Council, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Ramsey Clark, Attorney General and Rebel With a Cause, Dies at 93  —  Mr. Clark oversaw the drafting of the Fair Housing Act in 1968 and went on to defend both the disadvantaged and the unpopular.  —  Ramsey Clark, who championed civil rights and liberties as attorney general in the Johnson administration …

For years, the Boston Police kept a secret: the union president was an alleged child molester  —  Despite 1995 evidence, Patrick Rose kept his badge, worked on child sexual assault cases, and ascended to power in the police union.  He went on to allegedly molest five other children.

Black Army Medic Pepper-Sprayed in Traffic Stop Accuses Officers of Assault  —  Second Lt. Caron Nazario was in uniform when two Windsor, Va., police officers ordered him to stop his car, pointed their weapons at him and doused him with pepper spray.  —  Caron Nazario, a lieutenant …

The scandal that wasn't: Republicans deflated as nation shrugs at Hunter Biden revelations  —  Trump and his allies foresaw a ticking timebomb centred on the president's son - but it has not turned out that way  —  Where's Hunter?  —  The rhetorical question about Joe Biden's troubled son …

A Teacher Marched to the Capitol.  When She Got Home, the Fight Began.  —  Kristine Hostetter was a beloved fourth-grade teacher.  Then came the pandemic, the election and the Jan. 6 riot in Washington.  —  SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Word got around when Kristine Hostetter was spotted …

‘Maximum Pressure’ on Iran Has Failed  —  A return to the nuclear deal is the first step out of the morass.  —  The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values.  It is separate from the newsroom.

'You Can't Trust Anyone': Russia's Hidden Covid Toll Is an Open Secret  —  The country's official coronavirus death toll is 102,649.  But at least 300,000 more people died last year during the pandemic than were reported in Russia's most widely cited official statistics.

Second senior Matt Gaetz aide resigns amid federal investigation  —  Devin Murphy, Rep. Matt Gaetz's legislative director, has stepped down amid a federal investigation into sex trafficking allegations against the Florida Republican congressman, the New York Times first reported and Axios has confirmed.

Racism is a public health threat, according to the CDC director  —  Racism is a public health threat that “affects the health of our entire nation,” the director of America's top public health agency said Thursday.  —  In a statement, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director …

‘Clear the Capitol,’ Pence pleaded, timeline of riot shows  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — From a secure room in the Capitol on Jan. 6, as rioters pummeled police and vandalized the building, Vice President Mike Pence tried to assert control.  In an urgent phone call to the acting defense secretary, he issued a startling demand.

Loneliness, Anxiety and Loss: the Covid Pandemic's Terrible Toll on Kids  —  A year of school shutdowns and family trauma leads to social isolation, stress and mental-health issues  —  When Victoria Vial's Miami middle school shut down last spring and her classes went online, it felt like the beginning of an adventure.

Marxist BLM leader buys $1.4 million home in ritzy LA enclave  —  Patrisse Khan-Cullors, the leader of Black Lives Matter and a self-described Marxist, recently purchased a $1.4 million home in an exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood where the vast majority of residents are white, according to reports.