Cuomo defiant as top New York lawmakers call on him to quit  —  NEW YORK (AP) — The two top Democrats in New York's legislature withdrew their support for Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday amid mounting allegations of sexual harassment and undercounting COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, Ex-Wife of Jeff Bezos, Marries Seattle School Teacher  —  Ms. Scott, one of the world's wealthiest women, has married Dan Jewett, a science teacher at a private school  —  MacKenzie Scott, the philanthropist formerly married to Jeff Bezos …

Top House Democrat Jim Clyburn: 'No way we'd let filibuster deny voting rights'  —  In an interview with the Guardian, the House majority whip calls for a way around the legislative roadblock  —  One of the most powerful Democrats in Washington has issued a frank warning to members of his own party …

Graham deals with Trump “dark side” to “harness the magic”  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham told “Axios on HBO” that Donald Trump has a “dark side” but he tries to “harness the magic” because he succeeded where Republican candidates like John McCain and Mitt Romney failed.

Rescue Package Includes $86 Billion Bailout for Failing Pensions  —  Democrats pushed through a big aid measure for multiemployer pensions whose problems predate the pandemic.  —  Tucked inside the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill that cleared the Senate on Saturday is an $86 billion aid package that has nothing to do with the pandemic.

How the GOP blew its chance at a 2022 working-class coalition in just 10 hours, 43 minutes |  Will Bunch  —  It was less than two weeks ago that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a past and future presidential hopeful for the Republican Party, stood before an annual confab of conservative fanatics …

Hawley becomes GOP cash cow despite Jan. 6 blowback  —  Sen. Josh Hawley's effort to block certification of the 2020 election has been a fundraising boon — not just for him but his party, Axios has learned.  —  Why it matters: Corporate donors and establishment Republicans recoiled …

Executive Order on Promoting Access to Voting  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:  —  Section 1.  Purpose.  The right to vote is the foundation of American democracy.

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 …

America rebalances its post-Trump news diet  —  Nearly halfway through President Biden's first 100 days, data shows that Americans are learning to wean themselves off of news — and especially politics.  —  Why it matters: The departure of former President Trump's once-ubiquitous presence …

Child Tax Credit, Proposed in Stimulus, Advances an Effort Years in the Making  —  The $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package moving through Congress advances an idea that Democrats have been nurturing for decades: establishing a guaranteed income for families with children.

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 …

They Had a Fun Pandemic.  You Can Read About It in Print.  —  A downtown New York crowd is pushing back against the homogenization of big social media.  —  Honor Levy, 23, with a piece of fiction published on The New Yorker's website and a short story collection coming out next year …

Top 100 counties with the highest COVID death rates voted for Trump by 18 points  —  The 100 U.S. counties with the highest death rates from COVID-19 voted for former President Donald Trump by 18 points, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.  —  The list of the top 100 counties was compiled by ACASignups.net as of March 6.

Dividing by Race Comes to Grade School  —  Students, ages 5 through 11, are urged to 'check each other's words and actions' and become committed activists.  —  My awakening to the new orthodoxy began during this past summer of discontent.  In mid-June, a few weeks after the George Floyd protests began …

Iran-Backed Houthi Rebels Say They Targeted Saudi Oil Port  —  Saudi Arabia says there were no casualties and no damage from the Sunday strike  —  RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels said they attacked a major Saudi Arabian oil port on the Persian Gulf with drones and missiles on Sunday.

Georgia family sues grocery clerk for posting about their alleged involvement in Jan. 6 insurrection  —  From her Washington hotel on Jan. 6, Kathryn Cagle asked for prayers and assured friends and family via Facebook that she and her mother were safe.  “Yes, Mama and I are in Washington …

Preparing for Retaliation Against Russia, U.S. Confronts Hacking by China  —  The proliferation of cyberattacks by rivals is presenting a challenge to the Biden administration as it seeks to deter intrusions on government and corporate systems.  —  WASHINGTON — Just as it plans …

Washington, DC, March 7, 2021  —  A new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds that even as American concern about the coronavirus wanes, most believe public health restrictions, like mask mandates or limits on public gatherings, are being loosened too quickly.  However, opinions on re-opening schools …

Biden Endorses Female Generals Whose Promotions Were Delayed Over Fears of Trump's Reaction  —  The unusual strategy to slow the promotions until after the election — intended to protect the officers' accomplished careers — was devised by top Pentagon leaders.

Biden rides a Keep It Simple, Stupid strategy to early success  —  From the day Joe Biden stepped into the White House, his top priority was clear: Pass Covid relief.  Ignore skirmishes elsewhere.  Keep the message to Congress simple.  And keep the message to the public even clearer …