The Democratic Civil War Has a Winner: Donald Trump  —  Biden's agenda is up against more than just the moderates-versus-progressives split.  —  First, the good news.  The government did not shut down at midnight.  New covid infections in the United States have fallen twenty-five per cent over the past couple weeks.

Cracking the Sinema code  —  Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's political allies have some free advice for anyone trying to bully the wine-drinking triathlete into supporting President Biden's $3.5 trillion budget bill: She doesn't play by Washington's rules — and she's prepared to walk away.

Pill Intended to Be Covid-19's Tamiflu Succeeds in Key Study  —  Drug from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics cut risk of hospitalization or death by 50% in early look at progress  —  Merck & Co. and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP said their experimental Covid-19 pill helped …

How Jared and Ivanka Hijacked the White House's Covid Response  —  The year 2020 started on a promising enough note for the president, at least considering all we'd endured the previous three years.  The economy was good, the impeachment effort on Ukraine looked like a dud and the polls were decent.

Newsom orders COVID vaccines for eligible students, the first K-12 school mandate in nation  —  In the first such action in the nation, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a mandate Friday requiring all eligible public and private schoolchildren in California to be vaccinated against COVID-19 …

National Divorce Is Expensive, But It's Worth Every Penny  —  The National Divorce discussion prepares the ground for crucial thinking about what comes next in America, as the country grows even more divided, bitter, and angry.  —  For the last several years, I've been among a handful of commentators …

SHOCK POLL: Majority of Trump Voters Now in Favor of Seceding from the Union  —  A shocking new poll from the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia reveals that over half of Trump voters surveyed, and 41% of Biden voters, are in favor of blue and/or red states seceding from the union.

Senior Biden aides privately explored whether payments could continue even if U.S. breached debt ceiling  —  Despite extensive review, White House says only option remains for Congress to pass legislation to avert calamity  —  Senior White House officials privately explored as recently …

Trump Extremists Brought Numerous Guns on January 6, Evidence Shows  —  For more than eight months, Republican lawmakers have sought to rewrite the harrowing events of January 6.  They have continually whitewashed the assault on the US Capitol despite copious footage showing mobs …

Joe Manchin Just Cooked the Planet  —  The senator won't quit fossil fuels and is going to neuter the reconciliation bill — and we're all going to pay the price  —  West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin just cooked the planet.  I don't mean that in a metaphorical sense.  I mean that literally.

Alex Jones must pay damages to Sandy Hook families after calling shooting a ‘giant hoax,’ judge rules  —  Alex Jones, the right-wing conspiracy theorist and founder of Infowars, is responsible for all damages in two lawsuits stemming from his false claims that the Sandy Hook school shooting was a “giant hoax,” a judge ruled this week.

USPS is about to charge you more for slower mail.  Here's why. … Delivery slowdowns at the U.S. Postal Service take effect Friday, and higher prices are soon to follow.  The nation's mail service is preparing to implement core components of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's 10-year plan for the agency …

Dissension at the Supreme Court as justices take their anger public  —  (CNN)Supreme Court justices have revealed a new level of defensiveness and anger in recent weeks, showing irritation with public expectations, the news media and one another.  —  The extraordinary public display extends beyond …

Founder of Russian Bank Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud  —  Admits to Concealing More Than $1 Billion in Assets when Renouncing U.S. Citizenship and Agrees to Pay More Than $500 Million Penalty  —  The founder of a Russian bank pleaded guilty today to filing a materially false tax return.

The Conservatives Dreading—And Preparing for—Civil War  —  “Let me start big.  The mission of the Claremont Institute is to save Western civilization,” says Ryan Williams, the organization's president, looking at the camera, in a crisp navy suit.  “We've always aimed high.”  A trumpet blares.

The Jolt: State Capitol statue for Clarence Thomas gaining steam  —  A proposal to display a statue of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on the statehouse grounds is gaining traction among Georgia Republicans.State Sen. Jason Anavitarte, who said it's “only fitting and proper” …

The Target of an Alleged Proud Boys Plot Has Been Found Murdered in El Mirage  —  Members of the Proud Boys, a far-right group of “western chauvinists.”  —  A man who allegedly was the previous target of a surveillance and assassination plot by a former attorney for the Proud Boys …

Biden approval rating slips to 50 percent in AP poll  —  President Biden's job approval rating has slipped to 50 percent in the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll as he faces mounting criticism over his handling of issues including the military withdrawal …

New York Went From Worst to Best At Handing Out Rent Relief  —  For a while, the only thing most New Yorkers knew about the state's rent-relief program was that it was failing miserably.  Flush with $2.6 billion in federal funds in April, the state had distributed absolutely nothing by early June …