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 …

FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Support for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework … Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced their support for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, the largest long-term investment in our infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century …

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.

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 …

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.

Does a New Florida Law Require State Universities to Monitor Faculty and Student Beliefs?  —  Why is straight reporting on educational reform measures so difficult.  —  “Florida Gov signs law requiring students, faculty be asked to declare their political beliefs,” blares a headline from The Hill.

‘Neither I, Nor OAN, Are Suggesting Anyone Should Be Executed,’ Says Guy on OAN Who Suggested People Should Be Executed For Election Fraud  —  On Thursday, One America News host Pearson Sharp attempted to clarify on-air remarks suggesting that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Inside the extraordinary effort to save Trump from covid-19  —  His illness was more severe than the White House acknowledged at the time.  Advisers thought it would alter his response to the pandemic.  They were wrong.  —  This article is adapted from “Nightmare Scenario …

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 …

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.

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.”

Contracts call for probe into Wisconsin vote ‘illegalities’  —  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Retired police officers hired by Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos are being paid $3,200 a month to investigate “potential irregularities and/or illegalities” in the 2020 presidential election …

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 …

Lord of the Roths: How Tech Mogul Peter Thiel Turned a Retirement Account for the Middle Class Into a $5 Billion Tax-Free Piggy Bank  —  The Secret IRS Files  —  Billionaire Peter Thiel, a founder of PayPal, has publicly condemned “confiscatory taxes.”  He's been a major funder …

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.

Ryan Mac Joining Technology Team  —  Ryan is joining The Times from BuzzFeed to cover tech accountability.  Read more in this note from Ellen Pollock, Pui-Wing Tam, Jim Kerstetter and Joe Plambeck.  —  We're thrilled to announce that Ryan Mac is joining The New York Times to cover tech accountability.

FBI tears innocent New Yorker's life into shreds after Jan. 6  —  Joseph Bolanos was a pillar of his community.  President of his Upper West Side block association for the past 23 years, he looked out for his neighbors during the pandemic.  He dropped off masks and kept extra heaters in his rent-controlled apartment for seniors.

‘The Rabbi Said It Was OK’: Hasidic Mother of 10 Becomes Doctor  —  An ultra-Orthodox mother navigated strict cultural norms to become one of the few Hasidic female doctors in the country.  —  Years ago, Alexandra Friedman saw a T-shirt bearing a message she never forgot: “Become the doctor your mother always wanted you to marry.”

DHS is concerned about Trump reinstatement conspiracy theory, top official says  —  The conspiracy theory that Donald Trump will be reinstated as president in August has sparked concerns at the Department of Homeland Security, a top official there told members of Congress on Wednesday.

Why Police Have Been Quitting in Droves in the Last Year  —  Asheville, N.C., has been among the hardest hit by police departures in the wake of last year's George Floyd protests.  About a third of the force quit or retired.  —  ASHEVILLE, N.C. — As protests surged across the country …