Trump campaign officials, led by Rudy Giuliani, oversaw fake electors plot in 7 states  —  Washington (CNN)Trump campaign officials, led by Rudy Giuliani, oversaw efforts in December 2020 to put forward illegitimate electors from seven states that Trump lost, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the scheme.

NPR reporting on Supreme Court mask controversy merits clarification  —  An inaccurate verb choice made the reporting unclear  —  On Tuesday morning, NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg reported that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch had declined to wear a mask in court …

FBI raid on House Democrat's home related to Azerbaijan probe, source says  —  An FBI spokesperson said any law enforcement activity was “court-authorized.”  —  The FBI on Wednesday raided Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar's home and campaign office in Texas as part of a wide-ranging …

Scoop: Trump's friends worry legal pick for N.Y. case lacks experience  —  Close associates and advisers to Donald Trump tell Axios they're concerned by his decision to use a relatively inexperienced New Jersey attorney, Alina Habba, in his high-stakes legal fight against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

POLITICO Playbook: Suspicious Trump weighs dual endorsements  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  THE REBOOT — With his agenda stalled in Congress, President JOE BIDEN is switching strategies, “a stark admission that his approach to governing so far has fallen short,” NYT's Michael Shear, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Katie Rogers report.

DeSantis suggests vaccines hurt fertility.  A study indicates otherwise — but says catching coronavirus might.  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a foe of vaccine mandates, on Thursday appeared to suggest that getting a shot to protect against the coronavirus could cause infertility.

Rep. Lauren Boebert Asked A Group Of Jewish Capitol Visitors If They Were Doing “Reconnaissance”  —  Rep. Lauren Boebert left a group of Jewish visitors to the Capitol bewildered Thursday morning when she asked them if they were doing “reconnaissance” after seeing them at an elevator at the Capitol.

Is Ginni Thomas a Threat to the Supreme Court?  —  Behind closed doors, Justice Clarence Thomas's wife is working with many groups directly involved in controversial cases before the Court.  —  In December, Chief Justice John Roberts released his year-end report on the federal judiciary.

Arizona Democrat says some senators urging him to challenge Sinema with party at a ‘breaking point’  —  (CNN)Rep. Ruben Gallego says his phone has been ringing a lot recently — with many Democrats making a pitch to him: Run against Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in 2024.

Due to COVID Concerns, ESPN Will Not Staff Winter Olympics in China  —  Robust remote coverage plans will kick off prior to start of competition  —  Due to concerns about COVID-19 and other COVID-related restrictions, ESPN will not be sending any news personnel to the Winter Olympics in China …

Rittenhouse seeks return of gun used during Kenosha protest  —  KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Kyle Rittenhouse, the Illinois man acquitted of fatally shooting two men and wounding a third during street protests in Kenosha in 2020, is seeking the return of the gun and other property that police seized after his arrest.

Michael Flynn allies allegedly plotted to lean on Republicans to back vote audits  —  Ex-whistleblower says group enlisted his help to seek potentially damaging information on two members of Congress to prod them to back audits in key states Trump lost  —  FBI agents and the House panel investigating …

BYU is under federal investigation for how it disciplines LGBTQ students  —  The private religious school says it's exempt from Title IX requirements.  But students say it's time for a change.  —  (George Frey |  Special to The Tribune) Students and others gather in front …

Russia raises pressure by sending more troops to Ukraine border  —  Western officials believe further deployments would be needed for full-blown invasion  —  Diplomats from the US and Russia have shuttled across Europe for security talks over Ukraine but military analysts have had their eye …

13,000 Pounds at 118 Miles Per Hour  —  It was the deadliest wreck in years.  And the man behind it was one of the FBI's most notorious informants.  —  Photo-Illustration: Mark Harris.  Photo courtesy of of the National Transportation Safety Board  —  On September 4, 2018, Nauman Hussain …

California bill would allow preteens to be vaccinated without parents' consent  —  Currently in California, minors ages 12 to 17 cannot be vaccinated without permission from their parents or guardian, unless the vaccine is specifically to prevent a sexually transmitted disease

Republicans Want New Tool in Elusive Search for Voter Fraud: Election Police  —  Republicans in three states have proposed strike forces against election crimes even though fraud cases remain minuscule.  —  WASHINGTON — Reprising the rigged-election belief that has become a mantra among their supporters …

Never Mind the Facts.  Trump Fans Feel Like a Majority  —  Donald Trump's obsession with inflated estimates of the crowd sizes at his various live events has been a long-running joke in American politics.  This was exhibited most famously in his bitter argument with the National Park Service …

Here's how conservatives have prolonged the COVID-19 pandemic  —  It didn't have to be this way.  —  Nearly two full years after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, Americans' lives are still being dictated by the virus.

Biden Re-Nominates Trump Pick and GOP Donor Jennifer Rearden as a Federal Judge  —  President Joe Biden yesterday nominated a slate of judges, including a controversial selection in Jennifer Rearden, who was first nominated for the federal bench by former President Donald Trump.

Peloton to halt production of its Bikes, treadmills as demand wanes  — Peloton is temporarily halting production of its connected fitness products as consumer demand wanes and the company looks to control costs, according to internal documents obtained by CNBC.

Judge denies InfoWars host motion to dismiss  —  (CNN Business)A federal judge on Thursday denied InfoWars host and right-wing conspiracy theorist Owen Shroyer's attempt to dismiss the four charges against him in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot.  —  Shroyer has been charged …

Rand Paul: Biden's ‘Muddled Message’ is ‘Dangerous to the Country,’ He Probably Shouldn't ‘Speak and Appear in Public’  —  Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said during an interview on Thursday that Joe Biden's inability to express a coherent message on foreign policy has become such a national security risk …

In catering to selfish parents, Youngkin is failing Virginia's kids  —  His executive order, which gives parents the power to choose whether children wear masks in school, ignores reality  —  When children test positive for the coronavirus at my children's Virginia elementary school, parents don't normally get much information.

Congress's 1/6 Committee Claims Absolute Power as it Investigates Citizens With No Judicial Limits  —  The Committee plotted with JPMorgan and its lawyer, former Obama AG Loretta Lynch, to obtain a citizen's financial records with no possibility of judicial review.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn Cleans Gun During Veterans Hearing  —  The North Carolina Republican lived up to his claim to fame on Wednesday of being the youngest current member of Congress.  —  The House Veterans' Affairs Committee took Wednesday as an opportunity to hold a virtual hearing on how toxic chemicals are killing U.S. soldiers.

New Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll: A Majority of Americans Support Legal Limits on Abortion, and Oppose Taxpayer Funding  —  NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A new Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll released today shows that 71% of Americans support legal limits on abortion.

Mitch McConnell Says Black People Vote Just as Much as ‘Americans’  —  COME AGAIN?  —  If only politicians thought before they talked.  Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) seemingly implied on Wednesday that Black Americans are not true Americans.  Following a failed vote on Democrats' John Lewis …

Hochul Amassed a Campaign Fortune.  Here's Who it Came From.  —  Gov. Kathy Hochul's record-setting $21.6 million in donations flowed from a who's who of New York's special interests.  —  Last November, when many of Manhattan's skyscrapers sat half-empty, Gov. Kathy Hochul made a high-stakes wager …

Biden goes long form  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With Allie Bice.  —  JOE BIDEN does solo press conferences so rarely that the build up to Wednesday's session became a news story in its own right.