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 …

POLITICO Playbook: Graham: Biden made GOP look like ‘f—ing idiots’  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION — President JOE BIDEN, Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and Speaker NANCY PELOSI unveiled a rather daring new strategy Thursday for getting the president's agenda passed.

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.

Even the Taliban are surprised at how fast they're advancing in Afghanistan  —  WASHINGTON — The Taliban are advancing at lightning speed across Afghanistan as U.S. troops withdraw.  They now control a third of the country, are fighting for control of 42 percent more — and may even be slowing their advance on purpose.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

New Details Suggest Senior Trump Aides Knew Jan. 6 Rally Could Get Chaotic  —  Text messages and interviews show that Stop the Steal leaders fooled the Capitol police and welcomed racists to increase their crowd sizes, while White House officials worked to both contain and appease them.

Trump set to reemerge on the trail with revenge on his mind  —  Former President Donald Trump is bronzed, rested and politically bloodthirsty.  —  Having spent months in semi-retirement after his election loss in 2020, Trump is set this weekend to kick off a series of political events.

‘Lean into the culture war’: House conservatives push fight against critical race theory  —  The head of Congress' largest conservative caucus is encouraging Republicans to embrace anti-critical race theory rhetoric, as the GOP looks to lean into the nation's culture wars ahead of the looming battle for the House.

Tennessee locales rank poorly in analysis of best-run cities  —  A new report from WalletHub ranks Chattanooga, Tennessee, as the fourth-worst run large city in the country, behind Washington, D.C., San Francisco and New York.  —  Not far behind, at No. 133, was Memphis while Knoxville was 113th and Nashville ranked 111th.

In the News- COVID outbreak- New prehistoric human- Back to masks- Delta - Israel- Chile Jews- Israel - Iran- Palestinian critic- NSO - army- Evyatar outpost- App  —  The ultra-Orthodox Chabad movement is famed for its globe-hopping emissaries, tasked with ‘redeeming’ secular Jews and hastening the messianic age.

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.”

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.

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 …

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 …