Top US general rejected Trump suggestions military should ‘crack skulls’ during protests last year, new book claims  —  General's response to Gaetz's question leaves him shaking his head  —  Washington (CNN)The top US general repeatedly pushed back on then-President Donald Trump's argument …

Republicans Shouldn't Fall for Biden's Infrastructure Charade  —  Last month, we warned Republicans about the pitfalls of indulging President Biden's infrastructure fantasies.  The bipartisan framework announced Thursday isn't causing us to change our mind.

Pence, Diverging From Trump, Says He Was ‘Proud’ to Certify Election  —  In a speech, former Vice President Mike Pence went the furthest he has gone yet in distancing himself from Donald Trump and the Capitol riot.  But he still praised the former president and his agenda.

Nearly all COVID deaths in US are now among unvaccinated  —  Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who weren't vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day — now down to under 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the vaccine.

More than 50 unaccounted for in deadly Surfside, Florida, building collapse, official says  —  Video shows moment building collapses in Florida  —  Surfside, Florida (CNN)An intense search and rescue effort is underway after part of a 12-story residential building collapsed early Thursday …

New York Suspends Giuliani's Law License  —  A state appellate court concluded that as Donald J. Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, had lied about election fraud.  —  A New York appellate court suspended Rudolph W. Giuliani's law license on Thursday after a disciplinary panel found that he made …

Congressmen Squirm as ‘World-Class Sleazeball’ Gaetz Continues to Roam  —  Members of Congress—Democrats and Republicans—are pretending like nothing is wrong, like their colleague isn't credibly accused of paying for sex with a minor.  —  Matt Gaetz is currently stuck somewhere between …

A heart transplant at 18.  The White House at 31.  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice and Daniel Payne  —  White House deputy director of photography CHANDLER WEST wears his heart on his sleeve …

The Perils of 180ism  —  Stop blindly opposing your adversaries.  Stick to your values and think for yourself.  —  A few months after I first moved to the United States, “The Colbert Report” premiered on television.  In his very first episode, in October 2005, Stephen Colbert defined “truthiness.”

Why I'm Leaving Mumford & Sons  —  I loved those first tours.  Bouncing off a sweaty stage in an Edinburgh catacomb we then had to get to a gig in Camden by lunch the next day.  We couldn't fit all four of us and Ted's double-bass into the VW Polo.  I think it was Ben who drew the short-straw …

Wendy Davis, others sue law enforcement and Trump supporters over “Trump Train” harassing Biden bus in Texas  —  The plaintiffs argue the Trump supporters engaged in political intimidation when they surrounded the Biden campaign bus in October, in violation of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 …

Exclusive: 48 Republican Senators Demand Withdrawal of Pistol Brace Ban That Would Affect Millions  —  Forty-eight Republican senators signed a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday slamming the Biden Administration's plan to ban most pistol braces.

Defund the military?  GOP's anti-woke crusade dips into dicey territory.  —  If there's one thing Republicans have made clear over the past year, it's that defunding those who protect us is a dangerous — and politically toxic — idea.  The GOP has utilized a small but passionate portion …

Meetings.  Why?  —  Does this conversation need to be a meeting?  Does anything?  —  Humanity has spent millenniums confined within the earthly limbo of meetings.  —  Ancient Egyptians, to name one subset of mankind, had multiple hieroglyphs to convey the concept of “council.”

U.S. to Search Former Native American Schools for Children's Remains  —  Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced a new initiative that would delve into the records of the federal schools to which Native American children were forcibly relocated for 150 years.

The mRNA Vaccines Are Extraordinary, but Novavax Is Even Better  —  At the end of January, reports that yet another COVID-19 vaccine had succeeded in its clinical trials—this one offering about 70 percent protection—were front-page news in the United States, and occasioned push alerts on millions of phones.

TSA self-defense course for flight attendants, paused during covid, relaunches amid reports of unruly behavior  —  After a pandemic hiatus, the Transportation Security Administration is relaunching a self-defense training course for flight attendants and pilots that includes suggestions …

Democrats' partisan power grab fails — for now  —  On Tuesday, the Democrats' bill to federalize elections failed.  Our constitutional republic was the big winner.  —  S. 1 fell short of the 60-vote threshold required.  Thank goodness for the filibuster.

Biden's bizarre behavior at press conference causes ‘Creepy Joe’ to trend on Twitter  —  Biden, lawmakers strike bipartisan $1.2T infrastructure deal  —  President Joe Biden trended on Twitter for what many are calling a “creepy” interaction with the press during a press conference on Thursday.

Biden threatens to beat up Corn Pop and nuke American gun-owning insurrectionists  —  Biden loves to threaten people and then to brag about threatening people.  For example, the tale of Corn Pop: … Or there was the time Biden said he would have “beat the hell” out of Trump had they been in high school together.

How Trump Has Redefined Conservatism  —  In 2004, Pennsylvania Rep. Patrick Toomey was the face of the conservative insurgency.  An anti-taxes, anti-spending hawk, Toomey was one of many conservative upstarts who primaried a more moderate fellow Republican; in Toomey's case, longtime Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter.

They Seemed Like Democratic Activists.  They Were Secretly Conservative Spies.  —  Operatives infiltrated progressive groups across the West to try to manipulate politics and reshape the national electoral map.  They targeted moderate Republicans, too — anyone seen as threats to hard-line conservatives.

Illinois Man Arrested for Assault on Law Enforcement, and First to be Arrested for Assault on Members of News Media during Jan. 6 Capitol Breach  —  Defendant Tripped and Pushed Officer to the Ground, Breached Media Staging Area and Tackled Cameraman  —  An Illinois man was arrested today …