Scoop: Manchin's red lines  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has told the White House the child tax credit must include a firm work requirement and family income cap in the $60,000 range, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.  —  Why it matters: While Manchin's demands would dramatically weaken …

GOP senator smacks Trump  —  Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told “Axios on HBO” he's not sure former President Donald Trump would win the Republican nomination if he ran in 2024 — a rare voice of criticism from within the party.  — When I raised the conventional wisdom that Trump would be expected …

WATCH: Christopher Steele Breaks Silence in ABC Interview, Says the Trump Pee Tape ‘Probably’ Exists  —  Former British spy Christopher Steele defended the contents of his Donald Trump dossier in his first major TV interview since his bombshell allegations came to light years ago.

At Axel Springer, Politico's New Owner, Allegations of Sex, Lies and a Secret Payment  —  A high-flying German media giant is ahead on digital media but seems stuck in the past when it comes to the workplace and deal-making.  —  A high-level editor at the powerful German tabloid Bild …

As a Woman Was Raped, Train Riders Failed to Intervene, Police Say  —  The SEPTA train car near Philadelphia had several passengers aboard but none called 911 while the woman was sexually assaulted, the authorities said.  —  As a woman was being raped while on a train near Philadelphia on Wednesday night …

As Manchin Blocks Climate Plan, His State Can't Hold Back Floods  —  As the senator thwarts Democrats' major push to reduce warming, new data shows West Virginia is more exposed to worsening floods than anywhere else in the country.  —  FARMINGTON, W.Va. — In Senator Joe Manchin's hometown …

Major League Baseball to require teams to provide housing for minor league players starting in 2022, sources say  —  Amid mounting pressure from players and advocacy groups, Major League Baseball will require teams to provide housing for minor league players starting in 2022, sources told ESPN.

Virginia GOP candidate Glenn Youngkin forced to boot white nationalist supporter from campaign event  —  As Youngkin takes fire for welcoming extremists, a white nationalist supporter causes a scene for the GOP hopeful  —  MANASSAS, Virginia — A routine campaign stop for Virginia gubernatorial …

The incredible, disappearing — incompetent — Team Biden  —  Last week was another bad one for the continually disappearing Biden administration.  —  As Americans took to social media to post pictures of bare Dunkin' Donuts shelves, sold-out milk at big-box stores and other signs of an America in trouble …

Last Chance to Save American Democracy  —  Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, has indicated that he plans to schedule a vote for Wednesday to open debate on a new voting rights bill, the Freedom to Vote Act.  —  The bill would set national standards for early voting, expand voting by mail …

As Japan's yakuza mob weakens, former gangsters struggle to find a role outside crime  —  KITAKYUSHU, Japan — Noodle chef Takashi Nakamoto moves so deftly as he boils, strains and arranges his signature plates of udon that it's easy to overlook the brutal reminder of his former life: his missing left pinkie.

Eric Adams Once Led Sexist Smear Campaign Against a Whistleblower Cop  —  In 1991, Adams portrayed Officer Lizette Lebron as the “scorned lover” of another cop and displayed a picture of her in a bathing suit after she exposed a cheating scandal.  The mayoral frontrunner now expresses …

Allison Williams is leaving ESPN over COVID-19 vaccine mandate, says “I am so morally and ethically not aligned with this.” … Disney, ESPN's parent company, is one of many large corporations requiring all employees to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, which has led to more than 722,000 deaths in the United States.

Metro suspends more than half of its rail cars after investigation uncovers safety problems  —  An NTSB investigation revealed that multiple 7000-series train car axles are out of compliance with manufacturer specifications  —  Metro on Sunday night pulled more than half of its rail cars …

How a lie becomes respectable, step by cowardly step  —  How does a lie become respectable?  —  Bit by bit, step by step, cowardly dodge by cowardly dodge.  —  Case in point: The Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., inviting Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty (Tenn.) …

Washington Hears Echoes of the '50s and Worries: Is This a Cold War With China?  —  Incursions into Taiwan's air zone, a space launch and what looked like a prisoner swap raise a question that is about more than just semantics.  It could signal a dangerous new mind-set.

Thousands protest in El Salvador against Bukele government  —  Thousands of people in El Salvador took to the streets on Sunday to air a range of complaints against President Nayib Bukele, from adopting bitcoin as legal tender to firing Supreme Court judges, viewed by critics as a power grab.

Robert Gates on Afghanistan, his disagreements with President Biden and polarization in the U.S.  —  Robert Gates, the only secretary of defense to serve under presidents from two different parties, offers Anderson Cooper his unique perspective on the threats facing the United States at home and abroad.

It's official: Biden's performance is hurting Democrats' electoral prospects  —  The recent drop in support for President Biden and his administration has imperiled Democratic gubernatorial candidates in Virginia and New Jersey, according to recent polling conducted by our firm, Schoen-Cooperman Research.

Corporate America has a censorship problem  —  Tripwire Interactive CEO John Gibson just became another casualty of cancel culture, which threatens tremendous harm to our civil society and the American way of life.  —  Gibson's sin?  Expressing support for the Supreme Court's decision …