Union president says MLB players ready to discuss moving All-Star Game from Georgia in wake of voter-restriction laws  —  The 91st MLB All-Star Game is scheduled to be played in Atlanta this July.  —  But on Thursday, in the wake of voting-restriction legislation signed into law by the Georgia governor …

HARPERCOLLINS MOURNS THE LOSS OF BELOVED CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR BEVERLY CLEARY  —  NEW YORK, NY: Beloved Children's book author Beverly Cleary died on March 25, 2021, in Carmel, California, where she'd lived since the 1960s.  She was 104 years old.  —  Beverly Cleary's first book …

Michigan GOP chair quips on video about assassination, ‘three witches’  —  Michigan Republican Party Chairman Ron Weiser labeled the state's top Democratic officeholders “witches” and referenced “assassination” Thursday when pressed for answers about how to remove two sitting GOP congressmen.

GOP senator flashes congressional pin after car was pulled over by Capitol Police, sources say  —  (CNN)It was Thursday afternoon before a Senate recess was about to begin, and senators were in a hurry — especially Marsha Blackburn.  —  As senators bolted from the chamber after the week's final vote …

What Does Georgia's New Voting Law SB 202 Do?  —  A line of voters snakes around the outside of Park Tavern in Atlanta on June 9, 2020.  —  Georgia has a new slate of voting laws after Gov. Brian Kemp signed SB 202, a 98-page omnibus bill, on Thursday.  —  The “Election Integrity Act of 2021” …

Gov. Andrew Cuomo Aides Receive Subpoenas in Sexual-Harassment Investigation  —  Melissa DeRosa, a top official, is among those requested to produce documents as part of probe  —  The New York state attorney general's office has subpoenaed dozens of officials in the Cuomo administration …

Suez Canal: Satellite Clues on a Stricken Cargo Ship  —  On 23 March, facing strong winds and a sandstorm, the container ship MV Ever Given lost control, ran aground and is currently blocking the Suez Canal.  The race is on to unblock the canal — whose obstruction reportedly holds up US $9.6 billion per day.

Hemal Jhaveri  —  I am no longer employed at USA TODAY, a company that was my work home for almost eight years.  —  Over eight years, I rose from a social media editor to a writer to a columnist and finally the Sports Media Group's Race and Inclusion editor.

Why Georgia's New Voting Law Is Such A Big Deal  —  From November 2020 to January 2021, the story of the state of Georgia was pro-Democratic: Democratic candidates for president and the U.S. Senate all won.  But more importantly, it was pro-democratic.  Joe Biden, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock won …

Incoming TNR Editor Lays Out Boring Vision For Magazine In “Depressing” Meeting With Staff  —  In a meeting with staffers yesterday, the newly announced editor of The New Republic, current Daily Beast columnist Michael Tomasky, laid out his vision for the magazine.  It is everything the formerly new TNR was not.

Defense Department Linguist Pleads Guilty to Transmitting Highly Sensitive Classified National Defense Information to Aid a Foreign Government  —  Note: Thompson's final plea, statement of facts and indictment are attached.  —  WASHINGTON - A Minnesota woman pleaded guilty today to one count …

Store owner: Boulder suspect passed check before buying gun  —  BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The suspect in the Colorado supermarket shootings bought a gun before the shooting at a local gun store after passing a background check, the store's owner said Friday.  —  John Mark Eagleton …

Biden Nominates Wife Of Powerful Sen. Joe Manchin To ‘Key’ Post  —  President Joe Biden on Friday nominated Gayle Conelly Manchin, wife of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), as a “key member” of the Appalachian Regional Commission, the White House announced Friday.  —  KEY FACTS

Devin Nunes' Mom F*cked Up His Campaign Finance Reports  —  After the Federal Elections Commission flagged errors in Rep. Devin Nunes's campaign filings, his mom's email has been removed as the point of contact.  —  Two political committees belonging to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) …

Trump Appointees Are Sabotaging Biden's Stimulus Checks  —  Will he let them sabotage Social Security as well?  —  The Senate Finance Committee holds a hearing on the nomination of Andrew Saul to be commissioner of the Social Security Administration, October 2, 2018, on Capitol Hill.

