Biden eyes Gene Sperling to serve as Covid rescue plan czar  —  President Joe Biden is eyeing Gene Sperling for a role to oversee the implementation of the administration's coronavirus relief plan, according to two sources with knowledge of the plans.  —  The White House could announce …

Navy probe finds contractor charged in Capitol insurrection was well-known Nazi sympathizer  —  (CNN)An Army reservist charged with storming the US Capitol was a well-known White supremacist and Nazi sympathizer at the Navy base where he worked as a contractor, and was even rebuked for sporting a distinctive …

Desperation as Migrant Traffic Piles Up  —  Mexico is struggling to deal with a new wave of migrants expelled from the U.S. while even more come north hoping to cross.  Shelters that were empty four months ago are now having to turn many away.  —  CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico …

Texas GOP launches avalanche of bills to curtail voting  —  Texas Republicans are rolling out a slew of restrictive election bills, taking particular aim at early voting after Democrats enthusiastically embraced the practice last year.  —  More than two dozen GOP-sponsored elections bills …

Prosperity Over Vengeance  —  The future of American democracy depends on Joe Biden's ability to show that even when the Republican Party loses, Americans who vote Republican do not.  —  Staff writer at The Atlantic  —  Donald Trump was a punishment.  —  Conservatives saw him that way, and Trump saw himself that way, too.

Florida's pandemic response gets a second look from the national media  —  After a solid year of living with a pandemic, the national press is beginning to ask the question that even Democrats have been quietly pondering in the Sunshine State: Was Gov. Ron DeSantis' pandemic response right for Florida?

The Cybersecurity 202: White House weighs new cybersecurity proposals after two major hacking campaigns  —  The White House is ramping up coordination with the private sector to address the ongoing fallout from a major breach of Microsoft software leaving thousands of American organizations vulnerable to hackers.

Vaccine brawl riles House  —  Uncertainty about why only 75% of the House is confirmed as vaccinated against the coronavirus is fueling a debate about when the chamber can return to its normal rules of operation.  —  Between the lines: The other 25% of members have either refused to get the vaccine …

Massive Facebook study on users' doubt in vaccines finds a small group appears to play a big role in pushing the skepticism  —  Internal study finds a QAnon connection and that content that doesn't break the rules may be causing ‘substantial’ harm  —  Facebook is conducting a vast behind …

As Cuomo Reels, Pleas for Political Support Come From His Vaccine Czar  —  Larry Schwartz, whom Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo put in charge of the state's vaccination efforts, called some county executives about support for the governor.  —  At the height of the pandemic, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called upon …

Opportunity Beckons in the Mideast  —  The Biden administration called Iran's bluff early.  It should continue to play the strong hand it was dealt.  —  The geopolitical earthquake that began with the Abraham Accords hasn't ended.  More than 130,000 Israelis have visited Dubai since President Trump hosted …

New Suitor May Enter Fray for Tribune Publishing  —  A Maryland hotel magnate who had a deal to buy The Baltimore Sun is now weighing a bid for all of Tribune's newspapers that could thwart a hedge fund's plan.  —  A deal that would reshape the American newspaper industry has run …

‘Clear and present danger’: Republicans fret about Greitens' comeback  —  Disgraced former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is moving closer to a 2022 Senate bid, alarming top Republicans who worry he will jeopardize the party's grip on the seat and imperil their prospects of seizing the majority.

‘We want to be educated, not indoctrinated,’ say Trump voters wary of covid shots  —  The responses of focus group participants suggest they can be persuaded — but perhaps not by politicians, including the former president.  —  Be honest that scientists don't have all the answers.

Officials located December recording of Trump call in a trash folder on Georgia investigator's device  —  (CNN)Officials in the Georgia Secretary of State's Office located a recently released recording of former President Donald Trump's call to a state investigator in a trash folder on her device …

Congressional Democrats push a job-killing law even Californians couldn't stand  —  In the 2020 election, 63% of California voters backed President Biden.  On the same ballot, those voters essentially repealed a job-killing state law that Biden and Democrats now want to impose on a national level in the form of the PRO Act.

The White House is set to unveil a wide-reaching, billion-dollar campaign aimed at convincing every American to get vaccinated  —  WASHINGTON — The White House this week will unveil a wide-reaching, $1.5 billion public relations campaign aimed at boosting vaccine confidence and uptake across the U.S. …

US remains top arms exporter and grows market share  —  The US has increased its global share of arms exports to 37% during the last five years, according to a Sweden-based research institute.  —  Increased exports by the US, France and Germany were offset by declining Russian and Chinese exports.

Biden Eyes First Major Tax Hike Since 1993 in Next Economic Plan  — Tax increases would help fund long-term U.S. recovery program  — Corporate, capital-gains levies targeted for hikes, aides say  —  President Joe Biden is planning the first major federal tax hike since 1993 …

A Pro-Trump scam PAC returns with a vengeance  —  President Donald Trump is out of office, but the scammers that used his name to raise money aren't stopping.  —  Over the past few weeks, POLITICO has received a number of robocalls from generically named political groups asking for cash …

Stimulus Bill as a Political Weapon?  Democrats Are Counting on It.  —  The $1.9 trillion package is a big bet by the party that it will restore a sense of normalcy by the 2022 elections and that voters will defy history and reward Democrats with more seats in Congress.