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.

The Jolt: Image of lawmaker's arrest spoils victory lap on election law  —  By Patricia Murphy - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Greg Bluestein - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Tia Mitchell - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution  —  Talk about mixed messages.

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 …

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 …

“I'm Afraid to Open Twitter”: Next-Level Harassment of Female Journalists Is Putting News Outlets to the Test  —  Newsrooms that once preached “don't feed the trolls” are being forced to grapple with a daily deluge of smears.  “Even the most open-minded media organizations are still run …

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.

Biden's Border Falsities: What Happened to the Disinformation Police?  —  Next week is Holy Week, meaning that the year is flying by.  Our spring webathon, asking for your support, is almost complete, and already 2,561 wonderful and generous readers have donated $292,140, as of this writing.

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.

Trump CDC Director Robert Redfield says COVID-19 ‘most likely’ came from Wuhan lab  —  The former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed he believes COVID-19 originated through an accidental escape from a Wuhan lab and hinted that this occurred following gain …

White House nixed Deb Haaland's Southwest-themed party over Covid concerns  —  The White House recently ordered that a 50-person, Southwest-themed indoor party the Interior Department was planning to celebrate Secretary Deb Haaland's confirmation be canceled after senior administration officials …

A Debt of Honor  —  An Afghan I'll call Mohammad spent most of the past 12 years working on behalf of the United States government in Afghanistan—first in the U.S. embassy in Kabul, then for a Department of Defense contractor in the violent region where he was born in 1981 …

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.”

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.