BREAKING: Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri acquitted after trial on charges from George Floyd protest in May 2020  —  Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri was acquitted Wednesday in a trial stemming from her arrest covering the George Floyd protests in May 2020.

Senate confirms Garland as attorney general  —  The Senate has confirmed President Joe Biden's pick for attorney general, Judge Merrick Garland, by a vote of 70-30.  —  The victory for Garland, 68, came almost five years after his failed nomination to the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama in 2016.

40 Republicans vote against Greene motion  —  Forty House Republicans on Wednesday voted against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's latest motion to adjourn, yet another sign her party is growing increasingly frustrated with the Georgia Republican's procedural delay tactics.

Recording of Trump Phone Call to Georgia Lead Investigator Reveals New Details  —  Then-president says ‘Something bad happened’ and presses for investigation into Fulton County votes  —  ATLANTA—Then-President Donald Trump urged the chief investigator of the Georgia Secretary of State's office …

Biden and his Covid-relief bill prove popular in new CNN poll  —  (CNN)The economic relief bill moving rapidly through Congress is broadly popular, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS.  —  The popularity of the bill comes as President Joe Biden's approval rating tilts positive around 50 days after he took the oath of office.

Stimulus bill with $29B in direct restaurant aid appears headed for passage  —  The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which features grants to restaurants in need, overcame a key challenge over the weekend.  —  A landmark COVID-relief bill earmarking $28.6 billion in direct aid to restaurants …

Somebody's Taking a Huge Risk on Biden's Bill.  It's Not Biden.  —  Try to imagine we are living in the following hypothetical world: A popular Republican president quickly passes emergency legislation that has the support of two-thirds of the country, while Democrats in Congress refuse to vote for it.

Biden Got the Vaccine Rollout Humming, With Trump's Help  —  Trump administration officials grumble that they laid the groundwork for surging vaccinations, but some hard work in the trenches has helped pick up the pace of production.  —  WASHINGTON — When President Biden pledged last week …

Robin Bullock Claims ‘Prophets’ Have the Power to Call Trump Back Into the White House  —  Right-wing pastor Robin Bullock used his church service Tuesday to urge his fellow “prophets” to come together and call former President Donald Trump back to the White House, declaring that if they will do so …

Jayapal asks for investigations into three GOP members for their role in instigating the Capitol Insurrection  —  GOP lawmaker accused of giving ‘reconnaissance’ tour prior to Capitol riot  —  (CNN)Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington has sent letters to the House Committee on Ethics …

America Without God  —  The United States had long been a holdout among Western democracies, uniquely and perhaps even suspiciously devout.  From 1937 to 1998, church membership remained relatively constant, hovering at about 70 percent.  Then something happened.

Governor Newsom says 'we're not going back to normal' after pandemic  —  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom will say during his State of the State address that the pandemic will end soon.  But when it does, Newsom will say that “we're not going back to normal” because “normal accepts inequity.”

Criticizing Public Figures, Including Influential Journalists, is Not Harassment or Abuse  —  As social media empowers uncredentialed people to be heard, society's most powerful actors seek to cast themselves as victims and delegitimize all critiques.  —  1 hr ago

For Creators, Everything Is for Sale  —  Digital stars are coming up with new ways to make money.  Yet fans still hold the power.  —  A rash of new start-ups are making it easier for digital creators to monetize every aspect of their life — down to what they eat, who they hang out with and who they respond to on TikTok.

Exclusive: ‘Migrant president’ Biden stirs Mexican angst over boom time for gangs  —  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's government is worried the new U.S. administration's asylum policies are stoking illegal immigration and creating business for organized crime, according to officials and internal assessments seen by Reuters.

Review: Exposing life in the shadows of the United States of Amazon  —  Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America  —  Farrar, Straus & Giroux: 400 pages, $28  —  If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.

Run for Texas governor now ‘a real consideration,’ Matthew McConaughey says  —  HOUSTON, Texas — Can Matthew McConaughey lead Texans out of disaster as the state's governor?  —  That is a question that could only be posed if a rumored bid for the top seat in Texas government becomes reality.

Cuomo Administration Questioned U.S. Health Officials About Nursing-Home Data  —  Members of New York governor's inner circle worried federal statistics would conflict with state's  —  When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration learned last year that the federal government …

Oklahoma House passes bill that would protect drivers who hit protestors  —  The Oklahoma House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill aimed at protecting drivers who hit protestors while “fleeing a riot.”  —  House Bill 1674, authored Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore and co-authored by Rep. Kevin McDugle …

How Biden Funds His Next Bill: Shrink the $7.5 Trillion Tax Gap  —  The I.R.S. is often unable to detect or fight blatant tax cheating by the rich and big businesses.  Restoring it is a solution that pays for itself.  —  Ms. Huang is the executive director of the Tax Law Center at the New York University School of Law.

Trump's latest explosion of rage against the GOP bodes badly for our future  —  Opinion by  —  In recent days, a few die-hard Republicans have struggled to concoct a way for the GOP to purge itself of Trumpism's worst excesses while retaining its political benefits.

Covid Relief Bill Throws Lifeline to Transform Local News  —  Pension provisions in the $1.9-trillion bill give local news outlets crucial breathing room to pursue sustainable digital business models  —  With the passage of the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, Washington is not only providing help …

GOP Decides Equal Representation Is an ‘Assault on Democracy’  —  The Republican Party has won the popular vote in just one of the six presidential elections held this century — but has nevertheless held the White House for 12 of the past 20 years.  Since 2000, the GOP's Senate caucus …

McConnell: Capitol security measures are ‘overreaction’  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that the enhanced security measures currently restricting access to the Capitol are an overreaction given the current threat to the building.  —  “We've overdone it,” McConnell told reporters.