Scoop: “How about zero?”  Manchin, Sanders get heated behind closed doors  —  Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) squabbled behind closed doors Wednesday, with Manchin using a raised-fist goose egg to tell his colleague he can live without any of President Biden's social spending plan, Axios has learned.

Mastodon's Founder Says Trump's New Social Network Is Just Mastodon  —  ‘Truth Social’, which will launch officially later in the year, is seemingly using Mastodon's codebase without credit.  —  Joseph Cox  —  Former President Donald Trump's new social network ‘Truth Social’ is seemingly …

Kevin McCarthy or Liz Cheney?  Consultants Forced to Choose  —  The message, delivered by a lobbyist close to the House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, has already led one Republican firm to cut ties.  —  WASHINGTON — A prominent Washington lobbyist close to Kevin McCarthy …

Liberal backlash against Sinema grows on Capitol Hill as potential Arizona challenger emerges  —  (CNN)Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is at the zenith of her influence in Washington, with the ability to dramatically reshape — or derail — President Joe Biden's domestic agenda simply by threatening to point her thumb down.

Justice Dept. Adds Two Top Prosecutors to Matt Gaetz Case  —  The move by the department is a sign of the complex and high-stakes nature of the sex trafficking investigation into Representative Gaetz, a close ally of Donald Trump.  —  The Justice Department has added two top prosecutors …

This Is What Climate Change Will Look Like In D.C.  —  The Lincoln Memorial, on an island surrounded by churning Potomac waters; Nationals Park, a bathtub surrounded by mid-rise office buildings flooded by the Anacostia River; the Pentagon, accessible by boat, with State Route 110 and the George Washington Memorial Parkway underwater.

Prosecutors: Clark County man touted in Republican election fraud allegations voted his dead wife's ballot  —  A man who once described a ballot being cast in his dead wife's name as “sickening” and was cited by the Nevada Republican Party last November as evidence that massive voter fraud swayed …

Photos inside Rikers Island expose hellish, deadly conditions  —  Dozens of men crammed together for days in temporary holding cells amid a pandemic.  Filthy floors sullied with rotten food, maggots, urine, feces and blood.  Plastic sheets for blankets, cardboard boxes for beds and bags that substituted for toilets.

Buffalo Might Elect a Mayor Who Thinks Police Came from Slave Patrols  —  Internet misinformation is endorsed by a Buffalo mayoral candidate.  —  In a couple weeks, Buffalo may elect the first openly socialist mayor of a city of that size in generations.  —  India Walton, a nurse …

I Was Wrong About Donald Trump  —  Mr. Brock led one of the largest Democratic super PACs dedicated to defeating Donald Trump in the 2020 election.  Before he became a Democrat, he worked for The Washington Times and the Heritage Foundation.  —  Like most Democrats, I initially underestimated Donald Trump.

CNN defends Joe Rogan treatment in fiery statement  —  Podcaster Joe Rogan's three-hour interview with CNN's Sanjay Gupta last week was an amicable affair, though it got a bit tense when the topic turned to the network's coverage of Rogan's recent bout with covid.  “It's a lie.

Gov. Greg Abbott's pick for top Texas election post worked with Trump to fight 2020 results  —  As secretary of state, Fort Worth attorney John Scott would oversee election administration in Texas.  —  Copy link  —  Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday appointed John Scott …

DeSantis calls for special Florida legislative session to fight Biden's vaccine mandate  —  TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday called for a special legislative session to block the Biden administration's vaccine mandates, taking the most aggressive action yet in his ongoing fight with the White House over Covid restrictions.

The Methods of Moral Panic Journalism  —  Scare stories on “left-wing illiberalism” display a familiar pattern.  —  During the 1990s, the media convinced Americans that frivolous lawsuits were out of control.  —  The canonical example was the 1994 “McDonald's hot coffee” case.

At informal ‘bitching’ dinners, Pete Buttigieg donors are chattering about prodding him to run against Kamala Harris in 2024 if Biden backs out  — Democrats publicly insist that Joe Biden will run again in 2024.  — But privately, some Democratic donors are preparing for a post-Biden campaign.

No Proof Anyone ‘Callously’ Took Video of Rape on SEPTA Train, DA Says  —  “That is simply not true.  It did not happen.  We have security video from SEPTA that shows that is not the true narrative,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has paid his first voter fraud bounty.  It went to an unexpected recipient  —  Patrick, a Republican, promised to pay $25,000 to any tipster who came forward with evidence of real voter fraud.  He cut his first check this week.  —  AUSTIN — Nearly a year …

“He's Making Real Money for the First Time in His Life”: Mike Pence Is Already Cashing In on His Potential 2024 Run  —  The former veep and his wife are living their best lives: traveling widely, making bank on the speaking circuit, and residing in one of Indiana's toniest suburbs.

Human remains found in Florida reserve confirmed to be Brian Laundrie, FBI says  —  FBI: Human remains found in Brian Laundrie search  —  Partial remains found by authorities searching for Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito's fiancé, were confirmed to be his after a review of dental records.

Biden: Jan. 6 Capitol riot “was about white supremacy”  —  President Biden said Thursday that white supremacy motivated rioters who carried out the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.  —  Driving the news: “The violent, deadly insurrection on the Capitol nine months ago …

Twitter's own research shows that it's a megaphone for the right.  But it's complicated.  —  Twitter is publicly sharing research findings today that show that the platform's algorithms amplify tweets from right-wing politicians and content from right-leaning news outlets more than people and content from the political left.

Capitol Rioters in Jail's ‘Patriot Wing’ Have Their Own Rituals and a Growing Fan Base  —  Experts worry that a lack of de-radicalization efforts in jail could mean inmates falling further into the narrative that led to the January 6 violence in the first place.  —  TO

Michigan Republicans Are Quietly Replacing Officials Who Certify Vote Totals  —  Like lots of other rank-and-file Republicans, Robert Boyd has his doubts about the integrity of the last election, particularly in his home state of Michigan — and particularly in Detroit's TCF center …

USPS mismanaged DeJoy's conflicts of interest and tried to cover it up … The United States Postal Service seriously mismanaged Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's conflicts of interest from the start, according to documents obtained by CREW via a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

A Judge Said It Was “Offensive” That A Man Who Threatened Democrats And “Tech Execs” On Jan. 6 Claimed To Be A Victim Of Racism  —  WASHINGTON — A Texas man who posted on the social network Parler on Jan. 6 urging supporters of former president Donald Trump to “go hunting” for Democrats …