Biden's presidency is halfway over — if voters have common sense  —  As of Friday, President Joe Biden will have been in office for two years.  That puts him at the halfway point of his first term, and if the people exercise common sense next year and vote Biden out, Friday will also be the halfway point of Biden's presidency.

Trump to GOP: Don't touch Medicare or Social Security in debt ceiling fight  —  Former President Donald Trump issued a warning to Republican lawmakers on Friday: Don't lay a finger on entitlement programs as part of the debt ceiling showdown with the White House.

Principals  —  with Steve Clemons  —  What's everyone joking about at Davos?  George Santos, of course.  At a marquee event hosted by Lally Weymouth and the Washington Post, Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein quipped that the congressman couldn't join the World Economic Forum …

Judge Orders Trump and Lawyer to Pay Nearly $1 Million for Bogus Suit  —  In a scathing ruling, the judge said the suit against Hillary Clinton and dozens of the former president's perceived political enemies was “brought in bad faith for an improper purpose.”

3 Active-Duty Marines Who Work in Intelligence Arrested for Alleged Participation in Jan. 6 Riot  —  Three Marines were arrested Wednesday for their participation in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to court documents unsealed Thursday.

Ruben Gallego Set to Launch Senate Campaign Against Kyrsten Sinema  —  Arizona Representative Ruben Gallego, a former Marine combat veteran who was critical of Senator Kyrsten Sinema's leadership and fidelity to the Democratic Party long before she announced she was leaving it to become an independent …

Andrew Tate: Romania court extends police detention for influencer and brother  —  Influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan are to stay in custody until 27 February after a Romanian court extended their detention by police.  —  The pair are being investigated over allegations …

Va. Sen. Tim Kaine says he will seek another term  —  Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) announced Friday he plans to seek a third term, sending a wave of relief through the Democratic Party amid worries that he would retire and create a potential opening for Republicans.

No more sliced cheese, white rice under proposed Iowa SNAP bill  —  Iowa House Republicans are proposing restrictions on the state's SNAP benefits that could dramatically limit what foods recipients can get at the store. … Nearly 40 House Republicans have co-sponsored the bill.

D.C. Mayor to Biden: Your Teleworking Employees Are Killing My City  —  At the swearing-in this month for her third term as the District of Columbia's mayor, Muriel Bowser delivered a surprising inaugural-address ultimatum of sorts to the federal government: Get your employees back to in-person work …

The Lawsuit That Could Freeze Speech Against Billionaires  —  Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, the national debate over free speech has narrowly focused on tech companies' social media censorship.  But offline in a Texas court, a lawsuit could send an intimidating message to political candidates across …

FAA NOTAM Statement  —  FAA STATEMENT 7:15 p.m. EST  —  A preliminary FAA review of last week's outage of the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system determined that contract personnel unintentionally deleted files while working to correct synchronization between the live primary database and a backup database.

Video shows drag-denier George Santos dressed in drag, boasting about drag shows  —  Video has emerged showing lying Long Island Rep. George Santos boasting about performing as a drag queen in Rio de Janeiro — despite his claims Thursday morning that he had never done any such thing.

David Crosby, Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash Co-Founder, Dies at 81 … Singer-songwriter-guitarist David Crosby, a founding member of two popular and enormously influential '60s rock units, the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash (later Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), has died.  He was 81 years old.

Dark money group linked to Leonard Leo is dissolved  —  A dark money group tied to conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo was dissolved three days after POLITICO inquired about whether it helped to facilitate the multi-million-dollar sale of former White House senior adviser Kellyanne …

First look: New Ben Terris book on Washington's weirdos … - Terris follows gamblers both figurative and literal: The characters include a pollster with a gambling habit, and the reporting destinations include poker nights.  — More on the book...Preorder.

History on the Hill: Powerful spending committees now led by women for the first time  —  WASHINGTON — More than 50 years ago, two female lawmakers led a congressional committee for the first time: the House Select Committee on the Beauty Shop, overseeing a business popular with women who worked in the Capitol.

Trump Resort to Host Pro-QAnon Speaking Tour  —  The ReAwaken America tour is a conspiracy-laden road show hosted by Michael Flynn and Clay Clark.  And it's coming to the Trump Doral.  —  A resort owned by Donald Trump is set to host a conference this spring headlined by QAnon promoters …

How an Investor Lost $625,000 and His Faith in George Santos  —  Andrew Intrater, a wealthy businessman, has been in touch with the S.E.C. about Mr. Santos's dealings on behalf of a company accused in a Ponzi scheme.  —  A month after the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit …

Easing College-Degree Requirements Should Be a No-Brainer for Conservatives  —  Lifting barriers to government and other jobs would benefit the economy, weaken the higher-ed cartel, and appeal to voters drawn to the conservative side.  —  In his first move as governor of Pennsylvania …

The lights have been on at a Massachusetts school for over a year because no one can turn them off  —  WILBRAHAM, Mass. — For nearly a year and a half, a Massachusetts high school has been lit up around the clock because the district can't turn off the roughly 7,000 lights in the sprawling building.

A timeline of Rep. George Santos' fabrications and controversy  —  WASHINGTON — An accusation that Rep. George Santos scammed $3,000 from a GoFundMe campaign for a disabled veteran's dying service dog and new immigration documents showing his mother was not in New York on 9/11 as he'd claimed …

House Judiciary Committee to investigate leak of Supreme Court opinion after SCOTUS whiffs  —  The Supreme Court's formal investigation failed to identify the leaker of the Dobbs draft decision  —  Jonathan Turley on SCOTUS not able to ID abortion ruling draft leaker: Indicates this person could get away with it

Multiple Drone Attack on Coalition Outpost in Syria  —  TAMPA, Fla. - This morning, three one-way attack drones attacked the At Tanf Garrison in Syria.  Two of the drones were shot down by Coalition Forces while one struck the compound, injuring two members of the Syrian Free Army partner force who received medical treatment.

How Kevin McCarthy Became the Last “Young Gun” Standing  —  In the summer of 2011, as Washington deadlocked over the once routine task of raising the nation's debt ceiling, Kevin McCarthy, then the House GOP whip, decided to mix things up.  At a closed-door caucus meeting …

CIA director holds secret meeting with Zelensky on Russia's next steps  —  High-level visit by Burns comes at critical juncture in war and as government in Kyiv airs concern about durability of U.S. support  —  CIA Director William J. Burns traveled in secret to Ukraine's capital at the end …