Today's Top Political and Coronavirus News Compilation - Friday, February 26, 2021

Below are some of the top political news stories of the day:

Biden: Strikes in Syria sent warning to Iran to ‘be careful’
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Friday that Iran should view his decision to authorize U.S. airstrikes in Syria as a warning that it can expect consequences for its support of militia...

Updated 7:18 PM CST

Biden surveys Texas weather damage, encourages virus shots

Pelosi says coronavirus relief bill will 'absolutely' pass with or without minimum wage raise

3 key takeaways from Friday's CPAC speeches

With House voting on relief bill, Dems mull wage plan rescue

House set for tight vote on COVID-19 relief package

John Durham resigns as US attorney but remains special counsel

With gold-colored Trump statue, conservatives show fealty to former president

Fact check: CPAC speakers make false claims about the election, the Capitol attack and The Muppets

How Trump scrambled the next decade of elections

US implicates Saudi crown prince in journalist’s killing

GOP warns Biden against party-line votes for big bills, but Dems are wary of obstruction

U.S. imposes sanctions, visa bans on Saudis | Read the intelligence report

9/11 commission leaders say Capitol attack commission must be bipartisan, have subpoena power
Donald Trump Jr. hits Biden, Cuomo, CNN, 'Lincoln Project Liz' Cheney in fiery CPAC speech

Progressives push to squash Senate filibuster after minimum wage defeat

Former SolarWinds CEO blames intern for 'solarwinds123' password leak

Conservative reporter confronts CNN's Jim Acosta at CPAC

Exclusive: Biden team considering a halt to 'offensive' arms sales for Saud Arabia

Airstrike in Syria faces pushback from Democrats

Oath Keeper charged in Capitol riot renounces militia group

Syria condemns 'cowardly' U.S. air strikes on Iran-backed militias

Biden admin gears up to solve 'Havana Syndrome' attacks mystery

The five biggest moments of CPAC's first full day of events

Biden doesn't penalize crown prince despite promise to punish senior Saudi leaders

Donald Trump Jr. attacks Cheney at CPAC: 'Lincoln Project Liz'

Biden promised a ‘fair and humane’ immigration overhaul. What he inherited is a mess.

CPAC or Trump-PAC? Conservative conference delegates stick with Donald Trump

With Strikes in Syria, Biden Confronts Iran's Militant Network

Democrats vow to penalize big corporations that don’t pay $15 minimum wage

Tom Cotton says Trump has 'big role' in GOP's future, Joe Biden trying to 'unravel' Trump accomplishments

Hawley gets boisterous ovation at CPAC for Electoral College objection

Biden hikes cost of carbon, easing path for new climate rules

Rand Paul criticized for trans 'gender mutilation' remarks in Rachel Levine hearing

White House climate czar to AP: Texas storm ‘a wake-up call’

Biden's 1st 100 days live updates: Biden offers unifying words on Texas, pandemic

White House restores key climate measure calculating carbon's harm

Crown prince’s actions in Khashoggi killing leave Saudi fund vulnerable, ex-Obama official says

Capitol review to recommend adding more fencing, 1,000 officers: report

'We're in for the long haul': Biden visits Texas, promises increased COVID relief

Biden's message to Iran with missile strikes: 'You can't act with impunity, be careful'

Khashoggi report set to renew pressure on Saudi lobbyists

Biden administration to open new tent facility in Texas amid surge in migrants at border

House poised to ignore Senate ruling and pass COVID spending plan

13 House Republicans are voting by proxy on COVID relief bill, citing pandemic, but they're speaking at CPAC

'Border closed' to irregular migration, Blinken says in Mexico meeting

Syria Airstrikes Resurface Lawmakers' Questions Over Presidential Authority

House and Senate progressives split over next steps on minimum wage

Yang intervenes after man threatened with metal pole on Staten Island Ferry

Representative's husband distances himself from militia group after photos surface

Jamal Khashoggi: US says Saudi prince approved Khashoggi killing

House Democrats move closer to pushing through Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID plan

U.S. diplomat openly calls for Christian nation-states, rails against Jews

U.S. officially points the finger at Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi killing

Lincoln Project, Ossoff campaign staffer may have violated campaign finance laws: watchdog

Border Patrol transferring more than 2,000 unaccompanied children

Meet the voting rights activist who wants to make Tennessee the next Georgia

Highlights of the COVID-19 relief bill advancing in Congress

U.S. says more than 300 people charged to date over Capitol riots

Who Is The Senate Parliamentarian Who Ruled Against A Minimum Wage Increase?

