In nation at war with itself, one town tries cup of civility  —  LOVETTSVILLE, Va. (AP) — When Maureen Donnelly Morris came from nearby Leesburg to open her café in Lovettsville, she got a warm welcome.  Neighbors rallied to her aid.  Divisions ripping at their town and their country were set aside.

When They Warn of Rare Disorders, These Prenatal Tests Are Usually Wrong  —  Some of the tests look for missing snippets of chromosomes.  For every 15 times they correctly find a problem ...  After a year of fertility treatments, Yael Geller was thrilled when she found out she was pregnant in November 2020.

The Plot Against American Democracy That Isn't Taught in Schools  —  In an excerpt from Gangsters of Capitalism, Jonathan Katz details how the authors of the Depression-era “Business Plot” aimed to take power away from FDR and stop his “socialist” New Deal  —  Smedley Butler knew a coup when he smelled one.

Every Day Is Jan. 6 Now  —  The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values.  It is separate from the newsroom.  —  One year after from the smoke and broken glass, the mock gallows and the very real bloodshed …

The left is already looking to 2024.  Some want to see a Biden primary challenge.  —  When Joe Biden first came into office, progressives said he could be the next FDR.  —  Now, as Biden's relationship with the left has come under strain, liberals are talking about treating …

Who Won in Afghanistan?  Private Contractors  —  The U.S. military spent $14 trillion during two decades of war; those who benefited range from major manufacturers to entrepreneurs  —  The U.S. lost its 20-year campaign to transform Afghanistan.  Many contractors won big.

Republicans aim to sow outrage, Trump-style, with an eye on 2022 midterms  —  Republicans embrace the culture war battles Trump waged, as a strategy for winning back control of the House and Senate  —  The debate was ostensibly over a stop-gap spending bill that would avert a government shutdown.

The top nine worst media moments of 2021  —  It was not a good year for the national press.  —  From the Chris Cuomo scandal to corporate journalists inventing stories about violent Border Patrol agents and Republican-led witch hunts, 2021 marked yet another lousy year in media credibility.

A Nation on Hold Wants to Speak With a Manager  —  In our anger-filled age, when people need to shop or travel or cope with mild disappointment they're “devolving into children.”  —  Nerves at the grocery store were already frayed, in the way of these things as the pandemic slouches toward its third year, when the customer arrived.

U.S. Military Focusing on ISIS Cell Behind Attack at Kabul Airport  —  The suicide bomber who killed nearly 200 people, including 13 U.S. troops, had been freed from prison by the Taliban days before the attack.  —  WASHINGTON — Four months after an Islamic State suicide bomber killed scores of people …

Efforts to Trump-proof presidential certification crash into congressional realities  —  The violent attack on the Capitol cost lives, threatened the transition of presidential power and forever changed the way Congress does its work.  One year later, we at POLITICO are looking back at those changes …

Alvin Bragg sworn in as Manhattan DA, taking over Trump case  —  NEW YORK — Alvin Bragg has already notched one historic first, taking office Saturday as Manhattan's first Black district attorney.  Now he's weighing another: whether to make Donald Trump the first former president ever charged with a crime.

First part of Texas' 2020 election audit reveals few issues, echoes findings from review processes already in place  —  An initial review of four counties' election results — launched after pressure from former President Donald Trump and touted by GOP leaders — showed few discrepancies between electronic …

With Omicron's Rise, Americans Brace for Returning to School and Work  —  The highly contagious variant has already contributed to flight cancellations and staffing shortages.  —  In two short weeks, as the year closed out, the Omicron variant drove coronavirus case counts to record levels …

Homicides soar in District, Maryland suburbs in 2021  —  The rise in killings largely attributed to gunfire reflects a national trend  —  Homicides in the District and in the Maryland suburbs soared in 2021 to levels not seen in more than a decade, largely driven by shootings and reflecting …