San Jose mass shooting: Ex-girlfriend of suspect Samuel Cassidy alleged rape and violent, alcohol-fueled ‘mood swings’  —  The Valley Transportation Authority employee suspected of fatally shooting eight coworkers Wednesday morning before turning the gun on himself had been accused of raping …

Statement by President Joe Biden on the Investigation into the Origins of COVID-19 … Back in early 2020, when COVID-19 emerged, I called for the CDC to get access to China to learn about the virus so we could fight it more effectively.  The failure to get our inspectors on the ground …

Associated Press tells staff it made mistakes in firing of Emily Wilder  —  The news service is facing criticism and internal dissent for terminating a junior staffer based on her social media activity.  —  Senior managers at the Associated Press admitted fault on Wednesday in the firing …

Pa. GOP lawmaker Doug Mastriano says he left the Capitol area before the riot.  New videos say otherwise.  —  Ever since photos showed State Sen. Doug Mastriano at the Jan. 6 rally in Washington that devolved into the deadly Capitol riot, the Franklin County Republican has said he did not cross police lines …

Son, ghostwriter of late senator say Trump intervened to stop probe of Patriots' Spygate scandal  —  IN THE SPRING of 2008, the NFL was in crisis.  A hard-charging United States senator from Pennsylvania named Arlen Specter had launched an investigation into the Spygate scandal.

Biden is said to be planning to nominate Burns and Garcetti for ambassadorships.  —  President Biden plans to announce that he has selected R. Nicholas Burns, a veteran Foreign Service officer and a former ambassador to NATO, as his ambassador to China, and Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles …

Hunter Biden brought VP Joe to dinner with shady business partners  —  Joe Biden met with Ukrainian, Russian and Kazakhstani business associates of his son's at a dinner in Washington, DC, while he was vice president, records on Hunter Biden's abandoned laptop show.

85% Of Republicans Want Candidates To Agree With Trump, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Americans Support Early Cut To Federal Jobless Benefit  — mail_outline  —  As candidates begin to enter races for the 2022 mid-term elections, more than 8 in 10 Republicans (85 percent) …

Prosecutors investigating Trump tell witness to prepare for grand jury testimony  —  (CNN)Manhattan prosecutors pursuing a criminal case against former President Donald Trump, his company and its executives have told at least one witness to prepare for grand jury testimony …

Top Wisconsin Republican Robin Vos hires former cops to investigate November election  —  MADISON - Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is hiring retired police officers to investigate aspects of the November election, joining with Republicans from around the country who have questioned President Joe Biden's victory.

Why QAnon is disappearing from online view  —  Specific language about the QAnon conspiracy theory has all but disappeared from mainstream public social media platforms, new research concludes.  —  Driving the news: Researchers from the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensics Lab found …

Karine Jean-Pierre becomes second Black woman behind White House briefing podium  —  Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday sought to downplay the historic nature of her leading the White House's daily press briefing, saying the Biden administration has embarked on a broad effort to ensure representation.

U.S. Faces Outbreak of Anti-Semitic Threats and Violence  —  In the wake of clashes in Israel and Gaza, synagogues have been vandalized and Jews have been threatened and attacked.  —  A brick shattering a window of a kosher pizzeria on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

A Culture of Fear at the Firm That Manages Bill Gates's Fortune  —  At least four employees at the firm, Cascade Investment, complained to Mr. Gates about Michael Larson, his longtime money manager.  —  For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment …

Ohio's Vaccine Lottery Is Working, Writes Gov. Mike DeWine  —  Mr. DeWine is the governor of Ohio.  He recently created a lottery for vaccinated Ohioans.  —  At the pandemic's start, all governors faced a question: How do you make decisions without a road map?

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter announces resignation  —  Attorney General Mike Hunter announced his resignation on Wednesday, less than a week after filing for divorce from his wife, Cheryl.  —  The Oklahoman submitted questions to Hunter on Tuesday night about an extramarital affair …

Juan Williams Is Suddenly Out at Fox News' ‘The Five’—And Insiders Are Blaming Co-Host Greg Gutfeld  —  Multiple sources familiar with the matter said Gutfeld said a major driver behind Williams' departure was Gutfeld's desire for “The Five” to return to the studio.

Oil Giants Are Dealt Major Defeats on Climate-Change as Pressures Intensify  —  Shell and Exxon lose landmark decisions on the same day, demonstrating growing threats to fossil-fuel companies from activists and investors  —  Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC suffered significant defeats Wednesday …

Immunity to the Coronavirus May Persist for Years, Scientists Find  —  Important immune cells survive in the bone marrow of people who were infected with the virus or were inoculated against it, new research suggests.  —  Immunity to the coronavirus lasts at least a year, possibly a lifetime …

The Republicans Want You to Pay Amazon's Infrastructure Tab  —  By asking everyone other than corporations to pay for new infrastructure, Republicans have handed Democrats the perfect issue for '22  —  As President Biden and Republicans engage in negotiations over a possible infrastructure deal …

An Elementary School Teacher's Secret Life As A White Nationalist Writer  —  Benjamin Welton uses pen names to write racist articles.  He's also a teacher, PhD student, and freelance writer for major media outlets.  Now he's been exposed.  —  In 2017, a writer named Sinclair Jenkins published …

Howard University renames College of Fine Arts after alum, actor Chadwick Boseman  —  Howard University is renaming its College of Fine Arts after one of its most acclaimed alums: actor Chadwick Boseman.  —  On Wednesday, Howard renamed its performing and visual arts school after the …

The Texas Winter Storm And Power Outages Killed Hundreds More People Than The State Says  —  The true number of people killed by the disastrous winter storm and power outages that devastated Texas in February is likely four or five times what the state has acknowledged so far.

Newly Released OLC Memo Shows Staff Lawyers Found No Basis For Obstruction Charges In Mueller Report  —  The long-awaited, though partial, release of a memorandum from the Justice Department this week left many “frustrated,” as predicted by the Washington Post, in Washington.  The reason is what it did not contain.

A New C.D.C. Story  —  We have the latest chapter on the C.D.C.'s description of outdoor Covid risks.  —  This morning, I am going to tell you another story about the C.D.C. and its approach to Covid-19 behavioral guidelines.  It's a story that highlights the costs of extreme caution.

AZ GOPers Target Dem SoS Hobbs—And Hobbs Only—In Mad Dash To Rewrite Election Rules  —  Arizona Republicans are looking to put an end to the state's top election official's ability to defend election laws in court.  Recently added language to the state's budget package …

Justice Department Wants Casino Mogul Steve Wynn to Register as Foreign Lobbyist  —  Prosecutors are preparing to sue Mr. Wynn, citing his 2017 push to get the U.S. to expel a Chinese businessman, people familiar with the matter say  —  WASHINGTON—The Justice Department has told casino mogul Steve Wynn …

New Poll: Americans Aren't Willing to Pay for the ‘Green New Deal’—And It's Not Even Close  —  Americans largely agree that climate change and pollution are real problems.  But a new poll reveals that they aren't interested in shelling out massive amounts from their wallets in pursuit of progressive …

Capital One Arena just knocked down the final wall between gambling and U.S. pro sports  —  Having waited three years for the first-of-its-kind occasion, Ted Leonsis has just one regret about this week's opening of a 20,000-square-foot sportsbook inside Capital One Arena.  He wishes it were bigger.