With Trump's backing, Walker freezes Senate GOP field in Georgia  —  (CNN)Former President Donald Trump's backing of football great Herschel Walker to run for the Georgia Senate seat has been enough to effectively freeze the GOP field in place — even though some Republicans privately worry …

GOP Counters Biden With $568 Billion Infrastructure Plan  — Plan focuses more on roads, opposes corporate tax hikes  — Electric vehicles, unspent money targeted to pay for plan  —  Senior Senate Republicans offered a $568 billion counter to President Joe Biden's $2.25 trillion jobs package Thursday …

We should soon stop catering to the vaccine holdouts  —  When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced a “pause” in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because of a tiny number of instances in which women developed blood clots after getting the shot, many recoiled in horror.

Russia announces end to massive troop buildup near Ukraine  —  Russia's defense minister said Thursday that massive military exercises near the border with Ukraine had been completed, and that he had ordered troops to return to their permanent bases by May 1, according to state media.

America scrambles for restaurant workers  —  Vaccinations keep climbing, and restaurants are ready to roar back this summer.  But eateries from Miami to Martha's Vineyard to Los Angeles are facing the same problem: not enough workers.  —  The big picture: Millions of restaurants are hiring all at once and …

‘No opportunity’ to de-escalate: Use-of-force experts say Columbus officer obeyed training in shooting Ma'Khia Bryant  —  An Ohio criminal-justice professor who studies the fatal use of force by law-enforcement officers didn't hesitate to render an opinion after watching body-camera video …

Do We Still Need to Keep Wearing Masks Outdoors?  —  Science shows that the risk of viral transmission outside is very low.  The “two-out-of-three rule” can help you decide whether to mask up.  —  As more people get vaccinated and spring weather and sunshine beckon us outdoors …

Investigation suppressed by Trump administration reveals obstacles to hurricane aid for Puerto Rico  —  A watchdog report uncovers bureaucratic hurdles the Trump administration erected for the struggling island to receive aid after Hurricanes Irma and Maria  —  The Trump administration put …

Biden Will Seek Tax Increase on Rich to Fund Child Care and Education  —  The president's American Family Plan, which remains in flux, does not currently include an effort to expand health coverage, as administration officials had previously planned.  —  WASHINGTON — The next phase …

Liz Cheney vs. MAGA  —  The Wyoming congresswoman challenged Republicans to turn away from Trump after Jan. 6.  Instead, they turned on her.  —  The regular conference meetings of the Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives, held most weeks behind closed doors in the Capitol Visitor Center …

Pentagon investigated suspected Russian directed-energy attacks on U.S. troops  —  The Pentagon has briefed top lawmakers on intelligence surrounding suspected directed-energy attacks against U.S. troops, and officials identified Russia as a likely culprit, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The Postal Service is 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, according to a document obtained by Yahoo News.

Arizona Senator Mark Kelly's Commitment to Keep SCOTUS at Nine Justices, Even if Roe Is Overturned  —  In the Capitol on Tuesday, I asked Arizona senator Mark Kelly about Massachusetts senator Ed Markey's bill to increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court from nine to thirteen.

Biden Eyeing Capital Gains Tax as High as 43.4% for Wealthy  — People earning $1 million would pay 39.6% plus Obamacare levy  — Total tax rates for New Yorkers, Californians could top 50%  —  President Joe Biden will propose almost doubling the capital gains tax rate for wealthy individuals …

RNC chair McDaniel floated possible Michigan governor run  —  Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told party officials Wednesday that she's considered stepping down from her post to challenge Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2022.  —  McDaniel's remarks came during …

Biden's USPS nominees face confirmation hearing as Democrats consider paths to oust DeJoy  —  Even if all three are confirmed, giving Democrats an edge on the governing board, it remains to be seen whether the majority would be in sync when it comes to the postmaster general

“Hindsight Is 20/20”: An Internal Report Shows How Facebook Failed To Prevent The “Stop The Steal” Movement  —  Last month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in front of a House of Representatives committee that his company had done its part “to secure the integrity of the election.”

Activists dump ‘bulls—’ at White House ahead of Biden climate summit  —  Climate activists on Thursday morning dumped wheelbarrows full of manure at the White House, ahead of President Joe Biden's climate summit with more than 40 world leaders.  —  The activists, affiliated …

Checking in on Biden's Approval Rating as Hundred Days' Mark Nears  —  Steady on average, but individual pollsters vary greatly  —  KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE  — Joe Biden's approval rating has been steady and positive, though many other presidents had better early numbers.

Black Democrats urge party to shift its voting rights push  —  Democrats have spent months touting an expansive proposal that would reshape U.S. elections.  But with the bill's Senate prospects growing more dire, key members of the Congressional Black Caucus are pushing to narrow their strategy.

U.S. Marshals Used Drones to Spy on Black Lives Matter Protests in Washington, D.C. … The U.S. Marshals Service flew unmanned drones over Washington, D.C., in response to last summer's Black Lives Matter protests, documents obtained by The Intercept via the Freedom of Information Act show.

World leaders brace for historic Trump Facebook ban decision  —  The upcoming decision from Facebook's independent Oversight Board on whether to uphold or reverse Facebook's indefinite suspension of former President Trump's profiles has policymakers on edge.

Welcome to Popping Tins  —  This is a newsletter about tinned seafood; in its inaugural issue, Bela-Olhão Lightly Smoked Sardines in Olive Oil are reviewed.  —  5 hr ago  —  Long written off in the United States as a food of grim necessity when not actively reviled …

Sexual Assault Allegations Against Biographer Halt Shipping of His Roth Book  —  W.W. Norton, citing the accusations that the author, Blake Bailey, faces, said it would stop shipping and promoting his new best-selling book.  —  Earlier this month, the biographer Blake Bailey was approaching …

Senate passes anti-Asian hate crimes bill  —  The Senate voted 94-1 on Thursday to pass legislation that aims to improve anti-Asian hate crime tracking and identification.  —  Why it matters: It's a rare bipartisan endorsement of a bill by the 50-50 Senate, and comes in the wake of a spike of anti-Asian hate crimes over the last year.

Pelosi offers equal subpoena power, even partisan split on Jan. 6 commission  —  Talks for the commission had stalled after disagreements over its makeup.  —  US Capitol riots: Tracking the insurrection  —  On Jan. 6, rioters coming from a pro-Trump rally broke into the U.S. Capitol …

GOP Stands Up to ‘Cancel Culture’ by Criminalizing Dissent  —  In January, Ron DeSantis argued that combating the repression of political speech was “the most important legislative issue” of 2021.  —  During an appearance at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the Florida governor delivered …

WA Dept of Health lets providers deny vaccines to white people for equity  —  The Washington State Department of Health lets providers deny vaccines to white people in a race-exclusionary system they claim creates equity and removes barriers.  It does neither.

A Troubled Rule of Law  —  The pervasive sense that cities would burn if Derek Chauvin were not convicted raises questions about whether the jury's verdict was reached dispassionately.  —  Public safety  —  Politics and law  —  The Social Order  —  America's cities did not burn last night.