Joe Manchin: I will not vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster  —  Joe Manchin III, a Democrat, represents West Virginia in the Senate.  —  When Americans vote to send their two senators to Washington, they trust that they will work to represent the interests of their state on equal footing with 98 other senators.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill admits affair, won't run for U.S. Senate: 'There's no excuse'  —  After initially denying reports of an affair, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill on Wednesday afternoon told AL.com that he had “an inappropriate relationship” with a 44-year-old woman …

Biden to unveil long-awaited executive action on guns  —  President Joe Biden will unveil a package of executive actions to curb gun violence on Thursday — a step that is likely to be cheered by increasingly impatient advocates despite being relatively modest in scope.

Matt Gaetz trip to Bahamas is part of federal probe into sex trafficking, sources say  —  Federal investigators are looking into a Bahamas trip Matt Gaetz allegedly took in late 2018 or early 2019 as part of an inquiry into whether the Florida representative violated sex trafficking laws, multiple sources told CBS News.

A Medical Student Questioned Microaggressions.  UVA Branded Him a Threat and Banished Him from Campus.  —  Kieran Bhattacharya is a student at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine.  On October 25, 2018, he attended a panel discussion on the subject of microaggressions.

A Tiny Particle's Wobble Could Upend the Known Laws of Physics  —  Experiments with particles known as muons suggest that there are forms of matter and energy vital to the nature and evolution of the cosmos that are not yet known to science.  —  Evidence is mounting that a tiny subatomic particle seems …

An Interview With the Man Who Keeps Uploading My Feet to WikiFeet  —  Back in the fall, I received an unexpected text from a man I had just started seeing.  “Are u on wikifeet?”  —  Assuming he was joking, I laughed and said no. Then he sent me a link to my wikiFeet page.

Most U.S. infections are now caused by a contagious virus variant, the C.D.C. says.  —  A highly infectious variant of the coronavirus that was first identified in Britain has now become the most common source of new infections in the United States, the director of the Centers for Disease Control …

Why Not Fewer Voters?  —  The fact is that voters got us into this mess.  Maybe the answer isn't more voters.  —  Much of the discussion about proposed changes to voting laws backed by many Republicans and generally opposed by Democrats begs the question and simply asserts that having more people vote is …

Unpacking the edits in ‘60 Minutes’ report on Ron DeSantis, Florida vaccines  — FLORIDA - FACEBOOK FACT-CHECKS - CORONAVIRUS  —  A CBS correspondent questioned Gov. Ron DeSantis on the state's partnership with Publix to distribute vaccines in Palm Beach County.

Trump Organization Hires Criminal Defense Lawyer  —  Ronald Fischetti will represent the firm in Manhattan district attorney's probe into former president's business dealings  —  The Trump Organization has hired Ronald Fischetti, an experienced New York criminal-defense attorney …

G.O.P. Group Warns of ‘Defector’ List If Donors Uncheck Recurring Box  —  The National Republican Congressional Committee says to donors who opt out of recurring monthly donations: “We will have to tell Trump you're a DEFECTOR.”  —  The political arm of House Republicans is deploying …

Pence signs a seven-figure book deal, but Trump and other administration alums face a tough market in publishing  —  Washington (CNN)Mike Pence has signed a multimillion-dollar, two-book deal with publisher Simon & Schuster, making him one of the first alums of former President Donald Trump's inner circle …

In her own words: Woman describes Cuomo's alleged groping at mansion  —  Woman says governor's ‘sexually aggressive’ behavior increased over time  —  ALBANY — The call came on a weekday in late November.  The governor inexplicably had a technical issue with his mobile phone and needed assistance at the Executive Mansion.

The GOP's continuing Donald Trump problem  —  Donald Trump isn't finished inflicting pain on the Republican Party.  Republicans' unwillingness to deal with their Trump problem, as late as his second impeachment, could well cost them dearly in 2022 and beyond.

National Archives can't resurrect Trump's tweets, Twitter says  —  Twitter will not allow the National Archives to make former President Donald Trump's past tweets from his @realDonaldTrump account available on the social media platform, the company told POLITICO on Wednesday …

MINNEAPOLIS VS. THE EVIDENCE  —  Apparently, no one is watching the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer on trial for the murder of George Floyd.  Otherwise, the media couldn't get away with their spectacular lying to the public about how the prosecution is killing it.

