Senate Republicans uniting behind impeachment defense  —  Senate Republicans are coalescing around a long-shot bid to dismiss the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump before it even begins, relying on a disputed legal argument that says putting an ex-president on trial is unconstitutional.

GOP Rep. Andy Harris Tries To Bring Gun Into House Chamber  —  Republicans keep complaining about the new metal detectors outside the House chamber.  Now we know why.  —  WASHINGTON ― New security measures outside the U.S. House chamber prevented a Republican lawmaker from bringing a gun onto the House floor Thursday.

‘We feel incredibly betrayed’: Thousands of Guardsmen forced to vacate Capitol  —  Thousands of National Guardsmen were forced to vacate congressional grounds on Thursday and are now taking their rest breaks outside and in nearby parking garages, after two weeks of sleepless nights protecting …

Tale of two briefings: Jen Psaki treated much differently by press than Sean Spicer  —  Biden press secretary faces mostly friendly questions from mainstream press  —  Biden WH press secretary takes mostly softball questions in first briefing  —  CNN pundit-turned-White House press secretary Jen Psaki held …

Biden Inauguration Captures Bigger Audience Than Donald Trump's … Approximately 39.87 million people watched the half-hour swearing-in ceremony over the nation's six major TV-news outlets, according to Nielsen, compared with 38.35 million viewers for the 2017 event.

Trump steps out of the White House and into a company in crisis  —  Donald Trump returns to his company this week as it faces a deepening crisis, with key properties bleeding revenue and its bankers, lawyers and customers fleeing the company.  —  Financial disclosure forms …

Biden cleans house at VOA after revolt over Trump changes  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has moved quickly to remove a number of senior officials aligned with former President Donald Trump from the Voice of America and the agency that oversees all U.S.-funded international broadcasting.

Fauci said second COVID-19 vaccine shot knocked him out for 24 hours  —  The nation's top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci told reporters on Thursday that the second round of the COVID-19 vaccine knocked him out for 24 hours.  —  “I did.  I had it on the 19th.  I was hoping that I wouldn't get too knocked out.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci Remarks at the World Health Organization Executive Board Meeting  —  “Director-General Dr. Tedros, distinguished representatives, friends and colleagues:  —  It is an honor for me to be here, representing the United States of America, on behalf of the newly inaugurated …

Kamala Harris to move temporarily to Blair House  —  Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, will temporarily move to Blair House, which is near the White House, before moving to the vice president's residence at the Naval Observatory, according to an aide for Harris.

Instacart is firing every employee who voted to unionize  —  The layoffs are hitting 10 unionized workers in Skokie, Illinois, in addition to other Instacart employees  —  Instacart is laying off every employee who voted to unionize, Motherboard reports.  The news comes as the company shuts …

You Can't Move On From This Without An Accounting  —  We were promised a storm and a kraken and all we got was Rudy's hair dye running down his sweaty face.  —  6 hr ago  —  I'm sorry.  Everyone keeps telling me I need to move on.  But I don't think we can.

China threw down the gauntlet to the Biden team on day one  —  Four minutes past noon on Wednesday, while President Biden was still delivering his inaugural address, the Chinese government announced sanctions against 28 former U.S. officials and their families.

“I Think My Gmail Has Crashed”: The Teacher Who Made Bernie Sanders' Mittens on Watching Them Go Viral  —  Joe Biden's inauguration doubled as a promenade of style, featuring thousand-dollar Dior Air Jordan 1s, monochromatic jewel-toned looks, and a skirt so wide it enforced its own sartorial social distancing.

SCOOP: Trump taps his former chief of staff and impeachment lawyers as the gatekeepers to his papers during his post-presidency … - Trump picked seven former aides to represent him in requests for his presidential records.  — Among them are his former chief of staff and lawyers who defended him in his first impeachment trial.

ADT Technician Pleads Guilty to Hacking Home Security Footage  —  A home security technician has pleaded guilty to repeatedly hacking into customers' video feeds, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Prerak Shah.  —  Telesforo Aviles, a 35-year-old former ADT employee …

Strange bedfellows!  MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell had secret romance with Jane Krakowski, wooing 30 Rock actress with flowers and champagne in relationship that baffled her friends  — MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell had a secret nine month romance with 30 Rock star Jane Krakowski, DailyMail.com can reveal

Fake GOP rage over Biden's ‘unity’ speech is a sucker's game  —  President Biden declared in his inaugural address that our prospects for much-needed “unity” are threatened by various political forces.  Among them, he said, are racism, nativism, political extremism, white supremacy and domestic terrorism.

Biden poised to break with Brown, progressives in picking top bank cop  —  Joe Biden's expected nomination of a former Obama Treasury Department official to regulate national banks is triggering fierce opposition from progressive activists.  —  President Biden's planned selection of Michael Barr …

Memorandum to Extend Federal Support to Governors' Use of the National Guard to Respond to COVID-19 and to Increase Reimbursement and Other Assistance Provided to States  —  MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY  —  By the authority vested in me as President …

The No. 2 official at the F.B.I. is departing.  —  The deputy director of the F.B.I. announced to the bureau's staff on Thursday that he was retiring, departing the bureau as the Biden administration takes over.  —  The exit of the official, David L. Bowdich, comes as the White House offered assurances …

Justice Dept. watchdog to examine abrupt departure of Atlanta U.S. attorney whom Trump appeared to criticize  —  The Justice Department inspector general has begun examining the abrupt departure this month of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta after then-President Donald Trump complained officials …

Hawley Responds to Senate Democrats' Ethics Complaint  —  Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) issued the following statement regarding calls from Senate Democrats for an ethics investigation into his objection to certifying Pennsylvania's electoral votes:

The GOP Hit Rock Bottom.  Can Conservatives Recover?  —  If reasonable Republicans want to hold off the far left, they will have to stop the rise of the far right.  —  We have a new year and a new administration, but America's crisis hasn't yet passed.  The dangerous forces unleashed …

Can Someone Please Open the Door?  —  The Bidens waited for an awkward moment in front of a closed door when they arrived at their new residence, a protocol breach that turned out to be a small but curious bit of disarray.  —  WASHINGTON — It was the culminating moment of a transfer of power …

Legal Liability Looms For Orgs Behind Rally That Incited Insurrection  —  Last week, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), ranking member and soon-to-be chair of the Senate Finance Committee, called on IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig to investigate tax-exempt groups that helped organize a January 6th rally …

Nearly 1 In 5 Defendants In Capitol Riot Cases Served In The Military  —  As a violent mob descended on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, lawmakers and aides hid wherever they could, waiting for military and police to arrive.  But many of those who stormed the Capitol were military veterans themselves …

The Apprentice  —  Josh Hawley made a cynical bet about the Republican Party's future.  He might not be wrong.  —  March+April 2021 Issue  —  Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters.