The Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News and Analysis

Trump, allies try to rewrite and distort history of pandemic while villainizing Fauci

The focus on where the virus came from, and efforts to place blame on infectious disease expert Anthony S. Fauci, appear to be an attempt to distract from the chief failure of the Trump administration — its uneven and chaotic response once the virus began spreading within the U.S.

By Matt Viser and Yasmeen Abutaleb

Amid controversy, Justice Dept. says it won’t seek to compel journalists to give up source information

The announcement came a day after the New York Times revealed the department had prohibited the newspaper’s lawyers and executives from disclosing an effort to seize email records of four reporters.

By Matt Zapotosky33 minutes ago

Trump’s chief of staff pushed Justice Dept. to investigate baseless election fraud claims

In emails disclosed by the New York Times, Mark Meadows pushed former acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen to put the power of the Justice Department behind Trump’s bid to overturn the 2020 election.

By Karoun Demirjian and Josh Dawsey1 hour ago

Calif.’s assault weapons ban overturned as federal judge compares AR-15 to a Swiss Army knife

By Timothy Bella and Rachel Siegel

Naftali Bennett, likely to be Israel’s next leader, represents a break with its more secular past

By Griff Witte, Steve Hendrix and Shira Rubin

Members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force shot and killed a Black man in Minneapolis. Officials say there’s no video evidence.

By Kim Bellware1 hour ago

Kyra Betts with her six-month-old son, Nathan Randy Patton Jr., in St. Louis. (Nick Schnelle for The Post)

The strange and lonely transformation of first-time mothers in the pandemic

New motherhood is meant to be a communal journey, in which a mother is ushered into her role by family and friends who support her, guide her and witness her. But for first-time moms who were already pregnant when the pandemic was first declared, the passage into parenthood was very different from what they’d once anticipated.

By Caitlin Gibson

Putin’s daughter steps into the spotlight. But no one will acknowledge she’s Putin’s daughter.

By Isabelle Khurshudyan and Mary Ilyushina

An Alaska glacier hurtles downhill in a rare exhibition of ‘surging’

By Emily Schwing

OPINIONS

My trip to Europe is about America rallying the world’s democracies

Opinion by Joe Biden

Violent crime is spiking. We must still reimagine public safety.

Opinion by the Editorial Board

We may never know where the virus came from. But evidence still suggests nature.

Opinion by Angela L. Rasmussen and Stephen A. Goldstein

China could pay if nations come to believe the virus leaked from a lab

Opinion by Yanzhong Huang

Why America failed to control the pandemic

By Carlos Lozada

Why the battle for gay marriage was won so easily

Opinion by Sasha Issenberg

Guide to the Pandemic

NAVIGATING YOUR LIFE

CDC director urges parents to vaccinate teens, pointing to increase in severe cases

Hospitalizations for adolescents went up in March and April, even as they stabilized for those 65 and older, a new study finds.

By Lena H. Sun

In Roanoke, Va., discovering a gateway to outdoor adventure

How to know when you need a mental health break and ways to make the most of it

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Bird lovers are grappling with honorary names linked to racists. Audubon tops the list.

A debate is underway in ornithology on whether to retain bird names honoring men who were enslavers, grave robbers and supremacists who defended the Southern cause.

By Darryl Fears

Yellen says inflation could reach 3 percent this year as U.S. recovers

The Biden White House and Federal Reserve maintain that the price increases are temporary.

By Rachel Siegel

G-7 nations reach deal on minimum tax that would affect corporations

The nonbinding agreement on a 15 percent minimum global tax rate is a major breakthrough for the Biden administration as it seeks to enact a floor on taxes paid by multinational corporations. But changing international tax laws is expected to be a long and arduous process.

