Trump played tough with Putin when cameras were around, but a new book details his insecurities  —  Little is known about what happened in the 90-minute conversation between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Osaka, Japan, two years ago.

Republicans aim their fire at the military  —  Perhaps nothing Republican lawmakers do anymore should come as a surprise, but their treatment of Gen. Mark A. Milley on Tuesday opened a new front in the war against civilized norms.  —  Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee …

Biden opposes changing Senate rules to raise debt limit  —  The White House said Tuesday that President Joe Biden opposes changing the filibuster to suspend or raise the debt ceiling, closing off a break-the-glass option to avoid financial calamity.  —  White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed …

N.C. hospital system fires about 175 workers in one of the largest-ever mass terminations due to a vaccine mandate  —  A North Carolina-based hospital system announced Monday that roughly 175 unvaccinated employees were fired for failing to comply with the organization's mandatory coronavirus …

Youngkin caught saying he ‘can remove’ Virginia vaccine requirement ‘on Day One’  —  In an exclusive video, Republican Virginia gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin said he could eliminate the state's COVID-19 safety measures for state employees if elected.  —  The Republican candidate …

131 Federal Judges Broke the Law by Hearing Cases Where They Had a Financial Interest  —  The judges failed to recuse themselves from 685 lawsuits from 2010 to 2018 involving firms in which they or their family held shares, a Wall Street Journal investigation found

Woman Accused of Starting Fawn Fire Was Attempting To Boil Bear Urine to Drink  —  SHASTA COUNTY (CBS SF) — According to court documents, the Bay Area woman accused of starting the Fawn Fire in Shasta County last week was attempting to boil bear urine so she could drink it when she allegedly set off the destructive blaze.

51% Of Texas Voters Say Abbott Doesn't Deserve To Be Reelected, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; President Biden's Approval Numbers Head South  — mail_outline  —  As Governor Greg Abbott faces reelection in 2022, a slight majority of voters say 51 - 42 percent that he does not deserve …

‘No major incidents of illegal activity’: DHS told Pentagon as pro-Trump mob breached Capitol  —  On Jan. 6, more than 30 minutes after the first attackers breached barricades erected to protect the Capitol, the Department of Homeland Security sent an incongruous update to the Pentagon.

NY Times' cluelessness is wrecking journalism  —  I know, I know, you're probably sick of “anniversary journalism,” but it must be noted that this week marked the 32nd anniversary of Billy Joel's last big hit, the unforgettable “We Didn't Start the Fire.”  I'm thinking there's plenty of material …

Facebook's Effort to Attract Preteens Goes Beyond Instagram Kids, Documents Show  —  It has investigated how to engage young users in response to competition from Snapchat, TikTok; ‘Exploring playdates as a growth lever’  —  Facebook Inc. has come under increasing fire in recent days …

What Went Wrong with Conservatism?  —  Two important pieces of the puzzle: mindless anti-leftism and hackish popularizers.  —  Conservatism in its postwar incarnation was, for the most part, a coalition of ideologies.  Chances are you know them by heart: the anti-Soviet hawks, the free marketeers, and the traditionalists.

Eleven Madison Park Explores the Plant Kingdom's Uncanny Valley  —  Now vegan, Daniel Humm's acclaimed restaurant does strange things to vegetables.  —  8 PhotosView Slide Show  —  ›  —  Daniel Krieger for The New York Times … When you make a reservation at an independently …

The Trailer: The endless audit: Where Republicans go next after Arizona's ballot review confirmed Biden's win  —  In this edition: The end of the Arizona ballot review, deja vu in Virginia and three words that some Republicans are no longer scared to say.  —  Try to live every day like it's National Voter Registration Day.

The feared eviction ‘tsunami’ has not yet happened.  Experts are conflicted on why.  —  Eviction filings have fallen or remained flat in many areas after the moratorium was struck down.  —  When the Supreme Court decided to strike down a federal ban on evictions in August …

Texas court orders release of more than 200 migrants imprisoned in Gov. Greg Abbott's border security clampdown  —  The men were arrested by state troopers and held for weeks without facing formal charges, a violation of state law.  It's the latest misfire in Abbott's hastily assembled effort to involve Texas in patrolling the border.

Dianne Feinstein to return to D.C. following husband's hospitalization  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Dianne Feinstein was absent from the Senate for a week due to her husband's hospitalization, but the California Democrat is returning to Washington in the midst of a tumultuous legislative session.

Unpacking Sexism and White Privilege in Pursuit of Racial Justice: A Workshop  —  As we strive toward racial justice, there's an opportunity for people who identify as white women to examine how they have navigated sexism and misogyny and internalized white superiority.

Bad Apple  —  Judd Legum, Tesnim Zekeria, and Rebecca Crosby  —  Apple does not want the public to think of the company only as a profit-obsessed manufacturer of iPhones, AirPods, and MacBooks.  Rather, Apple would like to be viewed as a responsible corporate citizen that understands the urgency of action on climate change.