Why Biden's judges are different — and what that means for the Supreme Court  —  Public defenders and civil rights lawyers, often kept out of the judiciary, have been front and center in Biden's judicial picks.  —  Deputy Editor, Legal Affairs  —  President Joe Biden's judges are different.

Jaw-dropping gender gap in jobs  —  The super tight labor market pushed lots of men back to work in January, but women were held back by Omicron.  —  Driving the news: More than 1 million men surged into the job market last month, coming off the sidelines and either looking for a job or getting a job …

Republicans are frustrated by RNC move reopening party's January 6 divide ahead of midterms  —  Rep. Kinzinger says he fears a civil war, naive to think not possible  —  (CNN)Republicans felt they were finally united in their quest to take back the House and Senate — with the political winds …

Documents detail U.S. military's frustration with White House, diplomats over Afghanistan evacuation  —  Senior White House and State Department officials failed to grasp the Taliban's steady advance on Afghanistan's capital and resisted efforts by U.S. military leaders to prepare the evacuation …

‘Transparent hostage situation’: Chilling detail in photo of a smiling Peng Shuai 'is all you need to know about Peng Shuai's 'interviews"  —  Did you hear the news?  Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, who went missing for a while after accusing a ChiCom official of rape, has resurfaced at the Olympics …

Putin Says the West Is Goading Russia Into War With Ukraine—and Many Russians Agree  —  State propaganda is driving home Russian President Vladimir Putin's explanation of why he has massed troops near Ukraine  —  Like many Russians, graduate student Anastasia Bukhteyeva hopes …

Male economists are freaking out over a NYT profile  —  A handful of prominent male economists, including former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, are freaking out — mostly on Twitter — about a weekend New York Times profile of economist Stephanie Kelton, known for her work on Modern Monetary Theory, or MMT.

As states plan to lift school mask mandates, CDC remains vague on updating its guidance  —  (CNN)As many states see declines in their daily Covid-19 case numbers and hospitalization rates, some have moved forward with plans to lift a significant mitigation measure: mask mandates in schools.

Erik Prince Helped Raise Money for Conservative Spy Venture  —  New details reveal the ambitions of an operation intended to infiltrate opponents of Donald Trump, including moderate Republicans as well as progressives and Democrats.  —  WASHINGTON — During the summer of 2018, as Richard Seddon …

EXCLUSIVE FBI probes pre-Capitol riot meeting of far-right groups … The Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing a meeting in a downtown DC garage the day before the January 6 Capitol Hill riot between the then-leader of the Proud Boys extremist group, the now-indicted leader …

Spinner Hubcaps and Working to Death: Lessons From Jim Cooper's Career  —  An interview with the retiring Nashville congressman  —  Late last month, longtime U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Nashville) announced that he would retire rather than run again in a district dramatically altered by Republicans in charge of redistricting.

Fox News' Brian Kilmeade Slams Trump Over ‘Outright Lie’ About 2020 Election  —  Brian Kilmeade of Fox News blasted Donald Trump over his 2020 election claims Monday.  —  Kilmeade, speaking on his talk-radio show, said that the former president lied about Arizona's election audit.

Palin trial exposes the allure of ‘both sides’ journalism  —  When then-New York Times editorial page editor James Bennet revised the June 2017 editorial that prompted Sarah Palin's lawsuit now playing out in a Manhattan federal court, he had a specific goal in mind.

Prosecutors' witness list offers glimpse into Jan. 6 trial strategy  —  Prosecutors late Monday began laying out their trial strategy for Jan. 6 cases in the clearest detail yet, indicating they intend to call multiple Capitol Police officers, a former Senate aide, a member of the Three Percenters militia …

The New USPS Trucks Would Probably Be Illegal If They Weighed One Pound Less  —  Manufacturer Oshkosh Defense is exploiting a long-standing loophole that incentivizes bigger, heavier vehicles that can pollute more.  —  Aaron Gordon  —  The USPS has defended the purchase of up to 165,000 …

What's behind the right-wing book-ban frenzy?  Big money, and a long-term plan  —  The campaign to get LGBTQ-friendly books and authors of color off the shelves isn't “grassroots” or spontaneous  —  This illustration photo taken in Los Angeles, California on January 27 …

Republican Attorneys General Association accepts illegal contribution from RFK Jr's anti-vax group  —  The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) accepted an illegal $50,000 contribution from Children's Health Defense, a leading purveyor of anti-vaccine propaganda run by Robert F. Kennedy Jr …

Roger Goodell should resign and appoint a black person as NFL commissioner  —  Over the weekend, Roger Goodell lamented the lack of black men hired as head coaches in the NFL.  It caused him to send out a memo bemoaning the issue.  Moreover, Goodell inexplicably stated …

Trump calls for DirectTV boycott if they remove OAN  —  Former President Trump is urging his followers to boycott DirecTV over the company's plans to drop One American News Network (OAN), a conservative cable channel favored by the former commander in chief.

How Manchin used politics to protect his family coal company  —  As governor, Joe Manchin supported an unusual detail in a clean energy bill that was moving through the West Virginia Legislature in 2009.  —  The provision classified waste coal as an alternative energy.

RIP, Jeff Zucker's Masterful Morning Show  —  A week ago, Jeff Zucker, CNN's president and someone I worked with for 4 ½ years, resigned after admitting to a relationship with his top deputy and stirred up a media firestorm.  —  The dissection of ethics and timelines, conspiracy and hagiography, shows no sign of letting up.

House Oversight chair pledges to ‘fully investigate’ Trump's record keeping  —  Good morning, Early Birds.  The composer John Williams of “Star Wars,” “Jaws” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” fame turns 90 today.  Send tips, praise, complaints and secret recordings of White House meetings to earlytips@washpost.com.

Inspector General Opens Investigation Into U.S. Capitol Police Following Allegations Of Spying On Members Of Congress, Staff  —  The IG is trying to determine if the Capitol Police have been illegally spying on members of Congress, their staff, or visitors to their offices.

Top Georgia Democrats build financial edge over Republicans  —  Georgia Democrats have built an enormous fundraising advantage over their Republican rivals in the state's marquee political races.  —  In just two months, Democrat Stacey Abrams amassed $9.2 million, outdoing both Gov. Brian Kemp …

‘Stop the Steal’ Organizer Scored Big Payout at Curious Time  —  Ali Alexander received a major payout to his old consulting firm right when he was subpoenaed.  —  One week after congressional investigators subpoenaed Jan. 6 organizer Ali Alexander, a dormant super PAC sent thousands of dollars to his old consulting firm.