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  1. foreign interests
    Ethiopia’s Crisis Shows No Sign of AbatingThe widening conflict between government forces and rebels in the Tigray region has prompted a humanitarian disaster and allegations of genocide.
    By Jonah Shepp
  2. covid-19
    New Documents Detail How Trump White House Interfered in CDC’s COVID ResponseEmails and transcripts released by congressional investigators reveal more about Trump administration efforts to influence and muzzle CDC scientists.
    By Paola Rosa-Aquino and Chas Danner
  3. covid-19
    What to Know About the COVID Vaccine for KidsAppointments to get Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for children who are 5 to 11 should be widely available within days.
    By Paola Rosa-Aquino
  4. explainer
    Who Is Ron Watkins, the QAnon Celebrity Running for Congress?Everything you need to know about why people think Watkins is Q, his campaign to unseat an Arizona congressman, and whether he actually has a shot.
    By Matt Stieb
  5. explainer
    The Havana Syndrome Mystery and How the U.S. Plans to Solve ItState officials have complained about not being taken seriously, as a declassified report says the symptoms weren’t caused by microwave weapons.
    By Matt Stieb
  6. mint the coin
    How Biden Could End the Debt-Ceiling Crisis by ‘Minting the Coin’The president could bail the United States out of debt default by ordering the creation of a $1 trillion platinum coin. Really.
    By Eric Levitz
  7. explainer
    Why Trump’s Election-Audit Circus Just Won’t EndA guide to Arizona’s sloppy recount, why other Republican-led states are following suit, and what “audit” proponents are really after.
    By Ed Kilgore
  8. explainer
    Will America Finally Get National Paid Family Leave?What to expect when you’re expecting the U.S. Congress to pass a paid family-leave law in 2021.
    By Eric Levitz
  9. explainer
    What Is China Doing to the Uighurs in Xinjiang?Beijing claims it’s merely fighting extremism. But it’s been accused of committing atrocities against the Muslim minority group, including genocide.
    By Jonah Shepp
  10. explainer
    What’s Driving the Surge in Ransomware Attacks?From gas to meat, hackers keep disrupting large sectors of the economy. Here’s why the attacks are getting easier and what’s being done to stop them.
    By Matt Stieb
  11. explainer
    Why Pandemic Unemployment Benefits (Probably) Won’t Be ExtendedDelta is extending the pandemic, but Congress isn’t extending UI. Here’s what the expiration of enhanced benefits means for workers and the economy.
    By Eric Levitz
  12. explainer
    The Supreme Court’s Radical Texas Abortion Law Ruling & What Comes NextA guide to the Texas abortion ban’s “vigilante” enforcement system, the Supreme Court’s shocking response, and the coming flood of legal battles.
    By Ed Kilgore
  13. explainer
    Yes, Gavin Newsom Could Lose the California Recall to a RepublicanHow voter complacency, GOP enthusiasm, and Democrats’ risky messaging could hand the California governorship to the GOP in September.
    By Ed Kilgore
  14. explainer
    Why Pelosi and Moderate Democrats Are in a Standoff Over Biden’s AgendaPelosi will try to pick off enough moderate rebels to get a budget resolution passed, but she may have to cut deals and shift her timetable.
    By Ed Kilgore
  15. explainer
    The Latest Bizarre Twists in the Robert Durst Murder TrialSix years later, the subject of The Jinx is finally on trial for Susan Berman’s murder. Unsurprisingly, the proceedings have been far from normal.
    By Matt Stieb
  16. student debt
    Has Biden Abandoned Wide-Scale Student-Loan Forgiveness?While Biden officially supports forgiving $10,000 of every borrower’s student debt, he appears more inclined to expand existing debt-relief programs.
    By Eric Levitz
  17. explainer
    Why Afghanistan’s Security Forces Suddenly CollapsedThe Taliban’s shockingly fast and easy takeover wasn’t just because Afghan soldiers and police weren’t willing to fight.
    By Chas Danner
  18. explainer
    Why Pope Francis Is Cracking Down on the Latin Mass and Angering TraditionalistsIn a break with his predecessor, Pope Francis is reimposing restrictions on the service used before the ’60s reforms — and risking a Catholic divide.
    By Ed Kilgore
  19. explainer
    What to Know About Cuomo’s Successor, Kathy HochulThe upstate Democratic road warrior has built deep relationships with lawmakers statewide and will now be New York’s first female leader.
    By Chas Danner
  20. explainer
    After Cuomo Resigns, What Happens Next?Here’s what Cuomo’s resignation means for the impeachment process, various other investigations into his alleged misconduct, and his political future.
    By Nia Prater
  21. explainer
    What We Know About the Dangerous Delta VariantThe more transmissible COVID strain now accounts for an estimated 93 percent of new cases in the U.S.
    By Chas Danner and Paola Rosa-Aquino
  22. covid-19
    Universal Face-Mask Mandates Are Back. Here’s What to Know.Amid the Delta wave, the CDC is once again recommending indoor mask mandates, including in all schools. But the debate remains politically fraught.