New York Becomes First City to Eliminate Qualified Immunity Protections for Police Officers  —  The New York City Council on Thursday passed legislation that will effectively end qualified immunity for police officers there, removing one of the largest impediments to holding officers personally liable …

US fears China is flirting with seizing control of Taiwan  —  Chinese warplanes fly through island's air defence zone in latest show of strength by Beijing  —  The US is concerned that China is flirting with the idea of seizing control of Taiwan as President Xi Jinping becomes more willing to take risks to boost his legacy.

Leon Black to Step Down as MoMA Chairman  —  In the wake of protests from artists and activists over his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the investor agreed not to stand for re-election in June.  —  In the face of mounting pressure from prominent artists and activists …

My Cheshbon HaNefesh for Cowardice in the Face of Wokeness  —  The first time I remember hearing the term “woke” was at a gathering of Black and Jewish activists in New York City in the fall of 2016.  It was also the first time I encountered Black Lives Matter activists in person.

Larry McMurtry, Novelist of the American West, Dies at 84  —  In “Lonesome Dove,” “The Last Picture Show” and dozens more novels and screenplays, he offered unromantic depictions of a long mythologized region.  —  Larry McMurtry, a prolific novelist and screenwriter who demythologized …

JAMA Editor Placed on Leave After Deputy's Comments on Racism  —  After a staff member dismissed racism as a problem in medicine on a podcast, a petition signed by thousands demanded a review of editorial processes at the journal.  —  Following controversial comments on racism in medicine …

This Trans Woman Shared Her Humiliating Experience Going Through Airport TSA, And It's Starting A Bigger Conversation About The Struggles Trans People Face  —  Rosalynne Montoya — who goes by Rose — is an Arizona-based, Hispanic, bisexual, non-binary transgender woman who uses the pronouns she/her or they/them.

A Biden Administration Strategy: Send In the Scientists  —  Gavin Schmidt, a leading climate scientist, will fill a newly created job of climate adviser to NASA, in a prominent example of Biden's pledge to focus on climate policy.  —  More than a decade ago, a woman at a bar near …

The Hidden Hand Of Facial Recognition In The Capitol Insurrection Manhunt  —  The highly controversial tool isn't just for the feds anymore.  Online sleuths are quietly using it to hunt for rioters — like the man they've dubbed #NaziGrayHat.  —  At 19, Matthew Jason Beddingfield was charged …

Elizabeth Warren's Push To Diversify Federal Judges Is Finally Catching On  —  The Democratic senator has spent years calling for more public defenders and fewer corporate attorneys getting federal judgeships.  Now Joe Biden agrees.  —  For years, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) …

Fast Food Giant Claims Credit For Killing $15 Minimum Wage  —  In internal company documents, a private-equity owned conglomerate is bragging to its employees about successfully blocking a boost in pay for low-wage workers.  —  2 hr ago  —  The parent company of some of America's largest fast food chains …

Watch: GOP candidate resurfaces with new persona to run in a different state  —  Dan Rodimer lost an election for Nevada's 3rd District in November.  Four months later, he's running in a special election for a U.S. House seat in Texas — after a complete transformation.

Go Ahead, Democrats: Make D.C. a State  —  The citizens of Washington deserve congressional representation.  Only Republican partisanship stands in the way.  —  Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy.  He taught political science at the University …

Arkansas governor signs bill allowing medical workers to refuse treatment to LGBTQ people  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday signed into law legislation allowing doctors to refuse to treat someone because of religious or moral objections …

The Biden Revolution Rolls On  —  The president has epic plans to shift our system and our values.  —  On March 12, President Biden signed a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief act into law.  Just 10 days later my Times colleague Jim Tankersley reported on a $3 trillion package of jobs, clean energy and infrastructure proposals.

Since 1994, the GOP is getting a lot more bang (House seats) for its buck (votes)  —  I think about this graph from the Economist's Elliott Morris every few days.  —  (This is a normal thing that people do, thinking about graphs, and this is one that I happen to think about.)