U.S. Has Far Higher Covid Death Rate Than Other Wealthy Countries  —  Two years into the pandemic, the coronavirus is killing Americans at far higher rates than people in other wealthy nations, a sobering distinction to bear as the country charts a course through the next stages of the pandemic.

Trump's Words, and Deeds, Reveal Depths of His Drive to Retain Power  —  Donald Trump said he wanted Mike Pence to overturn the election, dangled pardons for Jan. 6 rioters and called for protests against prosecutors.  Now, it turns out, he had discussed having national security agencies seize voting machines.

Scoop: Leaked document reveals Biden's Afghan failures  —  Leaked notes from a White House Situation Room meeting the day before Kabul fell shed new light on just how unprepared the Biden administration was to evacuate Afghan nationals who'd helped the United States in its 20-year war against the Taliban.

Drop the Goldberg name you co-opted, Whoopi — you don't deserve it  —  MORE FROM:  —  Decades ago, when the performer Caryn Johnson decided her name wasn't interesting enough and dubbed herself Whoopi Goldberg instead, it wasn't because Goldberg signified “whiteness.”

Plurality wants Biden to keep vow to nominate Black woman to Supreme Court: poll  —  A plurality of Americans says that President Biden should deliver on his campaign pledge to nominate the country's first African American female justice to the Supreme Court, according to a new poll.

Americans Offer Gloomy State of the Nation Report  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' satisfaction with a variety of aspects of U.S. society and the state of policy in key issue areas remains subdued in 2022 after falling in 2021.  In fact, in only one area — acceptance of gays and lesbians …

FBI Director Wray says scale of Chinese spying in the U.S. ‘blew me away’  —  Full interview: FBI Director Wray discusses efforts to halt China's economic and political spying  —  Chinese spying in the U.S. has become so widespread that the FBI is launching an average of two counterintelligence …

Surprise!  Tucker Carlson Draws the Most Democratic Viewers in Key Demo, Even Topping Rachel Maddow  —  There is an entire cottage industry within media dedicated to disseminating Tucker Carlson's nightly Fox News musings to presumably liberal audiences who may not be tuning in to hear …

Amnesty International, joining other human rights groups, says Israel is ‘committing the crime of apartheid’  —  Amnesty International accused Israel of “committing the crime of apartheid against Palestinians” in a report released Tuesday, echoing a growing consensus among leading human rights groups …

How big is Russia's military build-up around Ukraine?  —  It is the biggest concentration of firepower in Europe since the cold war  —  The crisis on the Russia-Ukraine border shows no sign of easing.  On January 27th Joe Biden, America's president, told Volodymyr Zelensky …

Over a dozen HBCUs get bomb threats on first day of Black History Month  —  More than a dozen historically Black colleges and universities on Tuesday closed campus or cancelled classes due to bomb threats on the first day of Black History Month.  —  The big picture: It was the second …

Scoop: McCarthy says Pelosi may cap State of Union crowd  —  Each party may be allowed to invite just 25 House members to attend President Biden's State of the Union Address in person, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told colleagues on Tuesday.  —  Why it matters: The possible restrictions …

A Progressive Lawmaker Claims She Did Nothing Wrong.  Her Former Allies Aren't So Sure  —  Rep. Marie Newman is accused of making a quid-pro-quo job offer to convince a potential rival not to run against her  —  Rep. Marie Newman swears she didn't offer a job to her political rival in order …

Jan. 6 committee member: Trump ‘absolutely’ tampering with witnesses  —  Rep. Pete Aguilar, a member of the House Jan. 6 select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection, on Wednesday said former President Donald Trump “absolutely” was tampering with the panel's witnesses …

Luján stroke jolts 50-50 Senate  —  News of Sen. Ben Ray Luján's (D-N.M.) stroke sent shockwaves through the Senate on Tuesday, underscoring the fragility of Democrats' 50-50 majority.  —  Democrats are in the majority because they have 50 seats and the ability for Vice President Harris to break a tie.

Newsweak  —  Newsweek is not really Newsweek, and it hasn't been for a long time.  —  When I hear the word “Newsweek,” my mind conjures an image of the magazine rack inside a Borders bookstore circa 2003.  As smaller magazines jumped in and out of stock, opened and closed in the blink of an eye …

Biden to reignite Cancer Moonshot initiative to ‘end cancer as we know it today’  —  The president is expected to announce new national goals, including cutting the age-adjusted death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent and working to improve “the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer.”

Meta Will Allow Solicitation of Human Smuggling on Its Platforms  —  Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, privately announced on Monday that users can use its platforms to solicit human smugglers, a decision that goes against demands by anti-human trafficking groups that urged the tech giant to crack down on the practice.

Tucker Carlson donates to Marjorie Taylor Greene's campaign  —  Fox News host Tucker Carlson contributed to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-Ga.) re-election campaign last fall, federal election records show.  —  An FEC filing, dated Sept. 15, 2021, shows a donation for $250 to …

Trump-endorsed candidates struggling to raise money  —  The fourth-quarter fundraising reports paint a consistent picture: Trump's voters aren't rushing to support his favored candidates.  —  Former President Trump has been a prolific fundraiser for himself.

EXCLUSIVE: Trumps file legal response accusing New York AG Letitia James of having a vendetta against the former First Family and breaking state laws by campaigning on the promise to take them down without a shred of evidence  — The Trump Organization's lawyers have filed a legal response …

Netflix Posts a Record $5.3 Billion in Profits and a Federal Tax Rate of Just 1.1 percent  —  Key Points:  — Netflix continues its tax avoidance streak, reporting an effective federal corporate income tax rate of 1.1 percent in 2021 on $5.3 billion in profits.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Florida Governor's key link to Trump just stepped out of the shadows  —  The political tension between former president Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis these days stems from their presumed mutual ambition to win the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

Suffolk University/USA TODAY Florida Poll  —  DeSantis and Trump would defeat Biden in Sunshine State  —  Florida voters would choose Governor Ron DeSantis for president in 2024, if he were the Republican nominee, over President Biden by 52%-44%, a new Suffolk University/USA TODAY network poll …

The Zients-geist is coming  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With Allie Bice.  —  Chief of staff RON KLAIN hasn't said he's planning to leave the White House any time soon but current and former Biden …