The Presidential Press Conference in the Biden Era Is as Awful as Ever  —  Under Trump, we had to listen.  But now?  There must be a better way.  —  Sometimes the big moments in our politics meet the very low expectations we have for them.  Joe Biden's first Presidential press conference, on Thursday, was one of them.

Dominion Voting sues Fox for $1.6B over 2020 election claims  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Dominion Voting Systems on Friday filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, arguing the cable news giant falsely claimed in an effort to boost faltering ratings that the voting company had rigged the 2020 election.

Georgia representative arrested after governor signs elections bill  —  Georgia state troopers arrested state Rep. Park Cannon on Thursday as she knocked on Gov. Brian Kemp's door, interrupting his livestreamed announcement that he had signed an elections bill into law.The officers forcibly removed Cannon …

Trump: Rioters in deadly Capitol insurrection posed ‘zero threat’  —  Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed Thursday that his supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 posed “zero threat” — despite the fact that five people died as a result of the violent insurrection, including a Capitol Police officer.

MAGA World says Biden's lost it.  Republican senators disagree.  —  For former President Donald Trump's GOP allies, President Joe Biden's recent stumble on the Air Force One stairs was a sign of bigger problems.  But Republican senators who've met with Biden say the 78-year-old president is just fine …

Media Startups Axios and the Athletic Discuss Merger, Eyeing SPAC Deal  —  Deal would be part of plan to create larger company with a portfolio of digital-media publishers  —  Sports-media outlet the Athletic is in merger talks with news startup Axios, according to people familiar with the matter …

Far-Right Extremists Move From ‘Stop the Steal’ to Stop the Vaccine  —  Extremist organizations are now bashing the safety and efficacy of coronavirus vaccines in an effort to try to undermine the government.  —  Adherents of far-right groups who cluster online have turned repeatedly …

Why Were Strangers Allowed to Hide Part of Me From Myself?  —  For 50 years, my state denied me the story of my birth.  All adoptees deserve better.  —  Mr. Inskeep, a co-host of NPR's “Morning Edition” and “Up First,” is an adoptee and an adoptive father.

It's time to stop feeling sorry for restaurants  —  One of the saddest business stories that came out of the 2020 pandemic was the impact that mandated shutdowns had on the restaurant industry.  News reports across the country covered frustrated business owners who were forced to comply …

Scoop: AOC's private audience with Ron Klain  —  White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain met quietly with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman and other progressive lawmakers this week to discuss the filibuster, minimum wage and other issues, people familiar with the matter told Axios.

Yellow Journalism Turns Blue  —  Ron Johnson is under attack from a press that's abandoned honesty and fairness.  —  “Yellow journalism” means a sensationalized press.  Perhaps it is time to introduce “blue journalism”—the new media practice of abandoning standards to work seamlessly with the progressive left against any opposition.

POLITICO Playbook: The most important sentence from Biden's presser  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  “It's a matter of timing.”  —  If there were a one-sentence takeaway from President JOE BIDEN'S first press conference, that may be it.  —  Over and over in the East Room, the president …

Weeks After Texas Reopened, Health Experts Look for Impact  —  State hasn't seen rise in cases two weeks after businesses fully reopened, but public-health officials say it's too soon to tell  —  Over two weeks after Texas eased Covid-19 restrictions, the state has so far not witnessed a surge in new cases …

Trump's secret sit-down with Ohio candidates turns into ‘Hunger Games’  —  It was a scene right out of “The Apprentice.”  —  Donald Trump was headlining a fundraiser on Wednesday night at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla. But before the dinner began, the former president had some business …

Mitt Romney receives John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award … Republican Sen. Mitt Romney is the recipient of this year's John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his vote to convict former President Donald Trump during his first impeachment trial “and his consistent and courageous defense of democracy.”

Documents Show Amazon Is Aware Drivers Pee in Bottles and Even Defecate En Route, Despite Company Denial … In anticipation of Sen. Bernie Sanders's scheduled trip to Bessemer, Alabama, to support the unionization drive by Amazon workers there, Amazon executive Dave Clark cast the $1 trillion behemoth as …

The Social Justice Purge at Idaho Colleges  —  Republican lawmakers try to cancel diversity programs.  —  Last month, I wrote that right-wing legislatures trying to ban critical race theory from public schools and institutions were a far more direct threat to free speech than what's often called cancel culture.

What the ‘Invisible’ People Cleaning the Subway Want Riders to Know  —  Contract workers hired to help disinfect the New York City subway during the pandemic are asking the M.T.A. to support a job they say goes far beyond wiping down poles.  —  To hear more audio stories from publishers …

Biden's Woeful Press Conference  —  The president brazenly lied about the border crisis.  —  Reporters aren't in the practice, obviously, of being particularly tough on President Biden.  But at his first press conference as president this afternoon, Cecilia Vega of ABC News politely nailed …

Chuck Schumer controls the future of the filibuster.  Dems aren't sure what he'll do.  —  Senate Republicans are adamant that Chuck Schumer is maneuvering toward one endgame: Killing the filibuster.  —  But Schumer's own Democratic colleagues aren't as confident.  —  “I don't think he personally wants to change the rules.

A Better Way to Judge Joe Biden  —  Soon, we will be pelted by 100-day assessments of the Biden administration, sweeping claims spurred by the arrival of a round number.  Then, before we're ready, a crop of those who want to replace Joe Biden will ask to be measured for the job.

On Google Podcasts, a Buffet of Hate  —  The platform's tolerance of white supremacist, pro-Nazi and conspiracy theory content pushes the boundaries of the medium.  —  He had already been banned from Twitter, but on his podcast he could give full voice to his hateful conspiracy theories.