AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka dead at 72  —  Richard Trumka, president of the powerful AFL-CIO labor organization, has died unexpectedly, the federation announced Thursday.  —  Trumka, 72, had served as president of the AFL-CIO, which represents more than 12.5 million workers …

What Mike Fanone Can't Forget  —  It wasn't a cop bar; that was the point.  They weren't there to meet other cops.  They were there to meet girls.  The three police officers took seats at the wine bar in D.C.'s trendy Navy Yard neighborhood—exposed concrete walls, leather banquettes …

Scoop: Dem fundraising platform ActBlue boots Cuomo  —  The Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue has removed a donation page that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's campaign committee used to solicit contributions, the company confirmed to Axios.  —  Driving the news: ActBlue is the lifeblood of grassroots Democratic fundraising.

A critical ocean system may be heading for collapse due to climate change, study finds  —  ‘The consequences of a collapse would likely be far-reaching.’  —  Human-caused warming has led to an “almost complete loss of stability” in the system that drives Atlantic Ocean currents …

Alarmed Louisiana Residents Turn to Vaccines in ‘Darkest Days’ of Pandemic  —  Louisiana is leading the nation in an explosion of new cases.  Hospitals are overflowing and admitting more young people than before.  But the crisis is also driving some to get vaccinated.

Exclusive: Going Down The ‘Big Lie’ Rabbit Hole With Former President Trump  —  The Uprising obtained the former president's purported evidence of election fraud.  Trump's statement reveals the origins of his conspiracy theories and how key conservative allies fuel them.

The Fox News Fallacy  —  It's Blinding the Democrats to Real Problems  —  The Fox News Fallacy is having a dire effect on many Democrats.  This is the idea that if Fox News (substitute here the conservative bête noire of your choice if you prefer) criticizes the Democrats for X …

Rudy Giuliani Admitted He Lied About Feds Slipping Him Info Ahead of 2016 Election, Watchdog Finds  —  The 2016 election was upended just as Giuliani went on the radio and claimed “active agents” had shared “rumors” about the Hillary Clinton email probe.  —  Rudy Giuliani has admitted …

Biden told White House chief to seek Harvard legal scholar's guidance, leading to reversal on evictions  —  Ron Klain consulted with Laurence Tribe about the legality of a new eviction moratorium, helping to bring about a dramatic White House pivot  —  After White House legal advisers found …

Education Secretary Cardona criticizes Republican governors for banning mask mandates: ‘Our kids have suffered enough’  —  Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Thursday criticized two Republican governors for banning mask mandates in their states, arguing that their actions are preventing children from safely returning to school.

Abbott calls new special session to push voting restrictions that Texas Dems have blocked by fleeing state  —  Texas Republicans will redouble their efforts to pass new voting restrictions by convening a second special House session this weekend, hardening a stalemate with Democratic legislators whose exodus …

Scoop: Inside a Kamala Harris crisis dinner  —  A group of the Democratic Party's most influential women met for dinner at a home in the nation's capital last month to game out how to defend Vice President Kamala Harris and her chief of staff, Tina Flournoy, against a torrent of bad press.

GOP fears grow over Herschel Walker as party leaders seek other candidates in Georgia Senate race  —  (CNN)Republicans from Georgia to Washington, DC, are searching for a viable candidate to mount a Senate bid in the Peach State next year, fearing that former President Donald Trump's choice …

Graham says he's told Trump to ‘speak up’ on COVID vaccines  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As he recovers from a breakthrough infection of the coronavirus, Sen. Lindsey Graham said Thursday that he has urged former President Donald Trump to press his supporters to get the COVID-19 vaccine …

Why it matters that Tucker Carlson is broadcasting from Hungary this week  —  The country has become a model for a rising kind of authoritarianism.  So, of course, the American right's most popular cable host is embracing it.  —  This week, America's most watched cable news host is broadcasting …

I went to a party with 14 other vaccinated people; 11 of us got COVID  —  I was sitting on an examination table at an urgent care clinic in Timonium, giving my history to a physician's assistant.  An hour later, she would call me to confirm that I was positive for COVID-19.

Top Republicans move to protect Trump from Capitol attack fallout  —  Some party leaders blamed the former president in the charged moments after the insurrection - but are now embarking on a campaign of revisionism  —  op Republicans in Congress are embarking on a new campaign …

The Capitol Rioters Attacked Police.  Why Isn't the FOP Outraged?  —  On Tuesday, the National Fraternal Order of Police decided to “clear up confusion” about its position on the January 6 assault on the Capitol by enraged Donald Trump supporters.  “Those who participated in the assaults …

FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Steps to Drive American Leadership Forward on Clean Cars and Trucks  —  President Biden Outlines Target of 50% Electric Vehicle Sales Share in 2030 to Unleash Full Economic Benefits of Build Back Better Agenda and Advance Smart Fuel Efficiency and Emission Standards

The Long History of Mandated Vaccines in the United States  —  Vaccines against smallpox during the Revolutionary War may have saved the Continental Army from defeat.  It's one example of how mandates have protected the health of Americans for more than two centuries.

A toxic legacy: Masculinity in the Republican Party requires subservience to Donald Trump  —  An old adage says that youth is wasted on the young.  Given Republican men's inability to grow up, it appears we are now wasting it on the old, too.  —  In 2015, Republican Party voters turned …

Mark Meadows Timeline: The Chief of Staff and Schemes to Overturn 2020 Election  —  Former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was directly involved at major intersections of President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.  What follows is a detailed timeline of all the publicly available information.

McConnell vows no GOP help with debt limit hike  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell promised Thursday that Republicans will not support a debt ceiling hike, just as Democrats have signaled they plan to take a path that would require Republican support.

Lawyer: Capitol Cop Who Shot Ashli Babbitt ‘Ambushed’ Her on Jan. 6 Without Warning  —  Officer identified as Lt. Michael Byrd, top, in House chamber before the Ashli Babbitt slaying in the hall.  A Capitol Police officer says Byrd wasn't following firearms training.  (See photo detail below.)