Biden marking ‘Bloody Sunday’ by signing voting rights order  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A new executive order from President Joe Biden directs federal agencies to take a series of steps to promote voting access, a move that comes as congressional Democrats press for a sweeping voting and elections bill …

Third Former Andrew Cuomo Aide Describes Inappropriate Workplace Treatment  —  Ana Liss says the New York governor asked if she had a boyfriend, called her sweetheart and kissed her hand  —  ROCHESTER, N.Y.—A former aide of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he asked her if she had a boyfriend …

A Mexican restaurant in Texas kept its mask rule.  People threatened to call ICE on the staff.  —  When the coronavirus pandemic hit and restaurant owners faced difficult decisions, the Richards family that owns Picos, a Mexican restaurant in Houston, quickly adapted to continue sharing …

Russian Disinformation Campaign Aims to Undermine Confidence in Pfizer, Other Covid-19 Vaccines, U.S. Officials Say  —  Websites linked to Russian intelligence services publish false information questioning vaccines' safety, efficacy  —  WASHINGTON—Russian intelligence agencies have mounted …

‘We need the government’: Biden's $1.9 trillion relief plan reflects seismic shifts in U.S. politics  —  The pandemic has deflated the deficit politics that dominated the Obama era.  —  A new Democratic administration facing down a massive economic crisis pushes a $800 billion stimulus package.

Manchin says he still supports filibuster, but may back more party-line votes on key bills … WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a crucial swing-vote in the Senate Democrats' slim majority, said Sunday that he won't bend in his support for the filibuster, a Senate rule that forces …

How Democrats miscalculated Manchin and later won him back  —  Axelrod breaks down Manchin's surprising move  —  (CNN)It was Friday afternoon, and President Joe Biden was on the phone with Sen. Joe Manchin, the conservative West Virginia Democrat who felt blindsided by his party leaders …

Do Liberals Care if Books Disappear?  —  The Dr. Seuss cancellation illustrates all the problems that they used to have with censorship.  —  From the idealistic liberalism of my high school English teachers, I learned that to try to get rid of offensive literature is the great sin of easily triggered rubes.

The GOP is having a change of heart on economics.  It could have implications for policymaking.  —  WASHINGTON — The Republican Party is showing signs of softening its trademark fiscal conservative brand in favor of a new populist approach, a potentially seminal shift as the party becomes …

We're almost done with COVID curbs, Netanyahu says as Israel reopens restaurants  —  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has almost emerged from its COVID-19 closures, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on the campaign trail, said on Sunday as restaurants reopened under an exit plan fuelled by fast-paced vaccinations.

The Marvelous Mortimer Matz  —  At age 96, Mortimer Matz, known to all as Morty, is almost certainly the oldest person on the planet who still practices public relations every day.  He's done it since 1955.  He might well be the last living “press agent,” a true old-school throwback.

Weekly Update: Which COUNTIES have the highest per capita rates of #COVID19 cases and deaths?  —  I've made some more changes:  — Every county except those in Alaska lists the 2020 Biden/Trump partisan lean; Alaska still uses the 2016 Clinton/Trump results.

The business winners in Biden's relief package: Restaurants, concert venues and airplane manufacturers  —  Restaurants, concert venues and airplane manufacturers all stand to benefit from the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package the Senate just approved.

Enlightened thinking in Texas  —  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Thursday that the statewide mask mandate and all restrictions on business' operating capacity would be lifted this coming week.  The following day, President Biden called these decisions “Neanderthal thinking.”

A day after forcing marathon bill reading, Johnson says ‘preference’ to leave Senate  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The day after he single-handedly delayed the U.S. Senate's debate on President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill for 11 hours, Republican Senator Ron Johnson said on Friday …