Mark Zuckerberg and His Girlfriend Got the World’s Sweetest Puppy

If you define “the American people” as your own noisy base, then the lies they spew online represent a mandate.

2:25 p.m.

infrastructure week

5 Reasons Biden Got His Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal

By Eric Levitz

Mitch McConnell is poised to hand the president a big win. Here’s why.

1:51 p.m.

tokyo olympics

Athletes Aren’t The Ones Injecting the Politics Into This Olympics

By Will Leitch

While most Americans are happy to marvel at the athletic achievements, a small minority of bad-faith blowhards are rooting against Team USA.

Most Popular

1:07 p.m.

Congress Considers Emergency Eviction Moratorium As CDC Authority Lapses

Biden dithered about his legal authority to keep evictions frozen, and now the deadline is here — though some states are acting on their own.

1:00 p.m.

sports!

The Best Things We’ve Seen at the Olympics So Far

By Claire Lampen and Mia Mercado

A swim coach horny for gold, teens shredding the skateboarding category, and more.

11:44 a.m.

covid-19

CDC Internal Report: Delta As Contagious As Chickenpox

By Paola Rosa-Aquino

The report, based on unpublished data, says that while infections in vaccinated people are rare, they may be just as contagious as the unvaccinated.

10:26 a.m.

An unsurprising development

Donald Trump promised to give away his $400,000 presidential salary. And he kept that promise, publicly announcing each gift — at least, for his first three and a half years in office.

Then, in the middle of last year, the announcements stopped.

Trump’s White House never said where — or even if — he donated the last $220,000 of his salary, covering the final six months of 2020 and the first 20 days of 2021.

Now, six months after he left office, it’s not clear where Trump donated that remaining salary — or if he donated it at all.

Trump had given all his previous donations to federal agencies, paying out $100,000 every quarter. But The Washington Post surveyed all major federal agencies, and none has reported receiving anything from Trump after a gift in July 2020.

Did Trump follow his pledge to donate the last 6 months of his presidential pay? It’s a mystery.

—Washington Post

8:00 a.m.

tokyo olympics

The One Limit Simone Biles Wouldn’t Break

By Ryu Spaeth

How the sports world’s obsession with mental toughness hurts athletes.

7:00 a.m.

the system

Why Joe Biden’s Racial Justice Agenda Is Stalled

By Zak Cheney-Rice

He faces resistance from moderate Democrats. But he’s also tied his own hands.

GOP Reps Flail Against House Mask Mandate by Barging Into the Senate

delta variant

By Matt Stieb

Productive behavior just before the August recess.

Anti-Abortion Movement Lets the Mask Slip in Plea to Supreme Court

abortion

It may be time for those who really want to ban all abortions to stop pretending they’re just worried about late-term instances or clinic regulations.

What’s in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal?

By Nia Prater

Here’s how the $1.2 trillion package, which just cleared its first Senate hurdle, will fund roads, bridges, water cleanup, and broadband internet.

What Other Deadly Things Will Ron DeSantis Joke About?

By Sarah Jones

Florida’s governor used COVID as an icebreaker at a conservative conference. Here are some alternatives.

Universal Face-Mask Mandates Are Back. Here’s What to Know.

covid-19

By Chas Danner

Amid the Delta wave, the CDC is once again recommending indoor mask mandates, including in all schools. But the debate remains politically fraught.

$100 For a Covid Shot in New York? It’s Worked Well Elsewhere

the jab

By Valeria Ricciulli

The new incentive comes as Delta-variant cases are ramping up.

Why the Arizona Election-Audit Circus Just Won’t End

explainer

A guide to how votes from Maricopa County were subjected to a sloppy recount, why it’s still dragging on, and what its proponents are really after.

7/29/2021

Biden says he can’t unilaterally extend the eviction moratorium, though some Democrats have urged him to do so

President Biden on Thursday called on Congress to act “without delay” to extend a national eviction moratorium that is set to expire Saturday. The White House said Biden is not able to act on his own because of a Supreme Court ruling.

In a statement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would have “strongly supported” a move by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to again extend a moratorium that began nearly 11 months ago in response to the pandemic, particularly given the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus.

“Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has made clear that this option is no longer available,” Psaki said, referring to a court ruling from last month.

That order allowed the moratorium could remain in place for another month. But Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, who supplied the controlling vote, said that in his view congressional action would be needed to extend it beyond Saturday.

Biden urges Congress to extend eviction moratorium, saying his hands are tied by Supreme Court ruling

—Washington Post

What About a Booster Shot Now?

covid-19

By Paola Rosa-Aquino

With Delta circulating, the question of whether more shots are needed has taken on new urgency. Here’s what we know.

Vaccine Mandates Are for the Public Good

pandemic

By Sarah Jones

If you’re a frontline worker, vaccination is a moral obligation.

JuVaughn Harrison: The Long-jumper Who Can Also High-jump

tokyo olympics

By David Gendelman

Harrison will be the first American since Jim Thorpe in 1912 to attempt the high-jump-and-long-jump double at the Olympics.

7/28/2021

A Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Moves Forward in the Senate

There may trouble down the road with centrist Dems complaining about the bill’s size, but a motion to advance it to a final debate passed 67 to 32.

7/28/2021

Why Republicans Want to Keep Punishing Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger

The pair are already pariahs, and ignoring Pelosi’s January 6 panel would be easier. But Republicans still want payback, and leverage over McCarthy.

7/28/2021

Cuomo: “new variants are cause for concern.” But also:

Gov. Cuomo says “everyone has to be back to the office,” sets Labor Day goal:

“Remote working for a short period of time, fine, but that’s not how the entrepreneurial economy works… Say to your workforce, ‘By Labor Day, everyone is back in the office.’”

—@dahvnyc

7/28/2021