GOP officials disagree intensely over the party's future. But no sign of debate will be visible when conservatives gather this weekend for CPAC's festival of Trump. LA Times

VOA VIEW: Many are still loyal to Trump.

Leading female Democratic pols largely stayed silent Thursday on the sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo — even though some have been outspoken on the subject in the past. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was among the elected officials who didn’t respond to requests for comment on the claims made by former Cuomo aide... New York Post

VOA VIEW: Double standard.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he would “absolutely” support former President Donald Trump if he won the GOP’s party nomination in 2024. McConnell went on Fox News’ “Special Report With Bret Baier” Thursday evening and hinted that some Republicans are already thinking of running for commander-in-chief. “I’ve got at least four members that I... New York Post

VOA VIEW: Smart position.

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The US on Thursday launched an airstrike in Syria that targeted a structure reportedly belonging to an Iran-backed militia. The strike was approved by President Joe Biden, two officials told Reuters, and comes after a series of rocket attacks against US targets in Iraq.  One official told the news service that the strike was in... New York Post

VOA VIEW: Back against the wall.

House Democrats joined by three Republicans on Thursday approved the Equality Act, which aims to expand anti-discrimination laws to include gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people — but over conservative objections about the possible impact of trans athletes in student sports. The bill passed 224-206 and was touted by Democrats as a historic stride toward... New York Post

VOA VIEW: Special rights to no-one.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine can now be shipped and stored at higher temperatures. The move should help with the vaccine’s distribution and administration — as it was previously required to be kept at extremely frigid temperatures. Now, freezers commonly found in pharmacies will suffice. New York Post

Many scientists are expecting another rise in infections. But this time the surge will be blunted by vaccines and, hopefully, widespread caution. By summer, Americans may be looking at a return to normal life. New York Times

VOA VIEW: Wishful thinking.

The parliamentarian ruled that the provision, which would gradually increase the wage to $15 an hour, violated the strict budgetary rules that limit what can be included in the package. New York Times

VOA VIEW: Righteous position.

A bill that would limit the use of “no-knock” warrants passed the Kentucky Senate unanimously Thursday, the latest effort to reform law enforcement tactics after police fatally shot Breonna Taylor in her Louisville apartment last year. The proposal mandates that no-knock warrants would only be issued ... Washington Times

VOA VIEW: The operative word is restrict.

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday accused House Democrats of plotting to “nationalize” elections, arguing that legislation headed for a vote next week would mandate mail-in voting and forbid states from implementing voter ID laws. “In this country, states and localities run elections,” Mr. McConnell said on the Senate ... Washington Times

VOA VIEW: A very serious anti Constitution move.

Ransomware has become an "epidemic," U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday, adding that improving efforts to combat it are top among projects he plans to prioritize. Mr. Mayorkas, President Biden's newly confirmed head of the Department of Homeland Security outlined his efforts to fight ransomware during a virtual ... Washington Times

VOA VIEW: It is a major problem.

The national anthem would have to be played before all sporting events at Lambeau Field, the Fiserv Forum and all other Wisconsin venues that have received taxpayer money under a Republican bill in the state Legislature ABC

VOA VIEW: Good idea.

Former President Donald Trump has turned over his tax returns to Manhattan prosecutors after the Supreme Court ruling on Monday. ABC

VOA VIEW: It is wrong.

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The move to the second-highest level means the NHS is no longer at imminent risk of being overwhelmed. BBC

VOA VIEW: Progress!

Pay bump comes as lawmakers negotiate raising U.S. minimum wage to $15 an hour. Higher pay "makes sense," Costco's chief said. CBS

VOA VIEW: Big companies can over pay against smaller companies.

Some 730,000 people applied for jobless aid last week, the fewest in months but still above Great Recession levels. CBS

VOA VIEW: Sad!

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By comparison, the biotech company's total revenue last year was less than $1 billion. What a difference a pandemic makes. CBS

VOA VIEW: Money is made in a pandemic.

An American Airlines pilot reported seeing something mysterious during a flight from Cincinnati to Phoenix on Sunday. American Airlines confirmed the radio transmission from Flight 2292, which was over northeastern New Mexico when the pilot reported the UFO. The airline said the FBI would answer any additional questions, but the bureau has not released any information about the report. CBS

VOA VIEW: Scary or good thought.

Proposal to ban organizations from requiring people to wear facial coverings is drawing fire from major businesses. CBS

VOA VIEW: Mandates are a loss of liberties.

Why do many Black Americans struggle to build wealth? Mellody Hobson, CEO and president of Ariel Investments, joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the challenges and reveal details from a new survey. CBS

VOA VIEW: Why has everything become a racial issue?

Last week, U.S. border agents apprehended more than 1,500 migrant children, according to government statistics reviewed by CBS News. CBS

VOA VIEW: How did the children get to the border?