‘Look What You Did to Us’: The Big Chill of Texas Politics

Secretary of State Blinken leaves Mexicans baffled after displaying their flag upside down

Top US diplomat ‘visits’ Mexico, Canada on virtual trip

As Texas debates power crisis, El Paso credits its few outages to preparedness

Key Democrat offers bill to restore limited earmarks

Trump pardon unwinds some Manafort forfeitures

AOC initiates fundraising campaign in response Biden migrant camps

'John got the final word': Accuser of abusive gymnastics coach reacts to his suicide after charges

Eight U.S. auto state governors urge Biden to press semiconductor firms on chip shortage

Gorsuch: Too many laws make ‘criminals’ of well-meaning citizens

Police groups call on South Dakota AG to resign

America's Next Generation Of Legal Marijuana: New State Laws Focus On Racial Equity

How intelligence report could dent US-Saudi ties for years

Intel report finds Saudi crown prince approved Khashoggi murder

Donald Trump Jr. slams 'blindly' supporting GOP incumbents, says 'there's plenty' of GOP senators to primary

The crown prince has crushed dissent while styling himself as a reformer

California to spend $28M to help arriving asylum-seekers

Trump backs challenger to Republican who voted for impeachment

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
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Posted 11:19 AM CST

'People are hurting;' House Democrats ready to push through Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 plan

Some local GOP leaders fire up base with conspiracies, lies

Trump reemerges to legacy being erased by Biden

House to vote on virus bill; arbiter says wage hike a no-go

Trump's CPAC speech will rip Biden, map out retaking Congress in 2022

Progressives fume as White House backs down on minimum wage increase

Biden weighs path forward for $15 minimum wage after Senate roadblock

Chief: Police heeded Capitol attack warnings but overwhelmed

John Boehner tells Cruz to 'go f--- yourself' in unscripted audiobook asides: report

Ted Cruz mocks mask rules, AOC's Capitol riot response in CPAC speech

Buzz: Liz Cheney says include pro-Trump media in Jan. 6 investigation

A culture war has been brewing at the Capitol for years. Now it's at a boiling point.

Biden stresses human rights in call with Saudi king before report on Khashoggi killing released

Trump returns and Republican 2024 prospects seek breakout moments at CPAC gathering

Trump's hold on Republican Party on display as conservatives gather

Cruz hits back at Boehner for telling him to 'go f--- yourself'

Democrats launch sweeping bid to overhaul US election laws

Dr. Rachel Levine grilled by Sen. Rand Paul

Biden's Syria airstrike earns applause from prominent Republicans

McConnell says he would "absolutely" support Trump if he's the 2024 GOP nominee

Don Trump Jr.: If 'you're intelligent, you realize' Trump is future of GOP

Americans' satisfaction with US more than doubles since January: poll

Senators call to expand Covid aid plan designed to keep employees on the payroll

Manhattan DA faces critical decisions in Trump investigation as his time in office runs low

‘Repeal and replace’ is dead. Republicans can’t figure out what comes next.

Anti-LGBTQ coalition targets Equality Act in the name of America's children

Once the mainstream model, Michigan GOP embraces right wing

Cruz pokes fun at Cancun controversy at CPAC

Biden takes first military action with Syria strike on Iran-backed militias

Give Biden a Chance? On COVID Aid, Some Trump Voters Just Might - NY Times

Biden heads to Texas to see storm damage, visit food bank

Senate confirms Jennifer Granholm as Energy Secretary

Is Trump the GOP's future? Here's what CPAC attendees think

Pentagon report warns of threat from white supremacists inside the military

House is set for historic down payment on Biden's legacy

Democrats Say Relief Programs Could Become This Generation's New Deal

China to boost military budget amid rising tensions

Biden decision on Keystone XL could spell disaster

Biden's aid bill wildly popular with Americans -- except Republicans in Congress

Liberal group targets Republicans who voted to overturn 2020 election

Joe Biden's COVID relief plan will get a House vote Friday, but it awaits a Senate divided over bill's size, scope

Native American nominee’s grilling raises questions on bias

House passes Equality Act, bolstering legal protections for LGBTQ Americans

LIVE UPDATES: CPAC 2021 speakers praise Trump, Limbaugh and Florida as conference ramps up

Unemployment-benefits fraud victims are getting tax bills -- and major headaches

Top Positions In Biden Administration Unfilled As Nominees Await Confirmation

Marijuana use no longer automatic disqualification for Biden appointees

Hawley to introduce $15 minimum wage for big businesses

US bombs facilities in Syria used by Iran-backed militia

Trump headlines CPAC in Orlando, which is conservative Florida's coming-out party

Trump to reemerge at CPAC as GOP tries to plot its future

Militia official: US strike in Syria kills 1, wounds several

Kaine demands legal rationale for Biden's Syria airstrike

Virginia Is Poised To Approve Its Own Voting Rights Act

Cuomo allegations: What do Democrats who believed Kavanaugh accusations think?

