Top health officials told to prioritize COVID testing for Cuomo's relatives  —  High-level associates also benefited from program in early days of pandemic  —  ALBANY — High-level members of the state Department of Health were directed last year by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Health Commissioner …

The mess at Medium … I.  —  Last week, a partnerships manager at Medium working with the White House found that there was a strange problem with the platform: President Joe Biden was being served porn.  —  The manager was in a video conference with a White House staffer to discuss how Biden …

Republicans Aim to Seize More Power Over How Elections Are Run  —  G.O.P. lawmakers in at least eight states controlled by the party are trying to gain broad influence over the mechanics of voting, in an effort that could further undermine the country's democratic norms.

Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack says only 0.1 percent of Trump administration's covid farm relief went to Black farmers  —  A Q&A with the new secretary of agriculture about how the American Rescue Plan's USDA portion will be spent  —  A tiny fraction of the Trump administration's coronavirus relief …

North Korea fires two ground-based ballistic missiles, South Korea says  —  Pentagon, Washington (CNN)North Korea launched two ballistic missiles Thursday — the second such launch in less than a week.  —  South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said in a statement that two short-range missiles …

Rachel Levine, historic transgender nominee, confirmed as assistant health secretary  —  Levine is the first openly transgender official ever confirmed by the Senate  —  The Senate on Wednesday voted 52 to 48 to confirm Rachel Levine as the nation's assistant secretary for health …

A Cargo Ship Drew a Giant Dick Pic in the Ocean Then Got Stuck in the Suez Canal  —  Just before blocking one of the world's busiest waterways where 10 percent of world trade flows, the unfortunate Ever Given sailed an even more unfortunate course.  —  MC  —  The Suez Canal has been blocked …

Trump aide concealed work for PR firm and misled court to dodge child support  —  Jason Miller signed secret deal to stay with DC-based Teneo after ‘resigning’ and then appeared to misrepresent employment status  —  A top aide to Donald Trump was secretly re-engaged by a leading political strategy firm …

Manchin calls for ‘enormous’ infrastructure package paid for with new taxes  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin said Wednesday that he favors a large infrastructure package that would be paid for in part by raising tax revenues — a point of contention between the two parties.

Amid gun control debate, federal court rules states may restrict open carry of weapons  —  As the nation debates gun control following two mass shootings in Colorado and Georgia, a California-based federal appeals court decided Wednesday that states may restrict the open carrying of guns without running afoul of the 2nd Amendment.

Herd Immunity Is Near, Despite Fauci's Denial  —  His estimate that it'll take a 70% to 85% vaccination rate ignores those who have already been infected.  —  Anthony Fauci has been saying that the country needs to vaccinate 70% to 85% of the population to reach herd immunity from Covid-19.

Men Looking for Work Drive Migrant Surge at the U.S. Border  —  Most of those apprehended are men in search of jobs, with the pandemic easing in the U.S. and fewer opportunities at home  —  The surge in illegal immigration across the southern U.S. border is shaping up to be the biggest in 20 years.

Sources: Secret Service inserted itself into case of Hunter Biden's gun  —  On Oct. 23, 2018, President Joe Biden's son Hunter and daughter in law Hallie were involved in a bizarre incident in which Hallie took Hunter's gun and threw it in a trash can behind a grocery store, only to return later to find it gone.

Google offered a professor $60,000, but he turned it down.  Here's why  —  (CNN Business)When Luke Stark sought money from Google in November he had no idea he'd be turning down $60,000 from the tech giant in March.  —  Stark, an assistant professor at Western University in Ontario, Canada …

Sidney Powell's defense in defamation suit could put her in legal jeopardy  —  (CNN)Sidney Powell, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, filed an eye-popping brief this week that could potentially doom her chances of dismissing a $1.3 billion defamation suit and provide ammunition in a separate lawsuit seeking her disbarment.

U.S. COVID response could have avoided hundreds of thousand of deaths - research  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States squandered both money and lives in its response to the coronavirus pandemic, and it could have avoided nearly 400,000 deaths with a more effective health strategy …

Beware of CEOs proposing regulations  —  We've seen this play before.  —  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants Congress to regulate him, and he'll say as much Thursday when he testifies before a House subcommittee.  This will undoubtedly surprise some lawmakers and many reporters who cling …

Duped by Duffel Blog, a congressman claims that the VFW and American Legion were labeled hate groups … Duffel Blog has fooled yet another member of Congress.  —  Most recently, the military-centric satirical website was inadvertently cited during a Wednesday hearing about extremism in the military …

The Power of Political Disinformation in Iowa  —  Republicans demonized Democratic candidates in 2020.  It worked, and their narrative remains largely intact, posing challenges for the Biden Administration.  —  The Biden Administration is accomplishing much, and quickly …

Trumpists Still Pushing Election Fraud Claims and Conspiracy Theories  —  Because I am a masochist, I subjected myself to a cavalcade of crazy yesterday.  I watched / listened to much of the seven hours of a nutso livestream from Regent University masquerading as an academic forum on “election integrity.”

Asian Grandmother Who Smacked Her Attacker With A Board Donates Nearly $1 Million  —  Xiao Zhen Xie, the 75-year-old woman who was punched by a white man in San Francisco - and then fought back by smacking him with a board - will not keep the nearly $1 million that has been donated for her medical expenses.

Blue-State Voter ‘Suppression’  —  Where's the outcry over Democrats' earlier poll-closing hours and ID rules?  —  Moves by Republican legislators to reform state election laws are drawing incendiary accusations from Democrats.  Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams denounced them as “Jim Crow in a suit and tie.”

On the Ground … Senator Cotton's Stand  —  The Arkansas lawmaker is introducing a bill to protect the military from critical race theory indoctrination.  —  The Social Order  —  Politics and law  —  Tomorrow, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton will introduce legislation …

Biden is using FDR as his role model.  He's made the no-drama Obama era look wild.  —  Biden's low-key presidency shifts into higher gear with his first news conference.  If he's lucky, it will be dull despite the many crises he's facing.  —  Presidents get to decorate the Oval Office any way they want, and it's usually telling.

Scoop: Trump in talks with upstart apps about new social network  —  Donald Trump has been in talks with no-name app vendors as he contemplates partnering with an existing platform to create his own social media network, according to sources familiar with the private discussions.

Maddow Shreds Cornyn Blocking Top DOJ Nominee With Reminder of Their Connection to Case of a ‘Cartoonishly Evil’ TX Cop  —  MSNBC host Rachel Maddow offered a long and scathing indictment of Sen. John Cornyn (R) for leading the charge to block the nomination of Vanita Gupta as Associate Attorney General …

White House hires Andrew Bates as deputy press secretary  —  The White House is beefing up its press staff by adding campaign veteran Andrew Bates as a deputy press secretary.  He's scheduled to start Monday.  —  Bates spent the past few months handling media relations …

Democrats Say Agency Run By Trump Holdover Is Delaying Stimulus Checks  —  The IRS hasn't received the payment information it requested to send checks to Social Security recipients.  —  Millions of disabled and retired Americans are still waiting for their $1,400 stimulus payments …

New Zealand Approves Paid Leave After Miscarriage  —  The measure, believed to be among the first in the world, would apply to couples who lose a pregnancy at any point.  —  AUCKLAND, New Zealand — New Zealand's Parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation that would give couples …