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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

Peter Thiel to Exit Meta's Board to Support Trump-Aligned Candidates  —  The tech billionaire, who has been on the board of the company formerly known as Facebook since 2005, is backing numerous politicians in the midterm elections.  —  Peter Thiel, one of the longest-serving board members of Meta …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Biden's top science adviser, Eric Lander, resigns amid reports of bullying  —  President Joe Biden's top science adviser, Eric Lander, resigned on Monday evening following reports of his bullying and mistreatment of subordinates.  —  The resignation came despite initial insistence …

Sidney Powell, ‘Kraken’ Lawyers Ask Appeals Court to Reverse ‘Intemperate’ Sanctions Order: We're Not ‘Overwrought, Dangerous Lunatics’  —  Indignant about what they describe as their portrayals as “overwrought, dangerous lunatics,” attorney Sidney Powell and her fellow “Kraken” …

‘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.

Requiem for a Liberal Giant  —  There's an indelible scene in Todd Gitlin's 1987 book “The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage,” in which he and other leaders of Students for a Democratic Society — the leading organization of what was called the New Left — meet with old guard democratic socialists from the journal Dissent.

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 …