After each long day of working on the United States’ pandemic response, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert power-walks through his Northwest Washington neighborhood with his wife and their daughter’s dog.Recently, Anthony S. Fauci’s nightly jaunts through the neighborhood where he has lived since 1977 have taken him past at least a dozen signs bearing his name — tokens of appreciation for his staid service on the White House task force.“I have been, for so long, a quiet, inconspicuous person in my neighborhood, and now there are signs up telling me that they love me,” Fauci marveled...…After each long day of working on the United States’ pandemic response, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert power-walks through his Northwest Washington neighborhood with his wife and their daughter’s dog.Recently, Anthony S. Fauci’s nightly jaunts through the neighborhood where he has lived since 1977 have taken him past at least a dozen signs bearing his name — tokens of appreciation for his staid service on the White House task force.“I have been, for so long, a quiet, inconspicuous person in my neighborhood, and now there are signs up telling me that they love me,” Fauci marveled...WW…

WILL THE stonewalling over the U.S. Park Police ever end?It has been nearly three years since a pair of officers shot Ghaisar, a young accountant, after a fender bender and a low-speed pursuit in the Virginia suburbs. He was unarmed and posed no plausible threat; the police opened fire after he had stopped three times, then pulled away, as they ran at him with guns drawn. He died 10 days later.That was November 2017. Yet there has been no public accounting from any official source to explain why the police carried out what amounted to an execution. This week, Sens. Charles E. Grassley...…WILL THE stonewalling over the U.S. Park Police ever end?It has been nearly three years since a pair of officers shot Ghaisar, a young accountant, after a fender bender and a low-speed pursuit in the Virginia suburbs. He was unarmed and posed no plausible threat; the police opened fire after he had stopped three times, then pulled away, as they ran at him with guns drawn. He died 10 days later.That was November 2017. Yet there has been no public accounting from any official source to explain why the police carried out what amounted to an execution. This week, Sens. Charles E. Grassley...WW…

James Kirchick is a visiting fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution and author of “”President Trump’s decision to U.S. troops from Germany has prompted a surfeit of lamentation from foreign policy elites. Yet most of the commentaries overlook an important factor: the opinion of the German people themselves.According to released this week, 47 percent of Germans support reducing the number of U.S. soldiers on their territory. One in 4 are happy to say auf Wiedersehen to them all. Only 28 percent believe the figure should stay the same. And a measly...…James Kirchick is a visiting fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution and author of “”President Trump’s decision to U.S. troops from Germany has prompted a surfeit of lamentation from foreign policy elites. Yet most of the commentaries overlook an important factor: the opinion of the German people themselves.According to released this week, 47 percent of Germans support reducing the number of U.S. soldiers on their territory. One in 4 are happy to say auf Wiedersehen to them all. Only 28 percent believe the figure should stay the same. And a measly...WW…

John Capron’s mother died when he was 7, and he spent eight years moving from one foster home to the next in the greater Boston area.Capron had a difficult time connecting with his new foster families, he said. He finally walked away from his last foster home, spent some time living on the streets and ended up at a sanctuary for homeless teens, where he fell in love — with music.When a counselor showed Capron how to play the song by Journey on the center’s upright piano, “something just clicked,” he said.For the first time, said Capron, he felt he had found purpose. Although he couldn’t...…John Capron’s mother died when he was 7, and he spent eight years moving from one foster home to the next in the greater Boston area.Capron had a difficult time connecting with his new foster families, he said. He finally walked away from his last foster home, spent some time living on the streets and ended up at a sanctuary for homeless teens, where he fell in love — with music.When a counselor showed Capron how to play the song by Journey on the center’s upright piano, “something just clicked,” he said.For the first time, said Capron, he felt he had found purpose. Although he couldn’t...WW…

Whatever you thought of Walter Mondale, his 1984 running-mate selection of Geraldine Ferraro was a big deal. “By choosing an American woman to run for our nation’s second-highest office, you send a powerful signal to all Americans,” Ferraro said in her speech at the Democrats’ nominating convention that July. “There are no doors we cannot unlock . . . If we can do this, we can do anything.”Mondale lost in 49 states.Lately I’ve been slipping into an alternate-history fantasy in which Mondale won. It would mean that we’d already sent this powerful signal, opened this door, accomplished this...…Whatever you thought of Walter Mondale, his 1984 running-mate selection of Geraldine Ferraro was a big deal. “By choosing an American woman to run for our nation’s second-highest office, you send a powerful signal to all Americans,” Ferraro said in her speech at the Democrats’ nominating convention that July. “There are no doors we cannot unlock . . . If we can do this, we can do anything.”Mondale lost in 49 states.Lately I’ve been slipping into an alternate-history fantasy in which Mondale won. It would mean that we’d already sent this powerful signal, opened this door, accomplished this...WW…