By Jeff Stein and Antonia Noori Farzan

A missing contribution to global warming may have been right under our feet

By Chris Mooney

Ransomware attacks are closing schools, delaying chemotherapy and derailing everyday life

By Heather Kelly

Leaked letter details allegations that Southern Baptist leaders mishandled sex abuse claims

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey

In Peru’s pandemic election, a rural schoolteacher challenges a political dynasty

Polls show first-time candidate Pedro Castillo leading presidential daughter and former first lady Keiko Fujimori.

By Lucien O. Chauvin and Anthony Faiola

He’s running for mayor of his Mexican city. He’s also wanted by the DEA.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador won the presidency on promises to fight corruption. But as his party has grown, so have its own scandals.

By Kevin Sieff

Morning MixStories from all over

DON’T MISS

The problem with the world reopening: We don’t know how to get dressed anymore

By Ellen McCarthy

A lab found a carcinogen in dozens of sunscreens. Here’s what those findings really mean.

By Janna Mandell

Analysis

Comedian Bo Burnham’s new Netflix special actually captures the quiet chaos of quarantine

By Sonia Rao

How tectonic upheaval gave the Mid-Atlantic its natural beauties

By Walter Nicklin

Trending

(Joshua Carroll/The Post)

How a Mississippi antiabortion law could lead to overturning Roe v. Wade

An upcoming Supreme Court review of a Mississippi abortion law could pave the way for many other state laws that restrict or ban the procedure.

Today’s Print Stories

Get the headlines from today's paper, and click on each one to read the story.

Podcasts

Multi-tasking? Follow the latest headlines and analysis through our podcasts.

Share news tips with us confidentially

The Post offers several ways to securely send information and documents to journalists.

Washington Post Apps

Stay connected with the latest news on your tablet and phone.

POLITICS

Why the Pentagon isn’t heeding calls to prosecute Michael Flynn

The military could attempt to try the retired three-star general for recent comments, but such a move would be legally shaky and politically unpalatable.

By Missy Ryan

The TakeAnalysis

For GOP candidates, there’s no escaping the influence of Trump

By Dan Balz

Record 31 million Americans have health-care coverage through Affordable Care Act, White House says

By Amy B Wang

Vice President Harris, seen here during an April 26 virtual meeting with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, departs Sunday for Guatemala and Mexico. (Demetrius Freeman/The Post)

Harris heads to Guatemala and Mexico to address migration and manage expectations

The two-day trip is the vice president’s first abroad in her role.

By Nick Miroff, Cleve R. Wootson Jr. and Kevin Sieff

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez endorses Maya Wiley for NYC mayor

By David Weigel

Can He Do That?Podcast

The mystery of the pandemic’s origins (and what it means for Biden)

Add to:Apple Podcasts,Google Podcasts,Stitcher

John Patterson1921–2021

Ala. governor who resisted civil rights but later backed Obama dies at 99

By Ray Jenkins

WORLD

Greece installs ‘sound cannons’ on border; Denmark to allow asylum seekers to be sent overseas

By Antonia Noori Farzan

Palestinian supporters of the Islamist group Hamas gather to celebrate the cease-fire with Israel in Hebron in the West Bank on May 21. (AFP/Getty Images)

Palestinian supporters of Hamas gather to celebrate the cease-fire with Israel on May 21. (AFP/Getty Images)

Palestinian support for Hamas surges after its confrontation with Israel

Hamas gained newfound admiration among Palestinians not only in Gaza, which it governs, but also crucially in the West Bank, where Israel, the United States and archrival Fatah have sought to ban the militant Islamist group.

By Griff Witte and Sufian Taha

Cambodia’s hero rat, Magawa, is retiring after sniffing out land mines for five years

By Antonia Noori Farzan

Burkina Faso says at least 100 civilians killed in attack

By Sam Mednick | AP

NATIONAL

Veterans group official resigns over censorship of Memorial Day speech that highlighted Black history

Jim Garrison, head of the American Legion post and organizer of the Memorial Day event, resigned after a “premeditated” move to “censor or suppress” a speech about Black history, according to the American Legion Department of Ohio.