Georgia's GOP lieutenant governor says Giuliani's false fraud claims helped lead to restrictive voting law  —  Georgia's Lt. governor says elections law was a result of Trump's misinformation  —  (CNN)A top Georgia Republican said Wednesday that Rudy Giuliani's false claims of election fraud …

Capitol riot defendant flips to help prosecutors against Proud Boys  —  (CNN)At least one of the Capitol riot defendants has flipped against the Proud Boys, agreeing to provide information that could allow the Justice Department to bring a more severe charge against the group's leadership, according to an attorney involved in the case.

NRA chief Wayne LaPierre acknowledges he did not disclose bankruptcy plans or luxury yacht trips to other top officials  —  Wayne LaPierre, who positioned the National Rifle Association as an uncompromising lobbying powerhouse over the past three decades, admitted Wednesday …

Corporate America isn't welcoming former Trump Cabinet officials with open arms, headhunters say  —  The toxicity of the former president's brand is choking off traditional money-making opportunities for members of his inner circle.  —  Before she joined the Trump administration as transportation secretary …

Nasty notes left for Trump staffers came from celebs, not Obama aides, Dave Chappelle says  —  When former President Donald Trump first moved into the White House in January 2017, his staffers said they found nasty notes stuffed into the drawers and cabinets — a claim Obama aides fiercely denied.

Arkansas Governor's Trans-Bill Veto Raises Questions about Corporate Pressure  —  During an appearance with Fox News' Tucker Carlson on Tuesday night, Arkansans Republican governor Asa Hutchinson vociferously denied that he had been in contact with corporate interests in his state about the …

Twitter Held Discussions for $4 Billion Takeover of Clubhouse  — Talks no longer active between Twitter, social media startup  — Clubhouse is seeking to raise funding at a similar valuation  —  Twitter Inc. held talks in recent months to acquire Clubhouse, the buzzy audio-based social network …

Can Blood from Young People Slow Aging?  Silicon Valley Has Bet Billions It Will  —  The Spanish firm Grifols set off a kerfuffle last year when it nearly doubled the going price for blood donations for a COVID-19 treatment trial.  Brigham Young University in Idaho had to threaten …

Trump's Former Campaign Manager Is Advising Caitlyn Jenner  —  WORLDS COLLIDE  —  Donald Trump's former campaign manager Brad Parscale is advising Caitlyn Jenner on a potential run for governor of California, a person with knowledge of the matter confirmed to The Daily Beast on Wednesday evening.

The Social Construction of Racism in the United States  —  Foreword  —  In the 1980s, people all around America became convinced that day care centers were secretly practicing demonic ritual sex abuse on children.  These allegations stayed in the national news for the better part of a decade.

A third of COVID survivors suffer neurological or mental disorders: study  —  LONDON (Reuters) - One in three COVID-19 survivors in a study of more than 230,000 mostly American patients were diagnosed with a brain or psychiatric disorder within six months, suggesting the pandemic could lead …

Before becoming a terrorist leader, ISIS chief was a prison informer in Iraq for U.S., records show  —  In confidential interrogation reports, Iraqi detainee M060108-01 is depicted as a model prisoner, “cooperative” with his American captors and unusually chatty.

CBS shake-up: Two TV station executives exit following L.A. Times investigation  —  CBS has ousted two powerful TV station executives following allegations of racist and abusive behavior.  —  Peter Dunn, who served as president of the TV Stations group since 2009, and David Friend …

“Everyone Just Knows He's an Absolute Monster”: Scott Rudin's Ex-Staffers Speak Out on Abusive Behavior  —  Even as other Hollywood bullies are being sidelined, the uber-producer behind ‘The Social Network’ and Broadway's ‘To  Kill a Mockingbird’ has been given a pass for his volcanic temper.

A Lifetime of Reading Taught Min Jin Lee How to Write About Her Immigrant World  —  This past year, I've spent most of my time in my drafty office in Harlem, where the water leak from the lintel above the south-facing window has reappeared after some bad weather.  The elementary school across the street has been closed.