Trump Organization Could Face Criminal Charges in D.A. Inquiry  —  An indictment of the Trump Organization could mark the first criminal charges to emerge from an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney into Donald J. Trump and his business dealings.

POLITICO Playbook: Graham: Biden made GOP look like ‘f—ing idiots’  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION — President JOE BIDEN, Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and Speaker NANCY PELOSI unveiled a rather daring new strategy Thursday for getting the president's agenda passed.

Justice Dept. to file lawsuit against state of Georgia over new voting restrictions  —  The Justice Department will file a federal lawsuit Friday against the state of Georgia for its efforts to enact new voting restrictions that federal authorities allege discriminate against Black Americans …

New Details Suggest Senior Trump Aides Knew Jan. 6 Rally Could Get Chaotic  —  Text messages and interviews show that Stop the Steal leaders fooled the Capitol police and welcomed racists to increase their crowd sizes, while White House officials worked to both contain and appease them.

Pat Robertson Says Critical Race Theory ‘Is a Monstrous Evil’  —  It seems as if the entire right-wing movement is currently obsessed with critical race theory, which is leading to increasingly unhinged reactions to the dangers supposedly posed by it.  —  Technically, critical race theory …

They Seemed Like Democratic Activists.  They Were Secretly Conservative Spies.  —  Operatives infiltrated progressive groups across the West to try to manipulate politics and reshape the national electoral map.  They targeted moderate Republicans, too — anyone seen as threats to hard-line conservatives.

Discovery of ‘Dragon Man’ Skull in China May Add Species to Human Family Tree  —  A laborer discovered the fossil and hid it in a well for 85 years.  Scientists say it could help sort out the human family tree and how our species emerged.  —  Scientists on Friday announced …

Derek Chauvin sentenced to more than 22 years in George Floyd killing  —  Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer found guilty of murdering George Floyd, will spend more than 22 years behind bars.  —  His sentencing Friday comes just hours after his team unsuccessfully tried …

America's continued move toward socialism  —  Just half of younger Americans now hold a positive view of capitalism — and socialism's appeal in the U.S. continues to grow, driven by Black Americans and women, according to a new Axios/Momentive poll.  —  Why it matters: The pandemic …

Trump set to reemerge on the trail with revenge on his mind  —  Former President Donald Trump is bronzed, rested and politically bloodthirsty.  —  Having spent months in semi-retirement after his election loss in 2020, Trump is set this weekend to kick off a series of political events.

Where Did the Coronavirus Come From?  What We Already Know Is Troubling.  —  Dr. Tufekci is a contributing Opinion writer who has extensively examined the Covid-19 pandemic.  —  There were curious characteristics about the H1N1 influenza pandemic of 1977-78, which emerged from northeastern Asia …

Arizona poised to enact new election restrictions, strip power from Democratic secretary of state  —  The Arizona House approved new election restrictions late Thursday — including language intended to curb the power of Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs — in budget legislation that will soon head to the governor's desk.

The Right Versus the Military  —  General Mark Milley has emerged as an unlikely bulwark against authoritarianism  —  Throughout Trump's presidency there was a running debate on the left about fascism.  Was Trump, as many ]thought, an authoritarian threat, a proto-fascist if not fascist tout court?

How Amazon Bullies, Manipulates, and Lies to Reporters  —  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.  —  It was a slow news day at Gizmodo, the tech website where Dell Cameron worked.

Suspect in Daytona Beach police shooting had ties to Black militia group  —  Atlanta police join search for Othal Wallace  —  ATLANTA, Ga. - Atlanta police searched for a man on Thursday who was linked to the shooting of a Daytona Beach police officer a day earlier.

Video Shows GOP Rep. Comparing Democrats to Nazis: ‘They Want to Destroy the Country’  —  “They are not the loyal opposition.  They are the opposition to everything you love and believe in,” Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry said about Democrats in a recent speech.  —  CJ

Tucker Carlson Trashes Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: 'He's Not Just a Pig, He's Stupid'  —  On Thursday, Tucker Carlson slammed Gen. Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, calling him “a pig” and “stupid.”  —  The Fox News host took particular issue with Milley's testimony …

House GOP leader to meet with Capitol officer hurt on Jan. 6  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A police officer who was injured in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and has pushed for an independent commission to investigate the attack will meet with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy on Friday, according to two people familiar with the meeting.

DOJ Announces Criminal Task Force to Investigate Threats Against Election Workers  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will form a criminal task force to investigate threats made against election workers across the country.