By Meryl Kornfield and Andrea Salcedo

Rural Indiana county ends needle swap that helped fight HIV — sparking fears of another outbreak

Law enforcement, health workers and community members had all made the same case to county commissioners: The program for drug users worked.

By Hannah Knowles

Steven Clarke and Stephanie Gregory dance two-step together during a dance lesson at the Sagebrush honky-tonk bar in Austin. (Matthew Busch for The Post)

Americans reemerge after pandemic isolation: ‘Like the end of Prohibition’

A slew of states eased or dropped pandemic restrictions in time for Memorial Day weekend and are preparing to lift the few that remain in the coming weeks.

By Fenit Nirappil and Brittany Shammas

Florida manatees are dying at alarming rates, wildlife officials report

By Derek Hawkins

Raymond Donovan1930–2021

Embattled labor secretary under Ronald Reagan dies at 90

By Olesia Plokhii

Capital Weather Gang

Threat of flooding in coastal Louisiana and Texas after waterlogged spring

By Matthew Cappucci

D.C., MD. & VA.

Henry Granville Widener and Paula Riff have organized a rent strike. (Amanda Voisard for The Post)

With eviction moratorium ending and no rent relief in sight, these renters decided to take action

Two months after the American Rescue Plan released $21.6 billion in emergency rent relief to local jurisdictions, the money had yet to make it to LaSalle Park’s residents in Maryland.

By Kyle Swenson

Perspective

In 1945, a pair of Navy aviators performed aerobatics above Bethesda. Bad idea.

By John Kelly

Perspective

‘Death stole everything’: Portraits present a stark reminder of immigrant lives lost to covid

Mere blocks from the White House, the display pays tribute to immigrant essential workers — who have disproportionately died during the pandemic.

By Theresa Vargas

As push for police transparency grows, federal officers operate under different rules

Federal police typically don’t identify members who shoot or kill people. Unlike their local counterparts, they rarely hold news conferences on officer use-of-force incidents or take questions.

By Rachel Weiner, Peter Hermann and Tom Jackman

Jet halts in grass beyond the runway at Reagan National Airport

By Martin Weil and Clarence Williams

Capital Weather Gang

PM Update: Hot and humid on Sunday

By Greg Porter

Known coronavirus deaths and cases per 100,000

GOING OUT GUIDE

Review

Tosca returns to business downtown with a fresh look and new chef

Tosca chef Phil Marzelli welcomes regulars and newcomers alike with his beautiful Italian fare

By Tom Sietsema

The best things to do — virtually and in person — this week in the D.C. area

Virtual film festivals, streaming concerts and socially distanced events offer escapes during the coronavirus pandemic.

By Fritz Hahn and Anying Guo

The 1960s didn’t end until the ’80s. So says this art show about painting in D.C.

The American University Museum encapsulates the spirit of a decade in a span of 32 years.

By Mark Jenkins

REAL ESTATE

A dream house lurked in derelict Maryland Victorian

Distinguished homes for sale in the D.C. region

Mortgage rates wander higher but remain below 3 percent

The Washington Post Magazine

Rockets are seen in the night sky fired toward Israel from Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on May 14. (Anas Baba/AFP/Getty Images)

Perspective

A Palestinian writer and an Israeli writer exchange emails — and seek common ground

In painting nurses at the height of the pandemic, a portrait artist learns what it is to depict bravery

By Tim Okamura

In 1941, the U.S. military papered over the killing of a young Black soldier by a White officer. Can there be justice 80 years later?

By Alexa Mills

Date Lab

He doesn’t like small talk. They discussed morality and the Iran nuclear deal.

By Jessica M. Goldstein

Confident that you can answer life’s big questions? Enter the Great American Think-Off.

