Joe Biden's credibility has been shredded in Afghanistan  —  But the fall of the country to the Taliban would also create a dilemma for China  —  If Donald Trump were presiding over the debacle in Afghanistan, the US foreign policy establishment would be loudly condemning the irresponsibility and immorality of American strategy.

4 teachers died of COVID within 24 hours in Broward County, Florida.  Schools there are defying Gov. DeSantis' ban on mask mandates.  — Four teachers from Broward County, Florida died from COVID-19 on Tuesday and Wednesday.  — One was a high school teacher while another taught elementary school.

Inside Fox News, DeSantis is ‘the future of the party.’ And he's taking advantage.  —  Emails show the Florida governor is in high demand on the network — and gets his way.  —  Updated Just now  —  Early in Florida's vaccine rollout, during a period marked by confusion and images of seniors …

Census data shows Maryland is now the East Coast's most diverse state, while D.C. is Whiter  —  Maryland, one of the two states in the country to flip from majority White to majority non-White over the last decade, is now the most diverse state on the East Coast, according to new data from the 2020 Census.

The Supreme Court won't block Indiana University's vaccine mandate.  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court allowed Indiana University on Thursday to require students to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.  —  Eight students had sued the university, saying the requirement violated …

Moderates Threaten Stalemate Over Budget Vote and Infrastructure  —  The letter from nine Democrats, enough to block passage, threatens their party's two-track plan to pass both a $3.5 trillion social policy budget blueprint and an infrastructure bill.  —  WASHINGTON — Nine moderate House …

New intel reports indicate fresh efforts by Russia to interfere in 2022 election  —  Washington (CNN)The Biden administration is receiving regular intelligence reports indicating Russian efforts to interfere in US elections are evolving and ongoing, current and former officials say, and in fact …

Colorado Republican official accused after voting system passwords are leaked to right-wing site  —  A bizarre security breach of a rural Colorado county's voting system has in a matter of days escalated into a criminal probe of the clerk's office, a ban on the county's existing election equipment …

Supreme Court Blocks Part of New York's Eviction Moratorium  —  The order applies only to a part of the law that bars the eviction of tenants who file a form saying they have suffered economic setbacks as result of the pandemic.  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked part …

Biden comes to Newsom's recall defense as White House mulls larger role  —  OAKLAND — President Joe Biden resoundingly endorsed Gov. Gavin Newsom against a looming recall vote on Thursday, telegraphing that the White House could come to Newsom's aid in the race's critical final weeks.

Can We Ever Look at Titian's Paintings the Same Way Again?  —  Great is what this art is, yet it raises doubts about whether any art, however “great,” can be considered exempt from moral scrutiny.  —  BOSTON — With its small supernova of a show, “Titian: Women, Myth & Power,” …

Greene waves off concerns of hospital overcrowding: 'We can't live forever'  —  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Thursday waved off concerns over hospitals exceeding capacity due to COVID-19, saying “we can't live forever.”  —  During an interview with right-wing network “Real America's Voice …

Texas children and children's hospitals are under siege from two viruses: RSV and COVID-19  —  More children are being treated in Texas hospitals for COVID-19 than ever before, and an unseasonable outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus is adding to the stress on children's hospitals.  —  Copy link

Four Senate Republicans wait on reelection bids as majority hangs in balance  —  Ron Johnson's got a piece of advice for Republicans who want him to run for reelection: Don't work with Democrats on “crap” like the bipartisan infrastructure bill.  —  “I'm dead serious.  This is not helpful.

This Tennessee Republican Nearly Died From COVID.  Now He's Fighting Masks.  —  State Rep. David Byrd needed a liver transplant after 55 days on a ventilator.  Now he's thanking the medical professionals who saved his life by battling mask and vaccine mandates.

Pearl River High School Quarantines 40% Of Students In First Week, District Going Virtual  —  An entire Mississippi school district is going virtual after Pearl River Central High School ordered 40% of its student body to quarantine after just one week of school.

Dean: Covid-19 will end mini-Trump's Florida career like it ended Trump's presidency  —  As Florida's Covid-19 caseload breaks the state's own all-time records, doctor and former governor Howard Dean appraises the troubled record of Florida Governor DeSantis, giving him an ‘F’ on substance.

GOP Strategist Arrested for Underage Sex Trafficking  —  The feds just arrested wealthy Republican strategist and frequent Fox News guest Anton Lazzaro on five counts of underage sex trafficking.  —  Anton Lazzaro, a young Republican strategist and former congressional campaign manager in Minnesota …

John Rizzo, CIA lawyer who approved torture program, dies at 73  —  John Rizzo, a self-described “company man” who worked as a CIA lawyer for more than three decades, laying the legal groundwork for proxy wars, drone strikes and the “enhanced interrogation” program, in which suspected terrorists …

Durham Probe of What Sparked Russia Investigation Examines FBI Tipsters  —  The special counsel is expected to submit a final report in the coming months  —  WASHINGTON—Special Counsel John Durham, appointed during the Trump administration to examine the origins of the FBI's 2016 Russia probe …

If You Skip the Vaccine, It Is My ‘Damn Business’  —  When asked if he had gotten a Covid-19 vaccine, Lamar Jackson, a quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, declined to answer.  “I feel it's a personal decision,” he said.  “I'm just going to keep my feelings to my family and myself.”

Scottish four-year-olds can change gender at school without parents' consent  —  New inclusivity guidelines say teachers should not question pupils but instead ask them for their new name and pronouns  —  Children as young as four will be able to change their name and gender at school without …

Judge Seals Report on Voting Machine Vulnerability  —  A judge in a Georgia election security lawsuit is working to tamp down voting machine conspiracy theories.  But sealing a court file could stoke the controversy even more.  —  It's the kind of report that could be weaponized by those looking …

Biden wants to rebuild quickly, but infrastructure bill may bulldoze underprivileged voices  —  Environmental justice advocates worry they will have less input on some roads, pipelines and other projects.  —  For months, President Biden vowed to put combating environmental racism at the core of his plan to fight climate change.

Rand Paul's wife bought shares in Covid treatment maker Gilead in early days of virus, the couple's only individual stock purchase in years  — Republican Sen. Rand Paul and his wife had not bought stock in an individual company in at least 10 years before Kelley Paul purchased shares of the drug company Gilead Sciences in early 2020.

When Therapists Become Activists  —  Mental health professionals are replacing evidence-driven therapeutics with political ideology.  —  Until roughly five years ago, people seeking mental health care could expect their therapists to keep politics out of the office.