New York Times cites conservative legal pundit with history of smearing the competence of women jurists of color  —  The pundit, Ed Whelan, was also responsible for smearing Christine Blasey Ford by promoting a conspiracy theory that she mistook Brett Kavanaugh for a doppleganger

Pittsburgh bridge collapse injures 10 on day Biden to visit city to talk infrastructure  —  A Pittsburgh bridge collapsed early Friday, according to authorities, injuring 10 people just hours before President Biden was scheduled to visit the city to talk about infrastructure.

Justice touts achievements, tells haters to kiss Babydog's hiney in delayed State of the State address  —  NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED, QUALITY LOCAL JOURNALISM..  —  Gov. Jim Justice on Thursday used his second State of the State address as a victory lap for economic development and tourism in West Virginia …

Cyber Ninjas CEO participates in contentious deposition, says he's not ready to turn over audit records  —  Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan says he will not turn over records from the review of Maricopa County's 2020 election until he has a “clear” ruling he can appeal to the highest court.

Let Kids Take Their Masks Off After the Omicron Surge  —  Elissa Perkins, the director of infectious disease management in the emergency department of the Boston Medical Center, told me she spent most of 2020 “imploring everybody I could in every forum that I could to mask.”

‘America First’ MAGA Tough Guys Are Modern-Day Neville Chamberlains  —  MAGA elites are so obsessed with the culture war against the left that they're willing to turn a blind eye to a Russian invasion of a European democracy. … Donald Trump has conquered the GOP as a cult of personality …

NYC teen rapper charged with shooting NYPD cop walking free on bond  —  A 16-year-old, up-and-coming rapper charged with shooting an NYPD cop in the Bronx walked free on bond Thursday — and cops are fuming over it.  —  Camrin Williams, who is also known by the rap name C Blu …

This Senate Rule Could Stop Democrats From Confirming Biden's SCOTUS Nominee  —  With the Senate split 50-50, the provision of Rule 26 that saved Lindsey Graham in 2020 could now doom a similar Democratic effort in 2022.  —  With Justice Stephen Breyer officially announcing his retirement on Thursday …

Ukrainian official tells CNN Biden's call with Ukrainian President ‘did not go well’ but White House disputes account  —  (CNN)A call between US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday “did not go well,” a senior Ukrainian official told CNN, amid disagreements over the …

Scientists slam Joe Rogan's podcast episode with Jordan Peterson as ‘absurd’ and ‘dangerous’  —  (CNN)As podcaster Joe Rogan faces condemnation from medical scientists for spreading misinformation about vaccines and Covid-19, another interview by the controversial host this week has become …

A Chinese Satellite Just Grappled Another And Pulled It Out Of Orbit … A Chinese satellite was observed grabbing another satellite and pulling it out of its normal geosynchronous orbit and into a “super-graveyard drift orbit.”  The maneuver raises questions about the potential applications …

Harvard's Lawyers Should Demand Kavanaugh's Recusal  —  “What goes around comes around.”  —  These were the words of now Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh during the opening statement at his confirmation hearing.  In those unprecedentedly partisan and hostile remarks …

The Bidens finally have a White House cat.  World, meet Willow.  —  She's a gray-and-white tabby that the first lady met on the campaign trail in 2020.  She has ‘plenty of room to smell and explore’ in her new home.  —  The long-awaited White House cat has joined the Biden family — and her name is Willow.

The NYT's polarizing pandemic pundit  —  THE NIGHTLY READS ‘THE MORNING’ — With 5 million readers, David Leonhardt, the author of The New York Times “The Morning” newsletter, is arguably the most influential of the Covid influencers.  —  He has positioned himself as the pundit who punches holes …

The Ghosts of Kyiv and the Shadow of War  —  Reflections on the spirit of Ukraine's capital, as worries of a Russian invasion grow.  —  In the last years of his life, my father would frequently toast his friends with the phrase, “Glory to Ukraine!”  “Glory to the heroes!” their traditional reply went.

The real reason some people are so afraid of ‘Maus’  —  ‘Maus’ author reacts to his book being banned  —  David M. Perry is a journalist and historian and co-author of “The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe.”  He is a senior academic adviser in the history department of the University of Minnesota.

Declare Independence From COVID Partisanship  —  Competing COVID narratives are still costing lives and harming kids  —  One of the most important moments of my life was the day in 2016 when I divorced the Republican Party.  I didn't divorce conservatism.  I divorced the GOP.

Books, speeches, hats for sale: Post-presidency, the Trumps try to make money the pre-presidency way  —  Donald Trump's advisers sent a “breaking” alert a few weeks before Christmas to his political supporters, informing them of a new opportunity to show their “loyalty” through a book of photographs.

House committees are hearing from fewer witnesses.  That hurts public policy.  —  When members use hearings to grandstand, potential witnesses fear they will be used as targets.  —  Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives' Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress met, as you probably haven't heard.

Soros pours $125M into super PAC ahead of midterms  —  Billionaire mega-donor George Soros is seeding a super PAC with $125 million, an enormous investment that will aid Democratic groups and candidates for the 2022 election cycle and beyond.  —  The group, Democracy PAC …

3. Hungary's quiet Democratic lobby  —  The Hungarian government — known for its links to the Trump administration and conservative supporters — is quietly working with a powerhouse public affairs shop stacked with Democratic talent, Axios' Lachlan Markay has learned.