Biden meets the press and the pandemic disappears  —  During the first news conference of his presidency, Joe Biden was never asked about the defining crisis of this generation and, in all likelihood, his time in office.  —  Over the course of 62 minutes on Thursday, the Covid-19 pandemic never arose …

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 …

Jessica Walter Dies: Emmy-Winning ‘Arrested Development’, ‘Archer’ Actress Was 80  —  Jessica Walter, the award-winning actress whose career spanned five decades, passed away in her sleep at home in New York City on Wednesday, March 24.  She was 80.  —  Walter's career included everything …

Texas AG Ken Paxton refuses to release texts, emails sent during pro-Trump rally and Capitol riot  —  The Texas attorney general's office is attempting to withhold all messages Ken Paxton sent or received while in Washington for the pro-Donald Trump rally that devolved into a riot at the U.S. Capitol.

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.

‘They are, in effect, supporting racism’: Black leaders zero in on Dems' filibuster holdouts  —  Black civil rights leaders, voting rights advocates and elected officials are ramping up their lobbying of Senate Democrats to nix the filibuster, arguing that they can keep the rule in place or pass voting rights legislation, but not both.

Stop telling this stupid lie, Republicans.  It's insulting to your voters.  —  As the war over voting rights ramps up, Republicans are increasingly falling back on a claim that has grown ubiquitous.  Republicans are deeply concerned about voter fraud because their voters believe the 2020 election …

McConnell's No. 2 weighs future as Trump reshapes Senate GOP  —  John Thune could eventually succeed Mitch McConnell as Senate GOP leader.  But first the second-ranked Senate Republican has to decide whether to run for reelection — with Donald Trump prepared to stand in his way.

Scoop: House chamber hardened with bulletproof doors  —  The House chamber is being transformed into a massive safe room for members with the addition of bulletproof doors.  —  Why it matters: One of the most dramatic images from the Jan. 6 attack was Capitol Police officers inside …

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 …

New York Reaches a Deal to Legalize Recreational Marijuana  —  The move paves the way for a potential $4.2 billion industry, with millions of dollars in sales tax revenue reinvested in minority communities each year.  —  New York State officials finalized a deal on Thursday …

Netanyahu has no clear path to remain prime minister, official Israeli election results show  —  JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fallen short of securing the parliamentary majority he needs to stay in office, according to the official election count announced Thursday …

The New Republic names a new top editor and will return to Washington.  —  The New Republic named a new editor on Thursday and announced that it was moving back to Washington, its home city for most of its 107-year existence.  —  Michael Tomasky, who has edited the policy journal Democracy …

Poll: Ron DeSantis, Nikki Fried in dead heat  —  Should Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried run for Florida Governor, she starts in a statistical tie with Gov. Ron DeSantis.  —  That's according to a new survey by St. Pete Polls, commissioned exclusively for Florida Politics.

Bid to change primary election process in Wyoming fails  —  An effort to transition Wyoming to a runoff election system failed to capture enough support from the Senate on Wednesday.  —  Senate File 145 sought to require a runoff election after a primary election if no single candidate captured the majority of votes.

Schumer tees up Senate votes on hate crimes, gun control, voting rights  —  The Senate will take up legislation as soon as next month on hate crimes against Asian Americans, as well as background checks for gun buyers and a massive voting rights package, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday.

The gun implicated in Boulder uses the same ammunition as an AR-15.  It's legally a pistol.  —  In a promotional video for the Ruger AR-556, a company product manager gushed that the weapon, legally designated as a pistol but closer to an AR-15 rifle in design, offered much more than a typical handgun.

Senate panel deadlocks over Vanita Gupta amid GOP opposition  —  The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday deadlocked in a tie vote over President Biden's pick of Vanita Gupta for a high-ranking Justice Department post amid objections from Republicans, who have sought to paint her as an extremist.

Thinker, Tanker, Scholar, Consultant  —  Every former policymaker in Washington is an academic, a researcher, and an adviser to big business.  —  Last year, Jake Sullivan earned $138,000 for providing part-time “advisory services.”  —  It's common for diplomats who leave the government to wear many hats at once.

Teen girls, 13 and 15, charged in deadly botched carjacking, taser attack near Nats Park  —  Two teenagers charged in deadly armed carjacking  —  WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Authorities say they have arrested and charged two teen girls in a deadly attempted carjacking and taser attack …

Scoop: Inside Biden's private chat with historians  —  Hosting historians around a long table in the East Room earlier this month, President Biden took notes in a black book as they discussed some of his most admired predecessors.  Then he said to Doris Kearns Goodwin: “I'm no FDR, but ... ”

Pro-Trump group accused of illicitly shielding donors  —  A legal complaint against a prominent pro-Trump group will test new standards for so-called dark money groups that have the potential to reshape the nation's campaign finance landscape.  —  Why it matters: The groups …

Heritage Foundation turned down six-figure tech donations  —  Flagship conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation turned down a pair of six-figure contributions last year from tech giants Google and Facebook, Axios has learned.  —  Why it matters: CEOs for both companies will be on the Hill …

Live Updates: Biden reveals 2024 plans, doubles vaccine goals and more in first press conference  —  Washington — President Biden on Thursday revealed he plans to seek a second term in the White House in 2024 and he said he expects Vice President Kamala Harris would again be his running mate.