Biden's job rating sinks to 42 percent in NBC News poll a year from midterms  —  WASHINGTON — A majority of Americans now disapprove of President Joe Biden's job performance, while half give him low marks for competence and uniting the country, according to results from the latest national NBC News poll.

The “Let's Go, Brandon!”  Freakout Goes Next-Level  —  A Southwest pilot earns ISIS comparisons for joking into a loudspeaker, as pundits continues to mass-forget the previous four years  —  FBI Special Agent-turned-CNN Political Analyst Asha Rangappa — gosh that resume sounds unsurprising …

Red Flags  —  As Trump propelled his supporters to Washington, law enforcement agencies failed to heed mounting warnings about violence on Jan. 6.  —  DURING  —  Bloodshed  —  For 187 harrowing minutes, the president watched his supporters attack the Capitol — and resisted pleas to stop them.

Jan. 6 ‘Influencer’ Who Said She's ‘Definitely Not Going To Jail’ Should Go To Jail, Feds Say  —  Jenna Ryan, a Trump-loving real estate broker, called Jan. 6 “one of the best days of my life” and bragged that she wouldn't go to jail because she's white.  —  Federal prosecutors …

Why Many Police Traffic Stops Turn Deadly  —  Officers, trained to presume danger, have reacted with outsize aggression.  For hundreds of unarmed drivers, the consequences have been fatal.  —  “Open the door now, you are going to get shot!” an officer in Rock Falls, Ill., shouted at Nathaniel Edwards after a car chase.

NYC firehouses already shutting down over vaccine mandate  —  On Thursday, we looked at the possibility that the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) might need to close up to 20% of the firehouses in Gotham due to manpower shortages caused by the city's vaccine mandate for municipal employees.

The car becomes the weapon  —  Demonstrators around the country have been injured and killed by vehicle rammings, but there's been precious little justice.  And new laws could make accountability even scarcer.  —  Switch to light mode  —  TULSA, Okla. — On May 31, 2020 …

In a tight Virginia race, Covid concerns still make campaigning difficult for Democrats  —  Virginia's governor race boils down to the ground game  —  ARLINGTON, Va. — The pandemic took away Tembi Hove's last job, as a server at a fancy hotel in Atlanta.  And it complicates her current work …

In a setback for Black Lives Matter, mayoral campaigns shift to ‘law and order’  —  Across the country, local candidates are pitching themselves as advocates on safety and supporters of the police.  —  Mayoral candidates across the country are closing out their campaigns pledging to restore law and order …

Vermont, the most vaccinated state in the nation, has been weathering a spike in COVID cases.  But why?  —  Throughout the pandemic, Vermont has been a beacon for the country, with its highest-in-the-nation COVID-19 vaccination rate, and often one of the lowest infection rates, too.

Huma Abedin on overcoming her husband Anthony Weiner's betrayals  —  Huma Abedin's story is as unlikely as it is extraordinary, from the pinnacles of power as a top aide to Hillary Clinton, to the depths of public scandal as the wife of disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner.

The father has no place in today's Democratic Party  —  In yet another desperate attempt to sell the public on his failing multitrillion-dollar spending agenda, President Joe Biden released a slideshow Thursday that inadvertently betrays how the modern Democratic Party views the family.

POLITICO Playbook: Franken rules out run against Gillibrand  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  Since moving to the Upper West Side in New York earlier this year, AL FRANKEN has been sounding out confidantes about primarying his nemesis Sen. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-N.Y.) in 2024, multiple sources tell Playbook.

Russian troop movements near Ukraine border prompt concern in U.S., Europe  —  A renewed buildup of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border has raised concern among some officials in the United States and Europe who are tracking what they consider irregular movements of equipment and personnel on Russia's western flank.

As Oil Races Toward $100, Consumers Tell OPEC+ Enough Is Enough  — The U.S., Japan and India are pressing for higher oil output  — Biden will discuss energy with leaders at G-20 this weekend  —  For the past year, oil consuming countries have become increasingly anxious at crude's resurgence …