Former deputy attorney general Sally Yates as definitive an account as you are going to get regarding former national security adviser Michael Flynn, the Russia investigation and the politicization of the Justice Department during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Republicans have been so immersed in a false account of events and in conspiracy-mongering for a failed president that they seemed startled when Yates again and again.Yates’s testimony boiled down to seven points: 1) The Trump transition team was not being surveilled, nor was Flynn. While she could not...…Former deputy attorney general Sally Yates as definitive an account as you are going to get regarding former national security adviser Michael Flynn, the Russia investigation and the politicization of the Justice Department during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Republicans have been so immersed in a false account of events and in conspiracy-mongering for a failed president that they seemed startled when Yates again and again.Yates’s testimony boiled down to seven points: 1) The Trump transition team was not being surveilled, nor was Flynn. While she could not...WW…

Listen for free Add to a podcast app Get episodes via email Sign up Play on a smart speaker Amazon Echo Enable the Flash Briefing in the or search for "The Washington Post" in the Skill section of your Alexa app. Then ask, "Alexa, what's my Flash Briefing?" or "Alexa, what's the news?" Google Home Send Post Reports to your or say, "Okay Google, play the news from Post Reports." Listen for free Add to a podcast app Get episodes via email Sign up Play on a smart speaker Amazon Echo Enable the Flash Briefing in the or search for "The Washington Post" in the Skill section of your Alexa app....…Listen for free Add to a podcast app Get episodes via email Sign up Play on a smart speaker Amazon Echo Enable the Flash Briefing in the or search for "The Washington Post" in the Skill section of your Alexa app. Then ask, "Alexa, what's my Flash Briefing?" or "Alexa, what's the news?" Google Home Send Post Reports to your or say, "Okay Google, play the news from Post Reports." Listen for free Add to a podcast app Get episodes via email Sign up Play on a smart speaker Amazon Echo Enable the Flash Briefing in the or search for "The Washington Post" in the Skill section of your Alexa app....WW…

Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, represents Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate. Carroll Fife is the director of the Oakland office of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.The nation is facing an accelerating housing crisis. Too had no stable housing before the pandemic hit, and covid-19 has made the problem even worse. Renters who were already facing an (with many spending more than half of their income on rent) now have no federal rental assistance or federal protection from eviction. Homeowners have left of foreclosure protection. And more than 30 million people receiving...…Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, represents Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate. Carroll Fife is the director of the Oakland office of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.The nation is facing an accelerating housing crisis. Too had no stable housing before the pandemic hit, and covid-19 has made the problem even worse. Renters who were already facing an (with many spending more than half of their income on rent) now have no federal rental assistance or federal protection from eviction. Homeowners have left of foreclosure protection. And more than 30 million people receiving...WW…

President Trump issued two executive orders late Thursday against China-based TikTok and messaging app WeChat, citing national security concerns in a sweeping order that could prevent the companies from doing most business in the United States.The orders take effect in 45 days and prohibit any U.S. company or person from transacting with ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, or WeChat. While the nature of the banned transactions are not specific, it may mean the companies would not be able to appear on Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store in the United States. It also could make...…President Trump issued two executive orders late Thursday against China-based TikTok and messaging app WeChat, citing national security concerns in a sweeping order that could prevent the companies from doing most business in the United States.The orders take effect in 45 days and prohibit any U.S. company or person from transacting with ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, or WeChat. While the nature of the banned transactions are not specific, it may mean the companies would not be able to appear on Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store in the United States. It also could make...WW…

A military equipment supplier that has been accused of fraudulently misrepresenting its size in order to benefit from privileges associated with being a small business has received a Paycheck Protection Program small business loan worth at least $2 million, public records show.Atlantic Diving Supply, a Virginia Beach, Va.-based reseller of specialized military gear, is the latest organization whose receipt of taxpayer-backed loans through the Paycheck Protection Program has raised questions about a program launched in early April to help sustain employment at small companies through the...…A military equipment supplier that has been accused of fraudulently misrepresenting its size in order to benefit from privileges associated with being a small business has received a Paycheck Protection Program small business loan worth at least $2 million, public records show.Atlantic Diving Supply, a Virginia Beach, Va.-based reseller of specialized military gear, is the latest organization whose receipt of taxpayer-backed loans through the Paycheck Protection Program has raised questions about a program launched in early April to help sustain employment at small companies through the...WW…

