Texas Republicans finalize bill that would enact stiff new voting restrictions and make it easier to overturn election results  —  The Texas legislature on Saturday moved closer to enacting dozens of new restrictions on the voting process, as Republican lawmakers reached a deal that imposes …

The way Sen. Kyrsten Sinema helped to kill the Jan. 6 commission  —  Opinion: Sinema can't say she supports legislation vital to Americans but refuse to do what needs to be done to pass it.  —  Make no mistake, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema helped to kill the bill that would have created a commission …

What is critical race theory, and why do Republicans want to ban it in schools?  —  The latest front in the culture wars over how U.S. students should learn history and civics is the concept of critical race theory, an intellectual tool set for examining systemic racism.

Justice Breyer's new warning for Democrats couldn't have come at a worse time  —  American democracy is in crisis.  Breyer thinks now's the time to scold his fellow liberals.  —  Justice Stephen Breyer — a Bill Clinton appointee who has served on the Supreme Court since 1994 …

'Looks like she's 19': Uproar after Biden's remarks about girl at Virginia military base  —  At ease, Joe.  —  President Joe Biden raised eyebrows — and a few alarms — Friday when he lavishly complimented a little girl on her appearance during remarks at a Virginia military base.

Democrats plot Medicaid expansion backdoor in red states refusing program  —  Democratic lawmakers are rallying around an effort to extend health insurance in states that have refused to expand Medicaid, believing they have a limited window to help millions who've been unable to get coverage …

Biden is getting a big bounce with Hispanics  —  (CNN)Hispanic voters were one of President Joe Biden's biggest weaknesses in the 2020 election.  Although sources differ on his exact margin, Biden's advantage with Hispanics was the worst for a Democratic presidential nominee since 2004 …

Conflicting studies on the origins of COVID-19  —  Dalgleish and Sorensen's explosive claims have been a matter of controversy since they first put forward their hypothesis last summer, and the scientific community is still split over the likely origins of the virus.

Rioters blame their actions on 2020 election misinformation  —  PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Falsehoods about the election helped bring insurrectionists to the Capitol on Jan. 6, and now some who are facing criminal charges for their actions during the riot hope their gullibility might save them or at least engender some sympathy.

The Tragic, Disturbing Case of Ronald Greene's Death  —  Louisiana state police troop's videotaped brutality threatens to stir up a new George Floyd-style backlash.  —  NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLE  —  W  —  ho needs Black Lives Matter when you've got F Troop?  —  No, this is no '60s comedy.

Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus's brutal president  —  The arrest of activist Roman Protasevich is the latest move in the pugnacious leader's attempt to reassert his authority  —  One night in April 1995, Siarhiej Navumchyk found himself held by his arms and legs, while four masked men used …

How we'll memorialize COVID  —  A pandemic that has killed 3.5 million people globally — and perhaps far more — is beginning to be publicly memorialized.  —  Why it matters: COVID-19 is a global pandemic, but the experience of it has been fractured by where people live, their race …

Bill Maher slams ‘liberal media’ in Israel-Gaza conflict, backs country's right to defend itself  —  Real Time host Bill Maher defended Israel on his show and criticized the “liberal media” for its “one-sided” reporting of the Israel-Gaza conflict.  —  “We've become this country now that we're kind …

Biden received funds from top Russia lobbyist before Nord Stream 2 giveaway  —  President Biden and his allies raked in campaign cash from a top Russia lobbyist in 2020, just months before his administration's decision to scrap sanctions on a controversial firm building a Russian oil pipeline to Germany.

Covid-19 Shot Can Be a Job Requirement  —  Updated guidance from EEOC notes some exceptions; incentives are allowed  —  U.S. employers could require all workers physically entering a workplace to be vaccinated against Covid-19, the federal government said Friday.

Iran-backed militias turn to drone attacks, alarming U.S. forces in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD — U.S. military officials in Iraq have grown increasingly alarmed over attacks by Iran-backed militias using drones to evade detection systems around military bases and diplomatic facilities.

Removing The Bedrock Of Liberalism  —  What the “Critical Race Theory” debate is really about.  —  23 hr ago  —  As the origins of our current moral panic about “white supremacy” become more widely debated, we have an obvious problem: how to define the term “Critical Race Theory.”

Transgender ideology versus the truth business  —  The word police are out in full force.  —  The latest offensive word to trigger an online mob and a groveling corporate apology is “male.”  —  Chelsea Mitchell, a college track star, wrote an op-ed in USA Today about how male runners competing …

Fox News Intensifies Its Pro-Trump Politics as Dissenters Depart  —  Donna Brazile, a Democratic analyst, has left the Murdoch-owned network as some hosts and journalists who questioned Donald Trump have exited or been sidelined.  —  Fox News once devoted its 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. time slots to relatively straightforward newscasts.

Latest economic data show red states crushing blue states — and here's why  —  The good news is our economic recovery from the pandemic is finally underway.  The bad news is that it's going a lot slower in blue states than red states — thanks to foolish big-government policies.

Do deficits matter anymore?  Biden's first budget signals they don't.  —  The president's budget predicts a $1.8 trillion deficit for 2022 and deficits of $1.3 trillion for years to come to fund big investments in education, infrastructure and the social safety net.