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.

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

Pass the damn infrastructure bill, dammit  —  Then pass the reconciliation bill, then pass another bill...  I am annoyed at the way Democrats are handling the two spending bills now moving through Congress.  When the bipartisan infrastructure deal passed the Senate, I assumed it was a done deal …

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 …

‘Speed equals safety’: Inside the Pentagon's controversial decision to leave Bagram early  —  On a rainy day in early May, weeks after President Joe Biden announced the U.S. exit from Afghanistan, senior leaders from across the government gathered in the basement of the Pentagon …

Deadline Looming, Thousands of Health Care Workers in New York Get Vaccinated  —  Though many hospital and nursing home employees remain unvaccinated, officials say worst-case staffing shortages seem less likely.  —  When New York State officials issued a sweeping coronavirus vaccine mandate …

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 …

Schumer to try to get deal to bypass filibuster on debt hike  —  Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Tuesday that he will try to bypass the legislative filibuster on increasing the country's borrowing limit — a move expected to be blocked by Republicans.

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 …

Milley: Beijing's fears of U.S. attack prompted call to Chinese general  —  “My task at that time was to de-escalate,” Gen. Mark Milley told senators on Tuesday.  —  Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley arrives before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

The U.S. Military Said It Was an ISIS Safe House.  We Found an Afghan Family Home.  —  Even as the military apologized for killing 10 civilians by mistake in a drone strike in Kabul, it insisted its target had stopped by an ISIS “safe house.”  The New York Times found that the building …

Marine officer who blasted leaders over Afghanistan withdrawal now in the brig  —  “All our son did is ask the questions that everybody was asking themselves, but they were too scared to speak out loud.”  —  Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, the Marine officer whose meteoric rise to internet fandom began …

Restaurant Review: Eleven Madison Park's Vegan Menu  —  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 reviewed restaurant through …

KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: September 2021  —  , Mellisha Stokes , and Mollyann Brodie … Key Findings  — As the U.S. continues to grapple with the “third wave” of the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor finds that more than seven in ten U.S. adults (72%) …

Kyrie Irving wants to leave a legacy.  With his stance on vaccination, he just might.  —  Kyrie Irving is too smart for you.  He's so smart, he can outwit germs and governments.  He's so smart, you can't understand a word he's saying.  That's how smart he is.

She Was Walking Home: How Sarah Everard's Murder Revealed Feminism's Fault Lines  —  The disappearance and murder of a young British woman, whose killer will be sentenced this week, unleashed a torrent of anger—and exposed deep rifts in feminist approaches to criminal justice.

‘Mad Dash’: Trump's demand for a Texas ‘audit’ caught Gov. Abbott off guard  —  Donald Trump's letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott demanding he pursue an “audit” of the 2020 election set off a “mad dash” in the governor's office as aides sought to figure out just how serious the former president was …

The Age of Progressive Misinformation  —  The vicious lie that mounted border agents whipped Haitians is only the latest entry in progressives' vast trove of propaganda.  —  How does a stupid and ridiculous lie come to be embraced and promulgated by top officials of the United States government?

The ‘comfort the comfortable’ coalition  —  Last Wednesday, I saw a friend walking his dog in the late morning on Capitol Hill, attired in shorts and flip-flops.  “Nice suit,” he said to me as we crossed paths.  “Yep,” I said.  “Busy week at work.”  He laughed.  “I am at work now.”

Trump's spiteful support for Abrams over Kemp sparks midterms fear from Georgia Republicans  —  (CNN)Donald Trump is escalating his fight against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, and state Republicans fear it will give Democrats a stronger foothold in the key swing state as next year's midterm elections loom.

As Trump hints at 2024 comeback, democracy advocates fear a ‘worst-case scenario’ for the country  —  A year before the 2020 election, about two dozen constitutional scholars and democracy advocates traveled to Washington to work through a range of scenarios where something goes awry on Election Day.

Axios-Ipsos poll: Biden trust takes a blow as COVID lingers  —  For the first time in his presidency, Joe Biden faces a trust deficit among Americans when it comes to COVID-19, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.  —  Why it matters: The latest findings point to malaise more than fear.

‘A dangerous man’: Warren opposes reappointment of Fed's Powell  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday said she opposes a second term for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling him a “dangerous man” because of the financial regulations that have been loosened during his tenure.

Memo to Centrists: The Planet is Melting  —  A radical group of centrists is wasting our best - and maybe last - chance to save the planet from climate change  —  In the final days before the 2010 midterm elections, Barack Obama was in Charlottesville, Virginia campaigning for an almost certainly doomed member of Congress.

Pinker's progress: the celebrity scientist at the centre of the culture wars  —  How the Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker became one of the world's most contentious thinkers  —  n a recent afternoon, Steven Pinker, the cognitive psychologist and bestselling author of upbeat books about human progress …