In the midst of President Trump’s appalling failure to confront the novel , the ensuing collapse of the economy and loss of respect and influence around the world, we should not lose track of the administration’s serial foreign policy failures and the degree to which Republicans enabled actions they deplored under President Barack Obama.The resignation of — the U.S. special envoy to Iran who championed the ill-conceived view that if we unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, we would gain a stronger hand with Iran — reminds us of that colossal flop. The...…In the midst of President Trump’s appalling failure to confront the novel , the ensuing collapse of the economy and loss of respect and influence around the world, we should not lose track of the administration’s serial foreign policy failures and the degree to which Republicans enabled actions they deplored under President Barack Obama.The resignation of — the U.S. special envoy to Iran who championed the ill-conceived view that if we unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, we would gain a stronger hand with Iran — reminds us of that colossal flop. The...WW…

By allowing emergency benefits to expire, Congress and President Trump have effectively slashed jobless aid in the middle of a pandemic. More than received unemployment aid from the government in July, and their weekly checks just got a lot slimmer.The typical unemployed American was receiving about $930 a week from late March to late July. That has now been cut to about $330 a week, a far lower amount that many families say is .That extra $600 in aid — sometimes called “enhanced unemployment” or “the unemployment bonus” — has become about another big aid package. Congress put the extra...…By allowing emergency benefits to expire, Congress and President Trump have effectively slashed jobless aid in the middle of a pandemic. More than received unemployment aid from the government in July, and their weekly checks just got a lot slimmer.The typical unemployed American was receiving about $930 a week from late March to late July. That has now been cut to about $330 a week, a far lower amount that many families say is .That extra $600 in aid — sometimes called “enhanced unemployment” or “the unemployment bonus” — has become about another big aid package. Congress put the extra...WW…

David Adrian posted passionately about American politics, sharing adulatory memes on Facebook about President Trump and recirculating material from his reelection campaign.The user even invoked the Obama family, suggesting the nation’s first Black president and his wife had endorsed Trump, in an apparent bid to drum up support for the Republican incumbent among African American voters. An associated Twitter account indicated that Adrian lived in “Montana, USA.”Facebook on Thursday said Adrian’s accounts were part of a coordinated network of accounts and pages originating in Romania and...…David Adrian posted passionately about American politics, sharing adulatory memes on Facebook about President Trump and recirculating material from his reelection campaign.The user even invoked the Obama family, suggesting the nation’s first Black president and his wife had endorsed Trump, in an apparent bid to drum up support for the Republican incumbent among African American voters. An associated Twitter account indicated that Adrian lived in “Montana, USA.”Facebook on Thursday said Adrian’s accounts were part of a coordinated network of accounts and pages originating in Romania and...WW…

At least two North Paulding High School students have been suspended after sharing images of a school hallway jammed with their mostly maskless peers, and the principal has warned other students against doing the same.North Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga., about an hour’s drive from Atlanta, was thrust into the national spotlight this week when pictures and videos surfaced of its crowded interior on the first and second days of its first week back in session. The images, which showed a sea of teens clustered together with no face coverings, raised concerns over how the district is...…At least two North Paulding High School students have been suspended after sharing images of a school hallway jammed with their mostly maskless peers, and the principal has warned other students against doing the same.North Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga., about an hour’s drive from Atlanta, was thrust into the national spotlight this week when pictures and videos surfaced of its crowded interior on the first and second days of its first week back in session. The images, which showed a sea of teens clustered together with no face coverings, raised concerns over how the district is...WW…

In this edition: The left's fears about Susan Rice, some good turnout news from Tuesday's primaries, and the debate about debating.If no one is convening, can you still call it a “convention?” This is The Trailer.There will be no floor fight at this year's Democratic National Convention, and no “floor” to have it on. The messy details — the platform, Joe Biden's running mate — are being hashed out in Zoom meetings before a made-for-TV event this month. For the first time in 92 years, the party's nominee won't even appear in person to thank the delegates and dodge balloons.That has not...…In this edition: The left's fears about Susan Rice, some good turnout news from Tuesday's primaries, and the debate about debating.If no one is convening, can you still call it a “convention?” This is The Trailer.There will be no floor fight at this year's Democratic National Convention, and no “floor” to have it on. The messy details — the platform, Joe Biden's running mate — are being hashed out in Zoom meetings before a made-for-TV event this month. For the first time in 92 years, the party's nominee won't even appear in person to thank the delegates and dodge balloons.That has not...WW…

