Today's Top Political and Coronavirus News Compilation - Thursday, February 18, 2021

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



Biden repudiates Trump on Iran, ready for talks on nuke deal
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Thursday it’s ready to join talks with Iran and world powers to discuss a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, in a sharp repudiation of former President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure campaign” that sought to isolate the Islamic Republic.

Updated 9:25 PM CST

Some electricity restored in Texas, but water woes grow

Trump-McConnell rift divides GOP donors

US reverts to targeted immigration enforcement under Biden

'Climate change is real': Biden administration says Texas power crisis shows U.S. unprepared for extreme weather

Senior Republicans are split over how to treat Trump: Pay homage at Mar-a-Lago or refuse to 'bend the knee'

Cruz admits Cancun trip 'obviously a mistake' as he returns to find protesters outside his Texas home

6 Capitol officers suspended, 35 under investigation
How the battle over redistricting in 2021 could decide control of the U.S. Congress

MAGA crashes into moderates in train-wreck Senate race
Undeterred by Facebook news blackout, Australia commits to content law

Biden immigration bill reveals hardened battle lines in post-Trump era
Ted Cruz has repeatedly slammed politicians for vacationing during crisis

ICE issues new interim guidelines on arrests, deportations

GOP’s Thune says Trump allies engaging in ‘cancel culture

No, The Blackouts In Texas Weren't Caused By Renewables. Here's What Really Happened

Eighteen state AGs urge Biden to reverse cancellation of ICE operation targeting sex offenders
South Carolina passes abortion ban, Planned Parenthood sues

House's No. 2 Republican drops by Mar-a-Lago amid GOP divide over Trump

Trump turned down meeting at Mar-a-Lago with Nikki Haley

Biden repudiates Trump on Iran, ready for talks on nuke deal

Trump courts billionaires as he plans new social media platform

A MAGA ambassador violated the Hatch Act. Biden must decide what to do about it.

Ivanka Trump has no plans to challenge Marco Rubio for Senate in Florida in 2022

Biden tax hikes would likely phase in slowly, Treasury Secretary Yellen says

Republicans prepping campaign against earmarks as Democrats work to bring them back

Florida county commissioner limited vaccine drive to the two richest zip codes and then created a 'VIP list'

Cuomo Faces Revolt as Legislators Move to Strip Him of Pandemic Powers - NY Times

Biden authorizes supplies for Texas amid power outages, approves new disaster declarations
After blizzard of criticism over Mexico trip, Senator Ted Cruz flies back to frozen Texas

Ted Cruz says he went to Cancun during Texas crisis because he wanted to be a "good dad"

'Reckless, arrogant and dangerous': Outrage as Facebook blocks access to news content in Australia
Democrats roll out Biden immigration bill without Republican backers
Massive storms, outages force tough decisions amid pandemic

As Texans Recover Power, 'It's Life Or Death' For Many Bracing For More Frigid Temps

Scalise rips Biden school-reopening goal: 'You're afraid of standing up to the teachers union'

Heidi Cruz invited friends, neighbors with them to Cancun in group texts: NYT

Thousands in Texas struggle without food or water

Democrats consider piecemeal approach to immigration reform

Judges order 2-month delay in case to compel McGahn testimony to House

GOP senators facing reelection in 2022 keep mum on McConnell amid divisive fight with Trump

Pelosi-picked Capitol security official questioned over anti-GOP statements

Investor who donated nearly $1M to Trump inauguration sentenced to 12 years in prison

State senator says he's leaving Republican Party

Cruz says 'it was a mistake' to go to Cancun amid Texas arctic blast

ICE officers will need preapproval before arresting some illegal immigrants under new rules
Analysis: Exodus of Republican voters tired of Trump could push party further right

U.S. would attend meeting with Iran and other powers if invited

Texas Republicans criticized for misleading claims that renewable energy sources caused massive outages

Native Americans 'Left Out in the Cold' Under Trump Press Biden for Action - NY Times

Texas' power outages, water shortages put bigger strain on hospitals
Canada vows to be next country to go after Facebook to pay for news