By Lia Kvatum

Perspective

New York, from the bizarre to the truly bizarre

By Gene Weingarten

Sunday Business

As offices open back up, not all tech companies are sold on a remote future

By Heather Kelly and Rachel Lerman

Fake patient reviews make it increasingly hard to seek medical help on Google, Yelp and other sites

By Laura Sydell

Perspective

My boss keeps telling me to ‘calm down’ when I report problems. How do I explain that’s sexist?

By Karla L. Miller

A ski company built a power plant fueled by methane. It’s a success, but can it be replicated?

By Annie Gowen

HEALTH & SCIENCE

Jumping rope has physical and mental benefits. Here’s how to do it safely and effectively.

By Pam Moore

How prenatal sounds affect the development of all types of animals

By Erin Blakemore

From The Magazine

In painting nurses at the height of the pandemic, a portrait artist learns what it is to depict bravery

By Tim Okamura

Film recounts the birth of a radical Bronx clinic that used acupuncture to help people beat drug addiction

By Erin Blakemore

SPORTS

Essential Quality races ahead of Hot Rod Charlie at Belmont Park. (Getty Images)

Essential Quality wins Belmont Stakes

The favorite, Essential Quality, has won the Belmont Stakes to give trainer Brad Cox his first win in a Triple Crown race.

By Stephen Whyno | AP24 minutes ago

Jamaican sprinter becomes the second-fastest woman of all time ahead of Tokyo Olympics

By Glynn A. Hill

Analysis

The Tampa Bay Rays — quirky, innovative and unapologetically themselves — are at it again

By Chelsea Janes

As the Nationals sputter, Joe Ross gets burned by one big swing in a loss to the Phillies

By Jesse Dougherty23 minutes ago

Myisha Hines-Allen and Ariel Atkins take over late, but the Mystics still fall to the Aces

By Kareem Copeland

Maryland men’s basketball expected to hire South Carolina’s Bruce Shingler as assistant coach

By Emily Giambalvo

Maryland’s Jared Bernhardt wins the Tewaaraton Award, the top honor in college lacrosse

By Emily Giambalvo

LIFESTYLE

(Shutterstock)

Cicadas, plants and too much sun: How to keep your pet safe from summer hazards

Dogs can overindulge on cicadas; cats can be harmed by an insecticide called permethrin. Be aware of these and other summer hazards.

By Angela Haupt

Perspective

Taking a mental health day is legit. Just ask the kids.

By Petula Dvorak

Perspective

Reformers ignore powerful example of elevating math for low-income students

By Jay Mathews

Advice

Carolyn Hax: Does the don’t-comment-on-bodies rule apply to people’s tattoos?

You think it’s fine to admire someone’s tattoo as long as you’re being positive and respectful. Your friend thinks you should look away.

Ask Amy: #MeToo movement inspires big question

A long ago affair with man in powerful position causes woman to relive trauma.

Miss Manners: Family is stingy with affection toward generous girlfriend

Reader wants them to appreciate her kindnesses.

The LilyElevating stories about women

Perspective

From real dates to matching tattoos, here are our post-vax moments that felt ‘normal’

Biden omitted an abortion restriction from his budget. Women of color are to thank, activists say.

Perspective

As a Black woman, racial trauma impacts me every day. But the pandemic gave me tools to cope.

Perspective

Ask Sahaj: I feel so guilty watching my home country in crisis from abroad. What do I do?

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Here are 12 summer movies that just might entice you to get off your couch and visit an actual theater

Maybe you’ve forgotten what it’s like to sit together in the dark, with other lovers of stories, spun in beams of flickering light and accompanied by the boom of Dolby surround sound? Maybe it’s time to come back. Each of these films offers a reason to return to watching on the big screen.

By Michael O'Sullivan

The Washington Ballet bounces back with the capital’s first post-pandemic gala

That buzz at the Kennedy Center Friday night wasn’t the cicadas. It was the sound of 400 VIPs breathing a collective sigh of relief and returning to the glamorous fundraising whirl that Washington society loves so much.