People who test positive for Covid-19 no longer need to routinely stay away from others for at least five days‚ according to new guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Friday. The change ends a strategy from earlier in the pandemic that experts said has been important to controlling the spread of the infection. The agency says it’s updating its recommendations for Covid-19 to bring them in line with its advice for other kinds of respiratory infections‚...

Adam Rubenstein is a journalist and former opinion editor at The New York Times. As a person of right-leaning political sensibilities—Rubenstein previously worked for The Wall Street Journal and The Weekly Standard—he was brought to the Times opinion pages with a mandate to help diversify its ideological offerings. His bosses said they expected him to use his contacts in conservative media to solicit‚ research‚ and improve op-eds that would advance contrarian...

On one of my first days at The New York Times‚ I went to an orientation with more than a dozen other new hires. We had to do an icebreaker: Pick a Starburst out of a jar and then answer a question. My Starburst was pink‚ I believe‚ and so I had to answer the pink prompt‚ which had me respond with my favorite sandwich. Russ &; Daughters’ Super Heebster came to mind‚ but I figured mentioning a $19 sandwich wasn’t a great way to win new friends. So I blurted out‚ “The spicy chicken...

Earlier this week Adam Rubenstein‚ a former New York Times editor scapegoated in the Tom Cotton op-ed affair at the Gray Lady back in 2020‚ published a tell-all about his experiences at the paper. In his lede‚ Rubenstein recalled being chided for identifying Chick-fil-A’s spicy chicken sandwich as his favorite after being asked a seemingly innocent icebreaker at his orientation. According to Rubenstein‚ an HR rep replied‚ “We don’t do that here. They hate gay...

A federal judge ruled that Texas cannot enforce a recent law that makes illegal border crossings a state crime. U.S. District Judge David Ezra paused the law before it was set to take effect on March 5‚ with Texas expected to appeal. Ezra argued that the law conflicted with the federal government’s supremacy in immigration matters. Allowing Texas to “permanently supersede federal directives” would “amount to nullification of federal law and authority — a...

A federal judge in Texas on Thursday blocked the Republican-led state's new law giving officials broad powers to arrest‚ prosecute and order the removal of people who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. District Judge David Ezra in Austin agreed with Democratic President Joe Biden's administration that the law known as SB4 interferes with the federal government's powers under the U.S. Constitution to enforce U.S. immigration laws and the ability of migrants to apply for asylum and...

A federal judge in Austin on Thursday blocked Texas state officials from implementing a sweeping immigration law that would have allowed them to arrest‚ jail and prosecute migrants who cross into the U.S. illegally. The Justice Department and the American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the law known as SB4‚ which was set to take effect on Tuesday‚ March 5.  In a 114-page order‚ Judge David Ezra of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas granted the...

The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Democratic lawsuit that sought to throw out the battleground state’s congressional maps‚ marking a victory for Republicans who argued against the court taking up the case.  The decision leaves the state’s current congressional district boundaries in place for the November election. The decision not to hear the congressional challenge comes after the court in December ordered new legislative maps‚ saying the...

The Georgia judge overseeing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ election subversion case against former President Donald Trump has said he expects to decide within the next two weeks whether Willis and her office may continue to prosecute it.  Attorneys for Trump and other co-defendants accused Willis of corruption‚ saying she improperly hired attorney Nathan Wade as one of three special prosecutors in the sprawling racketeering suit. Willis and Wade admitted to...

A businessman pleaded guilty to bribing Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his wifeon Friday and has agreed to cooperate with the investigation against the couple. On Friday‚ Jose Uribe’s counsel submitted a request to withdraw his original “not guilty” plea and enter a new “guilty” one. In his formal plea deal‚ Uribe agreed to “cooperate fully” with prosecutors. The New Jersey businessman admitted to supplying Menendez and his wife Nadine with a new Mercedes-...