POLITICO Playbook: It's not a civil war; it's a purge  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  Thursday was historic: America broke the back of the pandemic.  New cases are at an eight-month low.  Deaths are at a 10-month low.  Best of all, if you're vaccinated, you can take off your damn mask.

Congressional Democrats have a 100% vaccination rate  —  Washington (CNN)Although the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 do not need to wear masks or practice social distancing indoors or outdoors except under special circumstances …

Activists and Ex-Spy Said to Have Plotted to Discredit Trump ‘Enemies’ in Government  —  The campaign included planned operations against President Trump's national security adviser at the time, H.R. McMaster, and F.B.I. employees, according to documents and interviews.

Israelis and Palestinians can't go on like this.  Weep for us.  —  Opinion by  —  JERUSALEM — We could go on forever this way, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cheering squad wanted us to think.  The intifada was long past.  We were secure.

Marjorie Taylor Greene's verbal assault on AOC reflects deranged anti-leftism  —  Opinion by  —  As you may have heard, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) verbally harassed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in the Capitol on Wednesday.  According to Post reporters who witnessed the event …

The Squad Is Rooting for Hamas  —  Ocasio-Cortez, usually a font of half-baked socialist economic ideas, now regularly offers thoughts on the Israeli-Palestinian situation to her 12 million Twitter followers.  —  Here is one: … First of all, there are no “expulsions of Palestinians.”

Liz Cheney calls for criminal investigation into Trump in first interview since being ousted  —  Representative  —  Liz Cheney, who was ousted from her GOP congressional leadership post on Wednesday, has called for a criminal investigation into former president Donald

CIA Officer Became ‘Formidable Foe’ of U.S. Government  —  Janine Brookner took on the KGB, sexist rivals and Justice Department lawyers alike during a pioneering career as a spy and lawyer  —  Janine Brookner, who battled communist spies and boorish male bureaucrats alike during …

Leaked Video: Dark Money Group Brags About Writing GOP Voter Suppression Bills Across the Country  —  In a private meeting last month with big-money donors, the head of a top conservative group boasted that her outfit had crafted the new voter suppression law in Georgia and was doing the same …

Giuliani's son tells Russian state TV people don't want to live in America after FBI raided his dad  —  The son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani went on Russian TV to push conspiracy theories about the federal investigation of his father.  —  Andrew Giuliani accused the American government …

Beneath Joe Biden's Folksy Demeanor, a Short Fuse and an Obsession With Details  —  As Mr. Biden settles into the office he has chased for more than three decades, aides say he demands hours of debate from scores of policy experts.  —  WASHINGTON — The commander in chief was taking his time, as usual.

EDITORIAL BOARD: The Intercept's Dirty Smear Job On Our Reporters Deserves A Response  —  Journalist Glenn Greenwald left The Intercept in late October of 2020 - and if Thursday's smear job on Daily Caller reporters is any indication, the publication has gone from journalism to activist garbage in just six short months.

'Doesn't matter': Democrats reject GOP's debt limit demands  —  Senate Republicans dramatically changed their party rules to take a hard line on the debt limit in the coming months.  Democrats don't care.  —  In fact, the Democratic majority says it has no intention of negotiating …

Inside one network cashing in on vaccine disinformation  —  The couple in the website videos could be hawking any number of products.  —  “You're going to love owning the platinum package,” Charlene Bollinger tells viewers, as a picture of a DVD set, booklets and other products flashes on screen.

Another Group of Scientists Calls for Further Inquiry Into Origins of the Coronavirus  —  Researchers urge an open mind, saying lack of evidence leaves theories of natural spillover and laboratory leak both viable.  —  A group of 18 scientists stated Thursday in a letter published …

Delay in giving second jabs of Pfizer vaccine improves immunity  —  Study finds antibodies against Sars-CoV-2 three-and-a-half times higher in people vaccinated again after 12 weeks rather than three  —  The UK's decision to delay second doses of coronavirus vaccines has received fresh support …

Young people demand vaccination requirements for reopening  —  Three-quarters of people between 18-29 say vaccination should be required to return to campus or work, according to new Generation Lab/Axios polling, and 37% would refuse to come back unless those conditions are in place.

Crime jumps after court-ordered policing changes  —  Most police agencies in recent federally court-ordered reform agreements saw violent crime rates skyrocket immediately, according to an Axios examination of departments under consent decrees since 2012.  —  Why it matters …

Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media, Research Shows  —  Researchers have found just 12 people are responsible for the bulk of the misleading claims and outright lies about COVID-19 vaccines that proliferate on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Be Worried  —  New polling suggests it's growing likely Republicans will retake the House in 2022.  —  Scott Rasmussen—the real Scott Rasmussen, whom you can follow here, not the people who run his old firm, Rasmussen Reports—has a new poll.  On the generic ballot, 41 percent …