The Justice Department on Thursday accused a Ukrainian oligarch who has been considered an ally of Ukraine’s president of stealing billions of dollars from a bank he once owned, then using a vast array of companies to launder that money in the United States and all over the world.In a civil forfeiture complaint seeking to seize commercial properties in Kentucky and Texas, the Justice Department alleged that Ihor Kolomoisky and his business partner, Gennadiy Boholiubov, stole so much from PrivatBank that Ukraine’s national bank had to give the institution a $5.5 billion bailout “to stave off...…The Justice Department on Thursday accused a Ukrainian oligarch who has been considered an ally of Ukraine’s president of stealing billions of dollars from a bank he once owned, then using a vast array of companies to launder that money in the United States and all over the world.In a civil forfeiture complaint seeking to seize commercial properties in Kentucky and Texas, the Justice Department alleged that Ihor Kolomoisky and his business partner, Gennadiy Boholiubov, stole so much from PrivatBank that Ukraine’s national bank had to give the institution a $5.5 billion bailout “to stave off...WW…

President Trump had a plan. He would squeeze the president of Ukraine, a U.S. ally in desperate need of our help, to assist Trump in his reelection campaign. “I would like you to do us a favor though,” he the Ukrainian, doing his best impression of a mob boss forcing a local shop owner to pay protection.According to the plan, Ukraine would announce a blockbuster investigation of Joe Biden. Whether there was any evidence of wrongdoing mattered as little as the substance of Hillary Clinton’s email management practices. The goal was to create media stories linking Biden with payoffs and...…President Trump had a plan. He would squeeze the president of Ukraine, a U.S. ally in desperate need of our help, to assist Trump in his reelection campaign. “I would like you to do us a favor though,” he the Ukrainian, doing his best impression of a mob boss forcing a local shop owner to pay protection.According to the plan, Ukraine would announce a blockbuster investigation of Joe Biden. Whether there was any evidence of wrongdoing mattered as little as the substance of Hillary Clinton’s email management practices. The goal was to create media stories linking Biden with payoffs and...WW…

U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves couldn’t do justice for the plaintiff in his court, who had sued over police abuse. The Supreme Court won’t let him. So Reeves issued an opinion that dutifully followed the law — and blistered the justices for the all-but-insurmountable barrier they have constructed to shield police officers from being held to account.Reeves, a Barack Obama nominee who sits in Jackson, Miss., and is the second Black federal judge in the history of the state, produced one of the most powerful pieces of legal writing I have encountered. His opinion is a directed at the...…U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves couldn’t do justice for the plaintiff in his court, who had sued over police abuse. The Supreme Court won’t let him. So Reeves issued an opinion that dutifully followed the law — and blistered the justices for the all-but-insurmountable barrier they have constructed to shield police officers from being held to account.Reeves, a Barack Obama nominee who sits in Jackson, Miss., and is the second Black federal judge in the history of the state, produced one of the most powerful pieces of legal writing I have encountered. His opinion is a directed at the...WW…

There is no deal yet between the White House and House Democrats on the stimulus bill, the Heroes Act, which the House . The Senate Republicans’ bill, finally rolled out last week, was so preposterously insufficient even President Trump called it “semi-irrelevant.”Senate Republicans are so irrelevant they are not even participating in talks between the president’s representatives — White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin — and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). That’s right: The Democratic...…There is no deal yet between the White House and House Democrats on the stimulus bill, the Heroes Act, which the House . The Senate Republicans’ bill, finally rolled out last week, was so preposterously insufficient even President Trump called it “semi-irrelevant.”Senate Republicans are so irrelevant they are not even participating in talks between the president’s representatives — White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin — and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). That’s right: The Democratic...WW…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned parents and caregivers Tuesday to watch out for an uncommon, polio-like condition that mostly strikes children, usually between August and November., which may be caused by any of several viruses, is marked by a sudden weakness or paralysis of the limbs. Since surveillance began in 2014, prevalence of the ­syndrome has spiked in even-numbered years, often afflicting children about 5 years old.The disease is very rare, but a quick response is critical once the weakness sets in; the disease can progress over hours or days and lead to...…The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned parents and caregivers Tuesday to watch out for an uncommon, polio-like condition that mostly strikes children, usually between August and November., which may be caused by any of several viruses, is marked by a sudden weakness or paralysis of the limbs. Since surveillance began in 2014, prevalence of the ­syndrome has spiked in even-numbered years, often afflicting children about 5 years old.The disease is very rare, but a quick response is critical once the weakness sets in; the disease can progress over hours or days and lead to...WW…

