POLITICO Playbook: Biden finds a new Manchin whisperer  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  The White House is looking to Sen. MARK WARNER (D-Va.) to help thaw out its frosty relationship with Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) in hopes of resurrecting President JOE BIDEN's Build Back Better plan.

Bill Clinton, Oprah and his fellow centrists: Dems go all-out to sway Manchin  —  The strongest voices lobbying Joe Manchin to change Senate rules and advance elections reform aren't liberal activists or die-hard filibuster opponents.  Instead, they're a small group of his friends who once shared his reluctance.

Today's deep question: Will Twitter suspend Sotomayor for COVID misinformation?  —  A wise axiom warns us not to deduce Supreme Court decisions based on the questions asked by its justices during oral arguments.  Perhaps, however, we can deduce their relative wisdom and grasp of reality from the questions they pose.

Hiring falters in December as payrolls rise only 199,000, though the unemployment fell to 3.9%  — Nonfarm payrolls rose by 199,000 in December, far fewer than the 422,000 estimate.  — The unemployment rate dropped to 3.9%, better than the 4.1% estimate.  — Wages increased more than expected, rising 4.7% year over year.

Sidney Poitier, Who Paved the Way for Black Actors in Film, Dies at 94  —  The first Black performer to win the Academy Award for best actor, for “Lilies of the Field,” he once said he felt “as if I were representing 15, 18 million people with every move I made.”

Cyber Ninjas faces fine over Arizona election review records  —  PHOENIX (AP) — A judge said Thursday he will fine Cyber Ninjas, the contractor that led Arizona Republicans' 2020 election review, $50,000 a day if the firm doesn't immediately turn over public records related to the unprecedented inquiry.

No One Is Coming to Save Us From the ‘Dagger at the Throat of America’  —  Mr. Hasen is the author of several books about elections and democracy.  In 2020, he proposed a 28th Amendment to the Constitution to defend and expand voting rights. … The saturation coverage of the anniversary …

Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America  —  To watch Biden speaking is very hurtful to many people.  They're the ones who tried to stop the peaceful transfer with a rigged election.  Just look at the numbers.  Does anybody really think that Biden beat Obama …

8 Times Left-Wing Protesters Broke Into Government Buildings And Assaulted Democracy  —  Left-wing demonstrators have long made a habit of attacking, infiltrating, and occupying government buildings.  —  Self-absorbed congressional Democrats held a group therapy session on Capitol Hill …

After a series of messaging missteps, CDC's Walensky seeks out media training  —  (CNN)Dr. Rochelle Walensky assumed her new role as the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last January with a vow to restore trust in the agency.  But last fall, several months …

White House, USPS finalizing plans to begin shipping coronavirus test kits to U.S. households  —  The White House is finalizing details with the U.S. Postal Service to deliver 500 million coronavirus test kits to households across the country, according to four people familiar with the plans …

Hospitals Are in Serious Trouble  —  When a health-care system crumbles, this is what it looks like.  Much of what's wrong happens invisibly.  At first, there's just a lot of waiting.  Emergency rooms get so full that “you'll wait hours and hours, and you may not be able to get surgery when you need it …

GOP picks final four in 2024 convention search  —  Republicans are ramping up their search for a host city for the party's 2024 national convention, narrowing the list of contenders to four cities.  —  The cities in contention are Milwaukee, Nashville, Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City …

What Role Will January 6 Play in The 2022 Midterms?  —  The following things can be true at the same time.  First, the attack on the Capitol on January 6 was a dark moment in American history and one in which the former president bears responsibility.  Second, the attack on the Capitol …

Biden admin weighs offering Russia cuts to U.S. troops in Eastern Europe  —  U.S. troop cuts in Poland and the Baltic would have to be matched by Russian moves in the area.  The U.S. is also working to get Stingers for Ukraine.  —  The Biden administration is heading into next week's talks …

VP Harris' new comms director suggested Biden ‘Dazed and confused,’ slammed Trump for ‘janky science vaccine’  —  Jamal Simmons has previously criticized his new boss, VP Kamala Harris, and President Biden  —  Kamala Harris staff exodus continues as her approval rating plummets

Thompson says some of the Jan. 6 protesters met with members of Congress  —  The Chair of the House committee investigating the Jan 6. attack on the Capitol said Thursday that the committee has received information showing that members of Congress met with people who came to Washington …