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Investors continued to keep an eye on the rise in bond yields, which weighed on stocks recently. CNBC

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack believes China is making good on promises it made as part of the phase one trade deal. CNBC

VOA VIEW: China cannot be trusted.

Pressure is growing from activists and GOP politicians who want the U.S. to bow out of the games in protest of China's human rights record and other conduct. CNBC

VOA VIEW: The door should be kept open

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The retailer and its competitors saw heavy demand during the global health crisis, creating less need to sell items at a discount. CNBC

VOA VIEW: The facts may be reasonable.

Nursing was more than a career to Rachel Ellsworth. She says she was "called" to the work. CNN

VOA VIEW: There are ruff times.

Throughout Olivia Thompson's 12-hour shift as a cardiac and Covid-19 nurse in Chandler, Arizona, she closely monitors the oxygen levels of several patients at a time and works with other medical specialists to heal them. CNN

VOA VIEW: Another racial issue.

Acting US Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman explains what the police department knew ahead of the January 6 riot on the US Capitol during a House hearing. CNN

VOA VIEW: The mistake was backing down from the rioters.

Rep. Marie Newman (D-IL) speaks with CNN's Alisyn Camerota about GOP lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene's attack on her transgender daughter and the support she received from some members of the Republican Party. CNN

VOA VIEW: Liberal negative propaganda.

A California school board member is facing criticism after comparing reopening schools amid uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus vaccination rollout to “White supremacist ideology” and “slavery” in a meeting earlier this week.  FOX News

VOA VIEW: Sad, race bating.

The top board members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) announced that they would resign from their posts on Wednesday after a deadly winter storm system left millions without power amid subzero temperatures. FOX News

VOA VIEW: There were bad preparations.

The FBI is "aware of" an American Airlines pilot’s report of an apparent UFO seen soaring over Northeast New Mexico earlier this week – but stopped short of confirming whether an investigation is underway, FOX News

Several people were arrested Wednesday night during a protest in Brooklyn in the wake of the decision to not charge upstate New York cops in the death of Daniel Prude, according to police and witnesses. FOX News

VOA VIEW: Those who will not accept the decision of the law.

The guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal and guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones participated in this year's Joint Air Defense Exercise. UPI

Militia members involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol have allegedly threatened to blow up the building when President Joe Biden makes an address before a joint session of Congress. UPI

VOA VIEW: The big question is what was the truth.

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order rescinding an action by former President Donald Trump seeking to limit federal buildings to classical or traditional architecture. UPI

VOA VIEW: Dumb!

Facebook launched a new push Thursday to explain how its decision to use personalized ads is beneficial for millions of users. UPI

Indian and Pakistani officials on Thursday revived a cease-fire agreement along the Kashmir Line of Control that bars all shooting across the de facto border. UPI

The four-day Conservative Political Action Conference opens in central Florida on Thursday for the first time in the post-Trump era, but the former president is still slated to be the star of the show. UPI

More than 700,000 workers in the United States have filed for new unemployment claims, the Labor Department said Thursday in its weekly jobless report. UPI

The House is expected Thursday to pass one of President Joe Biden's top legislative priorities -- a proposed law that would extend protections against discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. UPI

There are fewer than 100 days until the 2021 Atlantic basin hurricane season begins and you may be asking yourself, "Wait, didn't the last season just end?" UPI

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The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has performed as well in real-world conditions as it did in clinical trials, according to the first study of its kind of the COVID-19 era. UPI

VOA VIEW: Good news.

        Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., has reintroduced legislation to remove a statue commemorating emancipation, arguing that 19th-century memorial doesn’t do enough to honor slaves’ contribution to their own freedom. Dedicated in 1876, the statue shows former President Lincoln, who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, with his hand outstretched over a shackled slave who is kneeling beside him. It was erected after a freed slave, Charlotte Scott, started a fundraising campaign that collected funds from freed slaves. “Although formerly enslaved Americans paid for this statue, the design and sculpting process was done without their input or participation in any way, and it shows,” Holmes Norton said in a press release last week. Norton is a black foolish activist.

     “The statue fails to note how enslaved African Americans pressed for their own emancipation. Understandably, they were only recently liberated from slavery and were grateful for any recognition of their freedom. However, in his keynote address at the unveiling of the statue, Frederick Douglass pointedly did not praise the statue, and, indeed, in private remarks, went as far as to say, ‘it showed the negro on his knee when a more manly attitude would have been indicative of freedom.'”

     The congresswoman introduced the legislation last year amid a wave of racially charged demonstrations that sometimes included toppling monuments. A copy of the statue was removed from Boston last year. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the famed abolitionist Fredrick Douglass sought to place another monument in addition to the one with Lincoln and the kneeling slave.