G.O.P. Anti-Protester Bills Include Immunity for Hitting Them With Cars  —  As the nation reacts to the guilty verdict a jury handed to Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd, Republican-led states are introducing punitive new measures governing protests.

Columbus Police Shoot And Kill Black, Teenage Girl  —  A 16-year-old Black girl was fatally shot by an officer outside of her home after she called the police for help on Tuesday afternoon, according to her family.  —  The girl has been identified as Ma'Khia Bryant by her aunt, Hazel Bryant.

Scoop: Chris Christie friends believe he's running in 2024  —  Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is seriously considering running for president in 2024, three people familiar with his thinking tell Axios.  —  Driving the news: While Christie isn't saying anything publicly about his thinking …

The Postal Service is running a running a ‘covert operations program’ that monitors Americans' social media posts  —  The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service has been quietly running a program that tracks and collects Americans' social media posts, including those about planned protests …

Biden Administration Moves to Unwind Trump Auto-Emissions Policy  —  The U.S. will end its fight with California, setting the stage for stricter regulations  —  WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is moving to end a legal battle with California over the state's authority …

Welcome to the YOLO Economy  —  Burned out and flush with savings, some workers are quitting stable jobs in search of postpandemic adventure.  —  Something strange is happening to the exhausted, type-A millennial workers of America.  After a year spent hunched over their MacBooks …

Manhattan to Stop Prosecuting Prostitution, Part of Nationwide Shift  —  The district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., moved to dismiss thousands of cases dating back decades, amid a growing movement to change the criminal justice system's approach to prostitution.

Foxconn mostly abandons $10 billion Wisconsin project touted by Trump  —  Taiwan electronics manufacturer Foxconn is drastically scaling back a planned $10 billion factory in Wisconsin, confirming its retreat from a project that former U.S. President Donald Trump once called “the eighth wonder of the world.”

Open Letter: A Call-In To The Portland Protest Community  —  In response to ongoing behavior seen as detrimental to Black Liberation, Black protesters have drafted a letter addressing the larger Portland Protest Community, so that our values and observations are clear to all.

How Josh Hawley and Marjorie Taylor Greene Juiced Their Fundraising Numbers  —  Politicians get the veneer of grassroots support, while shadowy consultants get rich. … Two of the leading Republican firebrands in Congress touted big fundraising hauls as a show of grassroots support …

Iran Nuclear Deal Talks Advance as U.S. Offers Sanctions Relief  —  Biden administration signals openness to easing measures against oil, finance and other sectors, but Tehran wants to see specifics  —  The Biden administration has signaled it is open to easing sanctions against critical elements …

Biden's associate attorney general nominee Vanita Gupta confirmed after GOP senator breaks ranks  —  (CNN)The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Vanita Gupta to be associate attorney general in a narrow 51-49 vote after Sen. Lisa Murkowski joined with Democrats in support of President Joe Biden's Justice Department nominee.

After half a century in public life, Kerry gets one more shot  —  John F. Kerry was on a 757 government plane in November 2016, en route to Antarctica to observe scientists studying the impact of climate change, when he learned that Donald Trump would be the next president.

‘It is much worse this time’: India's devastating second wave … Every night funeral pyres blaze on the banks of the Ganges, a grim symbol of the ferocious Covid-19 wave sparking a health crisis and human tragedy in India that is far surpassing anything seen last year.

Fox News Thinks Tucker Carlson Is Still Good for Business  —  Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive officer of the Anti-Defamation League, asked advertisers gathered Tuesday for Global Marketer Week to press Fox Corp. to fire its resident flamethrower and ratings-magnet, Tucker Carlson.

California's coronavirus case rate now the lowest in the continental U.S.  —  California's coronavirus case rate is now the lowest in the continental U.S., an achievement that reflects months of hard-won progress against the pandemic in the aftermath of the state's devastating fall-and-winter surge.

Leon Cooperman to Skip Warren's ‘Self-Serving’ Tax Hearing  — Billionaire investor calls Senator's invitation ‘disingenuous’  — He agrees rich must pay higher tax rate than the middle class  —  Leon Cooperman declined an invitation from Senator Elizabeth Warren to testify at a tax hearing.

Andrew Giuliani to meet with Trump as he preps NY gubernatorial bid  —  (CNN)Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and a former public liaison official inside the Trump White House, will meet with the former President at Mar-a-Lago next week as he finalizes …

New Docs Show Matt Gaetz Campaign in Full Damage-Control Mode  —  Rep. Matt Gaetz's campaign is spending money on lawyers, a TV ad blitz, direct mail, and donations to local Florida Republicans.  —  As Rep. Matt Gaetz combats allegations that he was involved in a sex ring …

Mike Pence's publisher refuses to cancel memoir after staff protest  —  Simon & Schuster president Jonathan Karp says seven-figure book deal will go ahead, after open letter from employees accuses publisher of being ‘on the wrong side of justice’  —  Simon & Schuster has said it will not pull …

Lofgren: Capitol officer being investigated for directions to pursue only ‘anti-Trump’ protesters on Jan. 6  —  An investigation found an officer's radio transmission to “all outside units' attention” that they should not be “looking for any pro-Trump in the crowd,” according to Lofgren.

Introducing Pawprints  —  A newsletter from @nycsouthpaw, an internet lawyer dog  —  Thank you for finding your way here.  —  Over the years, a surprising number of you have written me very kind notes asking for a newsletter or a blog, hoping in some cases to keep up with what I'm doing …

America's Middle East Allies Are Free Riders No More  —  Wary of U.S. intentions and ambivalence, an alliance of like-minded regimes is striking out on its own  —  Hisham Melhem is a columnist for Annahar Al Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon.  —  For 75 years, the peoples of the Middle East watched …