PRESIDENT TRUMP sent a message to Twitter — and by extension all communication platforms and outlets: If you cross me, you’ll be punished. Now, he has sent a message to the Federal Communications Commission: Cross me for misusing my powers in this way, and you’ll be punished, too.Michael O’Rielly has served on the FCC under two presidents, and was expected to serve another — until this week, when the White House it would withdraw his renomination. This unexpected notice came only days after Mr. O’Rielly gave a in which he exhorted listeners to “reject demands, in the name of the First...…PRESIDENT TRUMP sent a message to Twitter — and by extension all communication platforms and outlets: If you cross me, you’ll be punished. Now, he has sent a message to the Federal Communications Commission: Cross me for misusing my powers in this way, and you’ll be punished, too.Michael O’Rielly has served on the FCC under two presidents, and was expected to serve another — until this week, when the White House it would withdraw his renomination. This unexpected notice came only days after Mr. O’Rielly gave a in which he exhorted listeners to “reject demands, in the name of the First...WW…

The chief executive of the National Rifle Association and several top lieutenants engaged in a decades-long pattern of fraud to raid the coffers of the powerful gun rights group for personal gain, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by the New York attorney general, draining $64 million from the nonprofit in just three years.In her lawsuit, Attorney General Letitia James called for the dissolution of the NRA and the removal of CEO Wayne LaPierre from the leadership post he has held for the past 39 years, saying he and others used the group’s funds to finance a luxury lifestyle.She also...…The chief executive of the National Rifle Association and several top lieutenants engaged in a decades-long pattern of fraud to raid the coffers of the powerful gun rights group for personal gain, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by the New York attorney general, draining $64 million from the nonprofit in just three years.In her lawsuit, Attorney General Letitia James called for the dissolution of the NRA and the removal of CEO Wayne LaPierre from the leadership post he has held for the past 39 years, saying he and others used the group’s funds to finance a luxury lifestyle.She also...WW…

As part of Maryland State Trooper John Sollon’s assignment to a specialized drunk-driving enforcement team, he had to go to court to testify against the drivers he had arrested. Six times in the past two years, the drivers Sollon arrested did not show up for their trials. Warrants were issued, and several times officers went to serve the reluctant defendants.Each time the officers found something unusual: The defendants didn’t exist.On at least six occasions, authorities said, Sollon fabricated entire cases for fictitious defendants, including case reports and the allegation each had...…As part of Maryland State Trooper John Sollon’s assignment to a specialized drunk-driving enforcement team, he had to go to court to testify against the drivers he had arrested. Six times in the past two years, the drivers Sollon arrested did not show up for their trials. Warrants were issued, and several times officers went to serve the reluctant defendants.Each time the officers found something unusual: The defendants didn’t exist.On at least six occasions, authorities said, Sollon fabricated entire cases for fictitious defendants, including case reports and the allegation each had...WW…

President Trump, apparently recognizing he is losing, wants to with former vice president Joe Biden in early September so voters casting ballots super early will see his performance. (Be careful what you wish for.) He submitted to the presidential debate commission an unintentionally revealing and damning list of proposed moderators. Needless to say, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos (who tripped him up on receiving foreign assistance), Axios’s Jonathan Swan (who gave a seminar in taking down a compulsive liar), Fox News’s Chris Wallace (who, among other things, took Trump to task for boasting...…President Trump, apparently recognizing he is losing, wants to with former vice president Joe Biden in early September so voters casting ballots super early will see his performance. (Be careful what you wish for.) He submitted to the presidential debate commission an unintentionally revealing and damning list of proposed moderators. Needless to say, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos (who tripped him up on receiving foreign assistance), Axios’s Jonathan Swan (who gave a seminar in taking down a compulsive liar), Fox News’s Chris Wallace (who, among other things, took Trump to task for boasting...WW…

Congressional Democrats introduced on Wednesday that would make reducing racial inequality in the U.S. economy an official part of the Federal Reserve’s mission.The Federal Reserve Racial and Economic Equity Act requires the central bank to take action “to minimize and eliminate racial disparities in employment, wages, wealth, and access to affordable credit.”It would be the first major change to the Fed’s mandate since 1977 and would significantly alter the central bank’s focus. The Fed’s current mandate from Congress is to keep prices stable and maximize the number of Americans with...…Congressional Democrats introduced on Wednesday that would make reducing racial inequality in the U.S. economy an official part of the Federal Reserve’s mission.The Federal Reserve Racial and Economic Equity Act requires the central bank to take action “to minimize and eliminate racial disparities in employment, wages, wealth, and access to affordable credit.”It would be the first major change to the Fed’s mandate since 1977 and would significantly alter the central bank’s focus. The Fed’s current mandate from Congress is to keep prices stable and maximize the number of Americans with...WW…