POLITICO Playbook: A new ‘Sputnik moment’  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  Reminder: HBO's “Succession” returns tonight for its third season.  —  A SIGN O' THE TIMES — Superman has long been known for championing “truth, justice and the American way.”  Now, DC Comics is changing that motto by cutting out the whole “American way” thing.

90 Seconds of Rage  —  The American flag became a blunt instrument in the bearded man's hands.  Wielding the flagpole like an ax, he swung once, twice, three times, to beat a police officer being dragged down the steps of a United States Capitol under siege.

‘More immediate, more visceral’ and a lot tougher on Eric Clapton: A plan for reviving Rolling Stone  —  Last Monday in Manhattan, outside the Fifth Avenue offices of Rolling Stone, dozens of young fans of the South Korean boy band P1Harmony swarmed the building, hoping to catch a glimpse of their idols.

Why the ‘Big Short’ Guys Think Bitcoin Is a Bubble  —  During the past year of COVID-induced market mania, cryptocurrencies have gone up so much — bitcoin is up about fivefold, while many other crypto projects are up far, far more — that even reluctant Wall Street institutions have begun to tiptoe into the arena.

Five times as many police officers have died from Covid-19 as from gunfire since start of pandemic  —  (CNN)Jessica Desfosses shared the final heartrending text messages she exchanged with her police officer husband in the days before he died from Covid-19.  —  “Commercial just came on tv …

'I'm So Stupid': MAGA Fan Who Attacked Officer Mike Fanone Called Himself A ‘Piece Of S**t’  —  Danny “D.J.” Rodriguez, who was arrested after he was identified in a HuffPost story, called himself a “f**king piece of s**t” during his interview with the FBI.  —  “I'm not smart.”  —  “I'm so stupid.”

Terry McAuliffe is misreading what matters to Virginia voters  —  Four years ago, Virginia Democrats nominated a slow-talking country-accented pediatrician named Ralph Northam who had been an anonymous lieutenant governor for Terry McAuliffe.  —  Unlike McAuliffe, he sounded and talked like a rural Virginian, so he seemed harmless.

Democrats Weigh Carbon Tax After Manchin Rejects Key Climate Provision  —  Faced with the likely demise of a central pillar of President Biden's agenda, the White House and outraged lawmakers are scrambling to find alternatives.  —  WASHINGTON — Some House and Senate Democrats …

Former NYT opinion editor Bari Weiss hits out at CNN's Brian Stelter after he suggested a controversial column by a Republican senator she published ‘endangered lives’  — Bari Weiss appeared on Brian Stelter's podcast on Thursday to discuss media  — Weiss resigned from The New York Times in July 2020 in protest at their stance

American Missionaries Kidnapped in Haiti, Officials Say  —  Up to 17 missionaries and their family members were taken by gangs in the capital as they were leaving an orphanage Saturday.  —  As many as 17 Christian missionaries from the United States and their family members …

Policies at southern border pushing migrants to take greater risks, advocates say  —  Migrants are pushing the boundaries and deaths are rising.  —  Ely Ortiz is used to receiving heartbreaking phone calls.  —  But Ortiz, the president of Aguilas del Desierto, or Desert Eagles …

Civil Liberties Are Being Trampled by Exploiting “Insurrection” Fears.  Congress's 1/6 Committee May Be the Worst Abuse Yet.  —  Following the 9/11 script, objections to government overreach in the name of 1/6 are demonized as sympathy for terrorists.  But government abuses pose the greater threat.

Facebook Says AI Can Enforce Its Rules, but the Company's Own Engineers Are Doubtful  —  AI has only minimal success in removing hate speech, violent images and other chronic problems from the platform, according to internal company reports  —  Facebook Inc. executives have long …

Is Biden Doing Enough to Protect Democracy?  —  As a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer in the early 2000s, I once received a call from a couple of Republican campaign operatives who said they had something to show me.  We met at their office in Washington, D.C., a few days later.

Bill Clinton released from Southern California hospital  —  ORANGE, Calif. (AP) — Bill Clinton was released Sunday from the Southern California hospital where he had been treated for an infection and will head home to New York to continue his recovery, a spokesman said.

J&J recipients should ‘feel good’ about booster recommendation: Fauci  —  Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared on ABC's “This Week” Sunday.  —  Recipients of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine should not be concerned about the shot's lower efficacy now that boosters have been recommended …

Hollywood Strike Averted As IATSE & AMPTP Reach Deal On New Film & TV Contract  —  EXCLUSIVE: With Hollywood on edge and picket signs at the ready, IATSE and the AMPTP have reached an agreement on a new film and TV contract, averting a threatened nationwide strike.