GOP struggles to define Biden, turns to culture wars instead  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and the Democrats were on the brink of pushing through sprawling legislation with an eyepopping, $1.9 trillion price tag.  —  But many Republican politicians and conservative commentators had other priorities in recent days.

Covid-19 Latest Updates: Texas Opens for Business, No Masks Required  —  Here's what you need to know:  —  In Texas, the mask mandate ends and businesses reopen.  —  HOUSTON — Orders requiring masks and limiting the occupancy of restaurants and other businesses were lifted across Texas on Wednesday …

The Miseducation of America's Elites  —  Affluent parents, terrified of running afoul of the new orthodoxy in their children's private schools, organize in secret.  —  Education  —  The Social Order  —  The dissidents use pseudonyms and turn off their videos when they meet for clandestine Zoom calls.

Piers Morgan's Meghan Markle Comments Being Investigated by U.K. Media Regulator Ofcom … U.K. media regulator Ofcom has launched an investigation after more than 41,000 people wrote in to complain about ITV's “Good Morning Britain” host Piers Morgan's comments on Meghan Markle.

Manhattan Prosecutors Advance Probe Into Trump's Seven Springs Estate  —  Subpoenas center on Trump Organization's failed efforts to develop the 213-acre property into a luxury subdivision  —  Manhattan prosecutors are intensifying their investigation into Donald Trump's businesses …

Exclusive: Biden envoy says Iran elections not factor in timetable for nuclear talks  —  Iran's elections in June are not a factor in the Biden administration's decision-making for how to proceed with nuclear talks, State Department Iran envoy Rob Malley told me in his first interview since taking office.

Cuomo faces new sexual harassment allegation, this time at Executive Mansion  —  Female aide claims governor touched her inappropriately; complaint reported to AG  —  ALBANY — A sixth woman has come forward and leveled allegations of sexual harassment or inappropriate conduct against Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo …

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.

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.

Trump, Hungry for Power, Tries to Wrestle Away G.O.P. Fund-Raising  —  Angry at his critics in the party and seeking to keep his options for raising money open, the former president is trying to take charge of the online fund-raising juggernaut he helped create.

Arrested journalist pleaded with officer: ‘This is my job’  —  IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa journalist recounted getting pepper-sprayed and arrested while covering a protest for racial justice last year, testifying in her own defense Tuesday at her trial on charges stemming from the incident.

Stacey Abrams Has a Plan to Dismantle the Filibuster and Protect Voting Rights  —  Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters.  —  As Republicans in the Georgia state legislature passed a series …

Wall Street A-Listers Fled to Florida.  Many Are Eyeing a Return  — USPS data shows few New Yorkers moved to Miami, Palm Beach  — New Jersey, California and Connecticut were most popular moves  —  The “Upper East Side” cocktail at Sant Ambroeus is just the same as in Manhattan …

Arkansas Passes Near-Total Abortion Ban As Lawmakers Push For Supreme Court Case  —  Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday signed into law one of the country's most restrictive abortion bans, a measure supporters hope will force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its 1973 decision sanctioning the procedure.

What is the point of Josh Hawley?  —  What to make of media interest in the junior senator from Missouri.  —  Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a regular contributor to PostEverything.

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.

What has gotten into Ron Johnson?  —  What has gotten into Ron Johnson?  —  That is a question that mystifies some of those who counted themselves as enthusiastic supporters of Wisconsin's Republican senator back when he entered politics a little more than a decade ago.

Allan McDonald Dies at 83; Tried to Stop the Challenger Launch  —  An engineer for the maker of the shuttle's booster rockets, he opposed letting it take off, worried that cold weather might affect them.  He was right.  —  Allan J. McDonald, an engineer who on a chilly January morning …

House to take final vote on Biden's $1.9 trillion pandemic plan  —  Senate sends Covid-19 relief bill back to the House for final vote  —  (CNN)The House of Representatives is slated to take a final vote Wednesday to approve President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan …

Senators introduce bill to fund election official cybersecurity training  —  Senate Rules Committee Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Wednesday reintroduced legislation to designate funding to provide cybersecurity training to election officials.

Exclusive: Goldman Sachs Invests $10 Billion In New ‘One Million Black Women’ Initiative  —  In 1962, Malcolm X said, “The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.”  Now, almost 60 years later that statement unfortunately still rings true for millions of Black women across the country.

As a former Alabama attorney general, I do not say this lightly: An innocent man is on our death row  —  Opinion by Bill Baxley  —  Bill Baxley, attorney general of Alabama from 1971 to 1979, is a signatory to an amicus brief filed March 9 requesting the Jefferson County Circuit Court grant Toforest Johnson a new trial.

Latest Stimulus Package Could Jolt U.S. Growth, Revive Inflation in 2021  —  Economists surveyed by WSJ expect 5.95% GDP growth, fastest in nearly 40 years  —  WASHINGTON—The nearly $1.9 trillion relief package heading for House passage Wednesday is projected to help propel the U.S. economy …

US narrows in on organized extremists in Capitol siege probe  —  As members of the Oath Keepers paramilitary group shouldered their way through the mob and up the steps to the U.S. Capitol, their plans for Jan. 6 were clear, authorities say.  “Arrest this assembly, we have probable cause for acts of treason …

Court Dismisses Trump Campaign's Defamation Suit Against New York Times  —  A New York State judge ruled that the opinion essay at the center of the suit was constitutionally protected speech.  —  A New York State court on Tuesday dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by the re-election campaign …

Democrats Are Anxious About 2022 — and 2024  —  The fretting starts with the party's declining share of the Hispanic vote, but it doesn't end there.  —  Mr. Edsall contributes a weekly column from Washington, D.C. on politics, demographics and inequality.

The Warped Vision of “Anti-Racism”  —  It's perfect for affluent whites who want to be heroes of a story about justice  —  What kind of monster doesn't support “anti-racism”?  Who would put themselves on the other side of “social justice”?  How could you be opposed to the notion of “racial equity”?

Climate Policy: Covid on Steroids?  —  For most people around the world, the Covid-19 pandemic seems a great human tragedy, with deaths, bankruptcies, and fractured mental states.  Yet for some, especially among the green Twitterati and in some policy shops, the pandemic presents a grand opportunity …