U.S. Intel Walks Back Claim Russians Put Bounties on American Troops  —  It was a huge election-time story that prompted cries of treason.  But according to a newly disclosed assessment, Donald Trump might have been right to call it a “hoax.”  —  It was a blockbuster story about Russia's return …

Pfizer CEO says third Covid vaccine dose likely needed within 12 months  — Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people will “likely” need a booster dose of a Covid-19 vaccine within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated.  — He also said it's possible people will need to get vaccinated against the virus annually.

Video Shows A 13-Year-Old Boy Had His Hands Up When A Police Officer Fatally Shot Him  —  A 13-year-old boy who was shot and killed in Chicago by a police officer had his hands up when the cop fired his weapon, new videos show.  —  The city's Civilian Office of Police Accountability posted …

Biden administration asks Supreme Court not to hear challenge to all-male military draft  —  The Biden administration has asked the Supreme Court not to take up a lawsuit that calls the all-male military draft unconstitutional.  —  Because Congress is considering whether women should also be required …

Decision to pause Johnson & Johnson vaccine causes public confidence in vaccine to sink  —  Economist/YouGov Poll Politics & current affairs  —  Fieldwork for the latest Economist/YouGov poll on vaccine safety perceptions was in the midst of being conducted when the Centers for Disease Control …

Jim Jordan Told to ‘Shut Your Mouth’ After Ranting Endlessly at Fauci  —  SPARE US  —  During a meeting of the House Coronavirus Crisis Subcommittee on Thursday, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) had to intervene in a shouting match between Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Dr. Anthony Fauci by telling Jordan to “shut your mouth.”

Introducing the 2021 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index  —  The Cook Political Report is pleased to introduce the post-2020 edition of the Partisan Voter Index (PVI) for all 50 states and 435 congressional districts.  Although these district boundaries won't be in place …

Tucker Carlson villainizes journalists on his top-rated show.  Then the threats pour in.  —  As the Fox host's popularity grows, he has found fodder in lesser-known media figures whom he presents as symbols of liberalism-run-amok.  —  Brandy Zadrozny, a reporter for NBC News who covers online extremism …

CDC Identifies Small Group of Covid-19 Infections Among Fully Vaccinated Patients  —  Incidence is rare, occurring in only 0.008% of cases and in line with expectations  —  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified a small cohort of approximately 5,800 cases …

Introducing Substack Local, for a new generation of local news  —  Today, we're announcing Substack Local, a US$1,000,000 initiative to foster and develop the local news ecosystem by helping independent writers build local news publications based on the subscription model.

J.D. Vance tells associates he plans to run for Senate in Ohio  —  J.D. Vance, venture capitalist and author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” has told friends and colleagues that he plans to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Axios has learned from multiple sources.

How the Justice Department came to investigate Rep. Matt Gaetz  —  The missive arrived at an Orlando-area preparatory school in October 2019, outlining a damaging allegation against a music teacher there.  —  The teacher, in the letter's telling, had had an inappropriate sexual relationship …

McCarthy and Biden haven't spoken since election  —  President Biden has phoned Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and hosted top GOP House and Senate committee leaders and rank-and-file Republicans at the White House.  —  But there's one key Republican Biden hasn't reached …

17 requests for backup in 78 minutes  —  A reconstruction shows how failures of planning and preparation left police at the Capitol severely disadvantaged on Jan. 6  —  At 1:13 p.m. on Jan. 6, a D.C. police commander facing a swelling crowd of protesters on the west side of the U.S. Capitol …

GOP uses threats hearing to air political, personal grievances  —  Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee used the panel's first public hearing in five years on the United States' most dire global threats to air a range of domestic grievances to intelligence and law enforcement leaders Thursday …

One Of The Cops Involved In Breonna Taylor's Death Just Got A Book Deal  —  Who better to tell the inside story of the tragedy than one of its perpetrators?  —  One of the cops who participated in the no-knock raid that resulted in Breonna Taylor's death last year just got a book deal.

'We Just Can't Do This Anymore'  —  Business owners who want to hire workers are finding it impossible to compete with the pandemic relief packages' enhanced unemployment payments.  —  4 hr ago  —  WATERVILLE, Ohio—On a typical pre-pandemic Monday morning, Dale's Diner would be buzzing.

A Union County basketball coach was shot and killed in Alamance County.  Deputies say he was in a shootout with the Sinaloa cartel  —  Barney Harris, the men's basketball coach at Union Academy, was killed in a shootout with a Mexican drug cartel in Alamance County, North Carolina, deputies said.

Christie to GOP Study Group: Call Biden Out as ‘a Liar’  —  Republicans are bloodied and beaten, and maybe just a little too bashful for their own good.  At least, so says Chris Christie.  —  Knocked back on their heels and forced to answer for every outrageous thing Donald Trump did …

Accused Capitol rioter planned an escape to Switzerland, prosecutors said.  Now he'll stay in jail.  —  When Jeffrey Sabol returned to his Colorado home after allegedly storming the U.S. Capitol and assaulting two police officers on Jan. 6, he fried his electronic devices in the microwave …

Kristen Clarke, Bigot and Liar  —  Having sworn to answer all questions truthfully, in an appearance Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division offered a series of answers that strained credulity and veered into outright falsehood.

U.S. could have 300 million extra vaccine doses by end of July, raising concerns about hoarding  —  The United States is on track to have gathered an oversupply of hundreds of millions of coronavirus vaccine doses as soon as July, even while many countries in the developing world …

Biden's poll numbers on the economy rival Trump's for the first time  —  A majority of Americans support President Joe Biden's handling of the economy, marking the first time his approval numbers have been on par with those enjoyed by Donald Trump in an area where the former president …

U.S. Retail Sales Surged in March on Stimulus, Vaccines  —  Government aid, eased business restrictions and warmer weather contribute to jump in spending  —  U.S. shoppers boosted retail spending by nearly 10% in March as federal-stimulus funds made their way to households …