Haberman book: Flushed papers found clogging Trump WH toilet  —  While President Trump was in office, staff in the White House residence periodically discovered wads of printed paper clogging a toilet — and believed the president had flushed pieces of paper, Maggie Haberman scoops in her forthcoming book, “Confidence Man.”

U.S. Inflation Accelerates to 40-Year High  —  Consumer-price index rose at 7.5% annual rate in January  —  U.S. inflation accelerated to a 7.5% annual rate in January, reaching a new four-decade high as strong consumer demand and pandemic-related supply constraints kept pushing up prices.

How organizers with police and military expertise may be helping Ottawa convoy protest dig in  —  Those involved with organizing protest include former RCMP and military officers  —  For nearly two weeks anti-vaccine mandate demonstrators and their big rigs have entrenched themselves …

Democrats are lifting mask mandates now but why?  —  Good morning — and happy anniversary (plus a day) to this video of a lawyer who logged onto Zoom as a cat.  —  Today: Biden's FDA nominee gets a critical endorsement and an appeals court declined to lift a block on Biden's vaccine mandate for federal workers.

The Cynical Spectacle of Sarah Palin's Lawsuit Against the New York Times  —  In an age when every arena of politics and media is infused with remorseless combat, James Bennet has a rare distinction: The former New York Times editorial page editor has been circled by ideological packs on left and right with equal ferocity.

Russia set to begin massive military drills with Belarus; U.S. slams ‘escalatory’ action  — Russia on Thursday is set to begin 10 days of military exercises with its neighbor Belarus as tensions remain high over a large build-up of troops along its border with Ukraine.

Dems face a sobering possibility: Build Back ... never  —  Build Back Never?  The thought has crossed Democrats' minds.  —  President Joe Biden's $1.7 trillion social and climate spending plan is dead as written, rejected by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).  The Senate is moving onto a host …

Montana senator criticizes fellow Democrats for not appealing to rural Americans more  —  (CNN)Montana Sen. Jon Tester criticized fellow Democrats for not appealing to Middle America more and said Democrats need to “show up” in those places if they want to win elections.

Tesla Sued by California Agency for Alleged Racial Discrimination, Harassment  —  California Department of Fair Employment and Housing says it acted after receiving hundreds of complaints from workers  —  A California regulatory agency said it filed a lawsuit against Tesla Inc. …

Timothy Ramthun, a Republican pushing to overturn 2020 election, appears poised to enter race for Wisconsin governor  —  MADISON - A state lawmaker who was disciplined by the Assembly leader over false election claims and who has repeatedly called on his colleagues to take the impossible action …

Biden to propose 4.6 percent pay raise for federal employees, the biggest hike in 20 years  —  Federal employees and military service members would receive average raises of 4.6 percent next January under the budget President Biden will propose in March, marking what would be the workforce's …

The Stories Fox News Doesn't Cover  —  This is a subscriber-exclusive edition of Wait, What?, a newsletter about politics, the far right, and the things you should be noticing.  Sign up for the newsletter here, and subscribe to The Atlantic for access to more exclusives like this.

Witness how progressives in government forfeit the public's trust  —  The transportation secretary has spoken, illuminating why, early in this third pandemic year, Americans by the many millions are ignoring government's supervision.  “Zero,” Pete Buttigieg recently proclaimed …

When Visitors Were Banned From Rikers Island, Even More Drugs Showed Up  —  Last April, Thomas Earl Braunson III was found dead in his cell on Rikers Island.  The 35-year-old had struggled with addiction throughout his life, family said, and in the end that battle proved fatal.

Black female lawmakers warn against pitting Supreme Court candidates against each other  —  At the forefront of their minds: Making sure the eventual nominee is not tainted by Democratic infighting ahead of expected GOP attacks on her qualifications and judicial philosophy

DHS: American Thought Police  —  The transition from tracking terrorism to chasing thought crime has a major advantage.  It exonerates U.S. counterterrorism officials from the meddlesome job of catching actual terrorists. … Stopping the flow of MDM.  —  MDM isn't the latest flavor of fentanyl …

Inside Patriot Front: The Masked White Supremacists On A Nationwide Hate Crime Spree  —  A new HuffPost investigation exposes the inner workings of the secretive American fascist group destroying Black Lives Matter symbols across the country.  —  In the early hours of June 24, 2021 …