Death toll from winter weather rises to at least 40: AP

OnPolitics: The GOP's Trump problem

Biden aides debate how, or if, to save original Iran deal

Dem who accused Cuomo of threat to ‘destroy’ him is latest to say governor bullied them

NATO hasn’t reached decision on whether to leave Afghanistan as deadline looms

NASA lands rover on Mars after 'seven minutes of terror'

Manhattan district attorney bolsters team investigating possible fraud claims by Trump and his company
Death toll from winter weather rises to at least 40: AP

Amid attacks, school principals concerned over Asian Americans' return to class
Trump’s former fixer Cohen interviewed by Manhattan DA’s office and newly hired litigator

Texas crisis has governor facing big backer: energy industry

These states could see Trump- vs. McConnell-backed Senate Republican primary battles

House aims to vote on Covid relief bill by the end of next week, Pelosi says

Members of Maine GOP state committee condemn Sen. Susan Collins' vote to convict Trump

Trump's gift to Biden: Record ag exports to China

Democrats urge FDA to lift dispensing restriction on abortion drug mifepristone

Robinhood CEO, hedge fund execs defend their role in GameStop frenzy

Pelosi says Biden immigration plan could be split up to pass Congress
Facebook, Google, Twitter CEOs will testify about misinformation before U.S. Congress

Nasa's Perseverance rover in 'great shape' after Mars landing

Dems introduce bill to bar 'twice impeached' presidents from burial at Arlington

Former state GOP chair launches Senate bid in Ohio

Calif. state Republican says bill would protect people from discrimination based on political views

The US military helped keep the heat and lights on for one Nebraska city as temperatures plummeted

Competition for 'Trump lane' heats up in Ohio Senate race

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Posted 5:41 AM CST

White House announces sweeping immigration bill

'Around here, Trump is king.' How Marjorie Taylor Greene got to Congress by running as the MAGA candidate

Facebook unfriends Australia: news sites go dark in content row

Democrats prepare for battle in push to pass Covid relief

Federal prosecutors investigated Proud Boys ties to Roger Stone in 2019 case: CNN

Anger mounts as Facebook's Australia news ban sweeps up charities, government pages

The Supreme Court is still sitting on Trump's tax returns, and justices aren't saying why

The Christian Prophets Who Say Trump Is Coming Again

Ted Cruz calls for congressional probe of Cuomo nursing home scandal

Democrats to introduce Biden's immigration reform bill

Explainer: Australia's news revenue-sharing law behind battle with Big Tech

Pelosi’s 9/11-Style Commission Doesn’t Go Far Enough

White House throws support behind Democratic immigration bill ahead of rollout

Biden administration confronts regulatory maze and hazy messaging in push to reopen schools

Joe Biden’s approval rating plummets over handling of school reopenings

Biden scraps Trump plan to weaken environmental rules to build renewables in California

CNN: Chris Cuomo is no longer allowed to interview brother Andrew Cuomo

Trump 'decimated' refugee program hampering Biden's historic goal: Advocates

‘Recipe for disaster’: Dem fears mount over immigration overhaul

O'Rourke reacts after governor falsely blames renewable energy for power issues (video)

UN chief, climate envoy Kerry to mark US return to Paris accord

Who Cuomo has blamed – other than himself – for the nursing home scandal

Conservative group launches ad series pressing for school reopenings

President Biden: Fact-checking his first month in office

Winter storm pulls away from Texas, but millions still without power

Lawmakers set to grill Robinhood CEO over GameStop frenzy

Biden administration begins negotiating over Don McGahn testimony to House, new court filing says

Haley slams media, Biden for Cuomo praise amid nursing home scandal

Nearly 500 detained in Myanmar, hackers target military websites

'A real mess': 100M in path of a new winter storm; 2.1M without power

US life expectancy drops a year in pandemic, most since WWII

Trump largely stays on script in return to public eye

New York lawmakers want Cuomo’s Emmy vacated

FBI investigating Andrew Cuomo's handling of nursing homes during pandemic

Top EU, US diplomats to discuss reviving 2015 Iran nuclear deal

Hedge fund king, a GOP megadonor, faces off with Democrats

White House gambling Republican resistance to COVID relief package will prove costly for GOP

