Trump's Grip on G.O.P. Faces New Strains  —  Shifts in polls of Republicans, disagreements on endorsements and jeers over vaccines hint at daylight between the former president and the right-wing movement he spawned.  —  About halfway into his Texas rally on Saturday evening …

US plans sanctions against Vladimir Putin's inner circle if Russia moves on Ukraine  —  Measures would punish country's elite and come as UK warns of similar penalties  —  The US has drawn up sanctions targeting Vladimir Putin's inner circle and its ties to the west as Washington broadens …

White House frustrations grow over health chief Becerra's handling of pandemic  —  Critics blame him for health officials' conflicting messages; defenders say administration gave him an unclear role  —  White House officials have grown so frustrated with top health official Xavier Becerra …

North Carolina superintendent abruptly removes MLK-themed novel from 10th grade class  —  An acclaimed MLK-themed novel was removed from a 10th-grade English class in North Carolina.  Haywood County Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte told Popular Information that he pulled the book …

Exclusive: Kamala Harris drove within several yards of pipe bomb at DNC headquarters during Capitol riot  —  (CNN)Then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris drove within several yards of a pipe bomb lying next to a bench outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters on January 6, 2021 …

Time to Accept Covid and Move On?  —  Americans still concerned about virus, but lose faith in federal measures  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Americans continue to be concerned about the spread of Covid, but the vast majority say it is time to accept it as part of life.

Ghostface Trump Lives and Susan Collins Keeps Letting Him  —  The Good Republican won't rule out Trump 2024.  —  Donald Trump can't be killed because the rest of the Republican party is unwilling to take on the political pain required to kill him.  —  This has been the fundamental …

POLITICO Playbook: Congress confronts a February deluge  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  Lawmakers return from recess this week to a massive February to-do list before President JOE BIDEN's March 1 State of the Union address.  And the pressure is on: The White House and vulnerable House Democrats …

Gov. Ron DeSantis' Press Secretary's tweet suggests denial of Nazi protest  —  The Press Secretary for Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared Sunday night to question whether a Nazi flag hung from an Orange County bridge was in fact the effort of Nazis.  —  In a tweet she posted Sunday night and later deleted …

Why I do not expect a civil war in America (and what does worry me)  —  It began a few years ago, when prominent democracy rating organizations started downgrading the United States, putting its institutions on par with Panama, Argentina, or Romania.  —  In retrospect, that seems like the good news.

Trump says he wanted Pence to overturn the 2020 election and falsely claims it was vice president's ‘right’  —  ‘He must be kidding’: Lawmaker reacts after Trump goes after Pence  —  (CNN)Former President Donald Trump in a statement Sunday said he wanted then-Vice President Mike Pence …

What we talk about when we talk about a return to normal  —  The Biden White House thinks they're doing it, but they're not — yet  —  Last week Joanne Kenen in Politico ran a hit piece on David Leonhardt on behalf of the public health community.  This seems like a good opportunity to address …

White House braces for bad Omicron jobs numbers  —  Job growth numbers may be about to turn negative for the first time since President Biden took office, and the White House is seeking to get ahead of potential negative headlines.  —  The big picture: Vast numbers of Americans missed work …

Fulton DA seeks FBI's aid as Trump probe advances  —  Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is requesting backup from the FBI after former President Donald Trump singled out prosecutors investigating his actions and called for large-scale protests during a recent rally.

The Betrayal  —  I.  —  The End  —  It took four presidencies for America to finish abandoning Afghanistan.  George W. Bush's attention wandered off soon after American Special Forces rode horseback through the northern mountains and the first schoolgirls gathered in freezing classrooms.

Last Year, I Was a Bryn Mawr Girl.  Now I'm at Hillsdale.  —  Growing up in a conservative town, I always dreamed of attending college with liberals like me.  The pandemic changed everything.  —  My family is liberal and not at all religious.  Depending on where you grew up …

Sue Gray finds ‘failures of leadership’ in No 10  —  Sue Gray report update - watch BBC News for the latest reaction  —  Play video Sue Gray report update - watch BBC News for the latest reaction  —  Summary  — An initial version of Sue Gray's highly-anticipated report …

Biden has selected ambassador to Ukraine but is waiting on Ukraine's approval  —  Menendez: Bipartisan sanctions bill is ‘on the one-yard line’  —  (CNN)President Joe Biden is close to publicly naming his ambassador to Ukraine, but his administration is still waiting on formal approval from the Ukrainian government, CNN has learned.

Critics say Ginni Thomas's activism is a Supreme Court conflict.  Under court rules, only her husband can decide if that's true.  —  Ginni Thomas's name stood out among the signatories of a December letter from conservative leaders, which blasted the work of the House committee investigating …