EXPLAINER: US airstrike in Syria sends message to Iran

First US military action under Biden draws criticism

North Korea: Russian diplomats leave by hand-pushed trolley

In DeSantis vs. Hogan, two competing visions of the GOP for 2024

Biden mum on strikes against militias in Syria

Hawley, Sanders both backing corporate tax to get $15 minimum wage

Texas energy executives face state lawmakers for catastrophic grid failure

CPAC hosts booed for asking attendees to wear masks

UN: Carbon-cutting pledges by countries nowhere near enough

Cuomo's handling of nursing home COVID outbreak leaves health commissioner in the firing line

At pivotal moment in Afghanistan war, Biden weighs a dilemma

Texan files $1 billion class-action lawsuit over $9,000 electricity bill

US border expected to see 13,000 unaccompanied migrant children in May, worse than 2019 crisis

Ties with Saudis at stake as US releases findings on killing

Exclusive: Inside Maria Elvira Salazar's encounter with Stephen Miller

Why Is Facebook Launching An All-Out War On Apple's Upcoming iPhone Update?

Republicans see Becerra as next target in confirmation wars

What is CPAC? A brief history of the conservative movement’s most influential gathering

Ex-Olympic coach dies by suicide after facing charges

Explosion strikes Israeli-owned ship in Mideast amid tension

Wall Street extends losses as inflation fear lingers
Republican leaders split while CPAC prepares to unite around Trump

Scott Walker at CPAC says ‘America is under siege’ on campuses, in culture

NAACP president accuses Trump of having operated 'under white supremacist doctrine'

Federal court awards $2.3 billion to U.S. spy ship crew held hostage by North Korea in 1968

US Park Police names Pamela Smith its 1st Black female chief

Gunmen kidnap more than 300 schoolgirls in increasingly lawless northwest Nigeria

Bond markets left smarting from worst rout in years

Security video captures thieves drag woman through street

China denies subjecting US diplomats to COVID-19 anal tests

Coronavirus News and Updates:
Updated 7:18 PM CST

"Things are tenuous," U.S. CDC says as downward trend in COVID-19 cases stalls

Fauci warns progress in COVID fight appears to have stalled

How do we know the COVID-19 vaccines are safe?

FDA advisers recommend J&J vaccine for emergency authorization

Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine backed by advisory panel, U.S. authorization to follow

Texas federal judge rules CDC's pandemic eviction moratorium unconstitutional

Michigan Gov. Whitmer faces calls for investigation into coronavirus nursing home deaths

Coronavirus FAQs: What Are Mask Braces? What If I Get COVID-19 After 1 Vaccine Dose?

CDC shares distribution and messaging advice on Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine

Brazil's capital goes into lockdown to quell COVID-19 surge

Vaccine hoarding threatens global supply via COVAX: WHO

In Texas' Rio Grande Valley, undocumented people were denied vaccines

National Guard deployed to help administer COVID-19 vaccines to seniors in Texas

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Posted 11:19 AM CST

FDA advisory panel to review Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine with thumbs up expected

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine reduces transmission significantly after just one dose, new study finds

What to know about the new COVID-19 variant circulating in New York City

Third US vaccine could raise question: Which shots are best?

America first, world second: Biden's effort for global vaccines are thwarted by U.S. policy

More than half of Americans want COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible: Poll

'Got it right': DeSantis touts coronavirus leadership

Many would get COVID-19 vaccine, but hesitancy remains — CBS News poll

COVID devastated New York, but here's why it fared better in fall surge

Queen says COVID vaccine is quick, painless and helps others

White House to give states long-range Covid vaccine forecasts as influx of doses expected

Do-it-yourself COVID treatments an evolving threat

Canada approves AstraZeneca vaccines as Trudeau looks for rollout lift

With One Move, Congress Could Lift Millions Of Children Out Of Poverty

Millions of Americans unable to get 2nd COVID-19 vaccine shot

Vaccination ‘passports’ may open society, but inequity looms

NYC schools chancellor exits, citing virus' personal toll

CDC vaccination guidelines leave disabled kids out in the cold

What scientists want you to know about COVID-19 vaccine testing on kids

U.S. Navy warship in the Middle East has COVID-19 cases, another ship to run tests

Brazil death toll tops 250,000, virus still running rampant

Delayed vaccine shipment leaves New York City with 'extra' supply

Israel suspends plan to give vaccines to allies abroad before most Palestinians

'My lifeline': Doctor's pilot program bridges divide between COVID patients, families