Senate Democrats befuddled by Joe Manchin  —  Senate Democrats have been left confused and befuddled by Sen. Joe Manchin, and say they're trying to figure out what their West Virginia colleague is thinking with his most recent moves in bucking his party.  —  Especially perplexing …

Executive Order on Protecting Americans' Sensitive Data from Foreign Adversaries … By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)

Biden disliked Putin before it was cool  —  When President George W. Bush first met Vladimir Putin, he seemed smitten, describing the still-new Russian leader as “very straightforward and trustworthy,” even claiming he got “a sense of his soul.”  —  A certain Democratic senator from Delaware had a very different reaction.

Capito ‘frustrated,’ says White House ‘kept moving the goalposts’ on infrastructure  —  Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said Wednesday that she was “frustrated” that the White House “kept moving the goalposts on us” after infrastructure negotiations with the Biden administration fell apart Tuesday.

My Fellow Republicans, Stop Fearing This Dangerous and Diminished Man  —  Ms. Comstock, a Virginia Republican and a lawyer, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019.  —  When Donald Trump, the patron saint of sore losers, appeared at a Republican event on Saturday night …

Cicadas Took On Biden's Press Plane.  They Won.  —  The omnipresent insects filled the engines of a flight set to accompany the president on his trip to Europe, forcing a delay and a new plane and pilot to be called in.  —  WASHINGTON — The plane set to carry dozens of journalists to Europe …

Dog ejected from car during Sunday crash found on sheep farm, herding sheep  —  Tilly, the 2-year-old Border Collie who was ejected from a car Sunday during a crash, has been found.  —  He was found on a sheep farm, where he had apparently taken up the role of sheep herder.

Burning the midnight oil: Eric Adams' mysterious whereabouts off the campaign trail  —  Eric Adams announced he was living in Brooklyn Borough Hall to combat Covid last March.  Now it seems he may have never left.  —  The mayoral hopeful has been staying overnight and keeping late-night …

McAuliffe wins big in Virginia  —  McLEAN, Va. — Terry McAuliffe's comeback bid aced its first test Tuesday, as the former Virginia governor cruised to victory in the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary.  —  He easily defeated his two main rivals, former state Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy …

Democratic Rep. Val Demings announces challenge to GOP Sen. Marco Rubio … WASHINGTON — Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., made her Senate bid official Wednesday, announcing that she plans to challenge GOP Sen. Marco Rubio for his seat next year.  —  Demings made the announcement in a three-minute-long video …

Justice Department says it can ‘vigorously’ defend religious schools' exemption from anti-LGBTQ discrimination laws  —  The Justice Department in a court filing Tuesday said it can “vigorously” defend a religious exemption from federal civil rights law that allows federally funded religious schools …

Almost Overnight, Standards of Color-Blind Merit Tumble Across American Society  —  A broad revolution is underway in the United States as traditional standards used to measure achievement and provide opportunity are being rejected by schools, corporations, and governments in favor of quotas based on race and gender.

Record-High 47% in U.S. Think Abortion Is Morally Acceptable  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans are sharply divided in their abortion views, including on its morality, with an equal split between those who believe it is morally acceptable and those who say it is morally wrong.

In the U.S., hospitalizations are rising in areas with low vaccination rates.  —  Health officials worry that Covid-19 hospitalization rates could increase among the unvaccinated as variants of the virus spread.  —  The coronavirus might be receding in much of the United States …

An open letter on U.S. media coverage of Palestine  —  From journalists, to journalists: Why reporting on Palestine has to change.  —  Finding truth and holding the powerful to account are core principles of journalism.  —  Yet for decades, our news industry has abandoned those values in coverage of Israel and Palestine.

Trump is sabotaging the GOP's Senate prospects  —  The former president's growing involvement in primaries is jeopardizing Republican chances of winning back the majority.  —  Former President Trump could have been an important asset for the GOP, turning out voters as it seeks to regain control …

Bogus Social Media Outrage Is Making Authors Change Lines in Their Books Now  —  Elin Hilderbrand writes novels about people who summer in Nantucket and have lots of family secrets and complicated love lives.  The books—whose covers feature beach scenes with women in sun hats …

Russian Poet Dmitry Bykov Targeted by Navalny Poisoners  — In a December 2020 investigation, Bellingcat and its partners identified seven FSB officers who had tailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny on more than 35 trips around Russia since early 2017.

Biden quietly moves to start closing Guantánamo ahead of 20th anniversary of 9/11 … WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has quietly begun efforts to close the U.S. detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, using an under-the-radar approach to minimize political blowback …

Ari Berman and Nick Surgey win June Sidney for Exposing Secret Right-Wing Playbook on Voter Suppression  —  Ari Berman of Mother Jones and Nick Surgey of Documented win the June Sidney Award for exposing the conservative dark money campaign to suppress the vote.

How Far Are Republicans Willing to Go?  They're Already Gone.  —  Mr. Edsall contributes a weekly column from Washington, D.C. on politics, demographics and inequality.  —  Determined to enforce white political dominance in pivotal states like Georgia, Arizona, Texas and North Carolina …

The case for prosecuting Donald Trump  —  Saving American democracy for the long run requires a clear condemnation of the Trump presidency.  That means making clear that no one is above the law.  —  Norms in a democracy are only as good as our willingness to enforce them.

Losing a Friend over Politics  —  Although political disagreements are common, few Americans report having stopped talking to or being friends with someone because of their views about government or politics.  Only 15 percent of the public have ended a friendship over politics.

Three Democratic incumbents, one Republican ousted in Virginia House primaries  —  Four Virginia lawmakers who span the political spectrum lost their bids for reelection in Tuesday's primary, with another incumbents fighting for political survival.  —  Del. Lee Carter (D-Manassas) …

Trump backers lose big as Ciattarelli claims GOP nomination in N.J.  —  SOMERSET, N.J. — New Jersey Republicans looked past Donald Trump Tuesday, nominating a challenger to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy who once called the former president a “charlatan” and later acknowledged Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.