The danger of a fourth wave  —  The U.S. may be on the verge of another surge in coronavirus cases, despite weeks of good news.  —  The big picture: Nationwide, progress against the virus has stalled.  And some states are ditching their most important public safety measures even as their outbreaks are getting worse.

Once omnipresent Kushner now MIA from Trump's political pack  —  (CNN)As Donald Trump plotted his Conservative Political Action Conference appearance last week, and a broader, more-robust plan to return to politics as an omnipresent disruptor, one person was conspicuously absent from the confab.

House Democrats pass sweeping elections bill as GOP legislatures push to restrict voting  —  The House late Wednesday night passed expansive legislation to create uniform national voting standards, overhaul campaign finance laws and outlaw partisan redistricting, advancing a centerpiece …

The Pentagon delayed three hours in sending troops on Jan. 6.  It still hasn't given a good reason.  —  Opinion by Editorial Board  —  ONE PHRASE was repeated over and over at Wednesday's Senate hearing on the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol: Three hours and 19 minutes.  Three hours and 19 minutes.

Honors for Doug Mills  —  Doug won 10 awards from the White House News Photographers Association, including Photographer of the Year and Political Photo of the Year.  Gabriella Demczuk was also honored for her contribution to a magazine piece.  —  The Times won 11 awards …

Inspector General's Report Cites Elaine Chao for Using Office to Help Family  —  The Justice Department under the Trump administration declined to open a criminal investigation into the actions by Ms. Chao when she was transportation secretary.  —  WASHINGTON — While serving …

Glenn Greenwald Says ‘I Consider Tucker Carlson To Be A Socialist’  —  Glenn Greenwald, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and co-founder of The Intercept, claimed Monday that Fox News host Tucker Carlson is “a socialist.”  —  Greenwald appeared on the Daily Caller's “Wall Street Meets Washington” …

How covid hastened the decline and fall of the U.S.-China relationship  —  Donald Trump's victory in 2016 shattered a fragile understanding between Washington and Beijing and put the most important relationship of the 21st century in the hands of a novice.  Trump had attacked China …

Is Biden's Outreach to Republicans Real?  —  Unless Senate Democrats get rid of the filibuster, the president will need GOP support.  —  Senator Susan Collins was driving to the airport in Bangor, Maine, for a flight back to Washington, when her cellphone rang.

Here's how a single resignation, retirement or death could flip control of the 50-50 Senate  —  19 seats could potentially flip if there was an unexpected vacancy, according to state vacancy rules.

Kelly Loeffler Just Lost Her WNBA Team to a Player She Refused to Meet  —  A massive story just went down in Atlanta, if we take the time to acknowledge it.  —  By any measure, it should be the biggest story in sports: a franchise owner runs a racist Senate campaign, throwing their own Black players under the bus in the process.

David Brooks's Side Hustle Was Funded By Facebook And Jeff Bezos's Father  —  New York Times columnist David Brooks is drawing a second salary for his work on an Aspen Institute project funded by Facebook and other large donors — a fact he has not disclosed in his columns.

Myanmar crackdown on protests, widely filmed, sparks outrage  —  YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Footage of a brutal crackdown on protests against a coup in Myanmar unleashed outrage and calls for a stronger international response Thursday, a day after 38 people were killed.

Former Trump appointees say they're still waiting on their vacation payouts  —  A number of former Trump political appointees have still not received their lump-sum vacation payouts and required forms that are necessary to file for unemployment benefits as they face a tough job market in a Democratic Washington.

Republicans Won Blue-Collar Votes.  They're Not Offering Much in Return.  —  Party leaders want to capitalize on Donald Trump's appeal to the white working class.  But in recent weeks, they've offered very little to advance working people's economic interests.

Feds quietly dismiss dozens of Portland protest cases  —  KGW found 31 of 90 protest cases have been dismissed by the U.S. Department of Justice, despite warnings there would be “consequences for acts of violence.”  —  PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal prosecutors have dismissed more than one-third …

As Online Shopping Surged, Amazon Planned Its New York Takeover  —  The e-commerce giant added at least nine new warehouses in the city over the past year as 2.4 million packages a day strained the nation's largest urban delivery system.  —  When the pandemic gripped New York City …

U.S. suspends federal agent who joined crowd outside Capitol during rampage, lawyer says  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has suspended an agent who was outside the Capitol when a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the building, his lawyer said …

A Military Strike in Syria Shows Biden Team at Work  —  ‘You own the clock,’ president was told by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.  But last-minute intelligence forced a change in plans.  —  WASHINGTON—After 10 days of deliberations, President Biden had ordered the Pentagon to conduct airstrikes …

Trump made Twitter the White House's spiked-ball cudgel.  Ron Klain wants to change that.  —  After four years in which the White House used Twitter as a tool to batter the media and knife political opponents, the Biden administration is trying a softer touch.

Pediatrician: The pandemic is taking an alarming toll on children  —  How teens are coping with COVID-19's mental health crisis  —  Lee Savio Beers, MD, FAAP, is the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  The views expressed in this commentary belong to the author.  View more opinion at CNN.

How Much Longer Can This Era Of Political Gridlock Last?  —  Democrats may have a narrow majority in both the House and the Senate for the next two years, but it's nothing near the margin they hoped for.  And the likelihood that Democrats keep both the House and the Senate in 2022 are low …

“QAnon Shaman” claims he wasn't attacking the country in first interview since Capitol riot arrest  —  Jacob Chansley, the man seen wearing face paint and a fur helmet with horns during the January 6 insurrection, tells 60 Minutes+ he was trying “to bring God back to the Senate.”

125 people got $500 per month free for 2 years.  Here's what happened.  —  The real-world experiment in one U.S. city gave 125 people $500 per month with no rules on how to spend it.  —  SACRAMENTO, Calif — Editor's note: The video above was published July 1, 2020.

Republicans, please save your party  —  President Trump's address last weekend to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), in which he publicly identified his opponents, had all the charm and grace of another speech given in 1979, by Saddam Hussein, in Baghdad.

The one place House Republicans want to be Trump-free  —  Republicans have a message for Donald Trump: stay out of our primary races.  —  As Trump ramps up his revenge tour against the House Republicans who voted to impeach him, GOP lawmakers are sounding the alarm that his attempts to meddle …

ATTACK OF THE WOKE TEEN CAREER KILLERS  —  I was a mere 70 pages into Donald McNeil's brief about his firing from The New York Times when I emailed a dozen of my friends to demand they read it immediately.  But they don't have my perseverance, so here are the highlights.

Apple Threatens North Dakota, Suffers Crushing Loss in Arizona: “A Lot of It is Just Fear”  —  Facebook, Apple, Google do not obey the law.  Lawmakers know it.  —  4 hr ago  —  Welcome to BIG, a newsletter about the politics of monopoly and finance.  If you'd like to sign up, you can do so here.

CEO of Texas power grid operator “terminated” in aftermath of winter storm  —  Bill Magness is the latest official to depart following the winter storm catastrophe.  —  Copy link  —  The board overseeing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the independent nonprofit entity that operates …