Top Biden economic aide Deese had leading role at BlackRock, termed the ‘largest investor in deforestation’

Biden pushes expanded pathways to citizenship as immigration bill lands in Congress

Politically opposed groups find common ground through conversation

‘Trump Incites Mob’: Newspapers Around the World Summarize Capitol Coup Bluntly (video)

Storms devastate a nation on the brink after a year of lockdown -- and it's nowhere near over

Civil rights groups are pushing Biden to fulfill promise of ending the death penalty

Biden says during CNN town hall 'we didn't have' a coronavirus vaccine when he took office

Belarus jails Belsat TV journalists for filming protest

Even without listening, US lives in Limbaugh’s media world

Conservative groups launch ad blitz targeting Biden nominees

Democrats demand answers about USPS delays and question postmaster general's leadership

Laid-off Keystone Pipeline worker slams Biden anti-energy policies (video)

Kremlin says European court's call to free Navalny is unacceptable meddling

Death toll climbs as frigid temperatures cripple Texas power grid

Harris slowly starts to carve out role beyond 'making sure Joe Biden is a success'

Stock boom bails out U.S. Treasury amid pandemic

FULL INTERVIEW: Harris talks to Savannah Guthrie about schools, vaccine distribution and more

Migrants on the move again in Mexico and Central America

DeSantis defends controversial vaccine deal with developer -- and threatens to pull vaccines if officials don't like it

NAACP lawsuit will put Trump "out of business," Congressman Bennie Thompson says

Texas mayor who told residents ‘no one owes you’ amid winter blast says wife got fired: report
Protesters out again in Myanmar, police use water cannon in capital

How you can help Texas families left in the dark
Stocks claw higher as hot oil fuels inflation gyrations

It might just be game over for the Iowa caucus

As Oklahoma Endures Winter Storm, Cherokee Nation Scrambles To Help Elders

‘Horrible’: Witnesses recall massacre in Ethiopian holy city

After 68 years in prison, America's oldest juvenile lifer was released

Trading hot stocks like GameStop seems fun until you look beneath the surface

Millions In Texas Under Boil-Water Notices Because Of Winter Storm

Coronavirus News and Updates:
Updated 9:25 PM CST

Biden rolling out plan for $4 billion global vaccine effort
Rich nations stockpiling a billion more COVID-19 shots than needed: report

U.S. won’t share vaccine before all Americans receive shots, officials say

U.S. will send $2 billion to global Covid vaccine program targeting developing nations

Does COVID-19 survivors' blood plasma prevent severe illness? Can it combat new variants?
Pfizer study another worry for South Africa's vaccine rollout

Glitches, grumbles and gratitude: Retail pharmacy vaccine rollout gets mixed reaction

500 well-connected people in Peru received Chinese vaccine ahead of essential workers

Biden (mostly) breaks with Trump in vaccinating the world
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Posted 5:41 AM CST

Retirement communities lure new residents with promise of Covid-19 vaccines

COVID-19 likely to become endemic. Here's what that means.

English lockdown reducing COVID-19 infections but prevalence still high, study finds

9 states getting it right

Vaccines can slow the spread of the coronavirus, Fauci says

COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been chaotic and confusing. What's going on?

CDC director defends N95 mask restrictions despite greater supply

‘Wildly unfair’: UN boss says 10 nations used 75% of all vaccines

Live updates Fauci: Covid-19 vaccines will be available for all Americans by July, but vaccination process will take longer

How Covid-19 could make Americans healthier

Latest COVID-19 updates

A year on, Italian doctor reflects on surviving COVID-19

South African COVID variant may reduce vaccine protection: Pfizer

How To Sign Up For A COVID-19 Vaccine In Your State

New York City waitress fired after not getting the Covid-19 vaccine