    By Chas Danner
  23. explainer
    Why Congress Is Fighting Over the Debt Ceiling Yet AgainA brief guide to the perennial issue. Why Democrats will probably have to include an increase in their budget bill — and what happens if they don’t.
    By Ed Kilgore
  24. explainer
    What to Know About the Cuomo Investigations and Possible ImpeachmentThe governor is still the subject of multiple state and federal investigations. Here’s where the probes stand, and how impeachment could play out.
    By Chas Danner and Nia Prater
  25. explainer
    What Happens Now That the Eviction Moratorium Has Expired?As many as 11 million Americans could be vulnerable to eviction, as billions of dollars in federal aid for renters remains unused.
    By Matt Stieb
  26. explainer
    Everything You Need to Know About the 2021 Child Tax CreditA guide to when parents can access their monthly benefits, why it may be wise to opt out, and how the program could become permanent.
    By Eric Levitz
  27. explainer
    There’s a Vaccine for Lyme Disease. So Why Can’t We Get It?It’s yet another frustrating aspect of this mysterious disease.
    By Jeff Wise
  28. explainer
    How the GOP’s Long War on the IRS Threatens the Infrastructure DealThe bipartisan deal is financed by ramped-up tax enforcement. But for decades, Republicans have been devoted to defunding and demonizing the IRS.
    By Eric Levitz
  29. explainer
    When Can I Buy a Ticket to Space? A Guide for Non-Billionaires.Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson will soon go where few tourists have gone before. Here are the costs, the risks, and when the rest of us can join them.
    By Paola Rosa-Aquino
  30. department of justice
    Trump DOJ’s Secret Subpoenas and Data Seizures: What We KnowThe Trump Justice Department went to unprecedented lengths to hunt down leakers, seizing records from reporters, Democrats, and a White House counsel.
    By Chas Danner
  31. the economy
    The Case for (and Against) Worrying About InflationRising prices could be a sign of impending crisis — or just the birth pains of a post-COVID boom.
    By Eric Levitz
  32. explainer
    European Union to Ban Its Airlines From Belarus Airspace After Ryanair DiversionOn Monday, a video also appeared of dissident Roman Protasevich in custody, which his allies claim was recorded under duress.
    By Chas Danner and Matt Stieb
  33. explainer
    What We Know About the Colonial Pipeline ShutdownThe pipeline is now flowing as of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, though the company says it will take several days for supply to return to normal.
    By Paola Rosa-Aquino and Chas Danner
  34. vaccination
    What to Know About the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine PauseThe FDA and CDC recommended a temporary pause in use of the vaccine while they probe several cases of recipients experiencing severe blood clots.
    By Benjamin Hart and Paola Rosa-Aquino
  35. explainer
    Can Marjorie Taylor Greene Be Expelled From Congress?If Republicans go along, Greene could be booted from the House for her violence-boosting behavior. Short of that, it’s up to her constituents.
    By Ed Kilgore
  36. coronavirus
    What We Know About the New P.1 Strain of the CoronavirusThe new variant, detected amid a horrifying resurgence of COVID cases in Manaus, Brazil, has alarmed scientists around the world.
    By Chas Danner
  37. explainer
    What We Know About the U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution PlanThe largest mass-vaccination campaign in American history has begun. This is how it may or may not play out.
    By Chas Danner and Matt Stieb
  38. trump pardons
    Everyone Trump Might Pardon Before He Leaves OfficeFrom his three eldest children to Tiger King’s Joe Exotic, there are a number of people the president may try to pardon — including himself.
    By Charlotte Klein
  39. explainer
    Is Donald Trump the Antichrist, the Beast, the Son of Perdition?There would be signs, okay?
    By Sarah Jones
  40. jeffrey epstein
    Everything We Know About Jeffrey Epstein’s DeathAttorney General Barr announced that he’s removed the acting Bureau of Prisons chief in the wake of Epstein’s death by suicide.
    By Chas Danner, Margaret Hartmann, and Matt Stieb
  41. jeffrey epstein
    Everything We Know About the Failures to Prevent Jeffrey Epstein’s DeathAttorney General Barr said there were “serious irregularities” at the federal jail where the disgraced financier killed himself.
    By Chas Danner
  42. the tweet beat
    Twitter, Meet the College Kid Whose Hot Model Dad Became a MemeCollin Hayslett’s dad is 45, a former pastor pursuing a modeling career … and he’s happily married.
    By Madison Malone Kircher
  43. explainer
    What to Know About the Tallahassee Yoga Studio AttackThe gunman, who shot six women, killing two, had a history of harassing young women and had expressed violently misogynistic and racist views online.
    By Chas Danner
  44. international affairs
    Everything We Know About the Disappearance and Alleged Murder of Jamal KhashoggiTurkey has alleged that the Washington Post journalist was murdered by the Saudi regime, but it’s not yet clear what has happened.
    By Chas Danner
  45. international affairs
    How Innocence of Muslims Led to Violent ProtestsInnocence of Muslims was little known in America until it exploded in the Arab world.
    By Joe Coscarelli