Two False Narratives About the Capitol Riot  —  As the Jan. 6 committee meets, politics drowns out the actual story.  —  By The Editorial Board  —  The House inquiry on the events of Jan. 6 held its opening hearing Tuesday, and it showed why no Republican should try to brush aside the ugliness of the Capitol riot.

Behind the Masks, a Mystery: How Often Do the Vaccinated Spread the Virus?  —  The C.D.C.'s new masking advice was based in part on unpublished data showing that the virus can thrive in the airways of vaccinated people.  —  The recommendation that vaccinated people in some parts …

GOP lawmaker challenges McCarthy over ‘bulls—’ mask mandate enforcement  —  Rep. Chip Roy confronted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday about a new Capitol Police bulletin that suggests congressional staffers and visitors could be arrested if they fail to heed the chamber's new mask mandate.

In an America of ‘suicide shifts’ and toxic work culture, Simone Biles speaks for all of us  —  There has never been a more fraught time to be mid-air than 2021.  I'm thinking, of course, about what aviation officials are calling an “off the charts,” roughly seven-fold increase in so-called …

How the Head of the N.R.A. and His Wife Secretly Shipped Their Elephant Trophies Home  —  The couple had their names removed from the shipment, and placed an order for the animals' feet to be turned into “stools,” an “umbrella stand,” and a “trash can.”  —  In the early fall of 2013 …

Schumer says he has votes for moving $3.5 trillion package  —  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that all 50 Democrats will vote to move forward on the party's $3.5 trillion social spending proposal.  —  Schumer's remarks come after the Senate took the first step to advance …

Defrocked cardinal Theodore McCarrick charged with sexually assaulting teenager in 1970s  —  Defrocked former cardinal Theodore McCarrick was charged Wednesday with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy during a wedding reception at Wellesley College in the 1970s, making him the highest-ranking …

The MyPillow Guy Really Could Destroy Democracy  —  When you contemplate the end of democracy in America, what kind of person do you think will bring it about?  Maybe you picture a sinister billionaire in a bespoke suit, slipping brown envelopes to politicians.

The Democratic Establishment Is Going All Out To Beat Nina Turner  —  And the left is desperate to get her over the finish line in Ohio's special primary election.  —  Moderate Democratic groups, donors and even some Republicans are flooding Ohio's 11th Congressional District with millions …

Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney Over ‘Black Widow’ Streaming Release  —  Star alleges simultaneous release of the latest Marvel movie in theaters and on Disney+ service was a breach of contract  —  Black Widow has a new enemy: the Walt Disney Co.  —  Scarlett Johansson, star of the latest Marvel movie …

At doggie daycare, a pandemic puppy spends his first day without mom and dad  —  After more than four months of interrupting mom's Zoom calls, pulling dad around the block and napping in earshot of his two-legged parents, Pluto was buckled up in the back seat of a car en route to his first solo adventure.

Trump supporters going door to door in Pennsylvania demanding to know which candidate voters backed  —  Donald Trump supporters calling themselves an “election integrity committee” are going door to door in Pennsylvania and demanding to know whom residents voted for in the November election.

Biden's planned vaccine rule meets resistance from large groups of federal workers  —  Groups representing law enforcement, postal workers and IRS managers issue statements raising concerns about a government mandate  —  President Biden's expected announcement of a vaccine mandate …

Pass ‘Manchin Plus’ voting and election protection with or without Republicans  —  I implore my former Republican colleagues to step forward.  If they don't, Manchin and other Democrats must override the filibuster to save democracy.  —  American democracy is at a critical juncture.

D.C. reinstates indoor mask mandate as virus cases rise  —  The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free.  For more free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter where all stories are free to read.

Meet the Corporations That Went Back on Their Word Not to Support the Sedition Caucus  —  They promised not to support Republicans who voted not to certify the election results.  And then they changed their minds and hoped Americans wouldn't notice.  —  Following the January 6 insurrection …

Ravages of COVID surge evident inside Missouri hospital  —  OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (AP) — Daryl Barker was passionately against a COVID-19 vaccination, and so were his relatives.  Then 10 of them got sick and Barker, at just 31, ended up in a Missouri intensive care unit fighting for his life.

‘Comically Minimal Ego-Stroking’: Inside The Bumble Takedown Of A Violent Capitol Rioter  —  Andrew Taake was arrested for pepper-spraying and attacking police officers with a whip at the U.S. Capitol.  Here's how a Bumble dating app user reeled him in.  —  Six months ago, on a cold Wednesday night …

With eviction moratorium expiring Saturday, Biden calls on Congress to act  —  The administration is arguing its hands are tied by the Supreme Court.  —  The Biden administration on Thursday called on Congress to extend a federal freeze on evictions set to expire on Saturday, arguing its hands are tied by the Supreme Court.

Gavin Newsom Has Reason To Worry  —  It's official: For only the fourth time in U.S. history, a state will hold an election on whether to recall its governor midterm.  The long-expected gubernatorial recall election in California is set for Sept. 14, and 46 candidates (not including the governor himself …

David French and the Conservative Case for Hereditary Bloodguilt  —  A prominent “Never Trumper” argues that the sins of the fathers must be visited upon the sons.  —  In early 2019, I published a short book that, gingerly, argued that the inevitable end-point of leftist arguments …

Harris's bad polls trigger Democratic worries  —  Vice President Harris has some ground to make up in order to be perceived more favorably by the public, a complicating factor for the Biden administration as it maps out its midterm strategy.  —  Six months into office …

Trump's diminished power is showing at a very bad time  —  Scott Farkas's downfall came when his facade of dangerous invincibility crumbled.  —  You remember Scott Farkas.  He was the bully in the movie “A Christmas Story,” who terrorized the protagonist and his friends as they walked to and from school.

The January 6 Select Committee Must Remove David Buckley as Staff Director  —  Media Contacts: Danielle Brian, Executive Director at the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), [email protected]; or Caitlin MacNeal, Director of Communications at POGO, [email protected]

New NPR Ethics Policy: It's OK For Journalists To Demonstrate (Sometimes)  —  NPR rolled out a substantial update to its ethics policy earlier this month, expressly stating that journalists may participate in activities that advocate for “the freedom and dignity of human beings” on both social media and in real life.

GOP Could Retake the House in 2022 Just by Gerrymandering Four Southern States  —  Before Georgia voted for Joe Biden, the biggest upset in recent state politics came when Democrat Lucy McBath became the first Black person to represent Newt Gingrich's former congressional district.