I Never Truly Understood Fox News Until Now  —  The basic story of Fox News and the 2020 election is well understood.  Fox's relatively small news operation covered the vote count accurately; this coverage infuriated President Donald Trump, the MAGA base, and Fox's opinion stars …

6 fatally shot in small Mississippi town, suspect in custody  —  Six people were fatally shot Friday in a small town in rural Mississippi near the Tennessee state line, and authorities said they had taken a suspect into custody.  Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin confirmed …

Internal review found ‘falsified data’ in Stanford President's Alzheimer's research, colleagues allege  —  In 2009, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, then a top executive at the biotechnology company Genentech, was the primary author of a scientific paper published in the prestigious journal Nature …

U.S. Calls Off Search for Unidentified Objects It Shot Down  —  The end of the search for objects downed over Alaska and Lake Huron raises the possibility that the devices will never be collected and analyzed.  —  DEADHORSE, Alaska — The United States has called off the search …

Haley says DeSantis didn't go ‘far enough’ with 'Don't Say Gay'  —  Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) on Thursday criticized the so-called Don't Say Gay measure signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last year, saying it doesn't go “far enough.”

It Is Journalism's Sacred Duty To Endanger The Lives Of As Many Trans People As Possible  —  The task of reporting is not a simple one.  Each and every day, reporters and editors at publications like The Onion make difficult decisions about which issues should receive attention …

GOP Operative Sentenced to 18 Months for Funneling Russian Money to Trump Campaign  —  Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.  —  On Friday, a federal judge in Washington, DC sentenced a veteran GOP operative to 18 months …

Christopher Rufo Claims a Degree from “Harvard.”  Umm ... Not Quite  —  On paper, Christopher Rufo, the conservative activist who recently was appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to sit on the board of a small Sarasota liberal arts college whose curriculum the governor dislikes …

Ann Coulter tells Nikki Haley to ‘go back to your own country’ in racist rant against new GOP presidential candidate  —  “What's with the worshipping of the cows?  They're all starving over there,” Coulter also said.  —  Conservative pundit Ann Coulter is under fire for a racist tirade …

CNN's Chairman Rebukes Don Lemon Over His Nikki Haley Comments  —  Mr. Lemon's assertion that the presidential candidate Nikki Haley was not “in her prime” roiled the network and put a harsh spotlight on its struggling morning show.  —  Don Lemon, the CNN morning-show anchor …

Depression risk rises after a stroke.  What that means for John Fetterman.  —  Experts say his chances for a full recovery are very good, especially since he sought out help.  —  Sen. John Fetterman's hospitalization for depression is most likely to be short and successful …

Roald Dahl goes PC in a world where no one is ‘fat’ and the Oompa-Loompas are gender neutral  —  Sensitivity readers were hired to scrutinise the text with parts rewritten for a modern audience  —  Augustus Gloop is no longer fat, Mrs Twit is no longer fearfully ugly, and the Oompa-Loompas …

At Least 102 Kids Were Working In U.S. Meatpacking Plants, Labor Investigation Finds  —  The Labor Department says Packers Sanitation had children cleaning “back saws, brisket saws and head splitters.”  —  The Labor Department said Friday that investigators found Packers Sanitation Services Inc …

‘Never intended’ to sunset Social Security, Sen. Rick Scott says amid Biden criticism  —  Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., a favorite target of the White House, updated his controversial proposal to sunset all federal programs every five years with a boldened note Friday that claims it was never his intention to cut Social Security or Medicare.

Republicans to adopt loyalty pledge for debate participants  —  1 of 3  —  Republican presidential candidates will be blocked from the debate stage this summer if they do not sign a pledge to support the GOP's ultimate presidential nominee, according to draft language set to be adopted …

Judge Bans Starbucks From Firing Union Supporters  —  A nationwide injunction restrains the company from dismissing labor organizers and could help reinstate ousted workers more quickly.  —  A federal judge in Michigan issued an injunction on Friday banning Starbucks from firing U.S. workers …

US cancer patient developed ‘uncontrollable’ Irish accent  —  A US man developed an “uncontrollable Irish accent” after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, despite having never visited Ireland, researchers say.  —  The North Carolina man, who was in his 50s, was presumably afflicted …

Marianne Williamson is entering the chat  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice.  —  PROGRAMMING NOTE: We'll be off this Monday, Feb. 20 for Presidents Day but will be back in your inboxes on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Rep. Angie Craig's office releases threatening calls it received after congresswoman assaulted  —  Rep. Angie Craig's office released audio Friday of threatening, vulgar phone calls it said it received after the Minnesota Democrat was physically assaulted in her apartment building in Washington, DC, earlier this month.

Trump seeks to bar evidence of 2 other alleged sexual assaults at rape defamation trial  — Former President Donald Trump's lawyers asked a judge to bar jurors at his upcoming civil trial in New York from hearing testimony that he sexually assaulted two other women besides E. Jean Carroll.

Tommy Tuberville plans to jam up Pentagon nominations in the Senate over new policies aimed at shoring up troops' access to abortion services.  —  News and analysis from Capitol Hill for when you only have a few minutes, from POLITICO.