The Pandemic's Wrongest Man  —  The pandemic has made fools of many forecasters.  Just about all of the predictions whiffed.  Anthony Fauci was wrong about masks.  California was wrong about the outdoors.  New York was wrong about the subways.  I was wrong about the necessary cost of pandemic relief.

Republicans Have Been Waiting for a Matt Gaetz Scandal to Break  —  The Florida congressman's less-than-sterling reputation among his colleagues has many Republicans questioning the wisdom of jumping to his defense.  —  After Rep. Matt Gaetz accused a Florida lawyer of a $25 million extortion scheme …

The GOP war on voting takes an ugly new turn  —  Opinion by  —  An extraordinary event took place in Georgia on Wednesday night.  Republicans sought to cancel a tax break for Delta Air Lines, the state's biggest employer, as punishment for the heresy of criticizing the new voter suppression law Republicans passed last week.

Inside the ‘Lord of the Flies’ factionalism now plaguing Trumpland  —  Just one month after Donald Trump left the White House, a top donor to his campaign received a call on his personal cellphone from a Republican candidate seeking financial support.  —  The call was unsolicited …

Five Thoughts About the Politics of Infrastructure  —  A few points on the politics of the Democrats' infrastructure initiative:  — President Joe Biden keeps trying to do popular things.  Government investment in infrastructure does extremely well in public opinion polls …

New GOP-led voting restrictions move forward in Texas  —  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republicans advanced a slate of proposed new voting restrictions Thursday that would reduce options to cast ballots, limit polling hours and hand more power to partisan poll watchers.

Pfizer says Covid-19 vaccine protection lasts at least six months, protects against variants  —  Take an exclusive look inside a busy Covid-19 vaccine facility  —  (CNN)The ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of Pfizer/BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine confirms its protection lasts at least six months …

Mets-Nationals postponed in Washington as coronavirus issues disrupt Opening Day  —  The Opening Day matchup between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets on Thursday has been postponed because of coronavirus concerns, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.

The Strange New Doctrine of the Republican Party  —  In 2002, the Weyerhaeuser paper mill in Valliant, Oklahoma, faced a drug problem.  Managers at the mill in the small town, just north of the Texas line, brought contraband-sniffing dogs into the parking lot to identify suspect cars.

4 killed, including child, in mass shooting at Orange office complex  —  Four people, including a child, were killed Wednesday evening and a fifth person was injured in a mass shooting at an Orange office complex.  —  It marks the third mass shooting in the United States in two weeks …

One of QAnon's most widely quoted critics reveals his real name.  Hint: It's not Travis View.  —  QAnon Anonymous co-host, riding a wave of newfound fame, acknowledges he was using a pseudonym all along  —  On a live stream of “QAnon Anonymous” last week, co-host Travis View did something …

The Right Curriculum?  How PragerU Infiltrates Schools.  —  The right-wing nonprofit, known for viral videos like ‘The Left Ruins Everything,’ launched a program specifically designed for teachers last fall.  But according to students, its content has been in public schools for years.

A woman called for a highway's removal in a Black neighborhood.  The White House singled it out in its infrastructure plan.  —  Since she moved back home to Tremé almost a decade ago, Amy Stelly has waged a campaign for the removal of a highway that cuts through her New Orleans neighborhood.

New York authorities file hate-crime charges in attack on Asian American woman  —  NEW YORK — Local authorities said Wednesday they have filed three felony hate-crime charges against 38-year-old Brandon Elliot in the brutal stomping of an elderly Asian American woman …

Texas officials circulated climate skeptic's talking points on power failures during storm  —  WASHINGTON — As millions of Texans went without power for days during February's devastating storm, Texas oil and gas regulators were circulating talking points from a noted climate skeptic blaming system failures …

Exclusive: Apple's Tim Cook says voting “ought to be easier than ever”  —  Apple CEO Tim Cook, an Alabama native with a lifelong interest in civil rights, joins condemnations of Georgia's new voting law, in a statement provided first to Axios.  —  What he's saying: “The right to vote is fundamental in a democracy.

As Cuomo Sought $4 Million Book Deal, Aides Hid Damaging Death Toll  —  Gov. Andrew Cuomo boasted, “I am not a superhero,” in early versions of his book, drafted as his aides scrubbed a politically damaging Health Department report.  —  ALBANY, N.Y. — As the coronavirus subsided in New York last year …

Capitol Police inspector general slams department's January 6 planning  —  Prior to the January 6 attack on the Capitol, officials from the U.S. Capitol Police failed to act on intelligence that suggested protesters coming to rally that day could be armed and planned to “target” Congress …

The Fight for the Republic  —  IN 2021, THE UNITED STATES failed for the first time in its history to achieve a peaceful transfer of presidential power.  The events of January 6, observes conservative commentator William “Bill” Kristol '73, Ph.D. '79—and the enabling political rhetoric …

Trump's own statements in old lawsuit could haunt him in a future criminal case  —  New York (CNN)Donald Trump once said he calculated his net worth, to a degree, on his “feelings,” and that he put the “best spin” on some of the assets.  —  “I think everybody” exaggerates about the value of their properties.

‘My God’: Former White House lawyer says ‘Donald Trump is in serious trouble’ with new lawsuit  —  Former acting White House Solicitor General Neal Katyal explained to MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace that the new lawsuit in Washington, D.C. court saying former President Donald Trump is to blame …

Facebook Helped Alex Jones Share ‘Prepare For War’ Posts Before the Capitol Riots  —  Hundreds of thousands of Facebook users saw Jones' lies about a stolen election, even though Jones himself has been banned from Facebook.  —  DG  —  Alex Jones has been banned from Facebook for almost two years …