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 …

Biden says he won't sign bipartisan bill without reconciliation bill  —  President Biden on Thursday said he won't sign the bipartisan infrastructure deal if Congress doesn't also pass a reconciliation bill, committing to a dual track system to get both bills passed.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

DeSantis signs bill requiring Florida students, professors to register political views with state  —  Universities may lose funding if staff and students' beliefs do not satisfy Florida's GOP-run legislature  —  Public universities in Florida will be required to survey both faculty and students …

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 …

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 …

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.

Trump is launching a series of ‘revenge rallies’ — and Republicans are worried  —  'It's only a matter of time until the fun kills people, or our chances of winning a totally winnable election, or both'  —  The last time Donald Trump took to the campaign trail in support of Republican candidates …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Two top travel officials for Kamala Harris are departing, just as a rush of touring begins.  —  Two top aides who oversee travel for Vice President Kamala Harris are departing, leaving the vice president with her critical support staff in flux as she seeks to ramp up travel ahead of big vaccine …

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 …

‘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.”

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.